Natasha Ewendt's Blog, page 4

Author Showcase Guest Post – Karly Lane: Viva the novella

This is the latest in a series of Author Showcase guest posts by authors around the world, sharing their tips and creativity.
Today’s post is by Allen & Unwin author Karly Lane, on the appeal of the holiday novella.

Was that December that just ran by?

If your year has been anything like mine, then you’re probably dusting yourself off as you look at the cloud of dust that December left behind in its wake, thinking what the…?
I guess it’s to be expected though, we’re all so busy in that final month of the year and it probably didn’t help that I decided to write a Christmas novella…mid-November…as you do…
The humble Christmas novella. What is it about them? Each year around October they start appearing in your newsfeed; beautiful romantic covers with snow and Christmas trees…half naked Santa Clauses (the kind you wish they had down at the shopping centre) splayed across the more spicy titles…and you know that the Christmas novella avalanche is on its way.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m somewhat addicted to them, myself. I see a cover with a little cabin snuggled under a blanket of snow on a cover and I’m one clicking like there’s no tomorrow.
Maybe it’s some kind of connection to our childhood? The time of year where miracles are supposed to happen and apparently, can, in a Christmas novella without anyone calling you out on it. Maybe it’s the escapism? We all know that a summer beach read is supposed to be THE ultimate escape, but let’s face it, if you’re lying on a beach somewhere—you’ve already escaped at least some part of your daily life!
For me, I think it’s the cheesy, romantic, feel good, happy ending that makes these books so popular. The guilty pleasure of indulging in something sappy and maybe a little magic, almost like that extra piece of Christmas cake you’re allowed cause it’s Christmas.
Well, whatever the reason for their popularity, I’m just glad that they’re around, there’s nothing quite like a quick dose of Christmas fever to add a little extra ho, ho, ho to the silly season.
If you’re reluctant to let go of Christmas, or maybe you’re just a rebel and want to keep Christmas going all year—you can check out December’s Wish here and drag out the Jolly for a little bit longer.
Now, excuse me while I get out of the way of January as it threatens to run me over as well.
Have a great 2014, everyone.

Karly Lane writes for Allen & Unwin, with her fifth title due for release in December 2014. She also writes in genres of fantasy and romantic suspense as Karlene Blakemore-Mowle and is currently working on her 13th novel due for release early 2014. Karly lives on the Mid North Coast of NSW and has four children and a very patient husband.
See links to Karlene Blakemore-Mowle and books: http://www.amazon.com/Karlene-Blakemo...
And links to Karly Lane and books: http://www.karlylane.com/books.html

Natasha Ewendt is the author of This Freshest Hell, a vampire novel released in 2013 by Lacuna Publishing. She is also a journalist at the Port Lincoln Times and the director of Port Lincoln Copywriting Services.

Author Showcase Guest Post - PJ Parker: Fire on the Water, continued...

This is the latest in a series of Author Showcase guest posts. The posts are by authors from around the world, sharing their tips for writers and readers, discussing their books and careers, and generally sharing any nuggets of wisdom and useful information they may have.
Today’s post is by New York-based Aussie P.J. Parker. It’s a curious addition to his latest historic fiction Fire on the Water: A Companion to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, written especially for Author Showcase.

Fire on the Water: A Companion to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Through extensive research into the life of Mary Shelley, American biographer Rachel Walton uncovered dozens of letters written by Mary during her summer tour of Switzerland in 1816. Several of these were transcribed exactly in the work (Fire on the Water: A Companion to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein published on 12 December 2013 by The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House) but one was not. Ms. Walton offered no comment on her reasoning for not including this letter in her work but acknowledges that with the recent release online of Mary Shelley’s original handwritten manuscript, the literary public should also be aware of this letter’s content. Below is the correspondence in full. Per Ms. Walton, the original is on file in the Château de Chillon Archives, Montreux, Switzerland.

Mister Percy Bysshe Shelley
The Hotel de l’Union
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
France July 1816

My lyric Bysshe,
This afternoon I was enamored by the strangest of waking dreams. I had just finished afternoon tea down on the villa terrace with Doctor Polidori—an extravagance of puff pastry and cream with tea flavored with bergamot. Both of us agreed that the afternoon could only be made complete by a nap, before readying ourselves for the dinner gong. I climbed the stair and curled up on the settee in my private suite, Willmouse fast asleep in my lap, and I dozed. (Young William has been a pleasure the entire time you have been away tramping through the wilderness of Mont Blanc but of course we both miss you terribly and cannot wait until the eve of your return.)
Now to my dream, my darling.
Once again it involved the creatures of which I write for the ghost story competition. But even as I wrote the words of Captain Robert Walton, who relayed the story of Doctor Victor Frankenstein I sensed that I myself was caught in a literary web—that I was being written about by an unknown author whose work was being written about by yet another. The very convolution of my thoughts made my mind boggle. In truth I wondered whether I was any more or less real than those of which I write or those whose ink scratches out my own story. I cuddled Willmouse tightly as I wondered, indeed, if I were real. And if I could have such thoughts then surely those that my quill has swept into existence must also consider themselves real flesh and blood—with hopes and dreams, uncertainties and fears. You may chuckle at my dilemma however I have also seen it cross your countenance as you place the final words to any of your poetry—the construction of a world, a thought, an emotion that is perhaps more accepting than the actual one in which we live. And one caught forever on parchment to be enjoyed and savored by countless others whose own world is not as they would like it or are willing to recognize.
My waking dream turned to me and I speculated that in some distant future Victor Frankenstein and his wretch may hold more of a reality than my own life—one that is cared for and possibly loved in its detail, one that would outshine my own existence and take on a vitality of its own.
I expect my wretch is conceivably the best (and worst) of my inner thoughts. But then, if there is a higher author, one whose pen and ink attempts to define who and what I am (or may have been) I have a certainty that the pen would not be guided by his hand alone—that I myself, even as a figment of imagination, conjecture or love may also influence the flow of ink toward my own truth.
Your Mary
(Kisses from Willmouse)

