Shehanne Moore's Blog, page 19
October 20, 2016
October 11, 2016
Some Kilts and A Wedding
Going to the chapel….” A story of how love can triumph against the odds. .. by Shehanne Moore.
When my girls here…
were wee I made friends —
(That’s a wedding photo booth joke pic by the way ) with a great couple who had two boys..ok and who ARE pictured above! We would joke we should just arrange their marriages to each other, save a lot of bother, our kids getting their hearts busted for starters. We liked each other as families and the boys were great boys, handsome, good nice guys to this day. Down the years we often reminded ourselves of that joke when we saw our children get hurt, make mistakes, choose partners we could see were wrong for them, have their hearts broken to bits.
I also had another friend, a lady I taught. She spoke a lot about a woman she knew and her son, Daniel.
Daniel was quite a looker apparently. Suddenly, at the grand old age of 17 he was working part time beside my daughter 18, in the local co-op. (Quite a place for romance, all of you ‘looking for just that out there.’ My other daughter also met her partner there too).
Daniel was quite a looker, young vibrant–as I noticed one night she asked me if I could run him home to Tayport. Despite the fact it was miles away and me and Coreen were just going up the road. I thought…no problemo…. Are you kidding?
I watched them talking in the car mirror that night. And I just knew my daughter’s name was going to be Coreen Pow one day and it had nothing to do with how Daniel looked and everything to do with the way they looked and how they acted together. They just seemed right. NUTZ I thought. In fact, certify me now.
That Christmas holiday Daniel was leaving for Stirling Uni and I guess Cor made her move on the night out. He did too. He also said he would phone her to arrange to go out. It was an early instance of let down. Daniel was a player she said and full of himself.
That did not tally with the person who my other friend had talked about over and over.
Years passed.. A lot of years. Down them I watched my girl make every mistake going in some ways, watched her trying to make things work with men I knew it would never work with, watched her getting hurt by men I’m going to be exceedingly polite about, listened to her crying down the phone having being walked out on by some boy who wasn’t worth the time of day she thought she was making a life with and who ‘thought’ he’d come back the day we’d to help her move out of the house he’d just had to have, watched her having her life put on hold. I also watched her and Daniel never quite letting go of the other in terms of keeping in touch. Every time there was a break up, I’d say I still see you with him and I am never wrong. She’d go titz.
Whenever she was free, he was with someone. Whenever he was free, she was with someone. Eventually after something like 12 years, they were both on online dating. She told me she had clocked him there. I told her what I still saw. You could hear the going titz and the ‘would I drop it’ halfway to the North Pole. BUT they were advising each other online……
About dates…. One night, having had yet another lousy date they were advising each other when Daniel said ‘ I don’t suppose if I asked you out you’d come?’
Coreen said, ‘Are you finally asking me?’
This was just so they could advise each other some more as friends. Within months they were engaged. They’re my beacon of hope about love because they work brilliantly together. All that time apart has brought them close together.
And I had a great day on Saturday. From the business of the wedding being moved outside at 8 am and then 93 chairs being moved back inside …many of them already occupied…at 12 30 when it started to rain. Moved by groom and guests and hotel staff too cos there was like 30 mins to go. Of the sun coming out again so we could all enjoy the drink’s reception in the beautiful grounds with a saxophonist playing the best of songs…….
To mah wee grandbaby walking hand in hand with the flowers girls through half the hotel corridors with the rings, then saying NUT to taking rings and girls down the aisle. (He did eventually) To my younger girl’s dress bursting down the back just BEFORE the meal so I had to assure her I would do my Indiana Jones bit and think of something. She sneered at kirby grips….
It was one of the best days I always knew in my heart of hearts would happen.
Ps –my friend’s two sons have found the happiness they deserve too.
I’ll leave you with some more piccies……and the hope we all find our right place. 
Filed under: blogging, Romance, Scottish Tagged: Love, Romance, Scottish weddings, Weddings
October 1, 2016
In the Vampire’s Lair with the dudes and Carolee Croft
http://amzn.to/2dghe9G http://amzn.to/2dzftaM
Carolee – My writing is usually cute and funny, so I wanted to venture into the dark side as a sort of challenge.
