Olga Núñez Miret's Blog: Author Translator Olga, page 87

¡Gané NaNoWriMo! De malas fotos, aniversarios y muestras de escritura.

Hola a todos:

Como ya sabréis, estoy de vuelta en Inglaterra, aunque no sé por cuánto tiempo ya que mi vida es algo cambiante en estos momentos y no puedo hacer planes a muy largo plazo.

Os he dicho unas cuantas veces que las fotos no se me dan muy bien, pero no estoy convencida de que me creáis, así que decidí dejaros unas muestras…

Por lo visto se acerca la Navidad. Estuve en Sheffield el fin de semana pasado y vi un Christmas pudding (un postre tradicional navideño de aquí, que normalmente se sirve con cream, brandy butter, o helado, o todo, y se quema por encima con un chorrito de algo…A mí me parece pesadísimo y no me gusta nada, pero es un tradición que yo intento evitar tanto como puedo) con ruedas y pensé, le haremos una foto.

Christmas pudding con ruedad delante del City Hall de Sheffield

Por supuesto todo el mundo se estaba paseando por allí (hay mercadillos Navideños, feria, vamos, mucha gente). Decidí esperar un poco, y éste fue el resultado.

No hay tanta gente pero me quedó borroso

En el pueblo donde vivo, Penistone, suelen aprovechar por estas fechas para hacer una feria de artesanía en la iglesia de St John, la central del pueblo, que fue construida (al menos partes de ella) en la época de los Normandos (partes son del siglo XI). Penistone aparece en el Domesday Book  (un registro que los invasores Franceses hicieron…ya se sabe, cuestión de impuestos). Yo intento aprovechar la feria cuando puedo para comprar regalos de Navidad un poco más originales.

Poster del grup de artistas Hens Teeth

El grupo de artistas que se promocionan juntos y son de la zona, se hacen llamar Hens Teeth (dientes de gallina. La expresión en inglés se usa para referirse a algo que es muy raro, ya que las gallinas no tienen dientes. Supongo que sería similar a hablar de que a las ranas les salga pelo).

Decidí hacer una foto dentro…y así me quedó.

Dentro de St John´s. Otra foto borrosa

Aquí me parece que no llevaba puestas las gafas. Aún y así…

Compré algunas cosas. Por ejemplo:

Angelito de punto hecho a mano

No es que yo sea muy de Navidades, pero como sabéis estoy escribiendo una serie con ángeles así que…

Ya que estaba allí, aproveché para hacerle una foto al cine, el Penistone Paramount que cumple 100 años este año, y es uno de los amores de mi vida. Le han pintado la fachada para celebrarlo.

The Penistone Paramount. 100 años. ¡Se conserva bien!

Este mes os he estado dando la lata hablando de NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) que es una iniciativa a la que se puede apuntar uno y es como un reto personal a escribir una novela de al menos 50000 palabras en un mes (Noviembre).

¡Y gané! De hecho, el borrador de mi novela pasa algo de las 60000 palabras y me sobró algo de tiempo.

Me encantaría compartir un poco de la novela, pero era la tercera en mi series Asuntos Angélicos que os he mencionado alguna vez, y me pareció que sería difícil compartir algo que no revelara mucho de la historia en los otros dos libros y que se pudiera entender sin haberlos leído. Así que, en lugar de eso decidí compartir el segundo capítulo del la primera novela en la series Alerta Pink (por si no os acordáis, aquí compartí el primer capítulo):

Capítulo 2. El encuentro (Parte 1)

Yo no era demasiado soñadora o romántica…Vale, por supuesto me gustan las historias románticas y una no puede evitar soñar, pero yo no creía de verdad  que ese tipo de cosas me fueran a pasar a mí nunca. Y por supuesto no  esperaba que el chico perfecto se presentara de improviso, me arrebatara en sus brazos y me llevase al paraíso. (Para empezar estaba bastante convencida de que no tendríamos la misma opinión sobre qué es el paraíso.) Incluso en los cuentos de hadas esas cosas sólo le pasan a las princesas y otras heroínas de ese tipo. Chicas normalitas y corrientes como yo casi nunca eran las protagonistas de ese tipo de historias. Por supuesto el Feminismo y la concienciación social y étnica habían expandido el tema y las historias y cuentos modernos eran un poco más “equitativos” y “justos”. Pero con la mano en el corazón yo seguía prefiriendo los cuentos de hadas de siempre.

Debido a mi realista (más que pesimista) opinión de la vida, yo no esperaba que el perfecto candidato a mi novio de mentirijillas apareciera así sin más. Si ésta fuera una de esas historias, no sólo habría aparecido y sido perfecto, sino que se habría enamorado locamente de mí y al final yo me habría dado cuenta de que la pretensión se había transformado en realidad. Lo sé, habéis leído la historia. Y visto la película. Yo también. Aún y así…

Un chico nuevo llegó a la escuela. No era guapo en el sentido convencional, pero tenía “algo”. Pelo oscuro, ojos grises, alto, rasgos marcados…No el típico chico mono (estilo Zac Effron), pero más uno de esos tipos profundos y torturados, atractivo a lo duro (quizás como el Robert Pattinso, aunque de hecho a mí no me gusta demasiado, pero entiendo porque le gusta a muchas chicas). Y tenía mucho estilo. Chaqueta de cuero, siempre vestido de negro, rodeado de un ligero aire de misterio…incluso de amenaza y riesgo.

Como siempre las chicas populares tomaron la iniciativa e intentaron sonsacarle toda la información posible. Usaron sus técnicas más efectivas, incluyendo parpadeando para mostrar la enorme cantidad de mascara que usaban, desabrochándose  algunos botones de la blusa del uniforme, riéndole todas las gracias (y las sin-gracia)…Pero el parecía resistirse y no consiguieron sacarle ni una sonrisa.

Lorna, Silvia y yo oímos a Chloe (la jefa de las animadoras, ya conocéis el tipo, rubia, alta, ojos azules, atlética y bien proporcionada…) hablando con su mejor amiga Zoe (tipo muy similar pero morena) después de pasar algún tiempo con el chico nuevo:

—¿Qué crees que le pasa? Sólo contesta en monosílabas. Y dice que se llama “G”. ¿”G”? ¿Qué tipo de nombre es “G”?

—No te preocupes…Probablemente es gay.

—Tengo que saberlo. Le diré a Scott que hable con él después del entrenamiento esta tarde. Los tíos a veces pueden ser tímidos con chicas a las que no conocen.

Chloe había salía con Scott desde hacía unos meses, y Zoe estaba saliendo con Chris. Yo dudaba que el tal G fuera tímido. Tenía una mirada muy intensa y una sonrisa traviesa. Silvia dijo:

—Creo que nos está mirando.

Nuestra primera reacción en esos casos era mirar a nuestro alrededor porque  los chicos nunca nos miraban. Pero no había nadie más. Sí, parecía que nos estaba mirando.

—Creo que tienes razón— dijo Lorna.

—Pues no sé por qué— dije yo.

Nos fuimos las tres a la biblioteca a estudiar un rato. Cuando salimos, el entrenamiento de fútbol había terminado. G nos intrigaba, pero ninguna de las chicas populares estaba por allí y parecía poco probable que fuéramos a conseguir información alguna ese día. Yo acompañé a Silvia y Lorna a la parada de autobús y me eché a andar hacia casa. Cuando estaba a medio camino llegó Seth  en su viejo cacharro. Su padre le había prometido que le compraría un coche nuevo si sacaba buenas notas y conseguía que le aceptaran en una buena universidad, así que había estado trabajando duro a comparación con sus estándares habituales.

—¡Eh Pink! ¡Sube! ¡Te llevo a casa!

Me monté a su lado. Llevaba la música a todo volumen pero la bajó cuando me subí.

—¿Cómo fue el entrenamiento?

—Como siempre. Si al entrenador no se le ocurre alguna idea nueva nunca ganaremos a nadie este año.

—Creí que habías dicho que teníais un equipo fuerte.— La verdad es que yo no prestaba mucha atención a su charla sobre fútbol, pero de vez en cuando algo se me quedaba grabado.

—Si, pero no nos irían mal un par de tíos más…quizás un defensa potente…un goleador…

—No es muy probable que consigáis nuevos jugadores con la temporada tan avanzada, ¿no?

—Toni pensó que el tío nuevo éste…se hace llamar G, podría ser un jugador, aunque no parece lo suficientemente fuerte para ser un defensa pero…nunca se sabe qué talentos esconde la gente, pero no. Le dijo al entrenador que no le interesaba el fútbol. Parece que le gusta correr…y, no lo creerás…“la gimnasia de competición”! ¿No te parece la cosa más rara que has oído?

A mí siempre me ha gustado la gimnasia…No practicarla…Por más duro que trabaje no tengo ni estilo ni demasiado sentido del equilibrio, pero me encantaba ver gimnasia. Uno de los pocos deportes que me interesaban.

—¿Qué tiene de  malo la gimnasia? Tienes que estar muy en forma y ser fuerte…

—Ya, pero un poco femenino, ¿no te parece? Scott me estaba diciendo que Chloe había estado intentando hablar con él…“hablar”, ¿sabes? Ya sabes lo que quiero decir…

—Flirtear y enseñarle el sujetador, vamos…

Él se rió e hizo un gesto de garra.

—¡Gggggrrrr! ¡Cómo te pones! Eres demasiado seria. Pero supongo que eso es lo que quiero decir…Y él la ignoró. Bueno, no la ignoró, pero sólo respondió sí o no…Si Chloe no consigue acelerarle tiene que tener algún problema.

—Quizás prefiera otro tipo de chica…

—¿De veras? ¿A qué tío como dios manda no le gusta Chloe? Puede que no te guste como persona, pero está muy buena. ¿Quién crees que podría ser más de su tipo entonces? ¿Quizás tú?— Y se echó a reír. Y siguió riéndose…Mi decisión de mostrarle de qué era capaz aumentó exponencialmente.

Tan pronto como me dejó en casa y llegué a mi habitación me conecté con Lorna y Silvia. Estaban las dos en casa de Lorna. Les dije lo que había descubierto.

—¡De veras, Pink, Seth es un idiota total!— gruñó Lorna—. Quizás lo mejor sería que le enviases a freír churros.

—Ni se enteraría de qué iba el asunto y no me daría ninguna satisfacción. No, estoy aún más decidida que antes a seguir adelante con el plan.

—Se merecería que salieses con el tal G—dijo Silvia.

—Estaba pensando lo mismo, pero no sabemos nada de él. Y no somos las únicas. Parece que nadie sabe nada sobre él, ni siquiera de dónde ha salido. Podría ser un indeseable por lo que sabemos. Y además, dudo que esté interesado.

—Bueno, la poca información que tenemos sobre él tiene buena pinta —Lorna resumió—. No le gusta el fútbol, así que dudo que pase mucho tiempo con Seth y su grupo. Le gusta la gimnasia y a ti también te gusta el mismo deporte, así que tendrías algo de que hablar. Y parece inmune a los encantos de Chloe y su banda de chicas guapas…

—Y no se te vaya a olvidar que nos estaba mirando —dijo Silvia.