About the author:
P.J. Parker was born and raised in rural Australia. With a bachelor of science in architecture from the University of New South Wales, he has travelled and lived extensively around the world, focusing on cultures of historic interest and buildings of architectural significance before transitioning into a career as a fraud analyst and programmer with a leading international financial institution. An avid reader and researcher, P.J. undertakes his writing with a passionate and exacting attention to detail. P.J.’s latest historic fiction, Fire on the Water: A Companion to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has garnered critical acclaim from readers internationally.
http://about.me/author_pjparker
https://www.facebook.com/PJParker.aut...
More about Fire on the Water: A Companion to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (Published by Australia’s The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House, ISBN (paper): 978-1-61213-196-2, ISBN (ebook): 978-1-61213-197-9):
Rachel, a young American biographer researching the life of Mary Shelley in Montreux, Switzerland, is entangled and consumed by the escalating threads of her investigation. Shards of Shelley’s creation are exhumed from the past. Precious memories are hacked and sutured to the unthinkable. The unblemished flesh of the one she loves is stripped back to reveal what lies beneath—aspects of Frankenstein incised and ripped from the nineteenth century and transplanted into her own. The archival records contained within the chiseled stone of Château de Chillon give some insight into a life long gone. It is, however, the contents of a document trunk that has remained unopened for generations that discloses what truly occurred in the idyllic Swiss Riviera village of Montreux to jolt the monster into existence. Personal letters and diaries detailing events, suppers, lectures, and conversations between Mary Shelley and her confidant, Doctor John Polidori, reveal a spiraling progression of horrors, dismembered cadavers, and uncertainties. Doctor Polidori assists the local gendarmerie in their investigation, unaware of how closely the knife will cut to Mary’s life and his own. Rachel is drawn into the centuries-old conversations as she attempts to discern fact from fiction. But opening the trunk could not come at a more difficult time for Rachel. Her boyfriend has recently been killed in a motorbike accident and now, as she attempts to reconstruct her life, she is repeatedly confronted by a man of gigantic structure, of uncommon beauty, of intriguing origin. Fire on the Water: A Companion to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein interweaves Rachel’s search with the plot of Frankenstein and the horrific occurrences of the summer of 1816 when Mary Shelley dared to dip her quill into the ink of her darkest of waking dreams. The truth is given life.
http://ph.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/bo...
http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Water-Comp...

Natasha Ewendt is the author of This Freshest Hell, a vampire novel released in 2013 by Lacuna Publishing. Also a journalist at the Port Lincoln Times and the director of Port Lincoln Copywriting Services, Natasha is reluctantly addicted to coffee and The Walking Dead.

Author Showcase guest post – Michelle Styles: Repetition and the author

This is the latest in a series of Author Showcase guest posts. The posts are by authors from around the world, sharing their tips for writers and readers, discussing their books and careers, and generally sharing any nuggets of wisdom and useful information they may have.
Today’s post is by UK Harlequin Historical romance author Michelle Styles.

Repetition, repetition

I am going to put my hand up here and say that my biggest problem, bar none, is repetition. You would think after more than 23 published books, I would be able to spot it and deal with it, but no. My repetition tiara is firmly glued to my head...unfortunately.
There are many types of repetition. The first and obvious one is repeated words or phrases, particularly in the same sentence or paragraph. You do need to keep an eagle eye out for small words that may have different meaning. All her shopping lay scattered on the ground. She kicked a packet of ground beef.
The second sort of repetition is harder to spot. It is the repetition of the effect. It is multiple telling of the same piece of information, perhaps in slightly different ways. For example, showing that character has an outlandish dress sense by detailing everything he is wearing – from the multi- coloured bow tie which spins to the bright pink clown boots to the shorts in the winter and finally the pair of antlers stuck on his head. One detail would have been enough. Repeated detail to achieve the same effect actually deadens the effect, rather than enhancing it. Self Editing for Fiction Writer by Browne and King has an excellent formula to explain it – 1+1 = ½
Repeated information can seem condescending and totally kills the tension as the reader start to skip. Another common error of mine in early drafts is to have conversations which repeat or go around in circles. Or they are having the same argument several pages on.
Or the author can have several characters who are essentially playing the same role. Because the part is being divided, the effect can be muted at best and confusing at worst. Who exactly is the villain? How many confidents does the heroine need? How many brothers?
So why do it?
Some of it is confidence. The author has underestimated her own writing ability. It is not that she wants to be condescending towards the reader, but merely that she doesn’t trust her writing to carry off the effect she wants. Some of it may be because she is in the moment and the words are flowing. Whatever the reason, the work will be stronger for taking it out. Trust me.
A first draft is not the time to worry about repetition. The time to worry about it is in subsequent drafts. Because it can be hard to spot, if you have the habit, like me, you have to be ruthless and really pay attention to when information is given and what sort of effect you want.

