Catherine Edward's Blog, page 22
December 25, 2018
Review: Don't Trust a Killer
Don't Trust a Killer by Cynthia Eden My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This story is one hell of a ride. The author did it again. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Don't Trust a Killer and now onto book 2 in the series.
Kace Quick is seemingly the crime lord and a prime suspect of serial killing in New Orleans. Bree Harlow is sent undercover as a waitress in one of his clubs because she fits the description of the victims. Kace, however, knew exactly what and who she was and why she was there in his club. But there is this attraction that burns hot right from the moment they meet each other. Also, Kace isn't the one to beat around the bush. When he wanted, he took it. Now he wants Bree and he doesn't hide it from her either. But the killer is close, he's killing people they know. People who are connected to Kace's past and he must stop the killer soon because Bree was in his sights.
This is such an enticing read. I don't know how she does it, but she did it again. The killer, was there right under our noses from the start and it wasn't until the very moment we see it's them. And Kace is such a tease. I loved his character throughout the book. This had all the elements I loved-suspense, romance and more. The 2nd book in the series has a great start and I can't wait to finish it.
View all my reviews
December 23, 2018
Review: Clayton
Clayton by Rachelle MillsMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Clayton is one of my all time favorite from Rachelle. This book has every element a reader looks for. If you like books that make you feel the pain and heartbreak, this is it.
One might think this is another rejection story, but it isn’t. It has more element to it.
Based in the world of werewolf shifters we are introduced to Rya’s punishment being delivered. She’s whipped for her attack on fellow packmate and the story unfolds from her point of view.
Clayton, the future alpha of the pack rejects Rya as his mate because he is in love with Kennedy, his childhood friend. The alpha not only punishes her but also restrict other pack members to get involved with her. Rya struggles to accept the rejection and moves out of the pack.
Years later, when Clayton’s pack is in need of a mid-wife, Rya is forced to move back. Now, occupying the dead mid-wife’s lake side home, she is forced to endure the demons from her past. Slowly but surely, the pack warms up to her, but the difficult of all was watching him with her.
Rya steers clear of Clayton and Kennedy, but it’s hard with them being everywhere she goes. And, Clayton now a mature wolf is affected by the mate bond though he doesn’t show it outside. The wolf is in disagreement with his human self.
When Rya tries to adjust in the pack, she meets the pack doctor Dallas, who is too handsome for his own good. Dallas too has a past and the two broken souls slowly warm up to each other when Clayton decides to crash the party.
The rest is for the readers to read and figure out. But I can assure you that you won’t be disappointed. I’m in love with how Rya’s character evolved throughout the story. We see her as a teenager and then she grows into this wonderful and strong woman, who isn’t afraid to make her decisions. I love how she learns to love and trust again, especially how she learns to love herself.
Rachelle has once again exceeded the reader’s expectation with one of her strong female leads. The author is known for her unique world of werewolves in its raw nature. So don’t expect a cliché and keep an open mind. The story hits you so hard that it’d be days before you can even think of another story.
The characters just stay with you like forever. It’s the Rachelle magic. Again, none of the characters in this book has it easy. Everyone has their reasons and back stories. Everyone contribute equally and by the end I even found it hard to hate Clayton.
The only question I had when I finished was, “Can you blame someone for falling in love?” You’ll understand this while reading.
This story is divided into two parts because of the length. The second part is coming out in January, so stay tuned.
View all my reviews
Clayton is one of my all time favorite from Rachelle. This book has every element a reader looks for. If you like books that make you feel the pain and heartbreak, this is it.
One might think this is another rejection story, but it isn’t. It has more element to it.
Based in the world of werewolf shifters we are introduced to Rya’s punishment being delivered. She’s whipped for her attack on fellow packmate and the story unfolds from her point of view.
Clayton, the future alpha of the pack rejects Rya as his mate because he is in love with Kennedy, his childhood friend. The alpha not only punishes her but also restrict other pack members to get involved with her. Rya struggles to accept the rejection and moves out of the pack.
Years later, when Clayton’s pack is in need of a mid-wife, Rya is forced to move back. Now, occupying the dead mid-wife’s lake side home, she is forced to endure the demons from her past. Slowly but surely, the pack warms up to her, but the difficult of all was watching him with her.
Rya steers clear of Clayton and Kennedy, but it’s hard with them being everywhere she goes. And, Clayton now a mature wolf is affected by the mate bond though he doesn’t show it outside. The wolf is in disagreement with his human self.
When Rya tries to adjust in the pack, she meets the pack doctor Dallas, who is too handsome for his own good. Dallas too has a past and the two broken souls slowly warm up to each other when Clayton decides to crash the party.
The rest is for the readers to read and figure out. But I can assure you that you won’t be disappointed. I’m in love with how Rya’s character evolved throughout the story. We see her as a teenager and then she grows into this wonderful and strong woman, who isn’t afraid to make her decisions. I love how she learns to love and trust again, especially how she learns to love herself.
Rachelle has once again exceeded the reader’s expectation with one of her strong female leads. The author is known for her unique world of werewolves in its raw nature. So don’t expect a cliché and keep an open mind. The story hits you so hard that it’d be days before you can even think of another story.
The characters just stay with you like forever. It’s the Rachelle magic. Again, none of the characters in this book has it easy. Everyone has their reasons and back stories. Everyone contribute equally and by the end I even found it hard to hate Clayton.
The only question I had when I finished was, “Can you blame someone for falling in love?” You’ll understand this while reading.
This story is divided into two parts because of the length. The second part is coming out in January, so stay tuned.
View all my reviews
December 22, 2018
Getting Over Him - Cover Reveal
♥#CoverReveal ♥ #GettingOverHim by #CatherineEdward
“When it comes to falling in love…never say never.”
Releasing Jan. 15th from #LimitlessPublishing!Cover Designer: #DerangedDoctorDesign
BLURB
Falling in love for the first time should be the most amazing feeling in the world. For me, it was the exact opposite.
See, the guy I fell in love with turned out to be a cheat. The best part, the real doozy? He cheated on me with my very own twin sister.
The entire debacle left me with enough wounds, and knives in my back to last me a lifetime. I was convinced I’d never fall in love again. Ever.
Until I ran into my past.
Orlando was my first crush. My friend. But he’s not the Orlando I remember. He’s changed. Now he’s the silent, brooding type. The type I should avoid while nursing a broken heart. I know I shouldn’t risk it. I know I should keep my distance.
But here’s the thing…I can’t.
November 26, 2018
3 Basic Editing tools every amateur writer should be aware of:
3 Basic Editing tools every amateur writer should be aware of:I am going to talk about 3 Editing tools I use and believe that every writer should be aware of. I've been wanting to do this for a long time now. So here it is.The software I mention here is the one I used and still using. I've tried many and found out that these are simple and easy to use when compared to the others. (Software like prowritingaid is not free and is difficult for a beginner to use.)There are 3 free software which will definitely enhance the budding writers, who struggle with typos and punctuation to an extent.1. Grammarly for word (Download)2. Ginger for word (Download)3. After the Deadline (Online)BONUS4. Spelling and grammar check in MS word.5. ProWriting Aid.We will see them one by one. 1 & 2 are downloadable from google.
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1. Grammarly for word:* Once you finish writing, enable Grammarly (the little green icon on your right top of the word document).* A box will pop-up to your right. Wait for it to finish checking.* Now use the arrows on the box to go up and down. You need to correct the words manually. * Double-click the suggestion if you want to accept the suggestion or click ignore.* Premium version is available, but you don't have to make a purchase to use it. The free version pretty much covers it all.* This one is good for punctuation and picking up minor spelling mistakes. If you are well known for typos, this is the one for you. * The small explanation below each mistake will help you a lot.2. Ginger for word:* Click the little blue icon on your right top.* At first, when I installed it. It used to check sentence by sentence, suggesting me the change. There is some problem with my laptop so it doesn't work anymore. But it does show me the mistakes.* In the free version, it gives you a hand full of auto corrections. That is it will show you a suggestion and you have to double-click to accept. Once this free correction is over, it will still show you the mistake, but you will have to manually edit the mistake.* It picks up typos, spelling mistakes, punctuation and even suggest rephrasing, which is cool.* Paid version is unlimited. Once again, you don't have to buy it to use it. It's totally up to you.3. After the deadline:* Go to www.afterthedeadline.com and click on the "Demonstration" tab.
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*It will highlight your passive voice, spelling mistakes, clichés and style suggestions. You need to do it manually again.4. Spelling and Grammar Check in MS Word:
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This could be a headache, but a tool nonetheless. Click on your Review tab and you have it.5. ProwritingAid:I love this app for editing. Picks up - repetitive words, spell check, basic grammar edits, passive voice, adverb, clichés etc.,The free version allows you to check 500 words at a time which you have to do manually. It could be a headache but it's very helpful for beginners. If I want to pay for something, I'd gladly pay for Ginger and Prowriting Aid. There are many apps available online, these above ones are the ones I used and found it easy and helpful. Software like Hemminway editor, AutoCrit, MasterWriter , SmartEdit are also there. I tried the trial version of MasterWriter and found it very useful. Many editors use it too and it's very advanced. A friendly advice from me would be, when you are a beginner, start with basic tools and as you learn you can slowly branch out to the other software and see how it's working out for you.Remember, an editing software is only there to help you spot the things you missed. It's not a human so it does skips certain things and it doesn't pick everything. Not every word it highlights is wrong. Keep in mind that these suggestions doesn't mean you are doing it all wrong.HAPPY WRITING!