—No estoy segura de lo que eso pueda significar. Puede que pensara que somos raras o algo así…Tendremos que esperar a ver lo que pasa durante los próximos días y si hay alguna novedad… —dije yo.

—Sería todo un éxito si consiguieras salir con él…Es completamente nuevo en el mercado y no es de por aquí…un tío tan fresco y objetivo como encontrarás en estos lares —dijo Lorna.

—Ya veremos.

G se convirtió en el centro de atención la semana siguiente, aunque no parecía que el interés fuera recíproco y daba la impresión de que intentaba volverse invisible la mayoría del tiempo. Pero tenía una forma muy extraña de aparecer donde fuera que Lorna, Sylvia y yo estábamos, incluso cuando no le tocaba la misma clase que a nosotras.

—¡Te digo que nos está mirando! —dijo Sylvia por millonésima vez.

—Sí, ¿pero a cuál de nosotras está mirando? —preguntó Lorna.

Yo estaba algo aburrida de repetir la misma conversación al menos una vez al día, cuando no varias veces el mismo día. Esta vez acabábamos de salir de la biblioteca y él estaba en la acera al otro lado de la calle, apoyado en la pared, y parecía estar mirándonos.

—¿Quién sabe? —respondió Sylvia una vez más.

Ya estaba harta. No era tan difícil de saber.

—Si de verdad queréis saberlo, es bastante sencillo. OK, Sylvia, ven conmigo. Lorna, tú quédate ahí.

Agarré a Sylvia del brazo y me la llevé a rastras conmigo hasta el escaparate de la tienda de la esquina. No, G no estaba mirando a Lorna; sus mirada nos siguió a nosotras.

—Ahora, tú quédate ahí.

Dejé a Sylvia en la tienda y yo crucé al otro lado de la calle donde G estaba. Ahora no había duda posible. Por difícil que fuera de creer, me estaba mirando a mí. Sylvia y Lorna se reunieron conmigo, muy excitadas, pero intentado hablar en voz baja (aunque no me pareció que con mucho éxito). Al menos podía estar agradecida porque no se habían puesto a dar saltitos. No éramos unas chicas particularmente saltarinas.

—¡Oh Dios mío! ¡Te está mirando a ti de todas todas! —dijo Sylvia, intentando no echarse a pegar chillidos.

—Sí, sí, lo está. Eso es. ¡Es el tipo para nuestro plan —concluyó Lorna.

—¿Qué vas a hacer? —preguntó Sylvia.

—Lo primero, salir de aquí.

Esta vez fuimos a mi casa y charlamos mucho rato. Sylvia y Lorna sugirieron todo tipo de ideas alocadas planes estrafalarios para llamarle la atención a G. O más bien para “canalizar” su atención, ya que parecía que por algún motivo indeterminado yo ha había captado su atención. Todas sus sugerencias requerían una buena dosis de flirteo y de hacer papeles que no me resultaban muy familiares, como el de la dama en apuros o la fan alocada. No estaba segura de qué estrategia iba a usar, pero sí, parecía valer la pena el intentar conseguir que saliese conmigo. Y yo me sentía bastante curiosa sobre él y su interés en mí. ¿De qué iba todo aquello?

Cómo conseguirlo era otra cuestión. No sé si os habéis dado cuenta, pero los chicos no son mi especialidad. I aunque estaba decidida, trabajos, estudios y cosas urgentes por el estilo lo fue apartando a un lado y lo empujó al fondo de mi cerebro. Continué retrasándolo, intentando encontrar el momento adecuado para actuar, e ignorando los “consejos” de Sylvia y Lorna (para ser sincera, presión).

Un sábado por la mañana, más o menos un mes después de la aparición de G, Lorna, Sylvia y yo habíamos quedado en encontrarnos en Atlantis (una librería independiente). Yo había llegado algo temprano y entré a echarle un vistazo a los libros viejos. Estaba mirando una bella copia ilustrada de El gran Gatsby cuando alguien me tocó el hombro. Me giré, y allí estaba él, G.

—Hola.

—Hola.

Vale, ninguno de los dos íbamos a ganar un concurso a la originalidad o conseguir entrar en un libro que recogiera las más famosas palabras para iniciar una conversación.

—Me estaba preguntando cuándo tendría la oportunidad de pescarte a solas. Parece que siempre estés con tus amigas…Lorna y Sylvia, ¿no?

—Sí. Ya…habíamos notado que nos estabas mirando.

—Quieres decir que te estaba mirando a ti. Una forma interesante de comprobarlo científicamente. Aunque después de aquello supuse que habrías continuado y me habrías venido a hablar, pero no lo  hiciste —dijo él.

—Yo…no sabía qué significaba, pero nos lo estábamos preguntando y yo estaba aburrida de tanto especular…No sospechaba que me estuvieras mirando a mí.

—Pero al menos tenías esa esperanza.

—No.

No digáis que no os había advertido. Ya os he dicho que no se me dan bien los chicos y no podría flirtear ni aunque me fuese la vida en ello, así que…

—Oh, vale.

—No quería decir…Perdona, no se me dan bien estas cosas.

—¿Qué cosas?

—Ya sabes, flirtear y todo eso…Las relaciones con los tíos no son mi punto fuerte.

—Yo no me preocuparía mucho de eso si fuera tú…Volvamos a empezar. Hola Pink, soy G. Supongo que Pink no es tu nombre de verdad. ¿Cómo te llamas en realidad?

—Petra.

—¿De dónde viene el nombre?

—Siempre me ha gustado el rosa, y Pink en particular. Y no me gusta mi nombre de verdad, así que…

—No, me refería a tu nombre de verdad.

—Mi padre era un arqueólogo amateur cuando era joven y le gustaba mucho Petra.

—Supongo que podría haber sido peor.

—¿Cómo qué? ¿Abu Simbel o los jardines colgantes de Babilonia?

Se rio. Una risa corta pero sincera. Y luego sonrió. Tenía la sonrisa más rara y misteriosa que yo hubiese visto nunca, incluyendo a todos (hombres y mujeres). Imaginaos a la Mona Lisa, pero en hombre joven. Astuta, cómplice y misteriosa al mismo tiempo…

—¿Y tú? ¿Qué significa G?

En ese momento llegaron Lorna y Sylvia que se pararon en seco cuando me vieron hablando con G.

—Seguiremos hablando en otro momento. Quizás dentro de un par de días, durante el Día del Lago. Junto a la pequeña iglesia en la orilla norte. Después de comer.

—¿Por qué estás tan seguro de que será dentro de un par de días?

—Sé cosas…

Se fue. El Día del Lago era una tradición de la Escuela St. Mary. La directora, la Sra. Langston, había estudiado en Mount Holyoke College y le encantaba su Día de la Montaña, en particular la idea de que de repente, sin previo aviso, toda la escuela se montaba en los autobuses y se iba de excursión y pasaban el día fuera. Como no había ni montañas ni siquiera colinas que se merecieran el nombre cerca de St Mary, pero tenían el Lago Swallow (Golondrina) en las cercanías, decidió instituir en su lugar el Día del Lago. La fecha exacta cuando tendría lugar era un secreto muy bien guardado, sobre el que se especulaba mucho, así que yo no tenía ni idea de cómo podría haberse enterado G, si tenía razón, de cuándo iba a ser.

Sylvia y Lorna se pararon un buen rato preguntándome sobre mi encuentro con G, pero lo cierto es que no tenía mucho que decirles.

—¿Creéis que de verdad sabe cuándo será el Día del Lago? —preguntó Sylvia.

—Parecía muy seguro, ¿pero cómo lo iba a saber? No lleva aquí ni dos minutos y no conoce a los maestros…al menos que nosotras sepamos. ¿Por qué se lo iban a decir a él?

—Quizás su familia sea muy rica y hayan hecho una donación substancial…—sugirió Lorna.

—Estoy segura de que si alguien hubiese hecho una donación enorme nos habríamos enterado de ello, lo habrían publicado en el periódico local y anunciado por todas partes. Y estoy segura de que cualquier benefactor tendría cosas mucho más importantes que preguntar que cuándo iba a ser el siguiente Día del Lago —dije yo. Teníamos que tener cuidado y no dejarnos llevar por nuestras teorías, si no, G acabaría no siendo solo James Dean sino también Rockefeller. Su referencia a la pequeña iglesia era correcta, pero eso solo significaba que debía haber visitado el lago en algún momento ya que era un lugar bastante popular en esa zona. Eso no tenía nada de misterioso.

Finalmente conseguí que las chicas dejasen de hablar de G y pasásemos a otros temas. Aunque tengo que admitir que me moría de curiosidad por ver si tendría razón y el Día del Lago sería de verdad dentro de dos días. Por supuesto esa no era la única razón por la que me sentía curiosa. También quería ver qué me iba a decir la próxima vez que nos encontráramos. Me había parecido muy decidido, pero no tenía ni idea de sus goles o intenciones.

Si estuviera intentando hacerme pasar por alguien interesante y por encima de esas cosas os diría que un par de días más tarde ya me había olvidado de las predicciones de G y fui a la escuela sin expectativas. Lo cierto es que estaba agitada ese día, y Sylvia y Lorna no habían dejado de hablar de ello en el ínterin. Así que cuando al cabo de cinco minutos de haber empezado nuestra primera clase sonaron las campanas y anunciaron el Día del Lago nos excitamos mucho.

—Pero, ¡él no está aquí! —dijo Sylvia —. Debería haber estado en clase con nosotras peo no ha venido.

—Bueno, supongo que si de verdad sabía que no iba a haber clase debe haber encontrado algo mejor que hacer que venir de excursión —dije, haciendo ver que no me importaba.

—¡Pero había quedado contigo! —dijo Lorna.

—Sobreviviré.

Aún y así, no me pude resistir y dejé a Sylvia y a Lorna después de comer y paseando por la orilla del lago me acerqué a la pequeña iglesia. Y allí estaba él. G iba vestido de negro de cabeza a pies, como siempre, llevaba una chaqueta de piel negra, y estaba de pie al lado de una motocicleta que a mí me parecía muy grande para su edad. ¿Una Triumph? Negra, brillante, impresionante es la descripción que os puedo dar. Las motos son otro de los temas en los que no me especializo.

—¡Guau! ¿Es tuya?

—Sí.

—¡Muy chula! Un  poco Ángeles del Infierno, ¿no?

Su respuesta fue una sonrisa más rara incluso de lo norma. ¿Qué demonios pasaba con él?

—Así que tenía razón. Sobre el Día del Lago, quiero decir. ¿Cómo lo supiste?

—Ya te dije que sé cosas…

—Así que te haces el misterioso…vale. Me preguntaste sobre mi nombre, el otro día, pero nunca me respondiste sobre el tuyo. ¿Qué significa G?

—Nada…Solo…decidí cambiar de estilo de vida y escogí un nuevo nombre. Ahora me llamo G.

—¿Como Ali-G o los hombre G?

—Muy divertido. Ya me lo habían dicho antes.

—Al menos no es el punto G. Y sí, estoy segura de que también te lo habían dicho.

—Podría ser la fuerza G.

—Si…¿pero no es algo religioso, como Malcolm X?