Based in Northumberland, Michelle has written more than 20 warm, witty and intimate historical romance for Harlequin Historical in a wide range of time periods. Find out more on Michelle’s website www.michellestyles.co.uk or her blog at http://michellestyles.blogspot.co.uk/

Natasha Ewendt is the author of This Freshest Hell, a horror novel released in 2013 by Lacuna Publishing. She is also a journalist at the Port Lincoln Times and the director of Port Lincoln Copywriting Services.

Author Showcase Guest Post - Rena Mason: Keep on pitching

Happy New Year!
This is the latest in a series of Author Showcase guest posts. The posts are by authors from around the world, sharing their tips for writers and readers, discussing their books and careers, and generally sharing any nuggets of wisdom and useful information they may have.
Today’s post is by Las Vegas horror author Rena Mason, about her journey to publication. Next week will feature UK Harlequin romance author Michelle Styles.

Keep on pitching

Thank you for inviting me to do a guest blog.
In 2012, my short story “The Eyes Have It” got accepted to Horror for Good: A Charitable Anthology. It was the first short story I’d ever written. Originally, I had a different anthology in mind to sub it to, especially after seeing some of the authors that were already lined up in the TOC for Horror for Good, but I was encouraged by a good friend to give it a try and was thrilled when I got the news that they thought it was a “kick-ass” story.
At the time, I’d also been editing, and working on rewrites for my debut novel The Evolutionist. I had pitched the story at The Pacific Northwest Writers Association convention in 2010 and got a few bites of interest, but when I got home and re-read it, I thought, I need some professional help. So, I found R.J. Cavender via Facebook and did a little research on him and the company he works for, The Editorial Department. Everything checked out, so I hired him as an editor, and we worked through the MS bit by bit. I think I’d send him two to three chapters at a time and always made sure I’d leave it on a real cliffhanger so he’d complain to me about it, which would encourage me to keep going with my rewrites/edits. He was a good “guide” and “support” system, which I needed, since it was my first novel, so I’ll say that it was one of the best decisions I ever made.
From working with R.J. and becoming fast friends, he encouraged me to go to horror conventions and meet people in the industry, and I did just that, and haven’t stopped since. He mentioned joining the Horror Writers Association, so I did that, too, and it was another one of the best decisions that I’ve ever made. There are so many great people who are encouraging, supportive, and helpful in the organization, I don’t know what I’d do without them. When the novel was finished being edited, I “pitched” it around. I got a maybe that turned into a rejection, and then another rejection, which was a little discouraging, so I went back to the drawing board with the beginning of the story. After making some changes, I “pitched” it again and the story was accepted by Nightscape Press, and when Robert S. Wilson (Co-Owner) wrote me and said that he finished the story and it left him staring off into space just wondering, it made me feel awesome. I knew I’d found the right home for it. It was published in April of this year, (2013.)
Making friends who are also writers at these conventions, got me “beta readers/reviewers.” They are give and take relationships, but absolutely necessary. I always encourage new writers to get out there and meet people. And this advice comes from someone who has a couple phobias regarding crowds and meeting strangers. Connections are also something that happens at conventions and are equally important. That’s how I got invited to write a novella for JournalStone’s Double Down Series. Gene O’Neill, who I’d met and got to know at conventions, had been working on getting together a project like the old “Ace Doubles.” He thought from what he’d read of my work that I’d be a good match up with Gord Rollo. We all met in Vegas during KillerCon Convention, had dinner, hit it off, and talked about what stories we’d like to write, and East End Girls, a novella about Jack the Ripper with a wicked twist, was published June of this year (2013.)
Since then, I’ve also got short stories in a few other anthologies. “Death Squared” in the Fear the Reaper anthology out by Crystal Lake Publishing, “Awkward” in The Haunted Mansion Project: Year Two, and “Reclamation” in Getting Better All the Time: Las Vegas Writes Progress.
I have two short stories (fingers crossed) that are submitted for anthologies in 2014. I’m also currently working on a rewrite for another novel, and have another big project that is currently one of those “secret” projects in the works. Hopefully, I’ll be able to announce something later in 2014.
As far as that dreaded question, “Being a female horror writer in a male-dominated genre.” – I’ll be honest, the first few rejections had me thinking that maybe it was because I was a woman, but I think part of it was also because I was completely new to the scene. My novel, The Evolutionist, is about four women in a book club, their friendships, and how they can easily fall apart, so I can see where a newer indie publisher might not want to take the risk. It really needed “the right” publisher, and it was a “guy” (Robert S. Wilson) who “got it” and took it on via Nightscape Publishing, so it’s really hit and miss. The bottom line is you’ve just got to stay strong, believe in your work, and that it will find “the right” publisher regardless of whether you’re male or female.
You can learn more about me and my work through social media and my website. I’m also an author on Goodreads and Amazon.

