Sheila English's Blog, page 5

Circle of Seven: The Immortal King

The book is out! It’s been nearly 20 years since I wrote this book.  Originally it was just called “Circle of Seven” and was the first in a series.  But, I dragged my feet and someone else came up with that title and is calling her series by that name.

I’m not sweating it. It was easy enough to add “The Immortal King” to it.  Made sense too since this first book is about Rohan the Immortal King who was banished when he let down his people but has come back when the Immortal Sword was stolen.

Next is The Gemini Keys. It doesn’t need as much work as Circle of Seven did. But, I do have to change the last 3-4 chapters.  I had resolved the issue of who Tory/Jade would choose when the keys were found and I realized later on that I shouldn’t have given that away until the very end. So…re-write time.

It does feel good to have this book out.  Finally.  And it opens the door for The Gemini Keys and The Vampire King!

Circle of Seven: The Immortal King

The book is out! It’s been nearly 20 years since I wrote this book. Originally it was just called Circle of Seven and was the first in a series. But, I dragged my feet and someone else came up with that title and is calling her series by that name.

I’m not sweating it. It was easy enough to add The Immortal King to it. It made sense too since this first book is about Rohan the Immortal King who was banished when he let down his people but has come back when the Immortal Sword was stolen.

Next is The Gemini Keys. It doesn’t need as much work as Circle of Seven did. But, I do have to change the last 3-4 chapters. I had resolved the issue of who Tory/Jade would choose when the keys were found and I realized later on that I shouldn’t have given that away until the very end. So…re-write time.

It does feel good to have this book out. Finally. And it opens the door for The Gemini Keys and The Vampire King!

Keeper of Souls – A Discussion of the final Faith Healer’s Daughters book

Some Spoilers Ahead!

Elizabeth was always going to be different.  She was dark, more mature, more isolated.  She’d been brainwashed by her cult-leader father and in the first two books was actually a villain.  In Keeper of the Dead the book opens up with Elizabeth helping her father trap her mother’s spirit in limbo in order to lure her sisters to the compound and within her father’s reach.

At first Elizabeth is so sheltered and so controlled by her father she really thinks she’s doing what’s best for her sisters.  He convinces her that her sisters had been kidnapped the night of her mother’s death by people who brainwashed them and convinced her sisters that their father was a murderer.  The man is convincing and Elizabeth is always trying to win his affection and admiration so she becomes what he needs her to be, when he needs her to be it.

Once she betrays her sisters in Keeper of the Light she begins to question some of what her father’s been telling her.  You find out that Elizabeth was instrumental in making changes in the compound to better the lives of the women there.  But, her father gives just small concessions to her as a way to manipulate her.  He’s waiting to find out if any of his daughters come into powers of their own so he can then marry them to men of his choosing so they have children with power, keeping the father’s legacy intact and his power absolute.

In Keeper of the Dead Elizabeth finally comes to realize her sisters were right and that she has made some horrible mistakes.  She does her best to help, but in the end can’t forgive herself and strikes out on her own.  She doesn’t believe her sisters can really accept her.

Also in Keeper of the Dead we meet a very mischievous, yet charming ghost named Cole who tricks Amber during a trade and takes half of Ryan’s soul in order to become flesh and blood once more.  Cole has been a Keeper of the Dead, a sort of sheriff among ghosts, since the 1800’s and he’s pretty excited about being about to leave the cemetery at last.  Of course the world has changed and he stick close to the sisters, Ivy and Amber, while he learns the ropes.  This is how he meets Elizabeth and there’s some brewing chemistry between the two that never quite makes the mark.  In Keeper of Souls, it is Cole who is sent to Europe to find Elizabeth.

Keeper of Souls opens with Elizabeth making bad decisions yet again.  In order to find family she goes back to what she knows and ends up releasing her grandfather, a man so powerful that even her evil father feared him.  The grandfather and an evil uncle take her with them to France where they start putting together a group of people to help re-create the compound take down by the sisters.  Elizabeth realizes she’s made a horrible mistake, but has no guidance, no one to help her escape or tell her what to do.  When Cole shows up unexpectedly to bring her back to her sisters she takes the chance and leaves with him.  He is her only way out, though she’s not sure she can face her sisters once they all find out she’s freed her grandfather.