—No. Nada que ver con la religión.

No sabía por qué, pero no le creí, y me pareció que se había puesto muy tenso cuando mencioné la religión, pero probablemente era demasiado pronto para ir de indagación. Era algo raro ya que a los tíos de hoy en día no parecía preocuparles la religión y no era usual que hablar de ella consiguiera ninguna reacción…Quizás tenía algo que ver con su referencia a su antiguo estilo de vida. Quizás había estado en una secta o algo así…O quizás yo debería dejar de inventarme cosas. Estaba siendo discreto y no me había dado mucha información sobre sí mismo, pero eso era justo. Nos conocíamos hacía cinco minutos como quien dice, aunque ahora todos eran amigos de todos y publicaban detalles íntimos de sus vidas sin darle ninguna importancia, así que su actitud era algo anticuada, aunque yo la encontraba vivificante. Cuando la gente anunciaba cada íntimo detalle de sus vidas a los cuatro vientos solo podía significar que no había nada que valiese la pena saber sobre ellos. Aún y así, no pude evitar seguir preguntándole cosas, aunque fueran menos íntimas.

—¿Por qué te vistes siempre de negro?

—Me cansé de ir de blanco.

Esa sonrisa suya de nuevo. Era enigmático. No tenía ni idea de lo que estaba hablando pero sospechaba que no llegaría mucho más lejos con mi tipo de preguntas.

—¿Podemos hablar ya o aún tienes más preguntas que hacerme antes de que podamos continuar? —me preguntó, sonriendo aún.

—Solo una más. ¿Por qué yo? No eres de aquí y supongo que no conoces a nadie del lugar —le miré y negó con la cabeza—, así que, ¿por qué yo? No puede ser mi aspecto, de eso estoy segura. No soy una gran belleza. Del montón. —No era falsa modestia. No soy muy alta, pelo corto castaño y ojos marrones (un poco verdes), rellenita…

—Eso es parte del atractivo —la sonrisa de nuevo.

—Chicas como Chloe han intentado hablar contigo sin conseguir nada, y por lo que me han dicho a los chicos de tu edad les resultan irresistibles.

—Eso es una generalización injusta. No todos tenemos el mismo gusto.

—¿De veras? ¿Entonces eres un raro? ¿Te atraen las personas que no son atractivas?

—Ah no, por ahí no me vas a pillar. No soy tan estúpido como tu amigo Seth. Sé que estás enfadada con él por la manera en que te trata como si le dieras pena, y no estuvieras ni la altura de su zapato. No he dicho que no fueses atractiva. Tú eres la que lo ha dicho.

Había ido demasiado lejos. Tuviese razón o no, esa no era manera de hablar de un amigo mío. ¿Y cómo demonios se atrevía a insinuar que sabía cómo me sentía?

—Escucha, Sr. G o como quiera que te llames, no metas a mis amigos en esto. No sé quién o qué te crees que eres, pero eso no te da derecho a hacer comentarios y criticar a la gente a la que conozco y quiero. Te deseo una vida feliz.

Me di la vuelta y eché a andar tan aprisa como pude de vuelta con el resto del grupo. Esto había sido una equivocación. ¡Salir con él! Ni en mil años.

Debió correr porque estaba de nuevo a mi lado.

—No te enfades. Anda, sé que has estado pensando en vengarte de los comentarios que hace sobre ti saliendo con un candidato apropiado. Y sé que tú y tus amigas habías pensado en mí para el papel.

Debí tener aspecto de asombrada porque añadió:

—No te preocupes. Tus amigas no me lo han dicho y nadie más lo sabe.

—Y si te pregunto cómo lo sabes me vas a decir que sabes cosas…

El asintió y sonrió.

—Te lo tienes muy creído…No me importa ni lo que sabes ni cómo lo sabes. Puedes guardarte todos tus conocimientos y tus secretos para ti solo. La vida es demasiado corta para esto, si quieres mi opinión. Estoy segura de que puedes encontrar otra chica que sea tan poco atractiva como yo para lo que sea que tienes pensado. Buena suerte.

Ningún tío se merecía el tener que soportar todo aquello por él, en mi opinión. Se lo podía meter donde le cupiese. Eché a andar aún más deprisa que antes. Y no tenía la menor intención de pararme o de que me parasen.

Esta vez me siguió motorizado y resbaló en la gravilla hasta pararse a unos pocos metros de mí.

—Me estoy ofreciendo voluntario a hacer el papel con Seth. No tengo ningún problema con ser tu novio oficial. Sé que no quieres una relación de verdad. Eso me va al dedillo. Yo tampoco quiero una. Opino como tú que se invierte demasiado tiempo en relaciones con el sexo opuesto a nuestra edad. Pero también sé que la actitud de Seth te parece enojosa y tienes razón. A un montón de tíos les encantaría ser tu novio si de veras quisieras uno.

—Ahora lisonjas…Aprendemos rápido —le contesté intentando ser irónica.

—Vamos, Pink. No soy de aquí. Como has dicho antes algunas de las chicas a las que se consideran entre las más bellas y deseadas por todos los chicos se han acercado a mí sin éxito. Te llevaría muchos puntos si tú consiguieras lo que a ellas se les ha resistido. Y no te daré mucho trabajo. Haré mi papel a la perfección en público. No tienes que preocuparte.

—¿Por qué insistes tanto? ¿Tú que ganas con todo esto?

—Oh, no te preocupes. No tengo malas intenciones. Ya te dije que no me interesan las relaciones…ningún tipo de relaciones…

Cuando alguien dice que no te preocupes dos veces seguidas, uno debe preocuparse definitivamente. No tenía una respuesta preparada y me lo quedé mirando. No sé qué expresión debía hacer porque se sonrojó y añadió rápidamente:

—Sé que Chloe y Zoe y todas esas chicas se estaban preguntando…Pero están tan convencidas de que son irresistibles…No soy gay. Simplemente tengo otras prioridades ahora mismo. Pero eso quedará entre tú y yo. Todos los demás creerán que estamos liados. Seremos convincentes.

No dije nada. ¿Era gay, era hetero, o simplemente no le interesaba el tema? ¿Me importaba algo todo eso? Sí, tenía razón. Si me presentaba en la escuela colgada de su brazo y era su novia oficial la gente lo notaría y me tomaría más en serio. Y zarandearíamos la opinión de Seth. ¿Pero que quería a cambio? ¿Y por qué se resistía tanto a decírmelo?

—Todo eso está muy bien, y no te preocupes, no estoy interesada en tu orientación sexual. Te la puedes guardar para ti. Tienes razón en mi opinión sobre las relaciones. Pero sigues sin haberme dicho por qué me escogiste a mí de buen principio. Y no me digas que eres un buen Samaritano ayudando a chicas necesitadas. ¿De qué va todo esto?

Me miró con una de sus miradas  penetrantes, esta vez sin sonreír. Después de lo que parecieron horas dijo:

—Creo que podríamos trabajar juntos.

—¿Trabajar? ¿Quieres decir deberes? ¿Un trabajo de clase?

—No exactamente.

Gracias a todos por leer, y si os ha gustado, ya sabéis, dadle al me gusta, comentad, compartid, y…bueno también podéis hacer CLIC si os apetece en los varios link o en los otros sitios en la página, que hay libros, blogs…No os quedéis con las ganas!

I won NaNoWriMo! Christmas fair and book sample.

Hi all:

I’m sure I’ve told you I’m back in the UK (although I don’t know how long for, my life is in flux at the moment), and it seems Christmas is coming. I know I’ve told you many times I’m terrible at taking pictures, but I’m not sure you believe me yet, so I thought…I’d show you.

I was in Sheffield last week and I saw a Christmas pudding on wheels. Hey, photo opportunity!

Christmas pudding on wheels in front of Sheffield’s City Hall

As you can see everybody decided it was the time to walk by the pudding/van. I thought I’d wait a bit…And this happened!

No so many people but blurry photo

And I’m sure I was wearing glasses!

In Penistone itself (where I live) there is the tradition of having an arts & craft fair inside of St. John’s Church (parts of the church go back to Norman times, as does the town, that is listed in the Doomsday [or Domesday] Book), showcasing an art group called Hens Teeth. I always try and see what original gifts I can find there.

Hens Teeth Art Group advert

I thought I’d take a picture inside of the church to show you, but again…

Inside of St John’s Church during the fair

Yes, a bit blurry. This time maybe it was because I wasn’t wearing the glasses. I did buy a few things. Here, the knitted angel…

Hand-knitted angel

I’m not a very Christmassy person but you know I’m writing a series about angels…

And as I was walking around, I thought I’d let you know that the local cinema, The Penistone Paramount (I’d mentioned it before. It’s one of the loves of my life) celebrates its 100th anniversary and they’ve painted it to celebrate.

The Penistone Paramount. 100 years old. Looking Good!

As you know I’ve told you (only a few times) that I was taking part in NaNoWriMo. The idea is to write a novel of at least 50000 words (the draft of a novel) in a month. And guess what! I won! (The draft ended up being over 60000 and I had a bit of time spare).

I won!

I’d love to share some of what I wrote, but it was book 3 of my Angelic Business series (that for the time being I’m calling Pink, Angel or Demon?) but I thought it would be difficult not to give too much of the other books away or to follow it without knowing much about the other two. Instead, as I had shared chapter 1 of the first one, I thought I’d share Chapter 2. I hope that’s OK.

As you’ll remember, the novel is called (if I don’t change my mind) Pink Matters.

Chapter 2. The Meeting (Part 1)

I wasn’t much of a dreamer or a romantic…All right, sure, I like romantic stories and one can’t help but dream, but I didn’t really believe in them or put any stock or faith in any of those things ever happening to me. I didn’t expect the perfect guy to just turn up, snatch me and take me to paradise. (For one I was pretty convinced that we would not have the same opinion on what paradise might consist of.) Even in fairy tales such things only happened to princesses and the like. Normal, run of the mill girls like me were hardly the protagonists of those kind of stories. Of course feminism and an increase in social and diversity awareness had broadened the subject and modern stories were a bit more “equal” and “fair”. But if I had to put my hand in my heart I still preferred the old-fashioned ones.

Due to my realistic (rather than pessimistic) view of life, I was not expecting the perfect candidate to my pretend boyfriend to just turn up. If this had been one of those stories, not only would he have turned up and be perfect, but he’d have fallen in love with me and eventually I’d have realised that the pretence had become reality. I know, you’ve also read that story. And watched the movie. So have I. Still…

A new boy did come to school. He wasn’t handsome in any typical way, but he had “something”. Dark hair, grey eyes, tall, strong features…Not standard pretty/cute boy (Zac Effron style), but rather the brooding, attractive in a no-nonsense kind of way guy (maybe Robert Pattinson, although I don’t really like him that much, but hey, I can see why many others do). And he had a lot of style. Leather jacket, always dressed in black, and seemed surrounded by a slight air of mystery…possibly even menace and danger.

As usual the popular girls took the initiative to try and get as much information as possible from him. They tried their best, including batting their eyelashes, unbuttoning the top of their uniforms, laughing at his non-jokes…But he seemed tight-lipped and resistive.