See www.renamasonwrites.com
https://twitter.com/RenaMason88
https://www.facebook.com/rena.mason
http://www.renamasonwrites.blogspot.com/

Natasha Ewendt is the author of This Freshest Hell, a vampire novel released in 2013 by Lacuna Publishing. Also a journalist at the Port Lincoln Times and the director of Port Lincoln Copywriting Services, Natasha is reluctantly addicted to coffee and The Walking Dead.

Author Showcase Guest Post - Shaun Meeks: How to deal with rejection

This is the second in a series of Author Showcase guest posts. The posts are by authors from around the world, sharing their tips for writers and readers, discussing their books and careers, and generally sharing any nuggets of wisdom and useful information they may have.
Today’s post is by Toronto writer Shaun Meeks, a member of the Horror Writers Association who has more than fifty short stories in publication. Next week's showcase is Rena Mason, talking about her journey to publication.

Rejection: How to take it on the chin

Someone asked me the other day if I have ever had a story rejected and I had to chuckle a bit. Not only have I had a story rejected, but I have had many stories rejected. In fact, almost every story that has ever appeared in print had been rejected at least once or twice before. Rejection is all part of the game. Never be discouraged, because things always happen for a reason.
Sometimes a rejection might piss you off because you can tell the editor/publisher never even bothered to read what you wrote. Once, I sent two stories to a place and in the rejection they said that they were not interested in serial killer stories. I was confused because one was about Hell and the other was about a man that eats warts; none of them were actually serial killers. I laughed and plowed on; ignored the urge to email them back and ask if they even read the story. Editors/publishers like that aren’t worth submitting to in the long run and finding them at least helps you weed them out.
There was a time though, before my first story was published that I was nearly discouraged to the point of giving up. I wrote a story called Hallow Points for a new anthology due out in the winter of 2011. There was a lengthy progress after submitting where they did rejection rounds. My story made it to the last round, but in the end it was rejected and I was crushed. I was lucky to have someone behind me, my wonderful partner, who encouraged me to submit it elsewhere and I did. The story was re-edited, re-named The Soldier and I submitted it to the The Horror Zine, and it was accepted within a day. When I received that email from Jeani Rector it really set a fire under me and pushed me to hone my craft and keep on this crazy path.
What is even better about that story is that if the original place I sent the story to had accepted it, I think things might have turned out differently. It is now the winter of 2013, two years later and the book I had sent it to still hasn’t been released. In a way, the rejection helped more than them accepting it. That’s why I always tell people not to take a rejection to hard. One door closes, another one opens. So take them all as well as you can, keep a brave face and follow a few rules:
1. Never email the editors/publishers back when they’ve rejected you. Some people might be tempted to email something terse back or even a “thank you for giving it a shot”, but don’t. Hold your tongue. A terse or downright angry email will mark you as someone they never want to work with again. And word can easily get around that you’re not someone easy to work with. As far as a nice response goes, when they get 500+ submissions and only accept 20-30 stories, their email will quickly get clogged with the unnecessary responses. No need to bother them with that, because let’s be honest, we don’t mean it in most cases.
2. Rejections are all part of being a writer. If you can’t take a rejection or criticism, you might want to find a new job. Some of the best writers in the world have been rejected, from Stephen King to HP Lovecraft. It comes with the job.
3. Never post angry comments on social media about a editor/publisher that rejects you, even when they deserve it. It can and will come back to bite you in the ass.
4. Just because you get rejected doesn’t mean your story isn’t good. Editors/publishers are human. They might read your story on a day they aren’t feeling in the mood to read; they might hate certain types of settings or characters. They may prefer gore over character or vice versa. Keep the story, submit elsewhere and know that you will find a home for it.
5. Re-read your story and see if it needs editing. Many times an editor/publisher will just say “it’s not a good fit for us” when they really mean “please use spell check”.
6. Let friends and family read it and see if there is something you might have missed. As a writer, we sometimes miss the flaws or plot gaps in our own work.
7. Never re-title a story and ship it back to an editor/publisher. Any of them worth their salt (and why send it to one that isn’t), will know what you are doing and call you on it.
8. Go over your formatting and your cover letter. You might not think they matter, but they do. Editors/publishers want to see that you at least try.
9. Make sure you are sending it to the right sources to avoid instant rejections. If you submit to a magazine, read one or two issues to see if your story fits in there. And if it’s a themed anthology, stick to the theme. You’re sure to get rejected if they give a certain word count or say “no vampire stories” and you disregard.
I know there are more rules, but this is a good start for someone that is just coming up. The whole writing and submitting process is just that; a process. If you write, write and sooner or later you will find a place that gets those words out there for others to see.

