Author Simone Salmon
Author: (Preferred pen-name) ��� Simone Salmon
Your latest/current work: Camille and the Bears of Beisa ��� Drafnel
Date: 8-28-15
Publisher: Solstice Publishing
Young: Tell us about your Latest Book/Book about to be released? Release Date? And can you give us a teaser?
Simone Salmon (S.S.): Hi Young, thank you so much for interviewing me on your blog. My novel, Camille and the Bears of Beisa ��� Drafnel, was released on August 28, 2015. The story follows a college graduate, Camille Matahari, whose powers begin to unlock as she is hunted by a persistent time and space hopping evil. Through Camille���s grandmother, Catherine, we learn about the universe of Narvina with its eight ruling families which are all paranormally linked to Camille���s existence and possibly her death, which she must try to prevent in one of her lifetimes. The story takes place in several multi-dimensional settings and features a large cast of people of color headed by a powerful matriarchy.
Teaser:
Years of deception and suppressed trauma do not prevent secrets from unraveling when parallel worlds clash, intertwining families and exposing hidden agendas. An unwanted romance mirrored in an alternate universe has devastating consequences for an unsuspecting young woman and a mysterious stranger.
���There is a vast literary intellect behind Camille and The Bears of Beisa - Drafnel, and it belongs to author Simone Salmon. The language is transfixing, bewitching, erupting into that realm between an epic poem of breakneck pace, and the clarity and rigor of an after-action report meant only for a general���s eyes.
This story operates in many rich dimensions. It reads like a graphic novel, but without need of illustrations, as the events explode like fireworks in the mind���s eye. What an amazing piece of writing!���
Robert Blake Whitehill, Screenwriter, Author
The Ben Blackshaw Series,
www.RobertBlakeWhitehill.com
Excerpt 1
Narvina, Nu-century 2055
Aknanka clamps down with all her might. Her teeth tear into Sephia���s wrinkled skin, digging for chunks of flesh. They only grind against bone. A fist smashes into her cheek, jerking her head sideways. Sephia yanks her hand away right before Aknanka chomps down again. Blood gushes everywhere.
���I���m not going anywhere with you!��� Aknanka���s scream rages through the interior, punching a small dent into the door. It slams shut.
Any experimenting she needs to conduct today will be done right here. And without blindfolds. The metal restraints chafe Aknanka���s wrists as she wriggles around for freedom.
���Stop fighting, Dreamer. You make this harder than it has to be.���
���Bet you���ll think before trying that again, oh Wise One!��� Aknanka���s aim is accurate. Bloody sputum soils the middle of Sephia���s tunic.
A med-bot enters the room and stitches the bandages over Sephia���s wound. The pale Elder clenches her fists. Her eyes blaze to match the blood staining the floor. The med-bot���s front panel flashes, absorbing the charge from Sephia���s quelled anger. Sparks bounce across the overloaded circuits. The bot spins over to the sealed porthole and then powers down.
���These gene markers will soon confirm our suspicions, Dreamer.��� Sephia���s shoulders stiffen, tugging at the hood to expose her protruding frontal lobe. Her white skull magnifies in the dimness. Her lips never move.
Na-mum Camille warned Aknanka that the Elders would spare no sympathy once they discover her true kinsatah. She followed every painstaking instruction: the implants are undetectable, even from their host.
Book Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of3lw5XxmKM
Preorder Links:
Amazon: http://getbook.at/ssalmon-drafnel
Bookgoodies: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B013TAU6AG
Young: What other books/short stories have you written?
S.S.: I���ve published some poems on Yahoo and Social Media, but this is my first novel.
Young: Do you publish in e-book, print, or both?
S.S.: The novel is currently available in both e-book and print formats.
Young: Where can readers find your books?
S.S.: Readers can find my book online at Amazon, Goodreads and Barnes and Noble.
Young: What do you think are the biggest challenges for the type of writing that you do?
S.S.: My biggest challenge was creating a story that is entertaining with vivid character portrayals and has memorable story elements which introduced viewpoints other than the current accepted standards for SFF. I also wanted to capture the important aspects of traditional storytelling which in some ways have been lost in our very impersonal and technologically driven world. Another huge challenge was engaging the reader in a story where there is a deliberate absence of information from the very beginning. I wanted to keep the reader wondering in every chapter.
Young: How did you get started in writing?
S.S.: My first memory of writing is when I took a creative writing class in the fourth grade. It was a very magical experience taking one sentence or thought and creating paragraphs for an actual story. I remember wanting to be a writer after that class. I started writing a lot of poems, but never published anything. My mom eventually threw out the box that horded my writings during my college years. I gave up my dream of becoming a writer after a freshman professor rewarded me with a C- in English.
