K.D. Dowdall's Blog, page 61

Sequel to The Witch's Daughter

The Return of the Witch: A Novel
I look forward to reading the sequel to Paula Brackston's bestseller fiction, "The Witch's Daughter", to find out what happens between Elizabeth, Teagan, and Gideon. Brackston's characters are complex and unforgettable.

Welcome to My Author Page

About Being a Writer of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Supernatural Fiction

When I decided to write fantasy fiction, instead of just dreaming about it, I decided the best place to start would be with Stephen King. Who better to learn from than a master fiction writer?  I purchased Stephen King’s book, “A Memoir of the Craft – On Writing” in the year 2011, read it several times, highlighted tantalizing concepts, and tabbed dozens of pages until I had outlined the entire book.

However, I soon realized that reading about writing, noting every conceivable point of interest does not necessarily create a master fiction writer or even a mediocre fiction writer.  I stopped reading books on writing and just started reading books of every description: classical, historical, philosophical, and archeological fiction, and all the genres.

I happily read dozens of books—good, I thought, now I can start writing the fantasy mysteries I was dying to put to paper. Yet, I hesitated, the fear I had lived with for so long came back to haunt me.  Even though I looked at the world through fantasy colored glasses, I had a terrible fear of ineptitude.  I was the student who couldn’t spell, never learned phonics, and a homonym is what? Regardless, I somehow managed to get a Bachelor’s, a Master’s, and even a PhD.  I was a competent mimic.

So, what did Stephen King teach me? Stephen King taught me how to trust my instincts when he wrote, “stories are found things, like fossils in the ground.”  “Stories”, writes King, “are relics, part of an undiscovered pre-existing world.”  Stephen taught me to lean heavily on my intuition, my inner sense of things without the mimicking and sense of ineptitude.

Then one day as I was watching a funny little mouse scurrying through the woods, I had an epiphany that opened my eyes to the truth. I knew I had always walked through this world wearing fantasy colored glasses where every nook and cranny was rich with fantastical possibilities—like magical stones, talking trees, whispering air, mumbling water, and things, like humans, who walked the earth. I was a writer. I have now written two fantasy novels, numerous short stories, and I am working on my third novel. (Oh, yes, lest I forget. That funny little mouse became my first short story: Bella, the Winter Mouse.)

****Stephen King’s seminal work on writing sits on my writing desk as my constant reminder that fiction writing is a journey, a fantastical foray into the unknown.

 

 

Delphi Altair: Strange Beginnings

Aliens, Monsters, Watchers, Wizards, and Witches With a Secret That Could End All Life on Earth

On the day of her mother’s funeral, Megan Donnelly finds a mysterious package on her dresser wrapped in faded brown paper and twine.  She has no idea where it came from or how it got there.  Despite her grief, Megan finds herself drawn to the bundle of faded brown paper and twine.   Inside the package, Megan finds a leather-bound journal that appears to be as old as the hills. Megan discovers that the journal is a cautionary tale about a strange girl named Delphi Altair.  Delphi lives with her foster parents in an old Sea Captain’s Manor. For the young girl, Delphi Altair, the situation at her foster parent’s home has gone from bad to worse as Delphi discovers dangerous alien creatures are trying to kidnap her or worse. Donovan, a new student at her school, befriends Delphi and together with Nikkos, an Alien Watcher sent to protect Delphi, embark on a treacherous journey into the unknown.  Megan, fascinated by the journal, comes to realize Delphi’s mysterious quest is more than a story, it is terrifyingly real and Megan is somehow involved. Megan’s life is about to change in ways she could never have imagined.