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1. Grammarly for word:* Once you finish writing, enable Grammarly (the little green icon on your right top of the word document).* A box will pop-up to your right. Wait for it to finish checking.* Now use the arrows on the box to go up and down. You need to correct the words manually. * Double-click the suggestion if you want to accept the suggestion or click ignore.* Premium version is available, but you don't have to make a purchase to use it. The free version pretty much covers it all.* This one is good for punctuation and picking up minor spelling mistakes. If you are well known for typos, this is the one for you. * The small explanation below each mistake will help you a lot.2. Ginger for word:* Click the little blue icon on your right top.* At first, when I installed it. It used to check sentence by sentence, suggesting me the change. There is some problem with my laptop so it doesn't work anymore. But it does show me the mistakes.* In the free version, it gives you a hand full of auto corrections. That is it will show you a suggestion and you have to double-click to accept. Once this free correction is over, it will still show you the mistake, but you will have to manually edit the mistake.* It picks up typos, spelling mistakes, punctuation and even suggest rephrasing, which is cool.* Paid version is unlimited. Once again, you don't have to buy it to use it. It's totally up to you.3. After the deadline:* Go to www.afterthedeadline.com and click on the "Demonstration" tab.
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*It will highlight your passive voice, spelling mistakes, clichés and style suggestions. You need to do it manually again.4. Spelling and Grammar Check in MS Word:
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This could be a headache, but a tool nonetheless. Click on your Review tab and you have it.5. ProwritingAid:I love this app for editing. Picks up - repetitive words, spell check, basic grammar edits, passive voice, adverb, clichés etc.,The free version allows you to check 500 words at a time which you have to do manually. It could be a headache but it's very helpful for beginners. If I want to pay for something, I'd gladly pay for Ginger and Prowriting Aid. There are many apps available online, these above ones are the ones I used and found it easy and helpful. Software like Hemminway editor, AutoCrit, MasterWriter , SmartEdit are also there. I tried the trial version of MasterWriter and found it very useful. Many editors use it too and it's very advanced. A friendly advice from me would be, when you are a beginner, start with basic tools and as you learn you can slowly branch out to the other software and see how it's working out for you.Remember, an editing software is only there to help you spot the things you missed. It's not a human so it does skips certain things and it doesn't pick everything. Not every word it highlights is wrong. Keep in mind that these suggestions doesn't mean you are doing it all wrong.HAPPY WRITING!
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November 19, 2018
Review: The Girl Whole Stole My World
The Girl Whole Stole My World by Rachelle Mills
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Rachelle is always best at what she does. The plot flows smoothly and the characters are so strong that by the time you finish two chapters, they will be residing in your mind.
Once again she blew my mind with the descriptions. There are so many emotions that flow through the story; love, betrayal, pain, friendship, humor etc., You literally feel like you are living with the characters. The tension filled chapters leave the readers cliffhanging throughout, which I loved.
Reading this story once again reminded me why I love her books so much. Now I am shuffling between Clayton and this, unable to decide which one is my first favorite.
November 18, 2018
Review: Inkitt's new writing app for writers
November 16, 2018
Review: Love at First Kiss
Love at First Kiss by Ysa Arcangel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Love at first kiss is the story of two best friends, who were torn apart by unrevealed feelings for each other and a jealous boyfriend.
Stanley and Mediatrix used to be friends that was until she betrayed him. Years later, now Stanley is one of the hottest firefighters in town. Mr. Fire fighter world competition crosses their path again but Mediatrix, who has recently broke up with her boyfriend doesn't recognize Stanley. After a night filled with passion he leaves for his hometown.
Fate once again crosses their path after a few years and this time, Stanley learns that Mediatrix is back in town with her only son. And, she doesn't remember the stranger she had one-night stand with. Stanley also faces a situation that puts him in a dilemma. He must work around his insecurities and fear to go behind his one true love.
Mediatrix has got problems of her own. She is ridden with guilt for not standing up to her best friend when he needed her. Years later, when she meets him, he wasn't the same person she once knew. Her obnoxious boyfriend is back in town, threatening to ruin her life. She must face her overbearing mother, ex-boyfriend and her new flame. And, most of all that one secret that'd jeopardize her complicated relationship with Stanley.
The author once again hooks her readers with an engaging story. It is an enjoyable read. If you want a romance read with family drama, you must try this out. I loved the characters and the descriptive fire rescue missions adds life to the story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
View all my reviews
November 5, 2018
Interview with author Mama Magie Ward
Interview with author Mama Magie Ward
I’m glad to introduce Mama Magie Ward and I’m proud to call myself her friend. She is such a sweet heart and a good friend I could ever ask for. She holds more talent in her little fingers than she let others see––baking, writing, and gardening––you name it. She is a loving mom & wife, a fighter for victims of abuse and the backbone for Say No To Abuse support group.
If you ever want to read something that feed your literary cravings as well as stir your emotions and sent them on a roller-coaster ride, her books are the one for you. Poems, sideline stories of popular novels, fanfiction, Original fiction––she is the queen of all. Come on, let’s move into the interview and let’s hear it from her.
About the Author:
Hello friends,
Mama Magie here. A post-stroke mom who writes as part of my recovery. The stories on my PenumbraMine accounts are my more serious scribbles when I am not writing fantasy with my minionettes. The PenumbraMine stories here are ALL for a more mature audience, a walk between shadow and light. There will be triggers for those of us who are survivors. Some of the beginnings, middles, and endings are not what I would wish on anyone or to be done by anyone.
But sadly, these are the truths of many.
Reality turned to fiction as a coping mechanism. Some are my own, some belong to others. Some will overcome, others will succumb. It is the way of the world, and for some, the happiest outcome is simply an ending.
I do not advocate suicide or self-harm, denial or self-medication. I encourage all to seek help, even if it lies with a stranger through pixels and photons. We are all sisters and brothers. We all have choices in a world that teaches we are objects. Weep, cope, reach out. You are not alone. You do not deserve to suffer. For support, please visit @SayNoToAbuse
1. When and how did your writing journey start?
I was your normal Farm Mom / Rural Postmaster / Church and School Volunteer, then on April 28, 2015, I had a lacunar stroke which damaged the left side of my brain. I was healthy before, (didn't smoke or drink or eat bad things), and even when lying in the hospital unable to move my right side or swallow, the Doctors said I was the healthiest person in the building. They don't know why it happened. They don't know how I survived.
Honestly, I believe it was the prayers of my community and that my path wasn't to death's doorway yet. We quickly discovered that more than my body was affected, every time I slept, I forgot. I began writing with my girls, the Minionettes, to try to recover my language skills and stimulate my memory processes. It has been a long journey, and every day I say a prayer of thanks to still be with my husband and daughters and community.
I have days when I feel mostly normal and days where my body doesn't work; my brain gives me fits daily and some days, everything feels strange. But every day, I live by my favourite word: BETTER. BETTER is not a miracle or magical cure. BETTER is one day at a time. BETTER is baby steps. BETTER is a purposeful struggle toward something more than I had a moment ago, an hour ago, and a day ago.
With my memory issues, my life has become words. Things that are read are stored in a different part of the brain than those that are lived. The doctors have still not figured out how to help me or if I will ever be cured. But I discovered that I can write and later read and retain my life with my family. It isn’t quite the same as the memories I have from before my stroke but it is still living in the now with them. I wrote a poem for my headers that sums up my new normal.
She wrote her laughter,She scribbled her tears,She penned her hopes,She scrawled her fears.Every day, a page before bed,Every morning her memories she read.Transient Somniatic Amnesia is what the doctor claimed,But she chose to fight it, and live her life unchanged.
2. My all-time favourite is Pagosa Cliff series. I know that you wrote that series on a challenge. Tell me more about this. Who challenged you and how did you come up with this plot?
A young WP writer ZarinLyss was writing a collection of clichés, The Wattpad Cliches (and things that would traumatize you). We would laugh and chat about things like; “Do werewolves have twice the waxing bills of humans or do their wolves look like they have mange with bare spots?” or “Are all girls in bad boy book needy, bitchy girls who lose their minds and all sensibility at the sight of a six pack?” We were often laughing about how to write clichés and how to not write things that turn into clichés. So, she challenged us in jest to write a cliché story that broke the clichés.
I drew five for July Camp NaNoWriMo: 1. Billionaires; 2. Athletes/jocks; 3. Bachelor party; 4. Twins; and 5. Mafia. As I wrote, I knowingly added Rape Survivor, and unknowingly added Stalkers and Cowboys to the mix.
Then I had to write and break the clichés and rebuild them. My Billionaire Kyle had and lost everything, then had to start over. My Athlete/jock was a broken Olympian Camille. The bachelor party was the thing that broke them up but not for the obvious reasons, Kyle and his middle brother Kent were drugged by their youngest brother. My twins were cousins born only a month apart. And my mafia guys (the Valtini cousins) were instigators of the plot events from the beginning and don’t show up until the very end of the book. The hardest part was to write in such a way that the two MCs spend the book struggling in spite of being madly in love with each other. The easiest part was writing the teen cousin divers as comedic relief. Love Willow and Gracie!
3. All these characters, Camille, Millie, Elizabeth from your series are strong, sarcastic and are fighters. They stand for what they believe. Do they hold any resemblance to your real self?
They actually do. A Lot! I really believe Life is a story all about the journey back from our darkest hours. I put the strong women I have met into these strong women who overcome. Women of different ages and experiences who all choose to see the dawn at the end of the night and to push forward and make sacrifice for those they love. It was hard sometimes because I wrote in things that were contrary to my own nature, breakdowns and unforgiveness, raging and manipulation.
Sometimes they make the wrong choices for all the right reasons based on misinformation or issues from their own past. Motivation is key.
The Villainess in Pagosa Cliffs is Debutant Divorcee Tonia Ballard and, in Vegas, Diva Divina Velvet. They are actually a compilation of three real women, women who were selfish and cruel, women who were greedy and narcissistic, women who did terrible things IRL to their children or allowed terrible things to happen. I hated writing them, but sadly people like them exist and cause nothing but harm.