Lorna, Sylvia and I overheard Chloe (the head cheerleader, you know the type, blonde, tall, blue eyes, toned and well proportioned…) talking to her best friend Zoe (similar type but dark haired) after spending some time with the stranger:

“What do you think it’s up with him? He’ll only answer in monosyllabic. And he says his name is “G”. “G”? What kind of a name is “G”?”

“Don’t get upset…He’s probably gay.”

“I need to know. I’ll ask Scott to talk to him after training this afternoon. Blokes sometimes can be shy with girls they don’t know.”

Chloe had been going out with Scott for a few months, whilst Zoe was dating Chris. I doubted this G guy was particularly shy though. He had a very intense gaze and a knowing smile. Sylvia said:

“I think he’s looking at us.”

Our first reaction in those cases always was to look around us because guys didn’t look at us. But there wasn’t anybody else around. Yes, he seemed to be looking at us.

“I think you’re right” Lorna said.

“I wonder why” I added.

The three of us worked at the library for a while. By the time we left, football practice had finished. We were all intrigued about G, but none of the popular girls were around and it seemed unlikely we’d get any information that day. I accompanied Sylvia and Lorna to the bus stop and walked home. When I was halfway, Seth came by in his old and battered car. His father had promised him a new one if he did well and got into a good college, so he’d been working fairly hard for his usual standard.

“Hey Pink! Come over! I’ll give you a ride.”

I climbed on by his side. He had been playing very loud music but lowered the volume.

“How was practice?”

“Same old, same old. If coach doesn’t get some new ideas we’re never going to beat anybody this year.”

“I thought you’d said you had a strong team.” I didn’t really pay much attention to his football patter, but every so often something stuck.

“Yeah, but we could do with a couple more guys…maybe a strong defence…a kicker…”

“Well, it’s unlikely you’ll get new players this late in the season, isn’t it?”

“Tony thought that new guy…G he goes by, might be a player, although he doesn’t seem strong enough to be a defence but…you never know what talents people might hide, but no. He told the coach he’s not interested in football. It seems he likes to run…and, you won’t believe this “gymnastics”! Isn’t it the weirdest thing?”

I’d always liked gymnastics…Not to practice…I could work hard but had neither style nor much sense of equilibrium, but I loved to watch gymnastics. One of the few sports I had any time for.

“What’s wrong with gymnastics? You need to be pretty fit and strong…”

“Sure, a bit girly though, don’t you think? Scott was telling me Chloe had been trying to talk to him… “talk”, you know? You know what I mean…”

“Flirt and show him her bra, you mean…”

He laughed and made a claw-like gesture.

“Grhhhhhh! Bitchy, bitchy! You’re too serious. But I guess that’s what I mean…And he’d just ignored her. Well, not ignored her, but just answered yes or no…There must be something wrong with him if Chloe can’t get him going.”

“Maybe he likes a different type of girl…”

“Really? What bloke doesn’t like Chloe? One might not like her as a person, but she’s a babe. Who do you think would be more his type then? You, maybe?” And he laughed. And kept laughing…My determination to get my own back grew stronger than before.

As soon as he dropped me home and I got to my room I went online with Lorna and Sylvia. They were both at Lorna’s house. I told them what I’d found out.

“Honest, Pink, Seth is an absolute idiot!” Lorna growled. “Maybe you should just send him to hell.”

“He wouldn’t understand what it was all about and I wouldn’t get much satisfaction from it. No, I’m more determined than before to carry on with the plan.”

“It would serve him right if you went out with that G guy” Sylvia said.

“Yes, I was thinking the same, but he’s such an unknown quantity. Nobody seems to know anything at all about him, not even where he’s come from. He might be a nasty piece of work for all we know. And also, I doubt that he’s interested.”

“Well, the few bits of info we have about him are encouraging” Lorna summarised. “He doesn’t like football, so he’s unlikely to hang out with Seth and his bunch. He likes gymnastics and you like that sport, so you should have something to talk about. And he seems impervious to the charms of Chloe and her band of pretty girls…”

“And don’t forget he was looking at us” Sylvia added.

“I’m not sure about what that means. He might think we’re weird or something…We’ll have to see what happens in the next few days and if anything at all develops…” I said.

“It would be quite a thing if you managed to go out with him…he’s completely new in the market and not from these areas…as objective and fresh a guy as you’ll ever find around here.” Lorna said.

“We’ll see.”

For the next week or so G was the centre of attention although he didn’t seem to return the interest and appeared to be trying to become invisible most of the time. However he had a way of appearing wherever Lorna, Sylvia and I were, even when he wasn’t attending the same class.

“I’m telling you he’s looking at us!” Sylvia said for the millionth time.

“Yes, but which one of us is he looking at?” Lorna asked.

I was a bit bored having the same conversation at least once every day, when not several times a day. This time we’d just come out of the library and he was on the pavement on the other side of the street, leaning on the wall, seemingly looking at us.

“Who knows?” Sylvia replied once more.

I’d had enough. It wasn’t really that difficult.

“If you really want to know it’s quite simple. OK, Sylvia, come with me. Lorna, you stay there.”

I grabbed Sylvia’s arm and dragged her with me to the window of the shop at the corner of the street. No, G wasn’t looking at Lorna; his gaze had followed us.

“Now, you stay here.”

I left Sylvia by the shop and I crossed to the side of the street where G was standing. Now there was no possible doubt. Difficult as it might have been to believe, he was looking at me. Both Sylvia and Lorna joined me, very excited, but trying to keep their voices low (although I didn’t think they were succeeding). At least I could be grateful because they were not jumping up and down. We weren’t particularly bouncy girls.

“Oh my God! He’s definitely looking at you.!” Sylvia said, trying not to squeal.

“Yes, yes, he is. That’s it. He’s the guy for your plan!” Lorna concluded.

“What are you going to do?” Sylvia asked.

“Get out of here first.”

This time we went to my house and chatted for ages. Sylvia and Lorna suggested all kind of hare-brained schemes and plans to get G’s attention. Or “channel” his attention, as it seemed that for unknown reasons I already had his attention.  All their suggestions involved a fair amount of flirting and taking up roles that I didn’t feel particularly familiar with, like the damsel in distress or the adoring fan. I wasn’t sure what strategy I’d try, but, yes, it seemed worth trying to get him to go out with me. And I was quite curious about him and his interest in me. What was that all about?

How to go about it was another question. Not my area of expertise, boys, you see? Although I was determined, assignments, studying, and similar pressing matters put it all on hold and pushed it to the back of my mind. I kept putting it off, trying to find a good moment to act, and ignoring Sylvia and Lorna’s “advice” (pressure, to be honest).

One Saturday about a month after G’s appearance, Lorna, Sylvia and I had arranged to meet at the Atlantis (the local independent bookstore). I was a bit early and went in to have a look at the second hand books. I was looking at a beautiful illustrated copy of The Great Gatsby when somebody touched my shoulder. I turned around, and there he was, G.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

OK, neither one of us was going to win a contest for originality or get recorded in a book compiling famous conversation opening lines.

“I’ve been wondering when I’d have a chance to catch you by yourself. You always seem to be with your friends…Lorna and Sylvia, isn’t it?”

“Yes. We…we’d noticed you were looking at us.”

“You mean at you. Interesting way of scientifically testing it. Although I expected after that you might follow through and approach me, but you didn’t” he said.

“Well, I didn’t know what it meant, but we were just wondering and I was bored of speculation…I wasn’t expecting you were looking at me.”

“Were you hoping I was looking at you at least?”

“No.”

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’ve already told you I’m not good with boys and I can’t flirt to save my life, so there.

“Oh, all right.”

“I don’t mean…Sorry, I’m no good at these things…”

“What things?”

“You know, flirting and all that…Relationships with guys aren’t my strong point.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that…Let’s start again. Hi Pink, I’m G. I assume Pink isn’t your real name. What’s your real name?”

“Petra”.

“Where does the name come from?”

“I’ve always liked Pink. And I don’t like my real name, so…”

“No, I meant your real name.”

“My father was an amateur archaeologist when he was younger and he really liked Petra.”

“I guess it could have been worse.”

“Like what Abu Simbel or the hanging gardens of Babylon?”

He laughed. Short but full-hearted laughter. Then he smiled. He had the weirdest and more mysterious smile I’d seen, all inclusive (men and women). Imagine the Mona Lisa, but in young man. Knowing, complicit and secretive all at the same time…

“And you? What does G stand for?”

At that moment Lorna and Sylvia turned up and stopped on their tracks when they saw me talking to G.

“We’ll carry on with the conversation at some other point. Maybe in a couple of days during Lake Day. By the little church on the North shore. After lunch.”

“Why are you so sure it will be in a couple of days?”

“I know things…”

He left. Lake Day was a St Mary’s School Tradition. The Headmistress, Mrs Langston, studied at Mount Holyoke and loved their Mountain Day, particularly the idea that suddenly, with no notice, the whole school would take to the buses and go on an excursion and have a day out. As there were no mountains or even hills deserving of the name close to St Mary’s, but there was Lake Swallow, she instituted Lake Day instead. The exact date when it would take place was a well-guarded secret, surrounded by speculation, so I had no idea how G would know, if he was right, when it would be.

Sylvia and Lorna interrogated me for ages about my encounter with G, but I had little to tell them.

“Do you think he really knows when Lake Day will be?” Sylvia asked.

“He seemed very confident, but how could he know? He hasn’t been here for two minutes and doesn’t know the teaching staff…as far as we know. Why should they tell him?”

“Maybe his family are very rich and they’ve made an important donation…” Lorna suggested.

“I’m sure if anybody had made a huge donation we’d had heard about it, it would have been published in the local newspaper and advertised everywhere. And I’m sure any donors would have more important things they’d want to know than when is the next Lake Day” I said. We shouldn’t get carried away with our theories, because otherwise G would end up not only being James Dean, but also Rockefeller. His reference to the little church was correct, but that only meant he must have visited the lake at some point and it was a fairly popular spot in that area. Nothing terribly mysterious about that.

Eventually I managed to get the girls off the subject of G onto other matters. Although I have to admit I waited with curiosity to see if he was right and Lake Day would really be in two days’ time. That was not the only reason for my curiosity, of course. I also wanted to see what he’d tell me next time we met. He’d appeared very determined, but I had no idea what his goals or intentions might be.

If I was pretending to be cool I’d say that two days later I had already forgotten G’s predictions and went to school with no expectations whatsoever. The truth is that I was quite excited that day, and Sylvia and Lorna hadn’t stopped talking about that in the intervening period. So when after 5 minutes or so of the first class the bells rang and Lake Day was announced we all got really agitated.

“But he’s not here!” Sylvia said. “He should have been in class with us, but he wasn’t.”

“Oh well, I guess if he really knew there wasn’t going to be a class he must have found something else better to do than come on an excursion” I said, pretending not to care.

“But he arranged to meet you!” Lorna said.

“I’ll survive”.

Still, I could not resist and left Sylvia and Lorna after lunch and walked around the shore of the lake to the little church. And there he was. G was all dressed in black, as usual, wearing a black leather jacket, standing by the side of what looked to me like a rather large motorbike for his age. Triumph? Black, shiny, impressive is as good as I can do to describe it. Motorbikes are again not one of my specialist subjects.