Carolee – It still came out kind of cute, I think. I can’t help it. But I’d like to write more stories about demon hunters or vampire slayers one day, though I’m sure they’ll be funny and cute too.
Carolee – Yes, I love their style, mostly because it looks historical. I actually still have a couple of Goth outfits which I used to wear when I was younger.
Carolee – Yes! I think gothic hamsters are even scarier than regular hamsters, and I’d like to have a scary pet so it could double as a guard-dog… guard-hamster? My other pet would be an Italian greyhound, and they’re not very scary, so the gothic hamster will have its work cut out for it.
Carolee – Definitely. This is why I’ve stayed away from Scotland for so many years. It’s probably still out there among the trees… Though maybe it’s left its lair and is hiding somewhere in the shadows, watching us right now…
Carolee – Dameon is a vampire who is depressed and thinks he has nothing to live for, but of course he’s immortal so he has no choice but to live on. I think he may have had a tragic love affair that made him very solitary. But one day, he hires a maid to clean his house, and he starts to fall for her. Of course, she doesn’t believe that he’s a vampire even though he tells her so. She thinks he’s just a goth with a big imagination. He’s also a little kinky…
Carolee – I really liked Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I generally like movies where vampires are the bad guys, but I also liked the Twilight series.
Carolee – I like a good Bloody Mary, so this one seems appropriate:
6 ounces of quality vodka (approx. 6 fingers of spirits. hehee.); 6 ounces of tomato juice; 6 ounces of beet juice; 3 fresh lemons, juice of; 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce; 12 drops of Tobasco sauce; 1 teaspoon celery salt; 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish; ice.
The “fingers” are made of purple carrots!
You can get all the detailed instructions at http://www.boredpanda.com/bloody-mary-halloween-cocktail/
Carolee – I’d like to dress up as a pirate because it’s pretty much the coolest costume ever, in my opinion. You can accessorize it with a sword or an eye patch or a pirate hat. It gives you lots of options.
Thank you so much for having me! A pleasure to hang out on your blog, as always :
My review.
Never judge a book by its cover they say, which is kind of hard with a cover like this one! I also know if it’s got Carolee Croft’s name on it it’s going to be certain things. Her other books are well crafted ‘shorts’ and this is no exception. Liv Fairhaven needs a job and she’s not remotely fazed by her new employer’s strange habits, or his sleeping arrangements–a coffin. She might think them a little unusual but he couldn’t possibly be a vampire, could he? Dameon is indeed a Lord of Darkness. However, Carolee Croft’s wonderful touches of humour make him a truly loveable one. This book may be a break from her historicals, she still creates a compelling, at times funny, world and believable, completely fleshed out characters in a short space. I loved every page of this book and whether or not you’re a fan of paranormals, I’m sure you will too.
BLURB. Liv Fairhaven is intrigued by working for a man who calls himself Dameon, Lord of Darkness. He says he is a vampire, but he seems just an ‘adorkable’ guy. When she realizes that Dameon really does have supernatural powers, it is too late to back out as she is seduced by his dominant personality.
Links:
My blog: http://caroleecroft.wordpress.com
In the Vampire’s Lair:
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vampires-Lair-Carolee-Croft-ebook/dp/B01LZ4Z9H3
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/661766
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31815922-the-vampire-s-lair
Filed under: Author Interviews, Halloween, Halloween, heroines, writing Tagged: Book review, Carolee Croft, New book, New Concepts Publishing, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, vampires
September 18, 2016
Of hecklers and hamsters and golden spinning girls. A city and a world.
Mr Shey.
It’s an anthology of poetry from in and around the City of Dundee in the early 21st Century –‘a cast of voices who speak for and about Dundee in poetic terms’.
This is no longer the Dundee of the Jute Mills – it is the Dundee of the V&A on the Waterfront (without forgetting the struggles of the past and the poverty which still stalks) The anthology expands on earlier anthologies Seagate and Seagate II and Whaleback City which was inspired by the city its history its architecture and its landscape and its people.
Times being hard and poetry sometimes being a difficult sell it has taken poet Andy Jackson the Editor a couple of years to get off the ground. In the 20th Century Dundee’s poetic and literary reputation was overshadowed somewhat by the ghost of McGonagall.