Shaun Meeks lives in Toronto, Ontario. His short stories have appeared in anthologies by The Horror Zine, Zippered Flesh 2, Fresh Fear, Dark Eclipse, Someone Wicked, Miseria’s Chorale, Zombies Gone Wild. He has released two collections of short stories, At the Gates of Madness and Brother’s Ilk, and next year he will be releasing his new novel, Shutdown and a third collection, Dark Reaches. He will also be featured in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Of Devils and Deviants, The Best of the Horror Zine and Midian Unmade (a collection of short stories that take up where Clive Barker’s Cabal/Nightbreed left off).
Find out more about Shaun on his website:
http://www.shaunmeeks.com/
On Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shaun-...
On Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ShaunMeeks
And on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Natasha Ewendt is the author of This Freshest Hell, a vampire novel released in 2013 by Lacuna Publishing. Also a journalist at the Port Lincoln Times and the director of Port Lincoln Copywriting Services, Natasha is reluctantly addicted to coffee and The Walking Dead.

Author Showcase Guest Post – Gary Starta: A Day in the Life of Caitlin Diggs

Welcome to the first in a series of Author Showcase guest posts. The posts will be by authors from around the world, sharing their tips for writers and readers, discussing their books and careers, and generally sharing any nuggets of wisdom and useful information they may have.
The first author to be showcased is Florida author Gary Starta. Gary is the author of Gods of the Machines, a top ten finalist in 2010’s Preditors and Editors Poll for science fiction. He is also the author of Demon Inhibitions, and in his post today he takes us through a day in the life of the book’s protagonist, Caitlin Diggs. The follow up novel to Demon Inhibitions, 9 Incarnate, will be released in January 2014 by Whiskey Creek Press.

A day in the life of Caitlin Diggs…(before the parallel universe)

I always start the day squinting into my bathroom mirror. It’s been a ritual of my 30’s and each day I don’t uncover a new wrinkle or line is equivalent to the delicious sensation of biting into a chocolate chip cookie. Well, almost. I discover and uncover things, mostly people, for a living. My career path is rocky and winding, including a long stint as a Special Agent for the FBI. Now I’ve shifted careers into the private sector as a PI. I’ve also traded homes, leaving Manassas, Virginia for Salem, Massachusetts – a bewitching town if there ever was one.
I hope that sensation, the thrill of stopping a killer, will return in my new line of work. So far, the clients aren’t exactly pounding down the door but I’ve had one strange man solicit my services. It involves a case the local PD can’t crack.
As I continue standing in front of my mirror, the beginning of all my days lately, I look really hard into my sapphire eyes and try to decode the change I recently experienced. It happened after encountering an artifact. It gave me telepathy and telekinesis. The kind of gifts you don’t give as stocking stuffers at the FBI Christmas parties. It was the very thing that made me quit the Bureau because I can’t expect their protocols to fit my new and unexpected, alternate life style.
You would think a person who recently acquired abilities would be less concerned about crow’s feet or gaining a pound or two. In truth, I still consider the more simple things of life as most precious. I love my adorable Tonkinese cat, Celeste. She has the prettiest blue eyes and sweetest disposition until her Alpha senses kick in. In a way, she’s kind of like me because we both have soft underbellies beneath our hard veneers, the two sides usually competing for dominance. I actually used to practice leering so I could intimidate suspects. It comes automatically now so it’s one more thing I can check off my ‘to do’ list.
So is it weird I see some of myself in my cat? I guess I rely on Celeste as a crutch because I’ve left my sister behind in DC. I miss her although she can drive me crazy. I am career-oriented where she is couch-oriented. She is lucky she doesn’t live for the precarious types of thrills I seek.
Avoiding sugar for breakfast is another major plus. Celeste usually mewls at this point either in sympathy, adulation or just plain hunger. She loves salmon and I’m happy to provide for her.
After her feeding, I usually experience a knock on my door from the next door Wiccan, Briana McFadden. She talks shop about the locals and I listen because I am an inquisitive investigator, not some nosy, gossiper. I hope I’ve made myself clear.
Well, time to get down to work. Celeste is fed and Briana is off to the shops to buy herbs and all things holistic. I start surfing the Internet, looking for job leads. I ignore my sister Tara’s email urging me to improve my fashion sense. I am quite certain dressing in Earth tones is a fashion sense somewhere on this planet.
I answer my phone and it’s a call from my old friend Det. Stanford Carter. He needs my help to chase something he believes might be paranormal. He is the one of the few people I’ve taken into confidence. He is aware of my abilities and he thinks they might aid in the man hunt – or should I say demon hunt. I am yet to learn - despite my psychic ability - that this chase will literally change my universe and my usual routine will rarely involve staring into a mirror because in an altered reality I will meet my doppelganger and she will act as a living reflection of who I am.
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL ON CAITLIN and her cat:
CAITLIN DIGGS - STATS
Age - 38
Eyes - Sapphire
Hair - Black
Ht - 5'11'
Wt - Negotiable
Disposition - Inquisitive, Suspicious, Doubtful
Work History: LA Field Office FBI, FBI Washington DC Bureau
Private Investigator - Salem, MASS
Fashion Sense - Conservative
Goals - Deal with my newly acquired paranormal abilities, decrease junk food, catch more villains, get over death my partner/boyfriend, make a new home in alternate universe...
BASTET - The Tonkinese Cat
AKA Celeste in other universe
Eyes - Blue
Fur - White
Wt - 1 lb. of fury
Favorite Food - Salmon
Conversation Starter - 'Food's Ready'
CAITLIN'S HAPHAZARD JOURNAL FROM THE ALTERED UNIVERSE:
* Don't fight the preternaturals with conventional weapons. Use your wits and paranormal abilities if available.
* It's hard to date in a parallel world. Some will see you as your other self. Being social in an alt world is tricky.
* So far I trust the Witch and Mage, but the Incubus is another story. How can you trust someone with such a sexual appetite?
* Enjoying the upgrades. Yes, my home and car are classier along with my wardrobe.
* Fearing the supernatural shoe will drop. Yes, the super demon is on my mind.
* Enjoying the entertainment. A singing mage keeps demon urges at bay. But not everyone is singing her tune. I've got to protect her.
*How will I get home? I may have to plan for an extended stay in this universe. My new boss seems attracted to me but he thinks I'm the 'other' Caitlin.
*Warning: be careful of portals. They can be everywhere. Even in New Jersey.