Cole and Elizabeth race across Europe, the UK into Ireland and finally back to the US.  But, they’re being chased, Elizabeth is coming into her own power, and Cole has his own agenda.  Elizabeth and Cole must learn to think of others, not always be first, learn to trust, learn what loyalty costs and provides and find they are more alike than they could have imagined, all while fighting a mutual attracting they don’t have time for.

Since Keeper of the Light I knew how Elizabeth’s story, Keeper of Souls, would end.  I always knew we’d come back to Brooklyn.  I spend so much time at the cemetery there in Brooklyn. I have lots of photos from my visits there.  I saw a statue there that I just couldn’t stop thinking about.  In my mind I saw it come to life, rise up from the ground and move.  There would be a great and final battle there.  And in the end, there was.

The Angel of Death

 

Keeper of Souls – A Discussion of the final Faith Healer’s Daughters book

Some Spoilers Ahead!

Elizabeth was always going to be different.  She was dark, more mature, more isolated.  She’d been brainwashed by her cult-leader father and in the first two books was actually a villain.  In Keeper of the Dead, the book opens up with Elizabeth helping her father trap her mother’s spirit in limbo in order to lure her sisters to the compound and within her father’s reach.

At first, Elizabeth is so sheltered and so controlled by her father she really thinks she’s doing what’s best for her sisters.  He convinces her that her sisters had been kidnapped the night of her mother’s death by people who brainwashed them and convinced her sisters that their father was a murderer.  The man is convincing and Elizabeth is always trying to win his affection and admiration so she becomes what he needs her to be when he needs her to be it.

Once she betrays her sisters in Keeper of the Light she begins to question some of what her father’s been telling her.  You find out that Elizabeth was instrumental in making changes in the compound to better the lives of the women there.  But, her father gives just small concessions to her as a way to manipulate her.  He’s waiting to find out if any of his daughters come into powers of their own so he can then marry them to men of his choosing so they have children with power, keeping the father’s legacy intact and his power absolute.

In Keeper of the Dead Elizabeth finally comes to realize her sisters were right and that she has made some horrible mistakes.  She does her best to help, but in the end can’t forgive herself and strikes out on her own.  She doesn’t believe her sisters can really accept her.

Also in Keeper of the Dead we meet a very mischievous, yet charming ghost named Cole who tricks Amber during a trade and takes half of Ryan’s soul in order to become flesh and blood once more.  Cole has been a Keeper of the Dead, a sort of sheriff among ghosts, since the 1800’s and he’s pretty excited about being about to leave the cemetery at last.  Of course, the world has changed and he stick close to the sisters, Ivy and Amber, while he learns the ropes.  This is how he meets Elizabeth and there’s some brewing chemistry between the two that never quite makes the mark.  In Keeper of Souls, it is Cole who is sent to Europe to find Elizabeth.

Keeper of Souls opens with Elizabeth making bad decisions yet again.  In order to find family, she goes back to what she knows and ends up releasing her grandfather, a man so powerful that even her evil father feared him.  The grandfather and an evil uncle take her with them to France where they start putting together a group of people to help re-create the compound takedown by the sisters.  Elizabeth realizes she’s made a horrible mistake but has no guidance, no one to help her escape or tell her what to do.  When Cole shows up unexpectedly to bring her back to her sisters she takes the chance and leaves with him.  He is her only way out, though she’s not sure she can face her sisters once they all find out she’s freed her grandfather.

Cole and Elizabeth race across Europe, the UK into Ireland and finally back to the US.  But, they’re being chased, Elizabeth is coming into her own power, and Cole has his own agenda.  Elizabeth and Cole must learn to think of others, not always be first, learn to trust, learn what loyalty costs and provides and find they are more alike than they could have imagined, all while fighting a mutual attracting they don’t have time for.