But scratch below the surface and we can boast Mary Shelley having lived worked and conceived Frankenstein here,
War Poet and Fighter Writer Joseph Lee judged on a par with Owen and Sassoon, The Republic of Letters in the 19th Century the poetry and songs of Socialist icon Mary Brooksbank and more recently the work in word and song of Michael Marra two distinguished Professors of Poetry in WN Herbert and Don Paterson. AL Kennedy anyone? Then there’s prize winning poet John Glenday, Ellie McDonald Street Poets Gary Robertson and Mark Thomson. There’s the comic genius of DC Thomson’s Dudley Watkins creator of Oor Wullie Desperate Dan etc and contributors to human happiness thereby. And you’re still at the tip of the iceberg! Hence I’m honoured to be in this company. The Official launch where I’ve been asked to read along with other poets takes place at the burgeoning Dundee literary festival in October. The festival this year has drawn Hollywood actor Alan Cumming Poet and former Makar (Scots Poet laureate) Liz Lochead, prize winning author James Kelman and more.
Mr Shey.
The Seagate is today one of the main thoroughfares in the heart of the city – effectively its first street dating back over a thousand years. The name originally ‘Seagait’ means road to the sea.
Mr Shey.
A good question. I suspect there is one but that it may be buried away beneath the streets of the City with other hidden history such as that of our hamster forebears! Put it this way – if there isn’t one there should be!
Mr Shey
Cox’s Stack is an iconic city landmark today an Italianate campanile chimney towering around three hundred feet above the skyline. It’s in Lochee aka Dundee’s little Ireland and at one time it stood above the largest jute mill in the world when the industry employed near fifty thousand people mostly women and children on what were known as the killing floors. Cox’s is the one chimney left out of over a hundred.
I wanted to write it because it speaks to the history of the City of Dundee and the spirit of innovation and survival which has characterised its people my forebears among them down the centuries.
Mr Shey
Urbi et Orbi – the city and the world. At least that’s what I aim for. One of my fellow poets in it Beth McDonough said she thought of me as an ‘urban poet’ which I took as a huge compliment. Edinburgh Glasgow London Rome and York have also inspired me. As does History particularly as a Scot of Irish descent the history of both countries. The first ever poem I wrote was about the battlefield at Prestonpans. I’d gone to the nearby sports centre to watch my daughter in a badminton tournament and at the break I went for a walk and was struck by the juxtaposition of past and present.
The Battle of Prestonpans was the first significant conflict in the Jacobite Rising of 1745. which ended at Culloden in 1746
Mr Shey.
A man more sinned against than sinning. Scratch beneath the cliché about ‘best writer of bad poetry’ and you might be surprised. He was probably autistic and he may have been playing the ‘daft laddie’. In addition he has stood the ultimate test – that of time. WN Herbert Dundee’s makar(official poet) a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Professor of Poetry and Creative Writing at Newcastle University described him as a ‘journalist’ with an amazing ‘ability to be inspired by absolutely everything’. That said some of his rhyme and meter would give you a migraine!
Mr Shey.
Not one – unsurprisingly I’m particularly fond of some of the greats in the canon – Yeats, T.S.Eliot, Dylan Thomas and John Donne. And Bob Dylan. I’m also partial to Seamus Heaney and Gerard Manley Hopkins.
Mr Shey.
I’ve written a play about the jute story – ‘O Halflins an Hecklers an Weavers an Weemin’. We’re planning to stage it in the High Mill at Verdant Works Museum Dundee next year. There are some poems in the pipeline on different subjects – I’ve just had three accepted for the Hampden Park Football Museum Memories’ Project in conjunction with Alzheimer’s Scotland. And I’ve written a modern historical novel about a Dundonian in Edinburgh in the politically turbulent Scotland of the early 1970s (UCS work-in/Miners’ Strike/Bloody Sunday etc). He meets a beautiful English girl who reminds him of Maddy Prior lead singer of Steeleye Span. They make a date for during the blackout in a Catholic Teachers’ Training College/Convent but instead he meets an Irish girl. When he sees her in trouble at a protest march about Bloody Sunday he goes to help and it complicates from there…so I may have some edits to do soon. It’s called ‘The Eyes of Grace O’Malley’.