Find more on Gary Starta at http://www.garystarta.net, follow his sci fi fan page at http://www.facebook.com/GaryStartaSci..., or follow and guest post on his blog at http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/ga...

Natasha Ewendt is the author of This Freshest Hell, a vampire novel released in 2013 by Lacuna Publishing. Also a journalist at the Port Lincoln Times and the director of Port Lincoln Copywriting Services, Natasha is reluctantly addicted to coffee and The Walking Dead.

Author marketing tips list

Some useful author marketing tips from
http://www.mikelowndes.com/50-tips-fo...

1.Improve your web presence – do more stuff online, the more the merrier
2.Build a testimonial page on your website. It’s good to blow your own trumpet, or let others do it for you
3.Tackle on-site and on-page SEO. If that might as well be Greek, make learning the on-site SEO basics into a project. These days you can’t really market anything effectively without it
4.Ask for positive reviews on your Facebook page, Amazon and Goodreads. In fact, anywhere that takes book reviews is worth using. If you haven’t opened an author account with Amazon and Goodreads, do it now
5.If you haven’t already climbed on board Twitter, start Tweeting
6.If your social media footprint is messy, tidy it up so it works as hard as possible to promote you and your work instead of hindering your progress. Getting your bio in shape is a must and link it to your author website – You have got one haven’t you?
7.Create a Facebook author page instead of a regular profile. It works harder. Then start gathering fans, the more the merrier
8.You’re a writer. If you don’t have a Google authorship account, why not? Are you even on Google + yet? If not, now’s the time
9.Get bloggers to review and write about your work
10.Give people Advance Reader Copies of your books and ask them for feedback
11.Arrange an online book tour for powerful virtual promotion
12.Set up author Q+A sessions in Google Plus and invite people from your circles to attend. Make it as lively and fun, intense and deep as you can… anything goes except boring
13.Create videos especially for Facebook Friday
14.If yours is old and crappy, get a new author website…
15.… or, if you don’t have an author website yet, make it so!
16.Create a Twitter hashtag for your next book
17.Use Pay Per Click adwords advertising to drive buyers to your book
18.Write controversial blog posts. If you don’t have a blog yet, bolt one on to your author website. It’s another thing you really can’t do without
19.Link up, collaborate with other writers and take the reading world by storm with your outrageous blogging antics
20.Chat on Twitter with your fans formally, setting up weekly sessions. Then blog about it

This Freshest Hell book launch

This Freshest Hell was launched today - an awesome event! Huge turnout and amazing speech by Port Lincoln Library manager Louise Mrdjen. A great day - thanks to all who came :)

Halloween book launch interview with crime noir author Rowena Holloway

My Halloween book launch interview with crime noir author Rowena Holloway at http://rowenaholloway.com/interview-w...

Interview with a Vampire Author – Natasha Ewendt
Posted in Writers' Block: Author Interviews
I’m about to enter the mansion on Van Diemen’s Land Island to interview Natasha Ewendt about her debut novel, This Freshest Hell. The mansion is pretty imposing; I can see why it featured in This Freshest Hell. It’s opulent and surprisingly cosy (in a creepy, is-someone-going-to-leap-out-attack-me? kind of way). I’m hoping to meet the delectable and dangerous vampire, Orfeo. He’s twelve hundred years old — I’ve got a thing for older men. Wish me luck!

RH: Welcome to this on-the-road edition of Writers’ Block, Natasha. What’s your poison?

NE: Bloody Mary. Care to join me? Of course, the ‘bloody’ might not be so figurative.

RH: *hesitating* Sure. Oh, is that Orfeo bringing the drinks? No wonder you wanted to meet here.