Young: Where and how can readers get in touch with you? Folks can reach me at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drafnel
Twitter: @miraclemindcoac
Blog: Origisims
Website: www.ssalmonauthor.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/simsalmon/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14221299.Simone_Salmon
Young: So with your latest work released/or being released, what comes next? What can we expect from you in the future?
S.S.: I���m in the process of writing the next book in the Camille and the Bear of Beisa series. It will be based on Catherine���s brother, Caleb, who we learn a little about in Drafnel. I am also working on a non-fiction book which discusses following intuition and higher guidance. That book will detail my own spiritual journey, including my realization of psychic phenomena. I���m hoping to complete both over the next six to twelve months.
Young: How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?
S.S.: I would have to say that a lot of my own experiences somehow sifted their way into the story. My original intention was to write about real supernatural events that took place in my first apartment after graduating from college. Drafnel begins with that premise, but morphs into something otherworldly because the characters took over and told their own story. I would say that a lot of my personality is reflected in the main female POVs. I am a very independent and have a tendency to be very opinionated, but I also love to laugh and have a healthy respect for the unknown. Camille and Catherine display similar traits throughout the story.
Young: Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?
S.S.: Haahaahaa. That would be a resounding NO. I just write whenever there is a moment of inspiration and go with the flow. Working a full-time job with a 4-hour commute leaves little time for much of anything else. Most of the writing for Drafnel took place during 3 one-week vacations at the Jersey Shore. I don���t believe in setting restrictions on creativity, but I also understand the importance of rituals. Once I leave the corporate world and begin writing full-time, which my hope is very soon, my answer will be very different, I think.
Young: What is your routine once you start writing a book?
S.S.: I cannot say that there is any particular routine that I adhere to other than just turning on my laptop and writing whatever pops into my head. For me the pressure of a schedule or routine tends to become the focus instead of just relaxing and tapping into creative consciousness. Art in any form should be a free-flowing non-restrictive process. When there is an absence of restriction whether it is constricting deadlines or timeframes, the magic of artistic expression will just happen allowing that energetic connection and freedom of co-creation which is without limitations and defies logic.
Young: What about you in general? What is it that makes you tick? Makes you you? Things you like to do and what prompted you into writing?
S.S.: To a certain degree I am very organized and proactive. I am also a huge multi-tasker. Those qualities help in freeing up a lot of time to do the things that fuel my passion such as writing, reading and painting. Those are also really important qualities that keep the procrastinator in me at bay, sometimes. My ability to learn things quickly and my uncanny analytical aptitude for figuring out complex situations or problems have been extremely beneficial when approaching the unknown or unfamiliar. I am also extremely relentless when trying to achieve a goal.
Young: Among your own books, have you a favourite book? Favourite Hero or Heroine?
S.S.: Gosh, I have many favourite books, but not so much a hero or heroine. The stories that come to mind are Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Homer���s Odyssey, Octavia Butler���s Kindred, Frank Herbert���s Dune and The Stand by Stephen King. As you can guess my reading appetite is unlimited when it comes to genre. I guess the apparent theme, in one way or other, is my love for huge stories which incorporate adventure, world building and complex storylines that mix different aspects of weirdness.
Young: Where do you see yourself in five years?
S.S.: Hmmm, this is a great question. I will be living in a European chateau, most likely in Spain, surrounded by some of the greatest minds of the century. I will be writing more intriguing and unique stories. I will also be travelling the world gathering fodder for my stories or giving lectures on how to find and follow your passion. I guess just doing what my two sons hear quite often ���believing in the possibility of the impossible.
Young: What kind of research do you do when writing one of your works?
S.S.: I did not do any research when writing Drafnel. The majority of the text was birthed out of creative consciousness.
Young: Have you ever experienced Writer's Block? If so how did you work through it?
S.S.: Thankfully, I have no familiarity with writer���s block. I make it a practice to write when the characters in my story decide that they have something important to share. When there is nothing flowing into my consciousness, I move on to something else and put the story away.
Young: Anything else you'd like to tell our readers?
S.S.: I want to encourage everyone, especially our young people, to dream the biggest dream possible and to never give up on that nagging feeling that there must be something greater out there to claim as theirs. Even when the possibility of ever bringing that dream to fruition becomes so scary and there is a lack of support from any immediate spheres of influence, just keep doing something, anything, to make that dream a reality. You will be delightfully surprised at how the universe rises up to meet your expectations by opening unknown doors and placing the right people on your path for that much needed guidance and assistance.