An EXTRACT from Cox’s Stack by John Quinn part of the Seagate 3 Anthology.
‘The ramrods gone the vandals come
to silent killing floors
where halflin forebears
scurried like morlocks
between nether worlds of dust machines
and infanticide of hearing.
Spinning girls of golden fibre
and bronze farthings
watched women weave
a woman’s town sans suffragettes
and grown boys become men elsewhere.’
A Scottish ex-English Teacher of Irish extraction. Tour Guide at Scotland’s Jute Museum Verdant Works Dundee, John has had work published in ‘Poet and Geek’ ‘South Bank Magazine’ ‘Poetry Scotland’ ‘Dundee Writes’ and ‘Then Dawn Treader’, not to mention Seagate 3.
http://www.seagate3blog.wprdpress.com
https://en-gb.facebook.com/SeagateIII/
Mr Shey.
Definitely – even Shey couldn’t make that up!
Filed under: Author Interviews, Scottish, writing Tagged: Cox's Stack, Dundee, Frankenstein, John Quinn, Joseph Lee, Mary Brooksbank, Mary Shelley, poetry, Seagate 111, William McGonagall, Writers, writing
September 11, 2016
The ink we bleed. Aspects of Writing with Tracey A Wood.
TRACEY I love anything and everything around the Paranormal. It started when I was a child, when my mum’s, mum (my nana) past away. My mum was suffering with depression and started to dabble with a wiji board and tarot cards. Boy was it a mistake. I started to see things in my bedroom. I don’t know if it was a child’s imagination but I really did see thing lift and move, on there own. On a number of occasions, I saw a dark shape of a man standing watching me at the end of my bed and I was literally frozen with fear. Looking back I can still see the dark shape and it is something that will stay with me forever. So I would probably say that the reason is because of my mothers interest and my own experience, with the paranormal.
TRACEY
I am currently working on a sequel to Midnight Angel.
It is the second book in the series and is even more action packed that Midnight Angel. It focuses on other members of the council but Kat, Berith and Michael (the main characters from Midnight Angel) still have big parts in the plot. I do also introduce a number of new characters giving the council a whole new set of problems to deal with.
TRACEY
Yeah, I’d be lying if I said it was easy. I also had three crescendo strokes and a major operation on my carotid artery to remove a blockage. Leaving me with a six inch scar down my neck. The first few months after my illness were a case of just getting better and healing from the operation. My husband was my rock. He pushed me around in a wheelchair and never complained. Helped me to wash myself and did everything for me and my son. I must admit for the first few months, I didn’t write. I suffered from short term memory problems and struggled with really simple word. Spelling was very difficult. But I continued to read. Sometimes I would have to read the same thing a few times before it went in. I felt vulnerable and weak. This was difficult because I had never felt like that before. It was scary. Six months after my illness is returned to work on restricted hours. Systems I had used for year were alien and I didn’t think I would be able to get back to how I was. I started to write again but it was hard. Over the next few months my memory got a little better and I began to get back into work and writing. I have never been the sort of person to give up and I was determine to beat this thing. I still get very tired but I have slowed down, slightly. My walking isn’t brilliant and I sometimes slur my words if I try to talk to fast. I carry a little book with me, everywhere and I write notes and things to remember as well as idea’s for stories. I don’t go shopping alone because of my walking but I deal with it. We all have problems but you have to make the most of what you have. Get on with life and don’t feel sorry for yourself. At least I am still here, ready to fight another day. Looking on the positive side, it was a shock, it scared me to death but if these things hadn’t happened I wouldn’t have got Midnight Angel published. It would still be sitting on my computer. Now it has entertained those who have read it. I have touched those people with my words.
TRACEY
I have so many balls in the air you would not believe. He is a good boy, well man. He loves to listen to music and playing with lego. Yes having to stop when you are eating an evening meal, to change a nappy isn’t fun but it is one of those thing. I am quite regimented with my writing. I get my laptop out when I get in from work to look at social media while I have a coffee. I do my mum duties and wife duties then go to bed around 8.30 to 9.00. This is when I write. I have the TV on in the background and type away for a few hours. I think that is what a working writer has to do. You have to have a good regime.