NE: *Enigmatic smile over the lip of her crystal glass*

RH: Congratulations on the release of your debut novel, This Freshest Hell. You’ve had several five star reviews, you must be feeling pleased about that. What is your favourite review quote so far?

NE: Well, not to be biased but I would have to say it’s a quote by your fabulous self, one Rowie, who said “I saw shades of John Ajvide Lindqvist’s Let the Right One In though the pacing is snappier. It is a little gory and some of the conversations get very deep and dark (suitably), but I enjoyed all of that.” To have a Let the Right One In comparison in your first review is extremely, well, awesome. And I did think the book might get a bit too deep and dark for some in places, so it was good to know it wasn’t too much.

RH: Thanks Natasha! *blush* You’ve just had your launch party for This Freshest Hell. Tell us a little about that.

NE: It was a great get-together with a bunch of great people, officiated by the lovely Port Lincoln library manager Louise Mrdjen who has known me since I was in primary school and always supported my writing. Louise nailed the speech – absolutely brilliant! It was wonderful to see so many people I know and love gather together. Author Diane Hester – whose book Run To Me has just been picked up in the US after great success in Australia through Random House (congrats Di) – made the atmosphere by bringing along a jack-o-lantern and some candlelit skulls! And my creative mum made some Halloween-themed cupcakes that were almost too creepy to eat (almost).

RH: mmm, cupcakes!

NE: I chose Halloween as the launch date as it’s a significant date in the book – it’s the main character Lily’s birthday, and also the night they do the fateful Halloween spell that leads to all kinds of crazy down the track …

RH: Oh, that incantation gave me nightmares! For those yet to read it, tell us a little about This Freshest Hell.

NE: It’s a paranormal dark fantasy/horror that follows damaged high school misfits Lily and Maggie, their personal struggles, and their foray into the dark arts – which of course doesn’t end well. A dark spell incanted on Devil’s Night leads to them becoming vampires ten years later. Maggie takes to their new life a little too well, but Lily struggles with killing to survive, and having to adapt to life with their mysterious and nefarious vampire brethren. Then an epic battle with a megalomaniac vampire and his army of monsters tests their will to survive, resulting in—

RH: Don’t say any more! This Freshest Hell opens with Maggie and Lily in high school facing bullying and isolation, and could have remained a Young Adult coming-of-age tale, but the story goes much further. Was this a conscious choice as you wrote, or did the story lead you that way? Did you face pressure to contain the story to the high school years, and if so, how did you manage that pressure?

NE: After I’d finished the book and was pitching it to publishers who couldn’t quite abide the 10-year timespan of the book, I did think about keeping it a YA or at least making them younger when they’re turned into vampires, but it would have affected the integrity of the story and characters. Maintaining that integrity was my priority above all else. I’m fairly stubborn (some would dispute the use of the word ‘fairly’) and that was something I didn’t really want to compromise on. I didn’t just want TFH to be a ‘vampire book’ – actually I didn’t set out to write a vampire book, that idea developed later – I wanted it to be a story of the girls’ journeys, and the vampire storyline was secondary. I wanted the girls to have gone through a fair bit in their lives before they became vampires, so they could be suitably disenchanted by the time the vampires came for them and gave them the choice to die or be turned. That way vampire life might seem more appealing than ordinary life … especially with the chance for revenge.

RH: I’m glad you stuck to your integrity! Lily and Maggie have some very deep conversations about the meaning of life and what it means to be human. Did you always intend for them to explore these issues as they face their demons (or should that be vampires?), or did these emerge with the story? Are these questions, or similar, ones you have faced?

NE: Great question. I did intend for the book to be full of deep and dark explorations of life and humanity – actually that was kind of the point. I’m not much of a fan of easily accessible commercial fiction where everything is mapped out and explained in its simplest terms and there’s no thinking or mystery involved. I like books to be thought-provoking and I like to come to my own conclusions when I’m reading a book, so I wanted to do the same when writing one. And I wanted to explore as many deep and dark topics as I could fit into 250 pages. Some of the questions are ones that I’ve faced myself – obviously not the ones exploring vampire life, but I think vampires can be a metaphor for various reflections of the human condition, the darkness within being one of them.

RH: Good point, Natasha. And you certainly do pack a lot into 250 pages, and that makes me wonder about your research. This Freshest Hell references contemporary events and music and gives a nod to a range of horror images and mythology, though you give each a fresh twist. It is clear from reading This Freshest Hell that you must have read widely. How much research did you need to do to cover such a range of literature?

NE: Growing up I was a voracious reader, always with a paranormal bent, so I didn’t have to do a huge amount of research. A lot of mythologies were already stored away in the memory banks. I did do a bit of occult research, and that’s where I came across the story of Arachne in Greek mythology. I liked the story of Arachne, but I thought I’d jazz it up a little and give it a horror twist to make her a spider Hell god and the source of the vampire brethren.
RH: Well you certainly give her a malevolent twist – I think you outdid the Mythologists with her! This Freshest Hell covers a range of contemporary issues of identity and belonging, but is still a taut and pacey story of friendship and the dark side of our souls. You work fulltime as a journalist, so I’m intrigued to know how you found time to write with such depth. Do you have any secrets to share with other time poor writers?