“Wow! Is that yours?”

“Yes.”

“Nice! A little bit Hells Angels, isn’t it?”

His reply was an even weirder smile than usual. What on earth was up with him?

“So, you were right. About Lake Day, I mean. How did you know?”

“I told you I know things…”

“OK. So you’re being mysterious…fine. You asked me about my name, the other day, but never replied about yours. What does G stand for?”

“Nothing…I just…decided to leave my old lifestyle behind and take up a new name. I go now by G.”

“Like Ali?”

“Very funny. I’ve heard it before.”

“At least it’s not the G point. And yes, I’m sure you’ve heard that one too.”

“It could be G force.”

“Yes…but it’s not a religious thing, like Malcolm X?”

“No. Nothing at all to do with religion.”

Not sure why, but I didn’t believe him, and he seemed to have become quite tense when I mentioned religion, but it was probably too soon to go probing. It was slightly bizarre as guys these days didn’t seem to be bothered about religion one way or another and it would be unlikely that its mere mention would have any effect…Maybe that had something to do with his reference to his old lifestyle. Maybe he had been in a sect or something…Or maybe I should stop making things up. He was just being discreet and not offering much personal information about himself, but that was fair enough. We’d known each other for all of five minutes, but these days everybody friended everybody and published intimate details of their lives at the drop of a hat, so his attitude was quite old-fashioned, although I found it refreshing. When people went around advertising the last little detail about themselves that could only mean that there was nothing worth knowing about them. Still, I couldn’t help but keep asking questions, even if less intimate.

“Why do you always wear black?”

“I got tired of white.”

His smile again. He was quite puzzling. I had no idea what he was talking about, but somehow I felt I wouldn’t get much further with that line of questioning.

“Can we talk now or do you have any more questions before we can proceed?” he asked me, still smiling.

“Just one more. Why me? You aren’t from here and I assume you don’t know anybody local” I looked at him and he shook his head in the negative “so, why me? It can’t be my looks, that’s for sure. Not a great beauty. Run of the mill.” I wasn’t being modest. I am not very tall, brown short hair and brown eyes (little green), plump…

“That was part of the attraction” smile again.

“Girls like Chloe have tried and talk to you with no results, and as far as I’ve been told they’re irresistible to guys your age.”

“That’s an unfair generalisation. Not all of us have the same taste.”

“Really? Are you weird then? Are you attracted to people who aren’t attractive?”

“Oh, no, I’m not going to fall for that. I’m not as stupid as your friend Seth. I know you’re angry at him because of the way he patronises you and treats you as if you were a charity case, worse than something at the bottom of his shoe. I didn’t say you weren’t attractive. You said that.”

Now he’d gone too far. Right or not, that was no way of talking about a friend of mine. And, how on Earth would he presume to know how I felt?

“Listen, Mr G or whatever your name is, leave my friends out of this. I don’t know who you think you are or what you think you know, but that does not give you right to make comments and criticise people I know and like. Have a nice life.”

I turned around and started walking as fast as I could back to the rest of the group. This had been a mistake. Go out with him! Not in a thousand years.

He must have run because he was again by my side.

“Don’t get mad. Come on, I know you’d been thinking about getting your own back on the type of comments he makes about you by going out with a suitable candidate. And I know you and your friends had been thinking about me for the role.”

I must have looked really shocked because he added:

“Don’t worry, your friends haven’t told me and nobody else knows about it.”

“And if I ask you how you know you’re going to tell me that you know things…”

He nodded and smiled.

“You’re so full of it…I don’t really care how you know or even what you know. You can keep all your knowledge and your secrets to yourself.  Life is too short for this, if you ask me. I’m sure you can find another equally non-attractive girl for whatever you were thinking about. Good luck with it.”

No bloke was worth putting up with all that in my opinion. He could stuff it. I set off even faster than before. And I had no intention of stopping or being stopped.

This time he came after me motorised and skidded on the gravel to a stop a few metres in front of me.

“I’m volunteering to play the part with Seth. I’m happy to be your official date. I know you don’t really want a relationship. That’s fine with me. I don’t want one either. I feel like you that too much time is invested in relationships with the opposite sex at our age. But I also understand that you find Seth’s attitude annoying and you’re right. Plenty of guys would be happy to be your boyfriends if you really wanted one.”

“Now flattery…Don’t we learn quickly?” I replied trying to be ironic.

“Come on, Pink. I’m not from here. As you’ve said some of the girls that are rated as the prettiest and most desirable by all guys have approached me with no success. You’d score a big hit if you managed where they’d failed. And I’m not high maintenance. I’ll play my part in public well. You don’t need to worry.”

“Why are you so insistent? What’s in it for you?”

“Oh, don’t worry. I have no dark designs. I’ve already told you that I’m not interested in relationships…any kind of relationships…”

When somebody says don’t worry twice in a row, one should definitely worry. I had no ready reply and I just looked at him. I don’t know what my expression must have been like, because he blushed and quickly added:

“I know Chloe and Zoe and all those girls were wondering…But they’re just too convinced they’re irresistible. I’m not gay. I just have other priorities at this point in time. But that will remain between you and me. Everybody else will believe we’re an item. We’ll be convincing.”

I didn’t say anything. Was he gay, was he straight, or was he just not-interested? Did I really care about any of that? Yes, he was right. If I turned up at school hanging of his arm and officially his girlfriend people would stop and pay attention. And Seth’s opinion of me would receive a well-deserved shake. But what did he want in return? Why was he so reluctant to tell me?

“That’s all very well and good, and don’t worry, I’m not interested in your sexuality. You can keep that to yourself. You were right about my attitude towards relationships. But you still haven’t told me what made you approach me in the first place. And don’t tell me you’re just a Good Samaritan helping girls in need. What’s this all about?”

He gave me one of his fixed stares, no smile this time. After what felt like hours he finally said:

“I think we might be able to work together.”

“Work? Do you mean classwork? An assignment?”

“Not exactly.”

 

Thank you all for reading, and you know what to do, like, comment, share and…you can still CLICK the link to the post with the first chapter or click elsewhere in the page (links to books, other blogs….)!

Are your characters in need of a psychiatrist? You’re in luck!

olganm:

A new initiative we’re going to be trying at Literary World Interviews. Would you be interested in having a psychiatrist’s opinion on relevant issues of your writing? Come over and have a look!

Originally posted on Lit World Interviews:

Hi all:

I’d been having a chat with Ronovan about the possibility of writing something regular for the blog, apart from the reviews that I do as often as I can, and we’d discussed some ideas. As I’m a psychiatrist and had until recently been working in forensic psychiatry, I thought about the possibility of offering a serviceto authors who are considering either writing about mental disorders in their books, or would like a psychiatrist’s point of view or opinion on some conundrum they find themselves in (well, they find their writing in).

The idea at the moment, if you think that could be of use, would be to create a form where you might have a bit more space than in the comments, to describe the issue (you could also share a short sample of the writing…) and then I would discuss it by way of a post…

View original 774 more words

El Artista y su extraña manía de comer

olganm:

Muy bien dicho. Totalmente de acuerdo.

Originally posted on MoonMagazineinfo:

La obra de un artista.

Hace algunos años -bastantes para ser exacta- fui agente comercial y me dediqué a la venta de libro “a puerta fría”, como vulgarmente se dice. Lo hice durante siete años y puedo definir mi carrera como irregular, a pesar de haber tenido muy buenas épocas como jefe de equipo. Era difícil, había que tirar de contrato, convencer a la gente de que necesitaba aquellos libros para ampliar su cultura sobre la tierra en la que vivía. Vendía libro vasco de una calidad superior a lo que ofrecía la competencia, la situación económica era muy diferente  a la actual, pero aun así era difícil. Formaba parte de un equipo de gente joven, casi todos universitarios, que amábamos nuestras raíces y lo transmitíamos con pasión, pero el libro que se ofrece directamente al cliente se ve con reticencia.  Al cliente, lo que le gusta es entrar en una librería y…

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Lucía Sugar nos dice que ‘La vida es cuento’ y los cuentos, cuentos son.

Como todos los viernes os traigo a un autor invitado. Hoy os presento a Lucía Sugar una escritora, cuentista, poetisa, y una luz brillante en los medios sociales, gran promotora de todos los escritores indies. La Maga, nos trae su primer libro publicado ‘La vida es cuento’.

La vida es cuento de La Maga (Lucía Sugar)

‘La vida es cuento’

He oído decir que los cuentos son sólo para niños… claro que también hay quien dice que la magia no existe… ¡menudo cuento!

Intentaré convenceros de que la vida, sin duda… ¡ES CUENTO!

En Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OX1ZX8G/

http://www.amazon.es/dp/B00OX1ZX8G/

En papel:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1502785455/

http://www.amazon.es/dp/1502785455/

Aquí el video tráiler:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNypTYMdTXE&feature=youtu.be

No os lo perdáis, ya que la voz de La Maga es maravillosa. Y ya que estáis allí, subscribiros a su canal de You Tube y escuchad sus rendiciones de sus poemas. Fabulosas.

Sobre ella nos cuenta:

Lucía Sugar en su fase violeta

LUCÍA SUGAR (La Maga): La Maga no habla bonito… pero su visión del mundo y su forma de afrontar la vida la hacen ser envidiada por aquellos “gafapasta” en ocasiones pedantes, que se hacen llamar “El club de la Serpiente”. En su honor, y con la desfachatez de haber usurpado su nombre, reclamo el derecho y la absoluta capacidad de todos y cada uno de crear y/o disfrutar el arte en cualquiera de sus facetas. Como arma, por el momento, solo dispongo de una prosa cantarina que no sé si sabré utilizar pero sin duda voy a intentarlo.

Si la queréis seguir en Twitter:

@LaMagaSoy1

Su página Suspirar en Violeta en Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Suspirar-en-Violeta-La-Maga/790243731002458

Y no os perdáis su blog:

www.suspirarenvioleta.blogspot.com

Y aunque pensaba publicarla otro día (y seguramente lo haré), ya que estoy aquí, os dejo mi reseña también:

La vida es cuento de Lucía Sugar. Celebrando que los cuentos y la magia no son solo cosas de niños

Lucía Sugar, también conocida como “la Maga” nos ofrece en este libro una bella selección de cuentos para todas las edades. Que los cuentos no son solo para niños, lo sabemos todos, aunque a veces se nos olvide. Solo hace falta leer The Uses of Enchanment (Psicoanálisis de los cuentos de hadas) de Bruno Bettleheim para darse cuenta de la influencia y el valor simbólico que los cuentos pueden tener en nuestra vida. Y mientras creamos en la magia y tengamos imaginación, nunca perderemos del todo al niño que una vez fuimos.

La autora se mueve con gracia y estilo, entre una variedad de mundos e historias, de texturas varias, desde romances con castillos, buenos y malos de toda la vida, y antifábulas (y lo siento por la gallina, pero me encantó). El lenguaje poético de la autora nos hipnotiza y nos lleva a un mundo caracterizado por la importancia de las historias, los relatos, y el amor a los libros. Inspirador, elocuente y encantado, este corto libro os hará sonreír y os dejará un gusto muy dulce. Para que la dicha sea completa solo haría falta que fuera más largo y que hablara. Yo me voy como la maga de Villa Rayuela a seguir en busca de la magia, mientras espero el nuevo libro de Lucía Sugar.