TRACEY
Don’t give up. You have to have a positive attitude and if you have a problem, no matter what it is, tackle it, head on. Don’t shy away. Dig deep and find that inner strength. It might not be easy but it will be worth it. I think that I draw strength from everything that has happened to me, in my life. I am a stronger person, now. I won’t let people walk all over me or anyone I love. It is probably why I write about strong females. I think I put a bit of myself into my characters.
TRACEY
Giving up. It is the easiest option. At the end of the day, it is down to the person. But for me, it wasn’t an option.
TRACEY
In the first three months after my strokes, I struggled. I wouldn’t say give up, but it made me realise that I wasn’t invincible. Not that I think I am superman but having something like that happen, so suddenly. It brings you down to earth with a bang. I remember saying to my husband at the hospital, “ I can’t have a stroke, I’m too young”. Duh! What a stupid thing to say. I think it was shock. My husband was terrified. He thought he was going to lose me. He nearly did!
TRACEY
Oooh yes. Kat Shaw is the lead character. She is an ordinary woman in her thirties, with a teenage son. She works as an estate agent and purchases a little cottage just outside London. She has a reoccurring dream of a gorgeous man, sitting on a rock by a stream in the woods. She is persuaded by a friend, into going on a blind date but after a few dates decides that the relationship is going nowhere. The male starts to harass her, stalk her and continues even after she is brutally attacked in a park, not far from where she lives. She goes to stay at the cottage and meets the man of her dreams. She is inadvertiedly drawn into a battle of good vs evil and meets the council. A group of fallen angels, who have fallen to earth to protect humanity from the demons who prey us.
Biography
Tracey A Wood has lives in Staffordshire, in the United Kingdom. She has been married for over thirty years and has two children. One of her boy’s lives at home due to being disabled the other has flown the coup. She has three cats that are her babies, and she talks to them all of the time. Funny thing is they don’t answer back.
She loves snowboarding, skiing, jumping out of aeroplanes and bungee jumping. Well, that is when other people are doing them. She prefers to have her nose in a book or writing one. She also loves to people watch which her husband is always telling her to stop doing. She has a job that she enjoys and works full time. Although if she won the lottery, that might change! She has also got a very good imagination.
In 2014, she decided to take the bull by the horns and send her manuscript to Soul Mate Publishing. She feels so privileged to have her book published, as this is the first one that she has written. It has made her dream of being a published author a reality. Life really is too short to wait! You’ve got to go for it. She is still working full time and is also working on another book in her limited spare time. Her favourite saying is ‘Everything happens for a reason’ which she also believes is true.
Her books are fast paced and centred on a female lead who finds an inner strength after being thrown into situations that are beyond her control.
Buy Link: US link: https://goo.gl/3Lk91d
UK link: https://goo.gl/e7L7DV
Website: http://traceywood.wix.com/tracey-a-wood
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TraceyAWood.Author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/traceya_wood
Google +: https://plus.google.com/+TraceyAWoodAuthor
Blog: http://tracey-a-wood.blogspot.com
WordPress: http://traceyawoodblog.wordpress.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/tracey_a_wood
After almost losing her life in a vicious, bloody attack. Kat Shaw, a thirty-something divorcee, discovers that there are such things as monsters. And the predator who attacked her is not human. She starts to develop unusual skills that have murderous consequences. And she becomes an unwilling witness, to multiple, brutal murders, seen through the eyes a killer. Thrown into a battle of Good vs. Evil, she falls in love with two men who are not what they seem. While her attacker stalks her and continues to murder the innocent, she has to find the inner strength to take on and fight the demons from hell—to protect her family and friends while also trying to save her life.
Excerpt
Had the attack finished? Did he think I was dead?
I lay still, faking death, struggling not to take deep, gulping breaths. I fought the panic pumping through my body.
I became aware of a stroking sensation on my back, a light caress. Small strokes, followed by a sound I could not identify. The strokes became harder and the noise louder. A wet, squelching sound.
What is that?
