VOICES CALLING OUT_MARCH MADNESS

The stirring of creativity that pulls at an author's imagination isn't something to be taken lightly and definitely not ignored. These stirrings, which can lead to a great masterpiece if we follow the voices in our heads, (yeah we border on the line of insanity), can come in the middle of the night, early in the morning, and even when making love. Oops, did I say that? Well, anyway, today, Rae Lamar is sharing with us how the creativity for her latest novel began, and what resulted when she heeded the voices in her head.

She's also sharing with us an excerpt that is definitely intriguing and leaves you wanting to read the entire story, because of course you want to get to know these characters. And if you leave a comment, you just might be the lucky one to win a copy of Dawn of Aris, paperback or eBook...your choice!


Dawn of Aris by Rae Lamar

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY...

It always starts with a voice in my head and a whole lot of anxiety. lol My characters tend to show up in annoying ways and at the most inopportune times. Aris Collier was no different.

Last year in January, I'd just started a new job which came with its own level of stress and anxiety. I was on my lunch break, driving, when Aris popped into my head out of nowhere. I only had about forty-five minutes to get food and get back to work, and I did not have time for disruption. In my mind, I was giving Aris the side-eye like: "I'm busy, I just started a new job, I don't have time for this...go away!

I continued to sit in my car anyway, on edge, waiting...and then I felt this crazy compulsion to hear Michael Jackson's Thriller. I keep his greatest hits CD in my car ---- yes, I still have CDs...don't judge me (lol) and so I slid the disc into the player, skipped ahead to the track and listened. For what? I had no idea, but I did it. It was the dumbest thing, me just sitting there, listening...but it's MJ, so you know it wasn't long before I was singing, getting all into it. "'Cause this is thriiillleeerrr, thrill-ler night..." Seriously. I couldn't help it.
 Halfway through the song, Aris popped back into my head. I hadn't named her then (that came to me weeks later) but, in that moment, I understood I was on the brink of something. This character I was envisioning was a woman and I had a feeling that Thriller, for whatever reason, was connected to her childhood in some way.

Needless to say, she kept bugging me after that and the rest...is Dawn of Aris!
 
 
IT’S MY THING | AN EXCERPT FROM DAWN OF ARIS
 
Aris was a fun and challenging character to write, especially given her vocation — she’s an esthetician moonlighting as a special effects makeup artist. “It’s My Thing” is one of the first scenes between Aris and her neighbor, Luke…and teases the beginning of their unlikely friendship. Enjoy!
 
*****
 
Luke followed Aris to her apartment, careful to keep a reasonable distance. Despite the dozen reasons why it wasn’t “cool” for him to be in this situation, he’d surprised himself by agreeing to breakfast anyway.
His evening had definitely not gone according to plan. When he saw Aris sitting at the bar right before kickoff, he recognized her immediately and figured it was a good opportunity to finally say hello. He had anticipated having a quick conversation with her before he eventually claimed an empty table to watch the game alone as he intended. Buying her a drink, driving her home and hanging out in her apartment after midnight were the absolute last things he would have expected to happen.
But here he was, still following her.
He had already involved himself more than he should have and he still didn’t understand why she refused to file a police report, but that was none of his business. The only thing left for him to do at this point was make sure she was safely locked inside.
He didn’t need breakfast.
He had enough problems.
When they reached her front door, Aris slipped her key into the lock and asked him to grab the large box in the corner of the entryway. Luke picked it up as she asked and placed it on the floor of her foyer. He could hear her moving in the darkness when she told him to close and lock the front door. Just as he was about to say goodnight and head to his own apartment, a soft light filled the room.
“Oops.” Taking in the scene, she giggled. “I forgot about them.”
“Yeah.” Luke watched cautiously as she scrambled to gather the mutilated mannequin heads scattered about the living room floor. They were in all shapes and sizes, the apparent victims of every grotesque injury imaginable. “I’m gonna go…”
Aris stopped collecting the heads and turned to face him, seemingly oblivious to the rubbery skin that fell from the faux flesh wound on the side of the head she clutched in her left hand. “Why?”
He shook his head at the absurdity of her standing in the middle of this freak show asking him such an obvious question.
“Oh. Because of this?” She walked over to him so he could get a closer look. “It’s my thing. Given your reaction, I’m flattered. This isn’t even my best work.”
As Aris piled the heads in a corner on top of a dark, thick sheet, Luke watched her every move. She began talking nonstop, her voice animated as she went on and on about what she’d done to her friends—Mike, Carol, Greg, Peter, Bobby, Marcia, Jan and Cindy. She’d named each one, having carefully planned all of their horrific fates. Then, she rambled about how embarrassed she was that her apartment was so messy and how she never had time to clean up because she was always working.
Somewhat fascinated—and also satisfied that this wasn’t some cry for help on her part—Luke surprised himself for the second time in as many hours…
And decided to stick around.
 
 
DAWN OF ARIS BY RAE LAMAR
 
Aris Collier is chasing her dreams…at a snail’s pace. With little money and big talent, she works tirelessly to perfect her craft…even at the expense of her relationships. When Aris walks away from yet another dead-end entanglement with the hopes of finally getting her life on track, the last thing she expects is a fast friendship with her neighbor, Luke. They couldn’t be more different but soon the two become an inseparable pair, leaving Aris both surprised and disturbed that Luke understands her better than anyone else ever has…
 
Luke Donovan has it all—looks, career, money and status. Most importantly, he has the bold, brave and beautiful Jessica Knox, a woman he’s been building his impeccable life with since college. But as Luke continues his corporate climb, he soon realizes that the view from the top isn’t so great and the future laid out in front of him is very far from his true definition of happiness. For the first time in his life, Luke is unsure…until he meets his quirky neighbor, Aris, who just may help him discover what love and life are really all about…
 
 
PURCHASE LINKS
Kindle | http://amzn.com/B00TC1K3J6
Nook | http://ow.ly/K1cr6 
Kobo | http://ow.ly/K1c7G 
Paperback | http://amzn.com/0692361618
CreateSpace | http://ow.ly/K1hs6
 
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rae Lamar is mild-mannered consultant by day and fiction writer by night who currently resides with her husband in Atlanta. On a perfect day, she can be found on the top floor of a swanky beach resort, sitting on the balcony of an ocean-front suite with a book in her hands and food at her fingertips.

Get to Know Rae @ http://raelamar.com
Friend Rae @ https://facebook.com/raelamar
Follow Rae @ https://instagram.com/rlbookworm
Follow Rae @ https://twitter.com/rlbookworm
 
 
 
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