Gracias a la Maga por contarnos sus cuentos, gracias a todos vosotros por leer, y ya sabéis, si os ha gustado, dadle al me gusta, comentad, compartid, y haced CLIC!

K. J. Rollinson. Dragons and murder don’t mix, do they?

Hi all:

As you know on Fridays I like to bring you guest authors and/or new books. Today I do a bit of both. I’ve met Kathy Rollinson (K.J.Rollinson) through social media and realised she’s another author who is not constrained by genres or fashions, and whose muse takes her high and low.

Here I leave you what her Amazon page tells about her and then a list of her books. You’ll see there’s plenty where to choose from.

Author K.J. Rollinson

K J Rollinson born in Salford, Lancs. Published first book ‘Fallyn and the Dragons’ 2012. A trilogy – the second book, ‘Fallyn in the Forbidden Land’ was published June,2013. The third book, ‘Fallyn and the Sea Dragons’ was published in April 2014. They are fantasy books for any one who is a kid at heart, and enjoys reading about dragons. Because I think George and the Dragon gave dragons a bad press, most of my dragons are ‘goodies’, although, inevitably, there are some evil ones as well.

In complete contrast I have published on Amazon Kindle, ‘The Rode to Justice’ (John Rode, 1st grade detective, murder stories). The main protagonist, John Rode, has a droll sense of humour, into Shakespeare, and his sense of justice is sometimes in conflict with the law. In one of the stories he quotes ‘This is a Court of Law young man, not a Court of Justice.’

One of the writing groups I belong to Wordplay Writers’ Forum, Spain, has won the anthology award for their book ‘Shorts for Autumn’, awarded by the Writing Magazine, published in the UK, with worldwide distribution. I have three stories in the book.

If you are interested in learning more about my books and/or Wordplay Writers’ Forum visit my website at kjrollinson/author/weebly.com

I now live on the Costa Blanca, Spain. Interests when I am not busy typing – golf, swimming, line dancing, quizzes, and generally enjoying life in the sun.

Belong to various writing groups and enjoy mixing with people with imaginative minds.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/K-J-Rollinson/e/B009ATNOQO/

Fallyn and the Dragons by K.J. Rollinson

Fallyn and the Dragons (The Fallyn Trilogy Book 1)

Do you remember your dreams? Well Allan and his three friends remember theirs. They are transported to a dream world where dragons are their steeds. Come! Fly with them on their magical adventures when they meet a shapeshifter, Solo the abandoned dragon, together with Drablo, who bumbles, belches and burps his way along, and little Dracito, the smallest of the dragons. This book is suitable for anyone who enjoys an exciting fantasy adventure.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fallyn-Dragons-K-J-Rollinson-ebook/dp/B0092FSJFM/

http://www.amazon.com/Fallyn-Dragons-K-J-Rollinson-ebook/dp/B0092FSJFM/

Fallyn in the Forbidden Land by K. J. Rollinson

Fallyn in the Forbidden Land (The Fallyn Trilogy Book 2)

Do you remember your dreams? Do you wonder what it would be like to live in your dream world?

Well, Allan knows what it’s like. What’s more amazing is that his twin sister, Eileen, and their two closest friends, Martin and Carla follow him into the dream world.

Come! Fly with dragons as they glide and swoop with Fallyn and friends, in this second book in the exciting Fallyn trilogy.

In the medieval dream world, on the Island of Nashta, the friends are Lord Fallyn, Lady Eila, Lord Merin, and Lady Kalla. The problems in their real world often reflect those they face in the dream world. They use teamwork to overcome the difficulties encountered in both worlds.

Dragons have had a raw deal throughout history, seen as enemies that need to be destroyed – not so in Nashta. There you find displays of affection, kindness, strong, distinctive, loyal dragons, showing courage and humour. There are evil dragons too who have to be challenged.

The book is not merely about how good triumphs over evil. The four friends, through the course of their adventures, grow closer and the sub-plots of romance between the four main characters provide added intrigue. They grow in maturity as they deal with their emotions.

Fallyn and company meet fascinating characters, including a mysterious race of little people called Chougans and their dragons. They learn to play their exciting game of Chouga.

Are the Chougans responsible for the band of red dragons attacking Nashta? Or are the dragons led by Prince Bato, banished to the Forbidden Land. Could Bato be Colin Bates, Allan’s archenemy in the real world?

In this fascinating, fast-moving book, all is revealed, and the interweaving of the two worlds produces a magical adventure.

http://www.amazon.com/Fallyn-Forbidden-Land-Dragons-Book-ebook/dp/B00DENS2UU/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fallyn-Forbidden-Land-Dragons-Book-ebook/dp/B00DENS2UU/

Fallyn and the Sea Dragons by K. J. Rollinson

Fallyn and the Sea Dragons (The Fallyn Trilogy Book 3)

This third book of the ‘Fallyn’ trilogy continues the adventures of Allan/Fallyn, his twin sister Eileen/Eila, his girlfriend Carla/Kalla and their friend Martin/Merin, as once more they enter their medieval dream world on the Island of Nashta.

At first, Carla ventures into the dream world on her. She receives a plea from her dream mother Anala when three of the Chougans are missing. It is time for Allan and friends to enter their dream world to find them.

They meet Captain Black Bert a charismatic, handsome pirate captain, who has morals of sorts; he boasts he only robs ships that are enemies of his country.

When the pirate ship is wrecked on Guano Island, four sea dragons rescue the three Chougans and the pirate chief. The pirate crew meet Prince Bato and his henchman, Andralo, banished to the island following another thwarted attempt to overthrow his younger brother King Rudri.

Has Prince Bato changed? His evil rages seem more controlled. On the other hand, is he just biding his time and scheming to escape from the island?

The plot again moves between the real and dream worlds. Colin Bates, Allan’s archenemy is in prison, but is allowed to go on holiday to Pembrokeshire, Wales, at the same time as Allan and friends are going to the same area. Their paths cross when Bates escapes to Ireland – or does he?

Allan and Martin find their sub-aqua training in the real world an asset in the dream world. They have to dream to their subconscious personas to ‘invent’ a diving bell and other diving equipment so they can find the lost Chougans. Fallyn and Merin also have to take careful warning of Kalla’s vision when she foresees ‘tangled arms waiting to ensnare,’ as they enter the mysterious underwater world.

In an exciting climax, all dilemmas are resolved in both the real world and the dream world, and so we bid farewell to Lord Fallyn and his dragons in this final fantastic fantasy fable!

http://www.amazon.com/Fallyn-Sea-Dragons-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00JTDJU1Y/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fallyn-Sea-Dragons-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00JTDJU1Y/

The Rode to Justice by K. J. Rollinson

The Rode to Justice

Detective John Rode knows New York like the back of his hand. He also knows that around every street corner is a homicide waiting to happen. When the call comes, Rode and his rookie, Gina Morris, are the ones called for. When murder is the main course, Rode makes sure the perpetrators get their just desserts.

Four stories of murder that will beg you to read more.

http://www.amazon.com/Rode-Justice-K-J-Rollinson-ebook/dp/B00DEEL6V6/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rode-Justice-K-J-Rollinson-ebook/dp/B00DEEL6V6/

I’m sure we’ll have plenty more to come for K.J. Rollinson and I’ll keep you updated.

Thanks to K.J. Rollinson for her books, thanks to all of you for reading, and you know the drill, like, share, comment, and of course, CLICK!

Do you love vampires? Then you’ll love ‘Passionate Bites’! 10 novels by 10 fabulous authors for the price of one!

Hi all:
As you know I usually only bring you a post on Tuesdays, but I was talking to Travis Luedke, a fellow author from ASMSG who writes fantastic vampire novels and  I was talking to him about what an interesting idea these packs of books by different authors seemed, as I knew he’d taken part in a few, and he mentioned ‘Passion Bites’ and I thought…I’m sure quite a few readers would be interested in that, so here it is. And be quick! They are incredible value for money!



Presenting
Ten hot vampire romance novels by NY Times & USA Today bestselling authors.
PASSIONATE BITES
Hot Tales of Vampire Romance
BY
K.F. Breene (Goodreads Author), Arial Burnz (Goodreads Author), Victoria Danann (Goodreads Author), Brenda K. Davies, Teresa Gabelman (Goodreads Author), Kym Grosso (Goodreads Author), Sharon Hamilton (Goodreads Author), Travis Luedke (Goodreads Author) , RaShelle Workman (Goodreads Author)

Passionate Bites is a paranormal romance collection loaded with sizzling hot alpha-males & badass heroines. From vampires to werewolves to witches & demons, these dark, sensual tales of romantic suspense weave a tapestry of intrigue, desperation, betrayal, & enough steamy desire to satisfy every taste.

 

Over $40 in bestselling vampire romance! BUY NOW at incredible discount!
 
 



PRE-ORDER NOW
Only available until January 2015
AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE | SMASHWORDS  | iTUNES

 

 

Destined by Brenda K. Davies

Terrified of becoming mated like her parents, Isabelle has locked herself away in order to avoid their fate. She is content to stay sheltered amongst her family, hidden away as she lives out her days away from the human race, and the world. Despite her determination to remain alone, her world is rocked when a person from her parent’s past arrives at their door, bringing with them the powerful, and stunning vampire Stefan. Though Stefan is not expecting to arrive at a nest full of vampires, he is immediately drawn to the vibrant, often defiant, and willful Isabelle. To his surprise, Isabelle does everything in her power to avoid him, and her desire for him. No matter how hard she tries to fight it though, Isabelle begins to realize that trying to deny her destiny may just destroy them both, as there are some things that cannot be stopped. But just as she begins to let her guard down, Stefan’s dark and deadly past catches up to him and threatens to destroy them both.

 

 

Meet the Author



Author of the adult paranormal romance, Vampire Awakenings Series, and historical romances. I also write young adult under the pen name Erica Stevens.



Facebook | Twitter | Website | Blog | Goodreads

 

 

 

 

The Protectors Damon by Teresa Gableman

Damon DeMasters is a vampire warrior who has taken an oath to not only protect his own kind, but humans as well. Crimson Rush is the new drug on the streets and it’s their duty to find who is behind the selling of vampire blood and stop it.

As a social worker, Nicole Callahan fights for the right of every child placed in her care. There’s a war now as vampires have stepped out into the spotlight taking their place in society and the children are at the heart of it all.

Damon and his fellow warriors have been ordered by the Vampire Council to train Nicole and her colleagues against the dangers they now face in their new world. Even as sparks fly and tensions mount, Nicole and Damon depend on each other to protect the children of both races.

 

Meet the Author

Teresa lives in Ohio with her husband, son, their dog Cin and her son’s snake, Steve Irwin. She is a third degree black belt in Taekwondo, is a huge Mixed Martial Arts fan and follows her husbands MMA fight team, G-Force, which her son fights for. When not writing she is either screaming like a crazy woman at MMA fights or reading in some quiet corner with her Kindle. She loves books that are fast reads filled with romance, humor, sexy alpha men and the women who drive them crazy.