4. The first story I read of yours was Cora, a sidelines story. We all love Rachelle Mills and one should do so much research to actually write about the characters and her world. In my opinion, you’ve excelled it. So, when did you realize you wanted to write Cora’s story and what kind of help you had from Rachelle?
Rachelle was wonderful during Cora, she let me trespass all over her world, and answered anything I asked, even about desert choices. She let me drag poor Caleb into some very hysterical situations. The origins of Cora were the CLAYTON comments that were lost with the RMills75 account, The Birthplace of The International Wildflower Pack. A thousand comments here and there lead to a backstory of Rya, Kennedy, Clayton, and their birth pack. Those became Cora, based on a character mentioned only a few times by Rachelle. Cora was the girl who said there’s no room. She was Rya’s first patient; the friend at a lake who trusted Rya with her baby, and the one who stocked Rya’s fridge when she returned from Valentine Pack. There were many of us who couldn’t stand the thought that Rya was completely abandoned, then The Lake Part and the Fall of the Alphas proved that there were those who also believed that what was happening was wrong, but didn’t have the power to change it. Resistance to wrong doing doesn’t have to be a drastic explosion, it can be small acts or rebellion. Cora made me write her story as I chased the comment threads of Clayton with the Wildflowers. She belongs to Rachelle and the International Wildflower, I was just the magic pencil that scribbled the words floating out from Rachelle’s world.
5. Getting help from the original author to write the fanfiction of their story happens only once in a blue moon. We all know how kind and passionate Rachelle is. Tell me, are there other authors you approached for other fanfiction? How did they respond?
There are. But I have never published one that the original author said no to. Mistress Kay, SerenityR0se, was wonderful to allow a crossover Fanfiction with her Blood Magic series as part of contest. I would never disrespect an author, that is why Cora gives credit in each chapter, the Augyr Vampire gives credit, and even when Servant of the Moon grew from a reject fanfiction of Flint has a page that thanks Merry for the idea. To me the most important thing about writing a fanfiction is being respectful to the origin universe, creating author, and not turning it into something beyond the author’s vision. I have approached other authors after drafting a very rough fanfict, when they said no, I shelved or rewrote. Once a fan writer takes off on a tangent that is against the author of origin, then it is no longer a fan fiction – it is theft. All I can say to other fanfiction writers is: Be respectful or Write your own; Don’t steal; Don’t hijack. If they say this is my world make your own, then do.
6. I read one of your notes regarding Servant of The Moon. It started as a fanfiction for Alpha’s Oracle by Merry Ravnell, isn’t it? So how did it turned out to be an individual series? Do you mind sharing the details with us again?
The original Master at Arms Flint Fanfict was drafted as a back story for my favourite character of the Alpha’s Oracle. My Flint was a long suffering, relentlessly noble, and honour-driven character. However, Merry’s plan for Flint was the far darker origin story of a soul that deserved to be condemned, was condemned, then became one who is seeking redemption through service to the goddess. Her Flint’s backstory makes Gabel (the many abusive alphas of wattpad) look like a saint. So, I spent a lot of time researching and altering and replotting. There are only six of the original scenes that I submitted to Merry remaining and they have all been drastically altered. I built a new world for my twin oracles and their warrior wolf that has some similarities on the surface, but it is not the world Gianna is trying to save. In the one place where I directly quote Flint about a female’s heart, I credit the line and thank Merry.
7. I know that you reach out to the original authors before writing a fanfiction and you do intense research. It’s amazing how you submit your script to the authors to read before you post it for the readers. What is your advice to the fellow fanfiction writers? I see a lot of debates going on about the genre, often throwing shades on writers writing them. What are your thoughts on this?
Always ask permission, remember no is no. Don’t pout or pressure on the original author to accept your version. It isn’t your world, it is theirs.
When I was asked by my pre-readers to publish MAA Flint as a different story. I made very profound changes to the original that took out much of the crossover. It went from an origin story of one character (Flint) to a story about a religious/cultural war. A war between believers in the Moon and converts to a new faith lead by a possessed alpha who was as much a cult leader televangelist as an anti-christ of sorts. I purposely made my Oracles (Daughters of the Tides) differ from Merry’s independent oracles. My Oracles exist as part of a large and respected organized group, who not only serve the Moon in a religious function, but also act as peace keepers, investigators, negotiators, liaisons, and so forth. The Servants of the Moon serve the greater good at the behest of the Moon Goddess as a group and thus the origin of the war between the Servants of the Sun and the Servants of the Moon/Daughters of the Tides. It reflects the divide between the spiritual and secular.
You can never so enough research! When I was changing from MAA to SOTM, I learned so much about ancient religions, mysticism, witchcraft, and scrying; medieval ranks and history of Scottish and French royal houses, meteor impact craters, and Nova Scotia (Seriously doing research for my books on Google Earth has added too many places to my bucket list!)
Trolls: I think the most surprising part of going from a fanfiction to a separate storyline was the number of people that read the blurb ONLY and attacked me. I explained my sources and only asked them to read the rest. The best way to deal with trolls is to be calm, honest, and forthright. Trolls eat drama, they travel in packs, squawk like harpies, they feel powerful when they make you feel weak. Don’t let them make you feel anything other that proud that you put out your work and they are pathetic and insecure to have to act out in such a way. My advice is to block, delete, and ignore.
8. Revelation of A.S.H. sounds like it is set on an apocalypse background. Can you tell us more about the plot and its setting?
It is. On the Revelation night, a chemical weapon is used to turn all nonhuman males into weapons of mass murder in a world where very few humans knew THEY were real. Revelation of A.S.H./ Ravers / Revelation of E.L.M (Revelation Night series) came from a What If scenario and how someone in the normal pubic would react if suddenly the monsters of horror were revealed as real.“What if THEY were all real and the government was helping them hide from the public while the media was manipulating the public into liking THEM?” “What if there were a secret group of terrorists willing to do anything to make sure they exposed THEM as monsters and keep pure humans on top?” It focuses on the struggle of one woman and those around her trying to deal with the worst-case result of the What If scenario and then find the truth of what really happened while surviving a world where all the normal rules of survival no longer apply. It is set against the background of a power struggle to control the non-humans’ kingdoms and human governments and corporations. Honestly, if anyone of us got a call saying “(insert fiction monster here) are attacking, take shelter”, you would laugh it off as a hoax until we saw it ourselves but, in the context of the Revelation Night world, then it would be too late to save yourself and your family. The side story from the nonhuman perspective is what if a pharmaceutical or organic medicinal could make you betray everything you believed in, everything you were, and make you want to kill or harm everyone you loved.
The story has fate mates, not a trope I am fond of, but they have a long road and may never end up together because of how He found Her on the Revelation Night and what he did. Recovery from trauma always seems to be somewhere in my stories, it is like I can’t help it.
9. What are the projects you are working on right now?My biggest project is getting Pagosa Cliffs onto Amazon, from the drafts on Inkitt, Tablo, and Wattpad.
I have an entire chicklit series written around the Devoted Sisters/Siblings concept that was developed for FicFun. The only one they published was Lau and Mai, the other four stories are gathering dust.
I have the Revelation Night finale and the SOTM Daughter of the Tides to convert from draft scribbles to rough and edited copy.Then there are the hummingbird ideas that flit around in my drunken jackrabbit under a full moon of a brain. Those Top Five in no particular order are:“Spartan” about a female werewolf warrior with two wolves (hers and her sister’s- the sister died during birth) and her journey to prove herself worthy of her lineage and her duty. “Scars are the proof of a purposed life.” “Spartans don’t fight, they kill or they die” “Surrender only comes after the last beat of a Spartan’s heart.” Set in ancient Greece, Mediterranean Sea coast, and Gaul. We explore ancient cultures.
“Heirless” about a supernatural loss of fertility. Based on Old Ways Werewolf World concept. It starts with a pack take over by a mafia and monarchy connected alpha-son trying to make a name for himself and his mate escaping to become the leader of the resistance and female rights movement as a sort of roving reporter. Children start disappearing and females stop conceiving. Drastic measures by the leaders leads to civil war against the ruling. It is a very politically inspired story. Like Apostasy, humans have died out.“Vibration” is a sci-fi story about a girl who survived ‘the impact’, a comet strike on earth. A decade later, a higher alien culture begins rescuing the survivors because some are like the Primes of Anne McCaffery’s Tower series. The Vibrations of the power sources can be tuned to a ‘Multi’, a ‘mover’, a ‘healer’ or a ‘transporter’ as allowed for telekinetic abilities. While coming as saviours, the aliens really want to indenture the talented humans in a caste system because their own people no longer desire to do the work or be at the beck and call of the ruling caste. One of the tests of the school is to have the thing that means the most taken away as a stress test, but it backfires and the planet with the school is destroyed by a human Multi. The story become a mass murder trial and then a question of ethics of the humans’ saviours, should this teen girl have been trained because they needed her power? Should he have been expected to adapt to their culture without dealing with her childhood trauma? And should the aliens be held accountable because it was one of their ‘movers’ who accidentally dropped the comet on earth? It is a YA Dystopia novelette.
“How I became a Crazy Cat Lady to Survive the Zompocolypse…” A mockumentary about a reclusive agoraphobic librarian who is allergic to cats. During a “flu (actually fungal spore) outbreak” which causes people to become zombies, she stumbles on a elderly crazy cat lady who is the daughter of an Egyptologist. She belongs to a secret society who knows the Zompocolypse happened before in Ancient Egypt. The only safeguard from the infected is that the fungus hates cats, cat hair, cat dander, and cat drool (which is also the cure for it). It goes of into a crazy tangent about cat-hating aliens and how it is easier to turn humans into mobile meat sticks to harvest than to conquer them.Then the ever elusive “Scarlet Charlotte and the Alpha’s Luna’s Omega’s Rejected Rogue Cousin” Which is only trickling out a few hundred words a month or so.10. When can we expect Pagosa Cliff in our shelves?That my Lovely, is the question. I am editing and working as quickly as I can. I hope to have Red Velvet and Anemones and Blue Butterflies out before Dec 1.
