30 October 2010

His to Possess – An EPIC Finalist

Yes! His to Possess, is a finalist in the Paranormal Romance Category of the prestigious 2011 EPIC eBook Awards Competition™.
The rush and excitement that came with the news flooded my heart with joy; recognition as one of the worthy is indeed a different ballgame.
I’m honored, and would like to express my sincere "thank you" to the anonymous judges.
Writing is my passion, I won’t last long if I stopped the creation of my worlds and ceased to invite others to visit and play with me. If that ever happened, I might go insane, or rather become insaner.. :-)
The writing of His to Possess took much shorter time than any other story, and I've written short stories before. A soft and fluffy feeling encircled me while writing it. Even now, talking about it make me smile with joy. There's something about writing a story that challenges the author to come up with a plausible solution to an impossible situation.

In His to Possess, Stacy doesn’t know that a dashing ghost is in love with her, but when she conjures him one stormy night, he charms her to her core.

After weeks of watching Stacy turn the act of book appraising into a tantalizing experience, Jeremy—once untouchable and invisible—discovers that Stacy is more than just an infatuation. She’s all he wants, and she’s staring right at him, not through him.
A passionate kiss seals the deal and kindles their hearts with burning passion for each other. But if given the choice, will Jeremy selfishly have her join him in the realm of the dead, or allow fate to keep Stacy alive—and thus apart from him?
When Stacy searches deeper into their connection to discover the ultimate truth about their relationship, does she find out that this is another fateful blow to her heart or a new chance at love? As former lovers and thieves in the night attempt to tear them apart, their love is put to the ultimate test.
If you were in Stacy’s shoes, would you fall for a ghost? Perhaps you’ll be motivated to answer if you glimpse her ghost!
Here’s the book's trailer (created by yours truly). Go ahead, see Jeremy :-)
His to Possess is available here:

07 October 2010

Author Interview: Clare Dargin

Clare Dargin is an author of science fiction and science fiction romance books. Her newest work “Speculative Sky” is available from Red Rose Publishing.

 
  •  What inspired you to write this book?
Well, ever since I was a child I always wanted to be a writer. It was a dream of mine to be published and to write stories that everyone could enjoy. Speculative Sky was created because I’ve always had a fascination with stories about Extra-Terrestrial Life and S.E.T.I. and I wanted to integrate such a story with a female character as a strong and intelligent lead.

 
  • Do you have a specific writing style?
Yes I do but I am not sure what to call it. When people read my work I want them to feel as if they are right there in the midst of it all. I want them to be able to hear, taste, smell and see the action as if it is happening all around them. I also tend to write tight stories with quick pacing. It's what I like to read and consequently how I write.

  •  What is the name of your latest book? And how did you come up with the title?
To be honest I’ve always been attracted and fascinated by the abstract and the symbolic. I wanted the title to be symbolic of what April Mullen, the main character, has to deal with as an Astronomer and all that came with her assignment.

  •  What is Speculative Sky about?
It is about a woman who takes a chance and leaves for an assignment on a science colony far away from Earth. As an astronomer it is her job to monitor the stars at night and to record her findings. Nothing more than that. But when she arrives, she notices that her new home is a bit odd, and that though there is evidence of life out there… they don’t want her to either acknowledge it or do anything about it. She of course finds this troubling.
Here’s an excerpt:
“I’m sure that’s the case but how can I not be excited over this? It’s the find of a lifetime,” she said reveling in the thought of making contact with extra-terrestrial life.

“You don‘t have to try to impress us. Just do you your work and you‘ll be fine.”

“What does that mean?”

 “It means you don’t worry about it. There is plenty of research to be done. You could spend your entire lifetime studying the Jugis Star Cluster alone.”

“Haven’t you ever looked up in the sky and wondered if there was anyone else out there?”

“Of course I have. And if anyone back home asks, tell them it’s just us,” he said finishing off his drink.

 Speculative Sky is available from Red Rose Publishing: http://redrosepublishing.com/books/product_info.php?products_id=681
  • What books have most influenced your life most?
To be honest, in fiction category, it would have to be the old star wars books that came out in the eighties after Return of the Jedi. The expanded universe books taught me more about atmospheric and expanded universe development then any book I know! I read them over and over again and learned about non-human creature development, planetary science fiction and description of space travel and not to mention how to write a cool leading man. I still read them!
  • If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Douglas Preston and/or Lincoln Child. They write incredibly compelling books of which I generally can't put down.
  • What book are you reading now?
To be honest and I am almost finished with “Book of the Dead” with Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I'll be going through their back list very soon in order to get caught up.
  • Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Last night I was thinking about the Friday House about D. K. Gaston and how it's a compelling story about assassins who have no memory of their being programmed and stuff. I think it's cool. And several books on the military scifi romance front that I have recently heard about. I write in a tiny subgenre so it's nice to see what other authors are doing in it. That way I don't get lonely!
  • What are your current projects?
 Presently I am finishing up the final editing for “Ice and Peace” the sequel to Cold Warriors. As well as having another expanded universe book in the works. Not to mention, two futuristic romances that are completely different from my military fiction.
  • Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
The Motown Creative Writers Group-- they helped get on the road to being published. And not to mention the many groups in the Romance community. They really pointed me in the right direction. I'm grateful for that.
  • Do you see writing as a career?
Yes! One day I hope to do it full time.
  • If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
Yeah that's why I have to hurry up and get it out of my hands cause I keep changing it!
  • Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
As a child my father use to encourage it. I use to write stories for my family and give it to them and they would say “Maybe one day you could get this published!” I was like five.... and then when I was in middle school I found out that S. E. Hinton had been published at sixteen-- I became truly determined then.
  • Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Yea, getting through the first draft!
  • Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Just get the first draft down on paper and don't be afraid to make stupid mistakes and have dumb lines on paper cause it's the first draft and you are allowing the characters to come alive. Later on you can fix and micro manage but don't try to do it the first time through cause it will stifle your creativity.