 

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads

 

 

A Summoner’s Tale by Victoria Danann

Named BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE NOVEL of 2013, REVIEWERS’ CHOICE AWARDS, the Paranormal Romance Guild.

While the devastatingly seductive ex-vampire, Istvan Baka, is forced to relive his tragic life as human and confront his past as vampire, a very pregnant Elora Laiken faces an ultimate test of survival when she’s attacked by assassins from her dimension of origin. While their friends and mates mount respective searches and epic rescue efforts, these two friends and almost lovers, joined by a mystical bond, separated by distance, must simultaneously struggle alone through their own personal tortures in pain and darkness.

This is the story of Heaven McBride, a Black Swan demonologist who was temporarily assigned as Baka’s assistant. When he turns up missing, Heaven agrees to submit to hypnosis to help the rescue effort with possible clues about his disappearance buried in her subconscious mind. During those sessions, she proves that love can wait patiently through lifetimes for the chance to blossom and be fulfilled. She also inadvertently reveals that she’s been hiding a unique musical talent. She’s the once-in-a- generation summoner, who can call any creature with her flute. Even vampires.

 

 

About the Author

My first book was published May of 2012.I write cross-genre with uniquely fresh perspectives on paranormal creatures, characters, and themes. Add a dash of scifi and a flourish of fantasy to enough humor to make you laugh out loud and enough steam to make you squirm in your chair. My heroines are independent femmes with flaws and minds of their own whether they are aliens, witches, demonologists, psychics, or past life therapists. My heroes are hot and hunky, but they also have brains, character, and good manners – usually – whether they be elves, demons, berserkers, werewolves, or vampires.

My first book, My Familiar Stranger, was nominated for Best Paranormal Romance of 2012 by both Reviewers’ Choice and Readers’ Choice Awards. All of my books have opened on the Amazon Best Sellers list and earned Night Owl Reviews TOP PICK awards.

For books published in 2013, Black Swan won three awards. 1. Best Paranormal Romance Series 2. Best Paranormal Romance Novel – A SUMMONER’S TALE 3. Best Vampire~Shifter Novel – MOONLIGHT.

Author Bio

If you’re interested in me personally, I am also a classically trained musician who defected to Classic Rock music. I’m the utility player which means I play rhythm guitar, keyboards, sing back ups and a few leads. My band has covered everything (note for note) from Styx to Led Zepellin to Rush. We have played biker bars at 3:00 am to 10 people and played Warrior Dash to 35,000.I live in The Woodlands, Texas which is why I sometimes joke about being the witch in the woods. Married. Four children. One very smart, mostly black German Shepherd dog.

Facebook |Twitter | Website | Blog | Goodreads | Pinterest

 

 

Luca’s Magic Embrace (Immortals of New Orleans, Book 2)

An erotic paranormal romance…

Sexy vampire, Luca Macquarie doesn’t do love; especially not with humans. Yet, ever since he rescued Samantha Irving, he can’t deny the enigmatic attraction he’s developed for the alluring mortal woman. Concerned for her safety, he’s determined to bring Samantha back to her coven. His mission is to go find the novice witch and bring her home, nothing more, nothing less; falling for her is not supposed to be part of the plan.

Samantha doesn’t want to be a witch, yet that’s exactly what she is. After failing to elicit her magic, she escapes to the mountains in an attempt to resume a semblance of her previous human life. When an arsonist torches her cabin, Samantha’s worst fears are realized. Aware that her life is on the line, she reluctantly agrees to return to New Orleans with Luca.

In the Big Easy, Samantha and Luca embark on a spellbinding journey, searching for a mystical amulet that promises to release her obligation from an ancient, lethal vampire who’s been threatening her life. With cryptic clues and clandestine allies, will Luca and Samantha destroy the dangerous amulet before others acquire it, setting forth a chain of catastrophic consequences? And will Luca give into his erotic desire for the witch who magically captures heart?

 

About the Author

Kym Grosso is the award-winning author of the bestselling erotic paranormal romance series, The Immortals of New Orleans. In addition to romance, Kym has written and published several articles about autism, and is a contributing essay author in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Kids on the Spectrum.Kym lives with her husband, two children, dog and cat. Her hobbies include autism advocacy, reading, tennis, zumba, traveling and spending time with her husband and children. New Orleans, with its rich culture, history and unique cuisine, is one of her favorite places to visit. Also, she loves traveling just about anywhere that has a beach or snow- covered mountains. On any given night, when not writing her own books, Kym can be found reading her Kindle, which is filled with hundreds of romances.

 

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads | Pinterest

 

 

 

DARKNESS SERIES, 1 & 2 – K.F. Breene

Sasha has always known she was different, but now she also knows that the shadow men she’s seen all her life, are real.

With a life goal of fitting in, Sasha hopes her strange abilities will finally make true friendship a possibility. Unfortunately, her magic doesn’t function like everyone else’s. What she thought would make her belong, sets her apart now more than ever.

Stefan, all but promised to a different woman, has tried to keep his mind on his duties instead of the irresistible and free-spirited human. But when she is threatened, he can’t keep his distance any longer. He realizes he’ll stop at nothing to keep her safe, and more importantly, make her his.

Just when one thing clicks into place, another spirals out of control. Stefan’s clan isn’t the only group that would benefit from an extremely rare type of magic. And their enemies will stop at nothing to get what they want.

 

 

About the Author

A wine country native, I moved to San Francisco for college just shy of a decade ago to pursue a lifelong interest in film. As I settled into the vibrant city, it quickly became apparent that, while I thought making and editing films was great fun, I lacked cinematic genius. For that reason, my career path quickly changed direction. My next goal was a strange childhood interest, conjured at the dining room table while filling out a form. For some reason, my young self wanted to be an Accountant. Thinking on it now, I wonder how I had any friends. Regardless, it was the direction I finally took.

While I could wrangle numbers with the best of ‘em, and even though I wore the crown as the most outspoken, belligerent accountant in the world, my mind got as stuffy as my daily routine. It was here that I dusted off my creative hat and began writing.

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Honeymoon Bites by Sharon Hamilton

Anne caught her husband cheating before their wedding cake was cut, so she takes her honeymoon in Tuscany alone. Bitten by a vampire on her wedding night, she is left for dead, until Marcus Monteleone, her 300 year old fated mate, rescues her. Will they be able to navigate Marcus’ rocky and dangerous past to have an immortal future together?

 

About the Author

 

Romance novelist with three series:

SEAL Brotherhood (Accidental SEAL, Fallen SEAL Legacy)

Golden Vampires of Tuscany (Honeymoon Bite, Mortal Bite)

The Guardians (Guardian Angel Erotic Romance) Heavenly Lover, Underworld Lover

Lives in wine country, Northern California. When not writing, she is getting vera vera dirty in her flower and vegetable gardens.

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads

 

 

 

 

Midnight Captive by Arial Burnz

After seven years, James Knightly returns as a master swordsman, ready to captain a ship and wed his childhood sweetheart, Cailin MacDougal. Waiting for him is a dagger-toting hellion for a bride, an immortal father-in-law, and an enemy bent on threatening the family James holds most dear–the MacDougals. Broderick MacDougal is lured away from his family with the promise of a way to protect them from his clan enemy. Broderick unravels the beginning of a prophecy that will lead to redemption for all vampires. The cost, though, may be the very soul of the woman he would die for…his wife Davina.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

Arial Burnz has been an avid reader of paranormal and fantasy for over thirty years. With bedtime stories filled with unicorns, hobbits, dragons and elves, she succumbed to crafting her own tales, penning to life the magical creatures roaming her dreams. Having a romantic husband who’s taught her the meaning of true love, she’s helpless to weave romance into her tales. Now she shares them with the world. Arial Burnz lives in Rancho Cucamonga, California, with her husband (a.k.a. her romance novel hero)—who is also, quite coincidentally, a descendent of Clan MacDougal—along with their dog and two cats.

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Google + | Goodreads | Pinterest 

 

 

 

The Nightlife San Antonio by Travis Luedke

Vampires, Mafia & Mayhem: The Nightlife San Antonio is violent, sexy, and occasionally violently sexy.

All she wanted was to escape the police. All he wanted was to get laid. They both got more than they bargained for.

EMT on call, Adrian Faulkner resuscitates a beautiful woman after a Mexican mafia shootout. He can’t explain why he picks her up in the hospital parking lot three days later and then ducks the San Antonio police and the Feds. Well, the hot sex might have something to do with it.

She needed to hide. With no memory of even her name, she didn’t know from who. She only knew she wasn’t safe.

Adrian soon learns she is much more than a damsel in distress, and he’s stuck with her. It isn’t long before the past she cannot remember begins to catch up with them both…

 

 

About the Author

#NSFW author of the violently sexy NIGHTLIFE SERIES (Vampires, Escorts & Strippers). Has auditioned for Christian Grey in 50 Shades film. He is currently catching a 3rd degree sunburn in San Antonio, Texas, and loving every minute of it.

As the author of the Nightlife Series novels, Travis lives very vicariously through his writings. He invites you to enjoy his macabre flights of fancy, but be warned: The Nightlife Series is violent, sexy, and occasionally violently sexy.

 

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Blood and Snow: volumes 1-8 by RaShelle Workman

Every thousand years the Vampire Queen selects a new body, always the fairest in the land, and this time she’s chosen Snow White.

Snow isn’t an ordinary girl. She doesn’t know that yet.

When Snow gets bitten by a Hunter, her life is thrown into a whirlwind of change where instead of worrying about what to eat, she has to fight not to drink the blood of fellow high school students. She becomes a revenant – not quite human, not quite vampire.

With the help of an eccentric old Professor, his seven adoptive sons, and her best friend, Snow learns to control her blood craving. Sort of. She drinks a bloodlust tea, but she’d rather drink from her Hunter.

Or, a human.

She also discovers a whole other realm, one filled with fairies, dragons, and magic. And not only does the Vampire Queen want her, but there’s a pendant called the Seal of Gabriel created for Snow by the Vampire Queen’s twin sister.And Snow’s supposed to use it to restore balance to all magical creatures. Including vampires.

About the Author

RaShelle Workman is the author of the popular Blood and Snow series. She loves to reinvent fairy tales teens and adults can sink their teeth into. Her stories include kissing, vampires, werewolves, witches, aliens, and more kissing. Her books: Sleeping Roses, Exiled, Beguiled, and Dovetailed have foreign rights contracts with a Turkish publisher. RaShelle is also one of the co-founders of Indie Recon LIVE, a self publishing conference that will debut October 10-11, 2014 in Sandy, Utah.

 

 

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Giveaway
8 $25.00 Gift Cards Winner Choice from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or iTunes and 8 Ebooks of author back list.
Entry-Form



Don’t forget to check the giveaway! 
Thanks to Travis for bringing us such offer, thank to all of you for reading, and you know…like, share, comment and CLICK! Oh, and you can bite too! But only if it’s with passion!


I had to add that image on….Don’t you think so?