Young: Lastly do you have any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?
S.S.: Keep writing. The stronger your commitment to writing the better your work becomes. This is an industry where criticism and rejection is commonplace so a thick skin is extremely necessary and quite imperative. Have a very clear idea about your motivation in wanting to be writer so that the opinions of others do not interrupt the desire to achieve your ultimate goal. A most important practice is to have others read and critique your draft before submitting a copy to any agent or publishing house. Constructive feedback is vital in putting forth a quality product which should ultimately be a representation of your best work.
Bio:
Simone Salmon, a Jamaican born New Yorker, is the mother of two sons and a jack Russell terrier.
Simone is still working on her exit strategy from Corporate America, but in the meantime she writes novels, poetry and expands her multisensory perceptions.
She is a spiritual truth seeker who appreciates psychic phenomena and timelessness.
Music of all kinds, warm weather, lounging on the beach, and experiencing the unknown are just a few of her most favorite things.
Here���s what the critics are saying about Drafnel:
"The structure and some of the themes of the book reminded me of the movie The Fountain, which I adored. This idea of the same person persisting in different forms across time and space, mostly through the power of deep emotional connection to other people, really connected the two pieces in my mind."
"Salmon���s use of folktales and specific stories to build out the structure of this unfamiliar world, and to link it back to Camille���s story, was a brilliant narrative device."
"Drafnel is Dune-like in the grandiose sweep of its worldbuilding. The sci-fi universe Salmon creates, Narvina, with its eight ruling clans and ornate power structures was intriguing. It was also refreshing to read a great space opera like this where the people in charge are people of color, and where the universe is a matriarchy."
BR Sanders, Clatter and Clank
���The scene's describing Catherine's sojourn in Jamaica are the strongest section(s) of the book...���
���The writing in this section is very contemporary and accurately reflects the self-confidence of young urban women who feel they're on the cusp of great things and fully in control of their personal destinies.���
���...a bit of writing that stays with you a long time.���
Merrill Chapman, Rule-Set
Excerpt 2
Jamaica, 20th Century
The food on display and the brilliant dyes of the hand-loomed textiles hanging at the market made me homesick. The marketplace crowded with vendors selling varied crafts and wares. The frenzied pitch of the hagglers echoed under the tin roofs. Voluptuous women wearing multi-colored wraps balanced huge straw baskets on cornbraided heads, while children darted through stalls with jaws stuffed of toffee candy or juggled melting snow cones with syrup-stained hands. Fruits ripening in the heat sweetened the layer of jerk pork and chicken charring over coals inside huge metal drums.
At first Miss Mattie kept me close, but as the market became more crowded her clenched fingers slackened. I searched the aisles, worried about returning home empty-handed. Failing to find any spices, I started making my way back to Miss Mattie and then noticed a young woman with a basket tucked between her knees. Loose braids stuck out from under her head scarf. Kind hazel eyes invited me forward. Curious, I bent over to check out the samples. The woman pulled me closer and stuffed a piece of cloth into my waistband.
���A gift from the Goling family, Miss. Put it in safe-keeping. This has been my honor.���
Miss Mattie swooped in at my heels in a matter of seconds. She sniffed the air several times and shoved me away from the vendor���s stall. We left thirty minutes later, my impatience to unwrap the cloth���s contents shielded.
Unpacking the supplies, I started dinner. Then, while the meal simmered, I sneaked to my room and pulled out the puffed packet. Wrapped inside were five cinnamon sticks. My smile must have been a mile wide. I decided to add them to my hideaway after Miss Mattie left for church that Sunday.
As my guardian angel instructed, I wrapped a small piece under the ribbon tied around my braid. I noticed Miss Mattie���s immediate reaction. Her harsh tone gentled and she even allowed me to eat with her at the dining table. A welcomed change, my nerves were still on guard, unsure of how long Miss Mattie���s tolerance would last. Against my better judgment, I decided to ask about Caleb and Cassandra.
���Miss Mattie, do you think I can visit with my sister and brother sometime soon?���
Growling, Miss Mattie cocked her head and then swung around to face the door. Her eyes rolled back into their sockets. Her head snapped back as she sniffed the air.
���Why are you sitting at this table?���
I warned you, Grandmother. Leave the table now!
Miss Mattie���s neck protruded as her limbs extended. Fingers mutated into claws and hind legs ripped through her lower extremities. Wiry tufts of hair sprouted all over her body. Her face contorted and elongated as saliva slimed down enlarged jowls. My hand stifled the scream roaring through my head.
Get up and walk away slowly. Do not turn your back on it. Now!