  • Do you have any advice for other writers?
Don't give up on being published! Try every avenue! There is away for you!

 
Clare, thank you for visiting Vivid Sentiments, and good luck with your book.
You can find Clare on any of these links:

Morpheus Tales' Review of Zuphreen

Zuphreen ~ Bestower of Damnation was reviewed by Morpheus Tales, a quarterly magazine, featuring the highest quality fiction, artwork and non-fiction.

I love the reviewer’s take on the story and the metaphorical elements in the book. Here’s a small peek into the review:
“…right from the initial incantation and from there the story takes us on a riveting trip through a teenage wasteland beset with supernatural creatures, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t know which is most frightening.”

To read more, please follow this link to their 10th issue in PDF format: http://www.morpheustales.com/reviews.htm
Thanks, Christian!

05 October 2010

Taming Temptations


The need to curb a desire can bump up the temptation's level in one's life; like the craving for chocolate while dieting, or the urge to have excessive sex while partner/spouse/lover is out of town. Too much of a good thing, is bad.
What makes it harder to resist temptations is the conceived theorization to just-have-it, whatever ‘it’ may be. I knew a girl who believed plastic surgeries were her way to happiness; a nose job here, a lift there, a tuck in that corner, and voila! She would feel all different, all new. She did look all different and all new!
Loneliness and inactivity can weaken us enough to succumb easily to temptations.
Leading a busy life leaves no time for, let’s say, bingeing on chocolate. Yes, there will be the occasional morsels here and there, but they won’t come close to the quantities consumed while watching TV, for example.
Think of all the ‘anonymous’ groups; there is strength in numbers; solidarity brings people together to develop a solution, a way out, a distraction.
However, there are those odd temptations, the ones that are more delicious if they remain untamed.

Magnolia Colby, in Untamed Temptation, my shapeshifter romance, suffers her fears and doubts alone, never possessing the valor to find more of or about her kind. She’d chosen that path out of consideration for other’s safety, but ended up almost sacrificing herself out of self-imposed unknowingness. She had attempted to control the untamed, her otherness. Add to that, her attraction to Alex, who had failed—no, refused, to resist her.
Tangled in her emotional turmoil, the Amazon jungle, and her self-doubt, Magnolia must choose between surrendering blindly to the untamed temptation churning within her heart, or taking a chance on Alex to find her true soul and peace with him.

03 October 2010

Deathtalker - Book Review

Deathtalker by P.L. Blair
ISBN Number: 978-0-9796974-3-2
Genre: Fantasy/Suspense
Publisher: Studio See

Deathtalker by P.L. Blair is the third book in her Portals series. It is fantasy and detective adventures mixed into one preternatural package. There are spells, unique powers, and creatures from another world. There’s one such creature who crossed the portal from the Otherside—the non-human one—and chose Corpus Christi as his hunting ground. His victims are women who had one mistake in common, falling in love.
Detective Kat Morales and her elven partner, Tevis McLeod are on the hunt for this serial killer, whose hunger is rivaled only by his vengeful nature. Both detectives are members of an elite little team led by Arvandus the wizard, whose main task is to face threats from the Otherside.
The question is not whether they will find the Deathtalker, but whether they will survive him.

I admit, I haven’t read the first two books of the series, but I didn’t feel lost or missing details. Whenever necessary, there were explanations that didn’t give away the previous books’ plot, but shed light on this magical world of P.L. Blair's.
I enjoyed this dull-moments-lacking story. There are mythical creatures who aren’t as cute or helpful as we were given to believe in folklore.
Deathtalker is a solid, well written, and intriguing story. It draws you in and doesn’t let go. You keep cheering the good guys, and you hate the bad guy’s gut enough to want to throttle him.
There were, however, times when I missed the romantic attraction/s in the book. And although the main characters were interesting, Kat was a bit indistinct at times; there was more in this book about the non-human’s powers than about her as a human. This could be because it’s the third book in the series, perhaps more about her was revealed in the previous two books.

Will I be reading another book by P.L. Blair? Definitely! I just need to decide whether I’ll go for the previous two or the ones following Deathtalker!
Perhaps all.

01 October 2010

World Creation

I love how letters push back at my fingers whenever I type, their clickety-clicks echoing in my office, announcing the birth of a story. The laptop’s small screen displays my words, my creations, for all to see. In black and white they shimmer, leap, and blend, forging my worlds.