My head spun with confusion and panic as I strained to locate my attacker. I saw a movement from the corner of my eye. I turned but couldn’t focus. It was too dark and I was in shock.
Warm liquid ran down my back, arms, and legs. Blood. My blood, but there was no pain, still no pain.
In a moment of clarity, I knew I had to move. To get away before my attacker struck again.
Filed under: Author Interviews, writing Tagged: ASpects of Writing, Midnight Angel, Overcoming adversity, Paranormal, Tracey A. Wood, writing
September 2, 2016
Miranda sings even if the dudes don’t.
https://wwwpalfitness.wordpress.com/
http://www.booksandbenches.com/our-story
http://t.co/NekQqtJiEc -Catherine Cavendish
http://t.co/DQrHOLWJah Noelle Clark
Jean Lees https://jeanleesworld.com/
Aquileana https://aquileana.wordpress.com/
Inese Phtotgraphy https://inesemjphotography.com/
http://poeticparfait.com/ Christy Birmingham
Kate McClelland http://katemcclelland01.wordpress.com/
Filed under: Award, blogging Tagged: Books and Benches, Miranda Sings Award
August 26, 2016
Aspects of writing — The Past with Christoph Fischer
Christoph.
I find history both fascinating and important. I believe that in order to appreciate how far human society has evolved, we need to know and understand how we got here. Achievements in humanity can easily be taken for granted and forgetting the evil that has happened can open the door to repetition.
Christoph.
Mostly the 20th century because it is close enough to the present to relate.
Christoph
Lack of research. The devil lies in the detail and there are a thousand traps on the way: be that minor mundane things – like brands of hamster food, or bigger historical facts, spelling etc.
Christoph
A fair amount. How you feel and how you would do things, your own life and that of your friends and acquaintances will always inspire you and influence your writing, even when creating totally different characters and scenarios. Originally, I was doing some family research about my ancestors’ time in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s and that turned into my first novel, “The Luck of the Weissensteiners”. Although the book isn’t actually my family history, it was heavily influenced by it.
Christoph
I understand that it can be quite legitimate to do that. As a reader I prefer historical books to be authentic and realistic, and so as a writer, I would not temper with actual facts.
Christoph
“Ludwika” is the story of a Polish slave worker in Nazi Germany. It is based on the life of a real woman, the mother of a friend of mine. I assisted the family with their ancestry research and then found there was a story to be told about her hardships and resolve. I only invented the parts that we weren’t able to find facts for. The book has been surprisingly popular and has just been made into an audio book.
Christoph
Be careful in your research. Don’t solely rely on sources on the internet, buy books and double check everything.
Christoph
I’m working on a comic murder mystery at the moment and on the sequel to my thriller “The Healer”. So busy days ahead. I’ll also be out and about this summer: at an author signing event in Manchester August 13th, (https://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/2016/07/23/meet-me-in-manchester-%e2%8emaeg2016%e2%ac-august-13th/) at the Oxford Historical Novelist Conference in early September and at the Tenby Book Fair September 24th ( https://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/2016/07/06/welsh-wednesdays-tenby-book-fair-2016-24th-september-11-am-to-3pm-tenbybookfair/ ). Hope to see some of you there.
Ludwika: A Polish Woman’s Struggle To Survive In Nazi Germany
It’s World War II and Ludwika Gierz, a young Polish woman, is forced to leave her family and go to Nazi Germany to work for an SS officer. There, she must walk a tightrope, learning to live as a second-class citizen in a world where one wrong word could spell disaster and every day could be her last. Based on real events, this is a story of hope amid despair, of love amid loss . . . ultimately, it’s one woman’s story of survival.
Editorial Review:
“This is the best kind of fiction—it’s based on the real life. Ludwika’s story highlights the magnitude of human suffering caused by WWII, transcending multiple generations and many nations.
WWII left no one unscarred, and Ludwika’s life illustrates this tragic fact. But she also reminds us how bright the human spirit can shine when darkness falls in that unrelenting way it does during wartime.
This book was a rollercoaster ride of action and emotion, skilfully told by Mr. Fischer, who brought something fresh and new to a topic about which thousands of stories have already been told.”