Since Keeper of the Light I knew how Elizabeth’s story, Keeper of Souls, would end.  I always knew we’d come back to Brooklyn.  I spend so much time at the cemetery there in Brooklyn. I have lots of photos from my visits there.  I saw a statue there that I just couldn’t stop thinking about.  In my mind I saw it come to life, rise up from the ground, and move.  There would be a great and final battle there.  And in the end, there was.

The Angel of Death

The Faith Healer’s Daughters – What Age is this YA for?

The Faith Healer’s Daughters is a trilogy, so there are three books.  It is considered young adult and often I’m asked what age the book is written for.  It’s really hard to say for sure since everyone is different.  A mature twelve year old could read the books and not have a problem, a fourteen year old who is less mature might need to wait to read the books.  Only the parents or guardians of a child can really determine if it’s right for that teen.

I can say that if the books were a movie I think they’d be a PG-13.  There’s no sex, but there is the allure of sex addressed especially in book two- Keeper of the Dead.  It’s in there because I think teens do struggle with temptation.  So Amber and Ryan have to deal with that temptation because they are posing as husband and wife as they live and work at a large cemetery in Brooklyn, NY.  At first they’re just friends, but they have to sleep in the same bed and being that close, night after night, would present problems eventually.  I wanted to be realistic about the difficulties of physical attraction and both of the teens really struggle, but realize they need to resist.  Some of the scenes would be considered sexy, but there’s only kissing.

There’s violence in all three books.  Keeper of the Light starts out with the murder of the girl’s mother. Later on a beloved character dies trying to help save one of the girls and though we see the character later as a ghost, it’s a tragic event.

The father wants to get the girls back and use their power.  It’s his intention to marry them to men of his choosing.  His compound is cult-like and the men there have multiple wives.  The girls want to disband this cult and save the women and children who live there.

There are adult themes and situations.  Issues like giving a life to save a life, consequences, death, forced marriage, some women in the compound help the men keep other women in line.  One of the sisters is forced to marry a very bad man.  The third sister, Elizabeth was the only one raised by the father and her allegiance is with him, so issues of brainwashing and betrayal are addressed.  The afterlife, what might be out there, souls and how they can be manipulated are also addressed.

There are good lessons in the books.  We talk about what makes up family.  We talk about loyalty and sisterhood.  Issues of abstinence are addressed in a way a teen can connect to.  Thinking beyond yourself, learning others are just as important as you are are also addressed.

I wanted teens to see themselves when they read the story of these characters and feel a connection to them and their plight.  But, I also wanted parents to see this as a way to address real-life challenges teens face.

I hope this information helps you determine if this book is for you, or your teen.

The Faith Healer’s Daughters – What Age is this YA for?

The Faith Healer’s Daughters is a trilogy, so there are three books.  It is considered a young adult and often I’m asked what age the book is written for.  It’s really hard to say for sure since everyone is different.  A mature twelve-year-old could read the books and not have a problem, a fourteen-year-old who is less mature might need to wait to read the books.  Only the parents or guardians of a child can really determine if it’s right for that teen.

I can say that if the books were a movie I think they’d be a PG-13.  There’s no sex, but there is the allure of sex addressed especially in book two- Keeper of the Dead.  It’s in there because I think teens do struggle with temptation.  So Amber and Ryan have to deal with that temptation because they are posing as husband and wife as they live and work at a large cemetery in Brooklyn, NY.  At first, they’re just friends, but they have to sleep in the same bed, and being that close, night after night, would present problems eventually.  I wanted to be realistic about the difficulties of physical attraction and both of the teens really struggle, but realize they need to resist.  Some of the scenes would be considered sexy, but there’s only kissing.

There’s violence in all three books.  Keeper of the Light starts out with the murder of the girl’s mother. Later on, a beloved character dies trying to help save one of the girls and though we see the character later as a ghost, it’s a tragic event.