11. This is one of the important questions I wanted to ask because you are the right person to answer. I know many publishers had shown interest in your stories but backed off when they realized it was published earlier on Wattpad. What are your thoughts on this? Everyone seems to love Pagosa Cliffs and the characters who live there. I have done decent well in the various Twitter pitch events like #Pitchwars and #Carinapitch until they find out I am very prolific and active on social media and reading sites. Once it is discovered I have my roughs out for peer reading on public sites, I never hear back or get asked if I have anything that is totally unpublished. “Why are you recruiting through social media if you don’t want media active writers?”Personally, I feel like my activity helps my stories evolve. It builds connections with readers and other writers, and helps me fix things I don’t see because as the writer I am too close to my words. If a story is good, readers will repeat read. I love returning to a world I visited. I believe the negative responses are a sign that Traditional Publishing isn’t evolving, they are only using available social media as an advertising afterthought instead of a creativity building platform to help authors produce the best they can. That said, there needs to be better safe guards against plagiarism.
12. What/Who inspires you to write?My minionettes and things I see or read. My imagination is basically a drunken jackrabbit or fluttering moth on the full moon always chasing the 'what if'. I have always been really creative, and since my stroke, writing has become the outlet for it as well as therapy. Seeing other creative people, both modern and in the past, who have overcome great obstacles to write, to paint, to bake, to sing, to create, they inspire me. Anyone who can survive and overcome are the best source of inspiration for us all. Everyone who chooses to be Better and not Bitter.
13. Tell us more about your lovely family.I have my Hubby Bear, we celebrated our 20th anniversary on the 21st anniversary of our first kiss. Marriage hasn’t always been easy, it has been hard work and danced the range of every emotion. My eldest daughter is part of the autism spectrum and a furry artist in a media arts college program. I am so proud of her every moment and for every accomplishment, because I will never forget the doctor who said she will never have a ‘normal’ life as an autistic individual. My Middle, most commonly known as TDM, The Dramatic Mara, is my cowriter and pre-editor, and now as a junior in high school, she is taking college prep classes in law enforcement and looking at the Navy. She recently helped an abused friend bring her abuser to justice and testified at the trial. My youngest is BTS ARMY, she loves baking, exercise fitness and all things fluffy. She is an amazing young writer, best in her grade.
14. Last but not least, I know you are a prankster. List the top 3 pranks you pulled.LOL… Ahhh Confession time. Bless me, fellow authors, for I have sinned. Sins I have shared with friends. Rules for Ghostwriting #3 Authenticity comes from doing your own research. And I did a lot of research. I did not like bullies or snobby people growing up and they suffered my prank wrath.I did the hair remover in hair conditioner and skin inflammation in face cream in the early 80s. One time at Girl Scout camp, I may have sewn a fellow camper into her bed and filled it with bugs. Or filled a locker in school with crawlies because some Senior Class bullies don’t like insects falling out all over them between classes.Yes, I have shaved one baby sitter’s Persian cat, then shaved another’s eyebrows and dosed her with Exlax Chocolates in a candy box. They were both screwing my father. I sheared and dyed mom’s dog. I convinced a ‘friend’ the rapture happened and he was left behind, religious arrogance has been a pet peeve of mine since I was 9. I may have helped “steal and paint” a car before returning it, just to freak a jock out. I may have broken in and cleaned weekend vacation houses just to see the people’s reactions when they came back. I might have helped put a sports car on the second story roof of a school building. I may have put the books in the library upside down on shelves every week for a semester. I may have once, or more, made spicy stir fry or pesto or frosting with ipecac. But the number one prank which is going into one of the Devoted Sisters Stories is: I altered my friend sister’s clothes to be tighter or looser randomly, and we stole her swimsuit, which I had resewn with dissolving threads before an end of summer pool party. The sister was a bully who encouraged others to bully her overweight sibling, she laughed when her sister tried to commit suicide. Having her swimsuit fall apart and humiliate her was totally worth getting grounded until Christmas. No Regrets. { (See, now you know who the master mind behind my prank scenes is. Mama gave me the idea for the pranks in Axel’s Revenge (hair removal cream in hair conditioner and skin inflammation) and Reincarnated love (bug burrito scene)}*** RAPID FIRE: 1. What is the best piece of advice you’ve received? Forgiveness is about healing yourself as much as healing another. Sometimes, you have to forgive someone who will never be sorry or regret the harm they caused. Sometimes the forgiveness you offer will never be accepted. Holding grudges, staying angry, those things drain the joy you could have from yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Forgive but don’t forget. Sometimes you just have to walk away.2. Your strength: My will power and my will power. My grandpa once told me I could do anything I set my will to, and the day I decided to stop breathing would be my last. When I saw that said in a movie, I laughed so hard and everyone stared at me like I was a loon.3. A random fun fact about yourself:My first tattoo was a rosary decade tattooed around my ankle because while in college I was going to go with Catholic Charities and give shots to kids in towns and orphanages in Central America. We were not allowed to take religious items with us because of the threat of rebels, who frequently attacked missionaries and volunteers.I have more pieces of lingerie than pieces of regular clothes. I went from a 34a-24-36 to a 36b-30-40 after the minionettes, but I can still wear my wedding dress if I wear shapewear under it.I am a foodie, I have tried every kind of food I could except primates and people. I won't eat people and I won't eat their cousins.... Just nope... Drawing a line, building a wall, putting water in the moat. No soy lent green for me. I’d rather lick the cat… What? Cats must taste good, they lick themselves all the time.(What? Mama, I’m dying here.)4. An unforgettable moment in your writing journey:When I got the p/m about ghostwriting Apostasy while writing Cora, it was changing event in my writing journey. Suddenly my scribbles weren’t something I did with my girls for my recovery, or to entertain my fellow wildflowers. That I was trusted with Brenda’s story, to make it live and breathe for her before she passed away was a gift. Converting her real-life abuse and work experiences was heart-breaking, but it shared her anti-abuse message in the werewolf genre where females are told that if they submit to their abusers, and they will stop abusing them and love them; the abused, rejected, neurotic mate who runs away and returns to kick butt but still falls back in lust the abusive alpha blah blah blah.… It is so common, it has become a writing trope, a cliché, a LIE dressed as romance that encourages tolerance of abuse through fiction. Brenda hated it with a passion. For my least read book, it is the one I am most proud of. I am glad I finished it before she passed away. 5. On a scale of 1-10, how strict parents you are to Minionettes?
12 but that said, My Girls have a long lead. They have a lot of freedom because of the trust they have earned and the awareness they have been taught. I know they can handle themselves and that I need to let them go out into the world despite the risks.
6. Movies or Books? I like Fantasy and Sci-fi, Psychological thrillers, Crime dramas and Historical mysteries. Some romances attract me but it is a weird love or hate thing. I am not a fan of horror for horror’s sake. 7. Camping or a two-night stay in world’s famous hotel? There are so many places… I would love to see the Northern lights in Iceland or Alaska but I hate the cold. I prefer camping and there are so many beautiful places. 8. Cuddles or kisses? BOTH! Married to a cuddle bear.9. Pet peeves –Folding laundry and people who drive with their phone in their hand.Seriously- GET. OFF. YOUR. PHONE!10. Hidden Talents:The things and the things plus the things. Pretty much any creative endeavour, I encourage everyone to try every form of artistic expression, even the ones you fail at can be fun. I can sing, play many brass instruments, read and write music, but I always wanted to learn Cello. After a year of lessons, it still sounded like I was strangling geese or moose in my house, except for those times when I could coax a single beautiful tone and I was so happy to be so bad. LOL. My poor instructor, bless her soul.11. The most inspiring quote: “I don’t fear monsters or demons, I fear what real people do to other real people.” W.J.Williams12. Things you are proud of –From my youth, I am proud of climbing Devil's Tower and Half Dome, backpacking Glacier Park and not getting eaten by that bear BUT mostly of putting myself in therapy when I was 15 so I did not end up like my parents. In my adult life, I am proud of overcoming my fear and trust issues after my divorce enough to kiss my good friend. He looked down at me with his beautiful winter-sky blue eyes, and I knew he want more than to be my friend and was fighting back his fears too. I had gotten comfortable being alone but I am proud that I did not let that moment pass, that I let myself love again, because that moment lead to the life I have now. It has been filled with happiness and sorrow and a lot of hard work. As of August, we will 2 decades of moments since that first kiss and it has all been worth it. More than my degrees and jobs and awards, I am proud that we have three savvy, intelligent, courageous, beautiful daughters that I won't worry about when they go out into the world. (I am lying, I will never stop worrying. I am proud of the women they are becoming, but they will always be Mama's baby girls.)I am happy that I got to live, recover, and share BETTER, my positive outlook, beyond April 28th, 2015.13. I know you are an animal whisperer. Share some pics of your fur babies will you? And, some pics of the furless babies ––especially, Master Corn snake.Too many to share!
14. If you could ask your pet 3 questions, what would they be? 1. Do you have to leave your hair EVERYWHERE??? 2. Why do you growl at the wind? Seriously there is nothing there but you acting like a serial killer is at the door. 3. Why do all of you have to lay on me at once and those that aren’t laying on me are staring at me? You know I love you, I gave you all love and food and snuggles. I haven’t forgotten in the eleven heartbeats since I stopped rubbing your ears to type.