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28111001-ludwika
Ludwika: A Polish Woman’s Struggle To Survive In Nazi Germany
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ludwika-mr-christoph-fischer/1123093504?ean=9781519539113
CHRISTOPH FISCHER
Short Biography:
Christoph Fischer was born in Germany, near the Austrian border, as the son of a Sudeten-German father and a Bavarian mother. Not a full local in the eyes and ears of his peers he developed an ambiguous sense of belonging and moved to Hamburg in pursuit of his studies and to lead a life of literary indulgence. In 1993 he moved to the UK and now lives in Llandeilo in West Wales. He and his partner have several Labradoodles to complete their family.
Christoph worked for the British Film Institute, in Libraries, Museums and for an airline. His first historical novel, ‘The Luck of The Weissensteiners’, was published in November 2012 and downloaded over 60,000 times on Amazon. He has released several more historical novels, including “In Search of A Revolution” and “Ludwika”. He also wrote some contemporary family dramas and thrillers, most notably “Time to Let Go” and “The Healer”.
Website: http://www.christophfischerbooks.com/
Blog: http://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6590171.Christoph_Fischer
Amazon: http://ow.ly/BtveY
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CFFBooks
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/christophffisch/
Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/106213860775307052243
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=241333846
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WriterChristophFischer?ref=hl
Filed under: Author Interviews, Guest bloggers, heroines, writing Tagged: Christoph Fischer, Historical Fiction, History, Ludwika, The Three Nations Trilogy, writing, Writing tips
August 17, 2016
Stacy McWilliams and Escaping the Demons
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e37e69061/
Jasmine Johnstone’s life was relatively normal until she was forced to live with the Stevenson family. As she stayed she found she had no choice but to battle
mythical creatures. Strengths she never knew she possessed began to
surface, surprising those around her. Her only chance of surviving the
rising tide of evil was Nathan Stevenson. Could she really trust him
as he fought against his love for her? With the world against them and
time running out, would their love be enough to defeat demons?
Life has never been easy for Jasmine Johnstone, but failing for Nathan Stevenson brings a whole new level of difficulty. Since she arrived at his home he’s blown hot and cold with her, turned against her and revealed a deadly threat. He is sworn to kill her, and fights against his love for her more than ever, but he knows he can’t live without her.
As they run from monsters, and each other, can their love survive?
Time begins to run out and with new friends and enemies in the strangest places, will they learn who to trust in time?
With their love stronger than ever, but forces pulling them apart, is love enough to keep them together or will Nathan’s parents succeed in pulling them apart?
Life was full of nothing but darkness for Nathan Stevenson until Jasmine appeared in his life. She brought his innermost desires to the surface. She burned her way through to his heart to become embedded in his soul. He knew she was dangerous but would she break down his wall as he dreamed of her touch and fought against the impulse to protect her?Would their love be enough to defeat his demons? Was he strong enough to resist her or would her light burn irrevocably?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stacy-McWilliams/e/B012YJ53Q0
Stacy McWilliams is the mum of two boys, a wife and a writer. She loves reading a variety of genres and enjoy a diverse range of movies.
She writes paranormal romance and loves to meet new people.
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Filed under: blogging, book tour, writing Tagged: demons, Ember series, Escaping Demons saga, occult, Stacy McWilliams, Trilogy
August 11, 2016
Aspects of Writing. Elyzabeth M Valey and the art of sub genres
Elyzabeth. Hi everyone! And greetings Hamster Lords.
Elyzabeth Of course! Check it out!
Elyzabeth. Hey, I never said it was good!
Elyzabeth Well, because I’m not an artist, I’m a doodler. *grin*
Elyzabeth.
Yep, and it’s not easy, but writing never is, is it? *smile*
I think the most important thing to remember when writing romance in different subgenres is that the relationship and the romance between the characters is at the core of the story. Once that is clear, we have to think about how the subgenre is going to affect the story. For example, in the case of a fantasy or paranormal romance we have to take into consideration different things. One of the most important things to remember is that the world the characters move in is different from our world so we have to think about how that is going to affect them. Not only that, but also the settings. Small things that we take for granted can be very different and we must take that into account to be able to paint a vivid picture for the readers.