 

The father wants to get the girls back and use their power.  It’s his intention to marry them to men of his choosing.  His compound is cult-like and the men there have multiple wives.  The girls want to disband this cult and save the women and children who live there.

There are adult themes and situations.  Issues like giving a life to save a life, consequences, death, forced marriage, some women in the compound help the men keep other women in line.  One of the sisters is forced to marry a very bad man.  The third sister, Elizabeth was the only one raised by the father and her allegiance is with him, so issues of brainwashing and betrayal are addressed.  The afterlife, what might be out there, souls, and how they can be manipulated are also addressed.

There are good lessons in the books.  We talk about what makes up family.  We talk about loyalty and sisterhood.  Issues of abstinence are addressed in a way a teen can connect to.  Thinking beyond yourself, learning others are just as important as you are also addressed.

I wanted teens to see themselves when they read the story of these characters and feel a connection to them and their plight.  But, I also wanted parents to see this as a way to address real-life challenges teens face.

I hope this information helps you determine if this book is for you, or your teen.

Published on January 17, 2018 06:09

The Trilogy is Complete!

The Faith Healer’s Daughters trilogy is finished.  Keeper of Souls is now out in ebook and paperback.  It took me a little longer than I had first anticipated to complete the final installment, but I knew I would get there! I appreciate all the readers who encouraged and supported me throughout the writing of the final book and who sent such kind words about the first two books- Keeper of the Light and Keeper of the Dead.

If you’ve not read the trilogy or heard of it, it’s the story of three young girls, triplets, who come into extraordinary power over life and death.  Ivy has the power to heal, but it comes at a cost.  Amber gets power from the dead and can speak to ghosts.  Elizabeth has the power to put someone’s soul into an object to imprison the soul, or animate the object.

At first all the girls have in common are their parents.  Their father is a great faith healer who can truly heal, but who can also kill, with a touch.  He leads a compound of followers, some of who would like to escape but are too afraid.  The girls discover their father murdered their mother and come together to help stop him and to save those under his rule.  All they have to do, is not get captured.

I hope you’ll try the books and let me know what you think!

 

Book Discussion: Adam Frankenstein, US Marshal

The U.S. Marshals have been around for 225 years, give or take. They are an institution of heroes and mythos.  Wild Bill Hickok and Wyatt Earp are just two notable real-life Marshals, but the service has birthed many true American heroes since the late 1700s.  There are stories of US Marshals that take your breath away to hear, they make you proud and you realize these are America’s quiet heroes, an effective and potentially deadly force lead by honorable and clever men and women.

Bella

Did you know that the U.S. Marshal service can act as para-military and answer directly to the POTUS?  Did you know that the Marshal service, which is considered a small organization with only around 4000 Marshals in the US and its territories, make up over 50% of all federal arrests in the United States?

No doubt there are many law enforcement agencies out there who have heroes and amazing stories, but the legacy of the Marshal’s and the fact that they are a quiet force of good is what drew me to make Adam one of them.  To me, Adam is the embodiment of all the things I love about the US Marshals.

I want all of the US Marshal stories to be possible, as much as fiction allows.  To that end I’ve interviewed an active US Marshal and have a great resource there. But, Adam isn’t just a Marshal.  He is immortal, unusually strong and has a lot of experience with good and evil.  Oh! And he has an immortal dog that he brings to work with him.

In this story it is this dog that is a central theme.  Adam has wanted proof that he has a soul and he feels his immortality is proof he doesn’t have one. So, when he looks down upon his mangled body, realizing his chance for death as come, he is at peace.  He’s been waiting for this moment for so long. But, something is wrong.  And when he realizes what it is, he refuses Death’s invitation to save the great love he’s ever known, his best friend; a dog named Bella.

Why does Adam fear for Bella when she is immortal?

Adam has a partner who is a by-the-book, ex-military woman of integrity and grit.  One thing that she says to Adam that I felt defines her character is when she tells him everything has to be about who you save, not about who you take down.  And in the end Adam does something that wins Rebecca’s admiration, what did he do?  Why did that matter?