DELPHI ALTAIR: Strange Beginnings

Aliens, Monsters, Watchers, Wizards, and Witches With a Secret That Could End All Life on Earth

On the day of her mother’s funeral, Megan Donnelly finds a mysterious package on her dresser wrapped in faded brown paper and twine.  She has no idea where it came from or how it got there.  Despite her grief, Megan finds herself drawn to the bundle of faded brown paper and twine.   Inside the package, Megan finds a leather-bound journal that appears to be as old as the hills. Megan discovers that the journal is a cautionary tale about a strange girl named Delphi Altair.  Delphi lives with her foster parents in an old Sea Captain’s Manor. For the young girl, Delphi Altair, the situation at her foster parent’s home has gone from bad to worse as Delphi discovers dangerous alien creatures are trying to kidnap her or worse. Donovan, a new student at her school, befriends Delphi and together with Nikkos, an Alien Watcher sent to protect Delphi, embark on a treacherous journey into the unknown.  Megan, fascinated by the journal, comes to realize Delphi’s mysterious quest is more than a story, it is terrifyingly real and Megan is somehow involved. Megan’s life is about to change in ways she could never have imagined.

Featured – Garrett’s Bones

A Story of Young Love, Mystery, and Suspense, by author Karen DeMers Dowdall.

Anna and Garrett appear to be ordinary teens growing up in an old colonial farming community in New England. Anna and Garrett, who love nothing more than spending time in the large forest preserve near their homes, are suspects in the horrific killing of fourteen-years-old Sarah Smith. The two teenagers decide to prove their innocence by conducting their own investigation that puts them dead center in the real murderer’s sights. However, there are dark secrets in this pre-revolutionary community that go back to the year 1680 when the first settlers arrived to farm the lands. Anna and Garrett find themselves getting closer into a secret past that will soon threaten to destroy everything they know and love, including Anna and Garrett.

AN AMAZON 5 STAR REVIEW *****

  A Story of Young Love, Mystery, and Murder!

As James Joyce wrote in his novel, Ulysses: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

The story of Anna and Garrett are two young friends who happen upon the ravaged body of a young girl while hiking through their beloved and possibly haunted forest. They are considered more than witnesses to the crime as suspicion falls heavily on Garrett, who many in their small town consider strange. Together, Anna and Garrett search for clues to find the killer as the mists of the past collides with the present. Karen Demers Dowdall weaves a magical and haunting tale of danger, suspense and mystery, and above all, an enduring love that ultimately transcends time.

 

Happy New Year 2016

A Timeless Love Story by Author Tarama Leigh

It is difficult to find the words to express how emotionally driven this novel is and how I fell in love with this timeless love story, complete with trials and tribulations, betrayal and redemption that soar in this beautifully written historical romance. Of all the time travel historical romance novels, I have read; this one will stay with me long after all the others have faded from my memory. There are heart-stopping moments, unparalleled bravery, a love that transcends time, and characters that come to life so vividly that you will know them as if you really do know them. This one, you must read and fall in love with it.

THE STARLING

THE STARLING

The dystopia novel, The Starling, is an exceptionally exciting foray into a world, our world; that may exist in the future. The author, Kathy Lauren Miller, uses real scientific possibilities that are actually on the drawing board of technological advances as we speak. She carefully crafts two characters, like Jamie, a young girl in an emotional crisis and, by a twist of fate, is transported through time to earth’s dystopian future where humans are dominated by a malevolent AI and various degrees of terrifying humanoids. Jamie is used as bait to draw out free humans who live like Outliers on the hidden fringes of society. A secret alliance inside this dystopian world alters the internal program of a guardian humanoid, Quinn, sent to watch Jamie. What happens between them creates in its path a different way of thinking and hope for the future. I highly recommend this intensely satisfying novel of dystopia.

 

True Form, A Mythical Story

True Form, by author Sarah Christine Lalonde tells the story of powerful immortals come to life in this original, imaginative, and inspired story. Lalonde’s beautifully crafted characters will enthrall you until you fall under their spell. You will be taken through time to ancient Egypt where it all began and back again into the present were life and death battles will determine the fate of human and immortals alike and keep you turning the pages wondering what their fate will be. A Mythical inspired story also tells a deeper truth about immortal and mortal foibles, revenge, and redemption. I do see a sequel in the furture that will continue this fascinating story.