Conocéis a algún narrador o productor de libros en audio? Y qué os parecen los audiobooks? ACX, audiobooks y un proyecto.

Hola a todos:

Como recordaréis hace unos meses os comenté que uno de mis libros en inglés Escaping Psychiatry (Una vez psiquiatra en versión española) estaba por fin a la venta en audio.

Escaping Psychiatry audio. Portada de Ernesto Valdés, narración de Alan Cooke

La historia de cómo creé este audio es un poco especial. Lo cierto es que no sé que os parecen los audios a vosotros. Yo en mi vida he escuchado unos cuantos, tanto de ficción como de otros temas, varios educacionales, y aunque me han parecido interesantes, me gusta mucho  leer así que…

Hace un tiempo hay muchos artículos sobre los audios, diciendo que representan el futuro (no sé), que el mercado no está tan saturado como de libros (en papel y electrónicos. Eso es cierto). Yo me metí en eso porque conocí a Alan Cooke a través de Facebook. Él es un actor, escritor y director que ha ganado un Emmy, y que se dedica, entre otras cosas, a crear y compartir versiones en audio de sus propios libros y de obras muy conocidas, que me encantan. Una autora y buena amiga mía, Martie Preller, acababa de publicar una colección de relatos The Seventh Sheep (sería la Séptima Oveja, si lo que contáis al iros a dormir son ovejas, o corderos, como queráis) y me pareció que quedarían muy bien en audio. Le encargué a Alan que le pusiera voz a uno (el que da título a la historia) y me gustó tanto que lo hizo a todos. A Martie le encantaron también, y me entró la curiosidad por oir la versión en audio de una de las historias de Una vez psiquiatra que estaba preparando para publicación. Y naturalmente, al final no nos paramos en una historia e hicimos todo el libro. (Por cierto, si os gustan las historias en inglés, las de The Seventh Sheep no están a la venta por dificultades técnicas pero las podéis escuchar en el blog de Martie, aquí).

Distribuir un libro en audio no es tan fácil como un libro electrónico. En aquella época (y creo que no ha cambiado mucho) ACX (hoy en día una empresa de Amazon) era la que se dedicaba a distribuir a las compañías más importantes (Amazon y i-Tunes de Apple). Pero si no eras residente en los Estados Unidos o tenías una cuenta bancaria allí, por cuestiones de impuestos no podías distribuir tu propio audio. Podías crear uno a través de sus servicios, pero a mí que ya había pagado el mío, no me servía esa opción. Les envié un correo y me contestaron que planeaban expanderse y que me tendrían al tanto. Y efectivamente, en Abril de este año me informaron de que aceptaban proyectos del Reino Unido. El proceso fue de lo más simple, ya que habíamos seguido los pasos que recomiendan para la creación de un audio, y ni siquiera hace falta crear una cuenta específica si ya tienes cuenta con Amazon.

Aquí os dejo los enlaces por si os apetece echarle un vistazo:

En Amazon:

http://bit.ly/1yFL1PC

En i-Tunes:

http://bit.ly/1rU3KSG

Por si os apetece escuchar una muestra, aquí os dejo el enlace a un video con un fragmento de narración de la primer historia ‘Cannon Fodder’ (Carne de cañón):

http://youtu.be/oZyVpOdgqtc

Las ventas…No he roto ningún record del Guinness, pero considerando que lo he promocionado poco y que solo está a la venta desde Junio, ha vendido más que el libro en otros formatos, aunque como los demás las ventas suben y bajan.

Con respecto a las promociones, no hay opción como en KDP a darlo gratuito (es costoso enviar ficheros tan gordos) pero sí que Audible envía una serie de códigos de regalo (normalmente 25, y cuando yo los pedí me enviaron 25 para .com y 25 para .co.uk) que podéis usar para promocionar. Y si alguien no es cliente de Audible, el primer audio les sale gratuíto (y si tenéis la suerte de ser el autor de uno de estos libros os dan un  bono de $50. De momento solo me ha pasado una vez, pero se todo se agradece).

En ACX, aparte de poder subir un audio que hayáis creado vosotros mismos (y mucha gente hace sus propias narraciones. Hay muchos consejos sobre cómo hacerlo, pero sobre todo os recomiendo que sigáis las pautas que ellos recomiendan para no tener problemas luego), también podéis buscar un narrador y/o productor y crear vuestro proyecto con ellos, y también tenéis la opción de ofrecer vuestro libro como proyecto de audio para narradores y productores a los que le pueda interesar, a cambio de la mitad de las regalías (o derechos de autor).

I Love Your Cupcakes (Me encantan tus cupcakes) de Olga Núñez Miret. Portada de Lourdes Vidal

He decidido probar suerte con mi novela I Love Your Cupcakes (Me encantan tus cupcakes). Así que si conocéis a algún (preferentemente alguna) narrador/a o productor/a a quién le pueda interesar, o me podéis recomendar a alguien, ya lo sabéis.  Os dejo el enlace al proyecto, por si acaso:

https://www.acx.com/titleview/A2NCGYHKZ0DC0S

¡Gracias por leer, y si os ha interesado, ya sabéis, dadle al me gusta, comentad, compartid, y haced CLIC! Y si conocéis a alguien, pasadle al información. (Y si se os da bien el inglés y os apetece uno de los audios de regalo…pues decídmelo).

What do you think of audiobooks? Do you know any narrators? ACX, audios and a Cupcake project.

Hi all:

I don’t know what you think about audiobooks. Over the years I’ve listened to some, fiction and non-fiction but probably love reading so much that I’d miss it. But the best audiobooks can be amazing.

I have had one of my books turned into an audiobook. Escaping Psychiatry.

 

Escaping Psychiatry audio. Cover by Ernesto Valdés, narration by Alan Cooke

The process how it became an audio was not your usual way (this being me). I met Alan Cooke, an Emmy Award winning writer, actor and director, through Facebook, and became fascinated by his work, films, videos, and also his readings and audios, both of his own books and of well-known stories. Another writer and good friend of mine, Martie Preller, had published a book of short tales/stories, The Seventh Sheep, and I thought they would sound fantastic narrated by Alan. It first started with one of the stories, but I liked it so much that as a surprise, I got the four stories done for her. The results were amazing although due to technical difficulties (and the peculiarities of the system) it is not on sale as an audio. But you can listen to them in Martie’s blog, here.  Then I thought I’d like to have one of the stories of Escaping Psychiatry in audio format, and one thing let to another.

One of the difficulties at that time was that ACX (now owned by Amazon) was the main option to distribute audios to the big players, including Amazon and Apple’s i-Tunes. And unfortunately you needed to be a resident in the US (for tax reasons) to be able to distribute your audio through ACX. And I wasn’t. I queried this, and in April this year they e-mailed me to let me know that now residents in the UK could also use their services, and I did. Having followed their instructions into how to record the audio, downloading it wasn’t a problem and it all went pretty smoothly. (You don’t even need to have a separate account with ACX if you already have one with Amazon.)

Here are the links in Amazon:

http://bit.ly/1yFL1PC

And i-Tunes:

http://bit.ly/1rU3KSG

Just in case you fancy a sample, this is a video I created sharing some of the narration of the first story:

http://youtu.be/oZyVpOdgqtc

Most of the posts about audiobooks suggest they are up and coming, they are going to boom soon, and the market is not as saturated as it is for either paper or e-books. Yet.

Although you don’t have access to promotions KDP style, and the prices are higher due to technical constraints, Audible sends you up to 25 free codes (in my case I got some for .com and .co.uk) that you can use to promote the audio, and if somebody is not already an Audible Client, they get the first audiobook free (and you have a bonus if this happens with one of your audios, or $50).

What has my audiobook done so far? Well, I can’t say it’s been a roaring success, although it has sold more (especially considering that I haven’t promoted it much and it has only been on sale from June) than the actual book, and I got one of the bonus sales. The sales pattern seems similar to standard books. It peaks when it is new on sale and then it goes down.

In the case of my audiobook I got it done and paid for it myself. You can do the same through ACX too, rather than having to find your own by your own means. But ACX offers  you the chance of posting your book as a project and then partnering with a narrator/producer, and splitting up the royalties. That shares both the risks and the benefits. Of course, depending on the interest generated you might get many offers or not.

I Love Your Cupcakes by Olga Núñez Miret. Cover by Lourdes Vidal

I’ve decided to give it a go, and here is my project for I Love Your Cupcakes.

https://www.acx.com/titleview/AJXZ5XZSZ0XTH

If you know any voice artists, narrators or producers who might be interested (or you do narrations), or you can recommend somebody, let me know!

Ah, and I still have some of the free codes for my Escaping Psychiatry audio, so if you’d like one…just ask. If many people are interested…I’ll think of something!

‘Irrealidades a doble espacio’ de Frank Spoiler. Porque ser escritor no es nada fácil

Hola a todos:

Como sabéis los viernes me gusta traer autores invitados o nuevos libros a mi blog. Es siempre un placer cuando autores repiten su visita y nos traen sus novedades literarias.

Autor Frank Spoiler

Ese es el caso hoy. Muchos recordaréis a Frank Spoiler, escritor de poesía, de microrelatos, de novelas terroríficas, cuentos…Vamos, lo que le echen. Y que no se me olvide que tiene varios blogs y publica muchos de sus relatos en Wattpad. Vamos, que si no le conocéis es porque no queréis. Hoy nos trae su más reciente libro, publicado por la editorial Tempus Fugit, que se está dedicado a promocionar y distribuir las obras de muchos escritores independientes (si yo fuera vosotros les seguiría de cerca, que tienen muy buen ojo).

Irrealidades a doble espacio de Frank Spoiler. Ed: Tempus Fugit

Irrealidades a doble espacio

Frank Spoiler nos presenta su última novela, con el título de Irrealidades a doble espacio, compuesta por una serie de relatos y micros, una mezcla de sabores y aromas. Una sorprendente recopilación de historias diversas que harán la delicia de los amantes de la buena lectura y de los fieles seguidores de este autor.

Versión Kindle:

http://www.amazon.es/Irrealidades-doble-espacio-Frank-Spoiler-ebook/dp/B00P8E16OW/

http://www.amazon.com/Irrealidades-doble-espacio-Frank-Spoiler-ebook/dp/B00P8E16OW/

 

Versión papel:

http://www.amazon.es/Irrealidades-doble-espacio-Frank-Spoiler/dp/1503004678/

http://www.amazon.com/Irrealidades-doble-espacio-Frank-Spoiler/dp/1503004678/

Y por si os habéis olvidado del resto de su obra, os dejo el enlace a su página en Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/frank-spoiler-spoiler/e/B0096D5UE8/

Gracias a Frank por visitarnos (y por seguir escribiendo), gracias a vosotros por leer, y ya sabéis, dadle al me gusta, comentad, compartid y haced CLIC!

P.S.: Sally Ember, Ed.D., autora de la serie The Spanners, me entrevistó como parte de su serie Changes, el día 19 de Noviembre. Si os apetece echarle un vistazo a la entrevista (y escucharme hablar inglés), aquí os dejo el enlace en You Tube.

http://goo.gl/1uZJDm

Gracias!