Part of this story is told through Bella’s point of view. You get that she has an unusual understanding of people. Dogs can learn up to 1000 words in a lifetime, but Bella has lived several lifetimes, so she’s pretty clever.  I didn’t want her to be so human-life that we forget she’s a dog though. Even her point of view is one of a dog, but she does have a greater understanding of what’s going on around her.

I wanted people to have a good sense of Bella and being inside her head was one way to do that. Even Bella wants to serve and protect and we see that when she tries to get help to save an injured dog.  She and Adam are perfect companions and they both have a goodness in them that makes them stand out.  But, you see why they might be so bonded to one another. And there’s just something about a man who is as loyal to his dog as that dog is to him that makes you love the man.

What do you think of the relationship between Bella and Adam? Did you feel it was understandable for Adam to give up his chance at death to save his dog?

What did being inside of Bella’s point of view tell you about Adam?

Book Discussion: The Therapist and the Dead

The third story in Adam Frankenstein: A Collection of Short Stories is entitled The Therapist and the Dead.  My thought, when writing this story, was that I wanted Adam to learn a valuable lesson. He has spent his life being judged by others.  It’s 1982 in Brooklyn, NY and Adam has few friends outside of his trusty companion, Bella, a Harlequin MinPin.  Most people look at his bulky size and his scarred face and fear or loathe him. So the question for me was, how would that kind of treatment affect Adam? And when he was put in a position to judge someone else, would he be empathetic and caring or bitter and judgmental?

Sometimes we allow outside influences to carve out pieces of who we will become.  It is a strong person who can overcome their environment.  But, I don’t think many people can do that naturally.  Adam is put into a situation in which he sits in judgement of a man who he believes has done some wrong to a boy or boys. The evidence is there and Adam goes there to exact justice.  But, sometimes things aren’t as they seem and Adam should know that.

At what point do you think Adam realizes he has been in error?  At what point did you, as the reader, realize something wasn’t adding up? Were you surprised by any of what transpired?

Dr. Stein (yes the name was on purpose) doesn’t care for Bella, why?  In the end though he has a change of heart about the dog, why?  And why was it important that Bella stay behind with Dr. Stein?

 

What do you think Adam learned from this encounter?

Book Discussion: Frankenstein’s Companion

In the story, Frankenstein’s Companion we see Adam struggling. He lives alone, away from people because the way he looks marks him as one to fear or kill.  He has taken on jobs without a lot of thought as to the ethics of it. His only moral compass comes from a distant friendship he has with Mary Shelley.  She has been his only friend, but because she is his only, her opinions really matter to him. So, he rides a line between good and evil, unsure of his own place in the world.

I realized early on that a creature so completely alone, judged, ridiculed, feared and hated would quickly devolve into a true monster.  If all your fed is hate, hate is what you live on and what you give back.  So, it was important to give Adam someone to love and someone who could love him unconditionally.  Unfortunately, we can’t trust human beings to be accepting and loving and sympathetic to those they don’t understand, and since human love is untrustworthy, I gave him the unconditional love of a dog.  Dogs judge you by how you treat them and could care less about your past, your mistakes, or how you look.

But, I think Adam would have thought of a pet at some point, so why not just get a dog and replace them as they die? Adam, by this time, has a grasp on death and grief.  You can trust a dog’s love, but having a dog surely means heartbreak, as people outlive their pets.  But, if the dog was immortal? If he could guarantee unconditional companionship, friendship and love for all time, what would someone like Adam do for that?

The real-life Bella

Without love it’s difficult to have empathy.  He’s not been afford much empathy in his lifetime and certainly not enough to think it important. So, he has little empathy for the plight of Helena, the woman he must return to her father in order to obtain the dog, Bella.

At what point do we feel Adam deserves the dog? As soon as he realizes how much he wants her? At the end when he decides whether or not to help the girl? Or perhaps when we find what the mage has done to Bella and we determine the mage may not deserve her?

How do you think Adam felt when Bella licked his hand, accepting him?