An Interview with Ben Starling

Welcome, Ben and thank you for joining me. What have you been working on recently? Can you tell us about your new release?

Thank you for interviewing me, Karen. I’m excited as my short story Something in the Air has just been released on Amazon. In this new short love story, the focus is on a returning soldier, a veterinarian and an urban environmental concern. Here’s a little bit about it:
Daniel thought war was tough. That was till he fell in love.
What if it’s true that you can never really go home? Returning from a soul-crushing war, Daniel Dragan is determined to put the past behind him. But with his beloved uncle dead and the town’s economy in a slump, there may not be much to keep him in San Prospero, California.
That is till he is startled by veterinarian Willow Dixon at the roadside lookout above their hometown’s new factory. A desperately needed job offer there may offer Daniel the chance he needs – but all is not as it seems at the factory and Willow, determined to save the inhabitants of her animal sanctuary, wants the factory’s operations stopped. Sometimes the road home is neither the one we expect. Nor the one we left behind…
It’s on Amazon at http://bit.ly/SITAdemers2amaz

Is this your first book? How many books have you written?

This is the first story in a series that will consist of one novel and several short stories set in the same world. I’m currently finishing up the second short story in this series – the title of which will be released soon!

The novel in this series, Something in the Water, is already complete and available for pre-order on Amazon now.
Tell us a little more about yourself. How did you get started writing?
My upcoming novel, Something in the Water, was inspired by the loss of my partner at forty-five years of age to ovarian cancer, just thirteen weeks after her diagnosis. In the aftermath, an old friend challenged me to turn that grief into something positive.
Remembering a conversation with a charismatic Polynesian fisherman (I visited there once) about his people’s vision of death and the afterlife, I began to write. Through the written word, I hoped to explore and capture several extraordinary events that happened around the time of my girlfriend’s death. The books kind of took off from there…

What do you do when you’re not writing? What is one thing that would surprise us?
I’m a freelance editor, working on business plans, articles published in specialist magazines and some fiction.

Something surprising? Well, I still coach boxing. My love of the sport is so much a part of me that it’s really like breathing. But I suppose most people see me as quite quiet, so perhaps the love of boxing is surprising. I enjoy the technique and the strategy of the game. It’s fascinating, always changing. I stopped competition some years ago, but am still coaching others.

Tell us a little bit about your cover art. Who designed it? Why did you go with those particular images/artwork?

Would you believe…I did? I know it’s meant to be a no-no to design one’s own cover, but I am a self-taught graphic artist and really enjoy the process of coming up with cover concepts and bringing them to life.

For me, it somehow completes the creative circle of creating a novel or short story. In the initial stages, I toss ideas back and forth with my editor. After we agree on an image and a design concept, then the whole cover seems to come to life on its own.

Is there a certain type of scene that's harder for you to write than others? Love? Action? Racy?

O dear, yes. I am quite squeamish about writing the love scenes! And it’s quite a challenge to make them believable and also to keep similar scenes new and fresh each time.
Crazy Questions That No One Ever Asks Authors
Where is one place you want to visit that you haven't been before?

Antarctica! And I’d love to visit Tonga one day again too. Beautiful, contrasting environments. We live in such a complex world with so many fascinating species to see.
What book are you reading now?
Lost For Words, by Alice Kuipers, a British-Canadian author. It’s a gripping YA novel that I am just getting into. I make a real effort to explore genres outside my own. There is something new to learn everywhere. I’m looking forward to learning from Kuiper’s distinctive style.
Thanks for interviewing me, Karen. I look forward to reading your work too.

Ben Starling is passionate about marine conservation and boxing, both central themes in his upcoming novel. His interest in marine life has taken him across three continents over the past three decades. He is Oxford’s only ever Quintuple Blue (varsity champion five years running), was Captain of the university boxing team, and coached and boxed competitively until about five years ago. He is 6’3”and 185 lbs. Ben graduated from Oxford University with a Master of Arts and an M Phil. He was born in the USA but has lived in the UK since childhood.
Connect with Ben at www.ben-starling.com