***A few words for upcoming writers:Don't let anyone dictate changing your writing. Don't let negative comments sway you. Look at them, judge them for merit, if they have value then consider them, but if they are just hate and shade, then ignore! Don't take them personally. Don't let the writing become a burden and don't write "for your audience" that's how you'll end up in the trap of cliché world. Your story is yours, your vision, your world, your birth pangs. Sometimes, it isn't easy. It isn't pretty sometimes, but it is yours for whatever purpose it serves, it is a reflection of something being born. Write for YOU and YOU ALONE.Message to your fans:
Don't Give Up. No matter how bad it seems, just don't lose hope. Hope endures as long as love lives, and there is always love within you, even if it shrinks down to a single grain of sand. All the negative and dark things are a choice, they play themselves like the easy way but there is nothing easy about what comes after them. When the world beats you down, hold on to those grains of sand and make the hard choice. Chose to love yourself, live in faith, forgive but do not forget, and work to make the world the place you want to live in. There will always be haters, spiders and wooden spoon, how you react to them empowers them or empowers you. Choose wisely. Be BETTER, not Bitter.
I’m glad to introduce Mama Magie Ward and I’m proud to call myself her friend. She is such a sweet heart and a good friend I could ever ask for. She holds more talent in her little fingers than she let others see––baking, writing, and gardening––you name it. She is a loving mom & wife, a fighter for victims of abuse and the backbone for Say No To Abuse support group.
If you ever want to read something that feed your literary cravings as well as stir your emotions and sent them on a roller-coaster ride, her books are the one for you. Poems, sideline stories of popular novels, fanfiction, Original fiction––she is the queen of all. Come on, let’s move into the interview and let’s hear it from her.
About the Author:
Hello friends,
Mama Magie here. A post-stroke mom who writes as part of my recovery. The stories on my PenumbraMine accounts are my more serious scribbles when I am not writing fantasy with my minionettes. The PenumbraMine stories here are ALL for a more mature audience, a walk between shadow and light. There will be triggers for those of us who are survivors. Some of the beginnings, middles, and endings are not what I would wish on anyone or to be done by anyone.
But sadly, these are the truths of many.
Reality turned to fiction as a coping mechanism. Some are my own, some belong to others. Some will overcome, others will succumb. It is the way of the world, and for some, the happiest outcome is simply an ending.
I do not advocate suicide or self-harm, denial or self-medication. I encourage all to seek help, even if it lies with a stranger through pixels and photons. We are all sisters and brothers. We all have choices in a world that teaches we are objects. Weep, cope, reach out. You are not alone. You do not deserve to suffer. For support, please visit @SayNoToAbuse
1. When and how did your writing journey start?
I was your normal Farm Mom / Rural Postmaster / Church and School Volunteer, then on April 28, 2015, I had a lacunar stroke which damaged the left side of my brain. I was healthy before, (didn't smoke or drink or eat bad things), and even when lying in the hospital unable to move my right side or swallow, the Doctors said I was the healthiest person in the building. They don't know why it happened. They don't know how I survived.
Honestly, I believe it was the prayers of my community and that my path wasn't to death's doorway yet. We quickly discovered that more than my body was affected, every time I slept, I forgot. I began writing with my girls, the Minionettes, to try to recover my language skills and stimulate my memory processes. It has been a long journey, and every day I say a prayer of thanks to still be with my husband and daughters and community.
I have days when I feel mostly normal and days where my body doesn't work; my brain gives me fits daily and some days, everything feels strange. But every day, I live by my favourite word: BETTER. BETTER is not a miracle or magical cure. BETTER is one day at a time. BETTER is baby steps. BETTER is a purposeful struggle toward something more than I had a moment ago, an hour ago, and a day ago.
With my memory issues, my life has become words. Things that are read are stored in a different part of the brain than those that are lived. The doctors have still not figured out how to help me or if I will ever be cured. But I discovered that I can write and later read and retain my life with my family. It isn’t quite the same as the memories I have from before my stroke but it is still living in the now with them. I wrote a poem for my headers that sums up my new normal.
She wrote her laughter,She scribbled her tears,She penned her hopes,She scrawled her fears.Every day, a page before bed,Every morning her memories she read.Transient Somniatic Amnesia is what the doctor claimed,But she chose to fight it, and live her life unchanged.
2. My all-time favourite is Pagosa Cliff series. I know that you wrote that series on a challenge. Tell me more about this. Who challenged you and how did you come up with this plot?
A young WP writer ZarinLyss was writing a collection of clichés, The Wattpad Cliches (and things that would traumatize you). We would laugh and chat about things like; “Do werewolves have twice the waxing bills of humans or do their wolves look like they have mange with bare spots?” or “Are all girls in bad boy book needy, bitchy girls who lose their minds and all sensibility at the sight of a six pack?” We were often laughing about how to write clichés and how to not write things that turn into clichés. So, she challenged us in jest to write a cliché story that broke the clichés.
I drew five for July Camp NaNoWriMo: 1. Billionaires; 2. Athletes/jocks; 3. Bachelor party; 4. Twins; and 5. Mafia. As I wrote, I knowingly added Rape Survivor, and unknowingly added Stalkers and Cowboys to the mix.
Then I had to write and break the clichés and rebuild them. My Billionaire Kyle had and lost everything, then had to start over. My Athlete/jock was a broken Olympian Camille. The bachelor party was the thing that broke them up but not for the obvious reasons, Kyle and his middle brother Kent were drugged by their youngest brother. My twins were cousins born only a month apart. And my mafia guys (the Valtini cousins) were instigators of the plot events from the beginning and don’t show up until the very end of the book. The hardest part was to write in such a way that the two MCs spend the book struggling in spite of being madly in love with each other. The easiest part was writing the teen cousin divers as comedic relief. Love Willow and Gracie!
3. All these characters, Camille, Millie, Elizabeth from your series are strong, sarcastic and are fighters. They stand for what they believe. Do they hold any resemblance to your real self?
They actually do. A Lot! I really believe Life is a story all about the journey back from our darkest hours. I put the strong women I have met into these strong women who overcome. Women of different ages and experiences who all choose to see the dawn at the end of the night and to push forward and make sacrifice for those they love. It was hard sometimes because I wrote in things that were contrary to my own nature, breakdowns and unforgiveness, raging and manipulation.
Sometimes they make the wrong choices for all the right reasons based on misinformation or issues from their own past. Motivation is key.
The Villainess in Pagosa Cliffs is Debutant Divorcee Tonia Ballard and, in Vegas, Diva Divina Velvet. They are actually a compilation of three real women, women who were selfish and cruel, women who were greedy and narcissistic, women who did terrible things IRL to their children or allowed terrible things to happen. I hated writing them, but sadly people like them exist and cause nothing but harm.
4. The first story I read of yours was Cora, a sidelines story. We all love Rachelle Mills and one should do so much research to actually write about the characters and her world. In my opinion, you’ve excelled it. So, when did you realize you wanted to write Cora’s story and what kind of help you had from Rachelle?
Rachelle was wonderful during Cora, she let me trespass all over her world, and answered anything I asked, even about desert choices. She let me drag poor Caleb into some very hysterical situations. The origins of Cora were the CLAYTON comments that were lost with the RMills75 account, The Birthplace of The International Wildflower Pack. A thousand comments here and there lead to a backstory of Rya, Kennedy, Clayton, and their birth pack. Those became Cora, based on a character mentioned only a few times by Rachelle. Cora was the girl who said there’s no room. She was Rya’s first patient; the friend at a lake who trusted Rya with her baby, and the one who stocked Rya’s fridge when she returned from Valentine Pack. There were many of us who couldn’t stand the thought that Rya was completely abandoned, then The Lake Part and the Fall of the Alphas proved that there were those who also believed that what was happening was wrong, but didn’t have the power to change it. Resistance to wrong doing doesn’t have to be a drastic explosion, it can be small acts or rebellion. Cora made me write her story as I chased the comment threads of Clayton with the Wildflowers. She belongs to Rachelle and the International Wildflower, I was just the magic pencil that scribbled the words floating out from Rachelle’s world.
5. Getting help from the original author to write the fanfiction of their story happens only once in a blue moon. We all know how kind and passionate Rachelle is. Tell me, are there other authors you approached for other fanfiction? How did they respond?
There are. But I have never published one that the original author said no to. Mistress Kay, SerenityR0se, was wonderful to allow a crossover Fanfiction with her Blood Magic series as part of contest. I would never disrespect an author, that is why Cora gives credit in each chapter, the Augyr Vampire gives credit, and even when Servant of the Moon grew from a reject fanfiction of Flint has a page that thanks Merry for the idea. To me the most important thing about writing a fanfiction is being respectful to the origin universe, creating author, and not turning it into something beyond the author’s vision. I have approached other authors after drafting a very rough fanfict, when they said no, I shelved or rewrote. Once a fan writer takes off on a tangent that is against the author of origin, then it is no longer a fan fiction – it is theft. All I can say to other fanfiction writers is: Be respectful or Write your own; Don’t steal; Don’t hijack. If they say this is my world make your own, then do.
6. I read one of your notes regarding Servant of The Moon. It started as a fanfiction for Alpha’s Oracle by Merry Ravnell, isn’t it? So how did it turned out to be an individual series? Do you mind sharing the details with us again?
The original Master at Arms Flint Fanfict was drafted as a back story for my favourite character of the Alpha’s Oracle. My Flint was a long suffering, relentlessly noble, and honour-driven character. However, Merry’s plan for Flint was the far darker origin story of a soul that deserved to be condemned, was condemned, then became one who is seeking redemption through service to the goddess. Her Flint’s backstory makes Gabel (the many abusive alphas of wattpad) look like a saint. So, I spent a lot of time researching and altering and replotting. There are only six of the original scenes that I submitted to Merry remaining and they have all been drastically altered. I built a new world for my twin oracles and their warrior wolf that has some similarities on the surface, but it is not the world Gianna is trying to save. In the one place where I directly quote Flint about a female’s heart, I credit the line and thank Merry.
7. I know that you reach out to the original authors before writing a fanfiction and you do intense research. It’s amazing how you submit your script to the authors to read before you post it for the readers. What is your advice to the fellow fanfiction writers? I see a lot of debates going on about the genre, often throwing shades on writers writing them. What are your thoughts on this?