NE: Honesty is the best policy. Write from a pure, honest perspective and the story will flow, probably faster than you can keep up. Don’t think, just write. If you do that your story will develop on its own. Once you start second guessing your story, your characters, your plot points, and when you start wondering if what you’re writing is right for the market, what’s trending right now, or what people will want to read, you’re going to start losing integrity, depth and ‘meat’. If you want your story to be meaty and meaningful, you have to let it all hang out, let the characters be exactly who they are and not try to tame them. Don’t put any restrictions on yourself – worry about the minutiae like grammar, structure, exposition, all that boring stuff later during edits.

RH: That’s great advice, Natasha. You’ve certainly given Maggie and Lily a hell of a ride and left them (one of them, at least) hanging from a metaphorical cliff. Please tell me there is a sequel on the way.

EN: There is indeed a sequel on the way. It’s in the works and I’m not sure when it will be ready for the market, but hopefully soon. All the characters return – but it all takes a very different twist. It’s another rollercoaster ride, and you’ll never see what’s coming, so you’ll want to strap yourself in.

RH: I can’t wait. Will we see more of Orfeo? And what happens to the girls?

EN: *another enigmatic smile* I can’t give too much away, but I will say it involves interdimensional time travel, alternate selves, new monsters including gargoyles and the world’s most ancient vampire brethren (which are really, really creepy), and a hell of a battle in Hell. The characters face new demons, both personal and real, and they will surprise you all over again.

RH: Okay Natasha, now we’ve finished our Bloody Marys – they pack quite a punch, by the way – let’s do our …

Fast Five
RH: What is your all-time favourite book and/or movie?

NE: Book, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Movie, Donnie Darko.

RH: What are you reading now?

NE: The Occult Handbook! It’s for research for my next book, seriously…

RH: Sure, Natasha. I won’t argue with an Occult Mistress! What is your favourite word?

NE: A the moment it’s nefarious …

RH: Good word. What is your worst writing habit?

NE: Over thinking. When I start over thinking characters and story, it waters things down too much.

RH: What is the best bit of advice you ever got (about writing or life in general)?

NE: My mum always quoted Shakespeare to me – ‘To thine own self be true.’ It’s great advice for life and writing.

RH: Thanks for joining us today Natasha. Where can we find This Freshest Hell?

NE: Thanks for such an insightful interview. Here’s a few links:

Lacuna Publishing ; Amazon ; Book Depository ; Angus and Robertson ; e-bay ; Abbey’s Bookshop ; Fishpond

You can also find Natasha on Facebook , Twitter and Goodreads

TFH also has it’s own Facebook and Goodreads pages

Rowena Holloway is a full-time author of novels and short stories. Her writing has won or placed in numerous competitions. She lives with her husband on a spit of land between the marina and the ocean in South Australia.

Halloween horror: Guest blog by sci-fi author Gary Starta

Gary Starta began writing articles as a newspaper reporter many years before he took the plunge into novel writing in 2004. His love of books from writers such as Stephen King and Dean Koontz and shows like The X-Files inspired him to create fiction.
With about a dozen books written, Starta blends horror with mystery, fantasy and suspense to create what he calls fiction on the fringe of genre.

I believe my Caitlin Diggs series best exemplifies my love for horror, specifically the wonder and terror of the supernatural. Since we can’t totally deny the supernatural exists, it is this grey area, a twilight between reality and fantasy that lends itself best to creating terror.
Caitlin Diggs is an FBI special agent who seems destined for the strange. In Blood Web, she encounters a crystal artifact which controls a teen to become its serial killer to exact revenge for Native Americans slaughtered in the 1860’s.
In Extreme Liquidation, Diggs experiences the paranormal effects of the crystal when she develops PSI abilities including telepathy and telekinesis. But those abilities may not be enough to stop the reincarnated occultist Aleister Crowley who hides within someone close to Caitlin and surreptitiously comes to the agent in dreams tempting her with magic.
In Demon Inhibitions, a perfect read for the Halloween season, Diggs leaves the FBI believing they will never understand nor believe her growing abilities. Moving to Salem, MA to become a PI, Diggs finds her new town is haunted by recent and gruesome murders. When Diggs investigates, she finds a paranormal suspect in the form of an incubus.
But the encounter with the incubus is just a prelude to her real battle when a fugitive escapes prison. Diggs knows this suspect is not human despite her FBI’s unwillingness to concede the reality of the supernatural. As Diggs chases the demon, she becomes caught in its wake and is led to a universe of preternatural beings. Here, Diggs encounters her alternate self in a fight to stop the demon. But it’s not just the demons that are scary here. The investigation reveals the demon is somehow connected to a group of crusaders hell bent on using the genetically engineered creation against its own kind. I sometimes believe humans can be the scariest of all monsters.
Hope you will peruse my books:
Blood Web:
http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Web-ebook...
Extreme Liquidation:
http://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Liquida...
Demon Inhibitions:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BVAYAVI/?...Blood WebExtreme LiquidationDemon InhibitionsDemon Inhibitions