Elyzabeth
Well, for me a standalone novel is simply one that is not part of a series. It has nothing to do with the subgenre as that can be very different and depends solely on the book. I can’t really decide what I prefer… on the one hand, series are a lot of fun as you can stay with the characters and the world you’ve created for a longer period of time but at the same time they’re more difficult to write.
Elyzabeth
The idea for the story comes first most of the time. The subgenre just pops up naturally with the story and its characters. It is true however, that certain settings or music helps inspire a story and thus a subgenre. For instance, recently, I was visiting this amazing castle and of course the stories that popped into my head were all in the historical subgenre. Or, listening to some Goth metal tends to inspire paranormal tales in my head.
Elyzabeth
This is a difficult question. To be honest, I’m not sure I have a preferred genre. I like exploring all the possibilities out there. *smile*
Elyzabeth
It wasn’t a conscious decision. It just kind of happened. I like reading different genres so why not write them?
ELyzabeth.
Well, Hamstah Dickens, he has to be careful with items, settings and language. For instance, if he decides to write a historical novel he must be careful with not including objects that didn’t exist in the time period.
Say you’re writing a regency romance, you can’t have a car roaring by on a highway. The same applies to paranormal or fantasy novels. You must be careful that the rules of your world are clear and that the history of that world is also well set. For instance, in my latest release I have dozens of notes on how the Gods came to be and the history of the mythology behind them even if half of it doesn’t even come up in the actual novel.
Another important thing to take into consideration is the language. We tend to forget that the language we speak today was not the same 100 years ago.
And like I said earlier, the settings are important. We need to paint a picture for the reader, show them what we’re seeing in our head, not tell them, for that will bring our world alive.
Elyzabeth.
Beauty in the Beast is the last book of The Witches Mischief Series, though it can be read as a stand-alone.
The novel is based on a mixture of different fairy tales (although, Beauty and the Beast was the main inspiration). It is a naughty fairy tale with fantastic elements that take place in the early Victorian era.
In the story, Morgana Wiles, a young but powerful witch must face The Darkness, the most evil power of all times. However, as you can imagine, it won’t be an easy task, especially when Christopher Bexley, a dashing rogue comes into her life intent on seducing her and corrupting not only her innocence but also her belief in all that is good.
Elyzabeth
I’m currently working on a dark paranormal series with a working title of Guardians against the Sins.
Beauty in the Beast (The Witches’ Mischief 5)
Light will become shadow. Love will become hate. Good will become evil. The Darkness is here. There will be no escape. Morgana Wiles has spent her life, alongside her mother, fighting against the arrival of the creature known as The Darkness. Unfortunately, neither of them were able to stop him and now he’s here, ready to destroy all that is good in the world. Morgana must face him, but now that the time has come, she finds that things are not as simple. Her mother is gone, self-doubt is creeping in, and her visions are unclear. To make matters worse, a man with evil intent has entered her life and is bent on complicating her mission. Will she be able to resist him in time to fight The Darkness or will she succumb and become that which she despises? Christopher Bexley is no gentleman. He enjoys trickery, deceit, mischief and above all seduction. Sexual intercourse is the greatest source of power there is or at least there was, until he heard about the Gem. Now that he has discovered there’s a stone that can make him the most powerful magic user of all time, he must have it. The only problem is that the only other person that might know where it is, is a stickler for rules and being good. Morgana is too innocent for his liking, and there’s only one thing he can do to change that: corrupt her.
Available at: Evernight Publishing ~~ All Romance Ebooks ~~ Bookstrand ~~ Amazon.com ~~ Amazon.uk
Author Bio:
Considered weird by normal standards – what is normal anyway?- Elyzabeth M. VaLey enjoys making up songs about mundane things, doodling stars and flowers on any blank sheet of paper, talking to her Lab whenever he feigns interest and coming up with love stories to make readers dream.
From contemporary to historical or fantasy, she enjoys writing stories about good and evil, love and passion and all that comes in between happy ever after.
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(Beauty in the Beast has its own board!)
Filed under: Author Interviews, blogging, book tour, writing Tagged: Beauty in the Beast, Elyzabeth M. Valey, Evernight Publishing, Romance, Sub genres, writing