Always ask permission, remember no is no. Don’t pout or pressure on the original author to accept your version. It isn’t your world, it is theirs.
When I was asked by my pre-readers to publish MAA Flint as a different story. I made very profound changes to the original that took out much of the crossover. It went from an origin story of one character (Flint) to a story about a religious/cultural war. A war between believers in the Moon and converts to a new faith lead by a possessed alpha who was as much a cult leader televangelist as an anti-christ of sorts. I purposely made my Oracles (Daughters of the Tides) differ from Merry’s independent oracles. My Oracles exist as part of a large and respected organized group, who not only serve the Moon in a religious function, but also act as peace keepers, investigators, negotiators, liaisons, and so forth. The Servants of the Moon serve the greater good at the behest of the Moon Goddess as a group and thus the origin of the war between the Servants of the Sun and the Servants of the Moon/Daughters of the Tides. It reflects the divide between the spiritual and secular.
You can never so enough research! When I was changing from MAA to SOTM, I learned so much about ancient religions, mysticism, witchcraft, and scrying; medieval ranks and history of Scottish and French royal houses, meteor impact craters, and Nova Scotia (Seriously doing research for my books on Google Earth has added too many places to my bucket list!)
Trolls: I think the most surprising part of going from a fanfiction to a separate storyline was the number of people that read the blurb ONLY and attacked me. I explained my sources and only asked them to read the rest. The best way to deal with trolls is to be calm, honest, and forthright. Trolls eat drama, they travel in packs, squawk like harpies, they feel powerful when they make you feel weak. Don’t let them make you feel anything other that proud that you put out your work and they are pathetic and insecure to have to act out in such a way. My advice is to block, delete, and ignore.
8. Revelation of A.S.H. sounds like it is set on an apocalypse background. Can you tell us more about the plot and its setting?
It is. On the Revelation night, a chemical weapon is used to turn all nonhuman males into weapons of mass murder in a world where very few humans knew THEY were real. Revelation of A.S.H./ Ravers / Revelation of E.L.M (Revelation Night series) came from a What If scenario and how someone in the normal pubic would react if suddenly the monsters of horror were revealed as real.“What if THEY were all real and the government was helping them hide from the public while the media was manipulating the public into liking THEM?” “What if there were a secret group of terrorists willing to do anything to make sure they exposed THEM as monsters and keep pure humans on top?” It focuses on the struggle of one woman and those around her trying to deal with the worst-case result of the What If scenario and then find the truth of what really happened while surviving a world where all the normal rules of survival no longer apply. It is set against the background of a power struggle to control the non-humans’ kingdoms and human governments and corporations. Honestly, if anyone of us got a call saying “(insert fiction monster here) are attacking, take shelter”, you would laugh it off as a hoax until we saw it ourselves but, in the context of the Revelation Night world, then it would be too late to save yourself and your family. The side story from the nonhuman perspective is what if a pharmaceutical or organic medicinal could make you betray everything you believed in, everything you were, and make you want to kill or harm everyone you loved.
The story has fate mates, not a trope I am fond of, but they have a long road and may never end up together because of how He found Her on the Revelation Night and what he did. Recovery from trauma always seems to be somewhere in my stories, it is like I can’t help it. 9. What are the projects you are working on right now?My biggest project is getting Pagosa Cliffs onto Amazon, from the drafts on Inkitt, Tablo, and Wattpad.
I have an entire chicklit series written around the Devoted Sisters/Siblings concept that was developed for FicFun. The only one they published was Lau and Mai, the other four stories are gathering dust.
I have the Revelation Night finale and the SOTM Daughter of the Tides to convert from draft scribbles to rough and edited copy.Then there are the hummingbird ideas that flit around in my drunken jackrabbit under a full moon of a brain. Those Top Five in no particular order are:“Spartan” about a female werewolf warrior with two wolves (hers and her sister’s- the sister died during birth) and her journey to prove herself worthy of her lineage and her duty. “Scars are the proof of a purposed life.” “Spartans don’t fight, they kill or they die” “Surrender only comes after the last beat of a Spartan’s heart.” Set in ancient Greece, Mediterranean Sea coast, and Gaul. We explore ancient cultures.
“Heirless” about a supernatural loss of fertility. Based on Old Ways Werewolf World concept. It starts with a pack take over by a mafia and monarchy connected alpha-son trying to make a name for himself and his mate escaping to become the leader of the resistance and female rights movement as a sort of roving reporter. Children start disappearing and females stop conceiving. Drastic measures by the leaders leads to civil war against the ruling. It is a very politically inspired story. Like Apostasy, humans have died out.“Vibration” is a sci-fi story about a girl who survived ‘the impact’, a comet strike on earth. A decade later, a higher alien culture begins rescuing the survivors because some are like the Primes of Anne McCaffery’s Tower series. The Vibrations of the power sources can be tuned to a ‘Multi’, a ‘mover’, a ‘healer’ or a ‘transporter’ as allowed for telekinetic abilities. While coming as saviours, the aliens really want to indenture the talented humans in a caste system because their own people no longer desire to do the work or be at the beck and call of the ruling caste. One of the tests of the school is to have the thing that means the most taken away as a stress test, but it backfires and the planet with the school is destroyed by a human Multi. The story become a mass murder trial and then a question of ethics of the humans’ saviours, should this teen girl have been trained because they needed her power? Should he have been expected to adapt to their culture without dealing with her childhood trauma? And should the aliens be held accountable because it was one of their ‘movers’ who accidentally dropped the comet on earth? It is a YA Dystopia novelette.
“How I became a Crazy Cat Lady to Survive the Zompocolypse…” A mockumentary about a reclusive agoraphobic librarian who is allergic to cats. During a “flu (actually fungal spore) outbreak” which causes people to become zombies, she stumbles on a elderly crazy cat lady who is the daughter of an Egyptologist. She belongs to a secret society who knows the Zompocolypse happened before in Ancient Egypt. The only safeguard from the infected is that the fungus hates cats, cat hair, cat dander, and cat drool (which is also the cure for it). It goes of into a crazy tangent about cat-hating aliens and how it is easier to turn humans into mobile meat sticks to harvest than to conquer them.Then the ever elusive “Scarlet Charlotte and the Alpha’s Luna’s Omega’s Rejected Rogue Cousin” Which is only trickling out a few hundred words a month or so.10. When can we expect Pagosa Cliff in our shelves?That my Lovely, is the question. I am editing and working as quickly as I can. I hope to have Red Velvet and Anemones and Blue Butterflies out before Dec 1.
11. This is one of the important questions I wanted to ask because you are the right person to answer. I know many publishers had shown interest in your stories but backed off when they realized it was published earlier on Wattpad. What are your thoughts on this? Everyone seems to love Pagosa Cliffs and the characters who live there. I have done decent well in the various Twitter pitch events like #Pitchwars and #Carinapitch until they find out I am very prolific and active on social media and reading sites. Once it is discovered I have my roughs out for peer reading on public sites, I never hear back or get asked if I have anything that is totally unpublished. “Why are you recruiting through social media if you don’t want media active writers?”Personally, I feel like my activity helps my stories evolve. It builds connections with readers and other writers, and helps me fix things I don’t see because as the writer I am too close to my words. If a story is good, readers will repeat read. I love returning to a world I visited. I believe the negative responses are a sign that Traditional Publishing isn’t evolving, they are only using available social media as an advertising afterthought instead of a creativity building platform to help authors produce the best they can. That said, there needs to be better safe guards against plagiarism.
12. What/Who inspires you to write?My minionettes and things I see or read. My imagination is basically a drunken jackrabbit or fluttering moth on the full moon always chasing the 'what if'. I have always been really creative, and since my stroke, writing has become the outlet for it as well as therapy. Seeing other creative people, both modern and in the past, who have overcome great obstacles to write, to paint, to bake, to sing, to create, they inspire me. Anyone who can survive and overcome are the best source of inspiration for us all. Everyone who chooses to be Better and not Bitter.
13. Tell us more about your lovely family.I have my Hubby Bear, we celebrated our 20th anniversary on the 21st anniversary of our first kiss. Marriage hasn’t always been easy, it has been hard work and danced the range of every emotion. My eldest daughter is part of the autism spectrum and a furry artist in a media arts college program. I am so proud of her every moment and for every accomplishment, because I will never forget the doctor who said she will never have a ‘normal’ life as an autistic individual. My Middle, most commonly known as TDM, The Dramatic Mara, is my cowriter and pre-editor, and now as a junior in high school, she is taking college prep classes in law enforcement and looking at the Navy. She recently helped an abused friend bring her abuser to justice and testified at the trial. My youngest is BTS ARMY, she loves baking, exercise fitness and all things fluffy. She is an amazing young writer, best in her grade.
14. Last but not least, I know you are a prankster. List the top 3 pranks you pulled.LOL… Ahhh Confession time. Bless me, fellow authors, for I have sinned. Sins I have shared with friends. Rules for Ghostwriting #3 Authenticity comes from doing your own research. And I did a lot of research. I did not like bullies or snobby people growing up and they suffered my prank wrath.I did the hair remover in hair conditioner and skin inflammation in face cream in the early 80s. One time at Girl Scout camp, I may have sewn a fellow camper into her bed and filled it with bugs. Or filled a locker in school with crawlies because some Senior Class bullies don’t like insects falling out all over them between classes.Yes, I have shaved one baby sitter’s Persian cat, then shaved another’s eyebrows and dosed her with Exlax Chocolates in a candy box. They were both screwing my father. I sheared and dyed mom’s dog. I convinced a ‘friend’ the rapture happened and he was left behind, religious arrogance has been a pet peeve of mine since I was 9. I may have helped “steal and paint” a car before returning it, just to freak a jock out. I may have broken in and cleaned weekend vacation houses just to see the people’s reactions when they came back. I might have helped put a sports car on the second story roof of a school building. I may have put the books in the library upside down on shelves every week for a semester. I may have once, or more, made spicy stir fry or pesto or frosting with ipecac. But the number one prank which is going into one of the Devoted Sisters Stories is: I altered my friend sister’s clothes to be tighter or looser randomly, and we stole her swimsuit, which I had resewn with dissolving threads before an end of summer pool party. The sister was a bully who encouraged others to bully her overweight sibling, she laughed when her sister tried to commit suicide. Having her swimsuit fall apart and humiliate her was totally worth getting grounded until Christmas. No Regrets. { (See, now you know who the master mind behind my prank scenes is. Mama gave me the idea for the pranks in Axel’s Revenge (hair removal cream in hair conditioner and skin inflammation) and Reincarnated love (bug burrito scene)}*** RAPID FIRE: 1. What is the best piece of advice you’ve received? Forgiveness is about healing yourself as much as healing another. Sometimes, you have to forgive someone who will never be sorry or regret the harm they caused. Sometimes the forgiveness you offer will never be accepted. Holding grudges, staying angry, those things drain the joy you could have from yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Forgive but don’t forget. Sometimes you just have to walk away.2. Your strength: My will power and my will power. My grandpa once told me I could do anything I set my will to, and the day I decided to stop breathing would be my last. When I saw that said in a movie, I laughed so hard and everyone stared at me like I was a loon.3. A random fun fact about yourself:My first tattoo was a rosary decade tattooed around my ankle because while in college I was going to go with Catholic Charities and give shots to kids in towns and orphanages in Central America. We were not allowed to take religious items with us because of the threat of rebels, who frequently attacked missionaries and volunteers.I have more pieces of lingerie than pieces of regular clothes. I went from a 34a-24-36 to a 36b-30-40 after the minionettes, but I can still wear my wedding dress if I wear shapewear under it.I am a foodie, I have tried every kind of food I could except primates and people. I won't eat people and I won't eat their cousins.... Just nope... Drawing a line, building a wall, putting water in the moat. No soy lent green for me. I’d rather lick the cat… What? Cats must taste good, they lick themselves all the time.(What? Mama, I’m dying here.)4. An unforgettable moment in your writing journey:When I got the p/m about ghostwriting Apostasy while writing Cora, it was changing event in my writing journey. Suddenly my scribbles weren’t something I did with my girls for my recovery, or to entertain my fellow wildflowers. That I was trusted with Brenda’s story, to make it live and breathe for her before she passed away was a gift. Converting her real-life abuse and work experiences was heart-breaking, but it shared her anti-abuse message in the werewolf genre where females are told that if they submit to their abusers, and they will stop abusing them and love them; the abused, rejected, neurotic mate who runs away and returns to kick butt but still falls back in lust the abusive alpha blah blah blah.… It is so common, it has become a writing trope, a cliché, a LIE dressed as romance that encourages tolerance of abuse through fiction. Brenda hated it with a passion. For my least read book, it is the one I am most proud of. I am glad I finished it before she passed away. 5. On a scale of 1-10, how strict parents you are to Minionettes?
12 but that said, My Girls have a long lead. They have a lot of freedom because of the trust they have earned and the awareness they have been taught. I know they can handle themselves and that I need to let them go out into the world despite the risks.
6. Movies or Books? I like Fantasy and Sci-fi, Psychological thrillers, Crime dramas and Historical mysteries. Some romances attract me but it is a weird love or hate thing. I am not a fan of horror for horror’s sake. 7. Camping or a two-night stay in world’s famous hotel? There are so many places… I would love to see the Northern lights in Iceland or Alaska but I hate the cold. I prefer camping and there are so many beautiful places. 8. Cuddles or kisses? BOTH! Married to a cuddle bear.9. Pet peeves –Folding laundry and people who drive with their phone in their hand.Seriously- GET. OFF. YOUR. PHONE!10. Hidden Talents:The things and the things plus the things. Pretty much any creative endeavour, I encourage everyone to try every form of artistic expression, even the ones you fail at can be fun. I can sing, play many brass instruments, read and write music, but I always wanted to learn Cello. After a year of lessons, it still sounded like I was strangling geese or moose in my house, except for those times when I could coax a single beautiful tone and I was so happy to be so bad. LOL. My poor instructor, bless her soul.11. The most inspiring quote: “I don’t fear monsters or demons, I fear what real people do to other real people.” W.J.Williams12. Things you are proud of –From my youth, I am proud of climbing Devil's Tower and Half Dome, backpacking Glacier Park and not getting eaten by that bear BUT mostly of putting myself in therapy when I was 15 so I did not end up like my parents. In my adult life, I am proud of overcoming my fear and trust issues after my divorce enough to kiss my good friend. He looked down at me with his beautiful winter-sky blue eyes, and I knew he want more than to be my friend and was fighting back his fears too. I had gotten comfortable being alone but I am proud that I did not let that moment pass, that I let myself love again, because that moment lead to the life I have now. It has been filled with happiness and sorrow and a lot of hard work. As of August, we will 2 decades of moments since that first kiss and it has all been worth it. More than my degrees and jobs and awards, I am proud that we have three savvy, intelligent, courageous, beautiful daughters that I won't worry about when they go out into the world. (I am lying, I will never stop worrying. I am proud of the women they are becoming, but they will always be Mama's baby girls.)I am happy that I got to live, recover, and share BETTER, my positive outlook, beyond April 28th, 2015.13. I know you are an animal whisperer. Share some pics of your fur babies will you? And, some pics of the furless babies ––especially, Master Corn snake.Too many to share!
14. If you could ask your pet 3 questions, what would they be? 1. Do you have to leave your hair EVERYWHERE??? 2. Why do you growl at the wind? Seriously there is nothing there but you acting like a serial killer is at the door. 3. Why do all of you have to lay on me at once and those that aren’t laying on me are staring at me? You know I love you, I gave you all love and food and snuggles. I haven’t forgotten in the eleven heartbeats since I stopped rubbing your ears to type.
***A few words for upcoming writers:Don't let anyone dictate changing your writing. Don't let negative comments sway you. Look at them, judge them for merit, if they have value then consider them, but if they are just hate and shade, then ignore! Don't take them personally. Don't let the writing become a burden and don't write "for your audience" that's how you'll end up in the trap of cliché world. Your story is yours, your vision, your world, your birth pangs. Sometimes, it isn't easy. It isn't pretty sometimes, but it is yours for whatever purpose it serves, it is a reflection of something being born. Write for YOU and YOU ALONE.Message to your fans:
Don't Give Up. No matter how bad it seems, just don't lose hope. Hope endures as long as love lives, and there is always love within you, even if it shrinks down to a single grain of sand. All the negative and dark things are a choice, they play themselves like the easy way but there is nothing easy about what comes after them. When the world beats you down, hold on to those grains of sand and make the hard choice. Chose to love yourself, live in faith, forgive but do not forget, and work to make the world the place you want to live in. There will always be haters, spiders and wooden spoon, how you react to them empowers them or empowers you. Choose wisely. Be BETTER, not Bitter.
Catherine's Live Stream
Hey guys,
I'm streaming live on 11th November, Sunday from 9.30 PM, Indian time. That is 4 PM GMT and 8 AM PST. Feeling so excited and nervous.
You can ask me anything, whether it's publishing or editing or interviews or reviews. Ask me. I'm looking forward to meet you all.
Love,
Catherine
I'm streaming live on 11th November, Sunday from 9.30 PM, Indian time. That is 4 PM GMT and 8 AM PST. Feeling so excited and nervous.
You can ask me anything, whether it's publishing or editing or interviews or reviews. Ask me. I'm looking forward to meet you all.
Love,
Catherine
September 27, 2018
Interview with Author Brett Hicks
Interview with Author Brett Hicks
I studied English Lit and Music in college. I am a huge nerd who grew up on Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and many other Supernatural TV shows. I endeavor to tell a great story! I am a huge fan of Chloe Neil and Timothy Zahn. Their work inspires a lot of my creations in some ways!
I am a professional guitar player, who used to play in a metal band.
Other than these, I am constantly attempting to keep my dogs from wagging war on my house and my cats!
1. When and how did your writing journey start?
Like most authors, as a child, then as a teen writing and drawing comics. I started writing novels at nineteen, when I was not satisfied with the current Star Wars Novel series. I wrote a Fanfic in the end of the Legacy of the Force Series. Later, I began to pen my own original ideas.
2. I loved Kayla Mcqueen and The Lycans of Grayville series. Both series has strong female leads and are built in a unique world. How did you come up with such an inspiring plot line?
Honestly, I just picture the character, and I start to work out from there. I write the world I see, as the plot unfolds. When you get an interesting Leading Lady, you have to then ask, “Why is her story worth writing?” Then you have to make sure it is worth the time for readers.
3. All your female leads are strong, hot-headed and sarcastic. Do you plan to make them that way or is it the plot that demands them to be written in a certain manner? Do you mind if I ask who/what inspired you to write the female leads in a different light?
Well, my earliest published leads model off my younger sister. She is a tomboy and she is also a huge fan of my Lycans of Grayville. She raved at how I truly captured her personal reactions to the conflicts and character relationships. She was sad that I had already finished the series, when she read it, because she wanted to get to help co-write it. I would have enjoyed that, since my sister is a lovely writer herself!
4. So, let’s talk about your recent release Born Succubus series which is trending in Amazon. Can you tell us a bit about the plot and the world in it? How many books will this series have?
Well Firstly, there can be as many as ten books total. I have five set to finish the first plot arc, and give a glimpse of the bigger threat looming over the MC’s head.
The story follows a Half-Japanese, Half-Caucasian girl named Melony Toyo. She thinks she is a human, but after being attacked by a vampire, she wakes up in her own bed, and she soon realizes she was never human. The world around here had species of “Born” supernaturals that have been cropping up in the human population. Some human couples randomly giving birth to genetically different children. They call them all Born, but there are many races and different creatures. Melony gets knocked down a rabbit hole and she is constantly struggling to survive the new brutal reality she is thrust into.
5. I felt like A Southern Werewolf Series is similar to Lycans of Grayville. Are they connected?
I liked June as a leading lady. They are not connected, just a shared desire to write werewolves and to attempt to do so with my own unique flare. I personally loved writing the deep southern setting, and the unique blend of characters. The mix of action, romance, and comedy had this series more of a mature read, probably mid-to-late-twenties or older. Lycans of Grayville was more of a general werewolf story, with a broader audience in mind.
6. Let’s come to this big project you’ve been working on. Steel Rose Mae–I’m one of the privileged readers to get a sneak peak of the story and I should say it’s freaking good. Can you tell us more about the universe and characters in this series?
Well, I am working on finishing the first book now. I have been working on several High-Fantasy stories set in unique worlds in a Middle-Ages setting. I have also been working to perfect the complexities of the inter-personal relationships for Mae and her Friend Tara.
A side note, I have another series that follows a Fae girl called Highborn This might ultimately be the better of the two books, while I plan to publish both, I am going to prioritize the series I feel is in the better position for readers.
7. When you look back at your writing journey, what do you feel? Can you tell me about the challenges you overcame?
Well I am constantly learning, adapting, and changing, like every writer. You cannot stop learning, or reading, or your work stagnates and you show no new interesting twists and turns. I physically cringe when I read my earlier works. Even some of my published work, I look back and wish I knew now what I learned by writing them and making mistakes, but I am proud of all my creations. They mark my best efforts at each point of growth in my time.
Now with fifteen published books, I am happier with where my growth is, but I am never satisfied. If you let yourself become too satisfied, you stop learning to tell better stories. End of the day, my life is all about telling people the best tales possible. I love entertaining people, and I am thrilled to connect with my fans (Having fans is crazy!). I just aim to keep writing better each day, and keep my fans entertained and hopefully bring more readers over as I keep improving and releasing new stories.
8. What other projects are you working on?
You know me too well to seriously ask me that question, lol! I am always working on 5-10 projects minimal and as many as 20 concepts at once. I have so many files on my computer and my storage that I get lost looking for some of my more obscure manuscripts.
9. What's your family like?
My family are relaxed, but cranky, and they are very proud that I publish books. They are supportive, even if a little condescending at times. I love them, and their quirkiness!
RAPID FIRE:
1. A random fun fact about yourself:
I used to play in a Metal Band
2. Your strength:
My outsider perspective, and my logical, but yet very unique way of viewing the world.
3. Pet peeves:
Grammar Nazis and their constant march against us Indie authors who do not have a 3k $ editing budget!
4. An unforgettable moment in your writing journey:
Well seriously, the day we met Catherine. You were just supposed to be another small editing job, yet you turned out to be a great friend I never expected or saw coming!
5. When I'm not writing, I'd like to:
When I am not writing, either I would like to be writing, or on a date was a woman who loves English Lit as much as I do! Lol! I am a single man, no judging me!
6. Tea or Coffee:
Coffee, read my books, all my heroines are coffee addicts lol!
7. Dogs or Cats:
Cats mainly, but I love Wolves, so I don’t know how to answer that question…
8. Marvels or DC:
DC baby!
9. What is the best piece of advice you’ve received?
“Get off your ass and finish that book, or your fans will stage a coupe!”
10. The most inspiring quote:
“To thy own self be true…” –William Shakespeare
Message to your fans:
Thanks for tolerating me! I love you all, and I am so happy that my books have reached you! Thanks for all the support and the love you all show! I hope to keep writing books that will surprise, and inspire you! I also hope to show you that women are powerful, beautiful, and indomitable.
Keep track of his upcoming releases - Website, Amazon, Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.
I studied English Lit and Music in college. I am a huge nerd who grew up on Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and many other Supernatural TV shows. I endeavor to tell a great story! I am a huge fan of Chloe Neil and Timothy Zahn. Their work inspires a lot of my creations in some ways!
I am a professional guitar player, who used to play in a metal band.
Other than these, I am constantly attempting to keep my dogs from wagging war on my house and my cats!
1. When and how did your writing journey start?
Like most authors, as a child, then as a teen writing and drawing comics. I started writing novels at nineteen, when I was not satisfied with the current Star Wars Novel series. I wrote a Fanfic in the end of the Legacy of the Force Series. Later, I began to pen my own original ideas.
2. I loved Kayla Mcqueen and The Lycans of Grayville series. Both series has strong female leads and are built in a unique world. How did you come up with such an inspiring plot line?
Honestly, I just picture the character, and I start to work out from there. I write the world I see, as the plot unfolds. When you get an interesting Leading Lady, you have to then ask, “Why is her story worth writing?” Then you have to make sure it is worth the time for readers.
3. All your female leads are strong, hot-headed and sarcastic. Do you plan to make them that way or is it the plot that demands them to be written in a certain manner? Do you mind if I ask who/what inspired you to write the female leads in a different light?
Well, my earliest published leads model off my younger sister. She is a tomboy and she is also a huge fan of my Lycans of Grayville. She raved at how I truly captured her personal reactions to the conflicts and character relationships. She was sad that I had already finished the series, when she read it, because she wanted to get to help co-write it. I would have enjoyed that, since my sister is a lovely writer herself!
4. So, let’s talk about your recent release Born Succubus series which is trending in Amazon. Can you tell us a bit about the plot and the world in it? How many books will this series have?
Well Firstly, there can be as many as ten books total. I have five set to finish the first plot arc, and give a glimpse of the bigger threat looming over the MC’s head.
The story follows a Half-Japanese, Half-Caucasian girl named Melony Toyo. She thinks she is a human, but after being attacked by a vampire, she wakes up in her own bed, and she soon realizes she was never human. The world around here had species of “Born” supernaturals that have been cropping up in the human population. Some human couples randomly giving birth to genetically different children. They call them all Born, but there are many races and different creatures. Melony gets knocked down a rabbit hole and she is constantly struggling to survive the new brutal reality she is thrust into.
5. I felt like A Southern Werewolf Series is similar to Lycans of Grayville. Are they connected?
I liked June as a leading lady. They are not connected, just a shared desire to write werewolves and to attempt to do so with my own unique flare. I personally loved writing the deep southern setting, and the unique blend of characters. The mix of action, romance, and comedy had this series more of a mature read, probably mid-to-late-twenties or older. Lycans of Grayville was more of a general werewolf story, with a broader audience in mind.
6. Let’s come to this big project you’ve been working on. Steel Rose Mae–I’m one of the privileged readers to get a sneak peak of the story and I should say it’s freaking good. Can you tell us more about the universe and characters in this series?
Well, I am working on finishing the first book now. I have been working on several High-Fantasy stories set in unique worlds in a Middle-Ages setting. I have also been working to perfect the complexities of the inter-personal relationships for Mae and her Friend Tara.
A side note, I have another series that follows a Fae girl called Highborn This might ultimately be the better of the two books, while I plan to publish both, I am going to prioritize the series I feel is in the better position for readers.
7. When you look back at your writing journey, what do you feel? Can you tell me about the challenges you overcame?
Well I am constantly learning, adapting, and changing, like every writer. You cannot stop learning, or reading, or your work stagnates and you show no new interesting twists and turns. I physically cringe when I read my earlier works. Even some of my published work, I look back and wish I knew now what I learned by writing them and making mistakes, but I am proud of all my creations. They mark my best efforts at each point of growth in my time.
Now with fifteen published books, I am happier with where my growth is, but I am never satisfied. If you let yourself become too satisfied, you stop learning to tell better stories. End of the day, my life is all about telling people the best tales possible. I love entertaining people, and I am thrilled to connect with my fans (Having fans is crazy!). I just aim to keep writing better each day, and keep my fans entertained and hopefully bring more readers over as I keep improving and releasing new stories.
8. What other projects are you working on?
You know me too well to seriously ask me that question, lol! I am always working on 5-10 projects minimal and as many as 20 concepts at once. I have so many files on my computer and my storage that I get lost looking for some of my more obscure manuscripts.
9. What's your family like?
My family are relaxed, but cranky, and they are very proud that I publish books. They are supportive, even if a little condescending at times. I love them, and their quirkiness!
RAPID FIRE:
1. A random fun fact about yourself:
I used to play in a Metal Band
2. Your strength:
My outsider perspective, and my logical, but yet very unique way of viewing the world.
3. Pet peeves:
Grammar Nazis and their constant march against us Indie authors who do not have a 3k $ editing budget!
4. An unforgettable moment in your writing journey:
Well seriously, the day we met Catherine. You were just supposed to be another small editing job, yet you turned out to be a great friend I never expected or saw coming!
5. When I'm not writing, I'd like to:
When I am not writing, either I would like to be writing, or on a date was a woman who loves English Lit as much as I do! Lol! I am a single man, no judging me!
6. Tea or Coffee:
Coffee, read my books, all my heroines are coffee addicts lol!
7. Dogs or Cats:
Cats mainly, but I love Wolves, so I don’t know how to answer that question…
8. Marvels or DC:
DC baby!
9. What is the best piece of advice you’ve received?
“Get off your ass and finish that book, or your fans will stage a coupe!”
10. The most inspiring quote:
“To thy own self be true…” –William Shakespeare
Message to your fans:
Thanks for tolerating me! I love you all, and I am so happy that my books have reached you! Thanks for all the support and the love you all show! I hope to keep writing books that will surprise, and inspire you! I also hope to show you that women are powerful, beautiful, and indomitable.
Keep track of his upcoming releases - Website, Amazon, Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.
