Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts

24 September 2013

Interview: Mind Over Psyche by Karina Fabian

Karina Fabian is no stranger to this blog and I'm happy to welcome her again to promote her latest paranormal/fantasy release, Mind Over Psyche, book Two of the Mind Over trilogy.  Please join me in welcoming her and wishing her all the best.
But before we begin the interview, here's a small intro to the book through its blurb.

Don't you just love this cover?
Blurb: 
Deryl isn’t crazy; he’s psychic.  Desperate to escape the insane asylum, Deryl  teleports to Kanaan, a world of telepaths who regard him as an oracle.  But freedom comes at a price.  The Kanaan expect their oracle to teach them to use their powers to wage war.  Meanwhile, he’s falling in love, but to be with her means to share his psyche, which could drive her insane.  Most dangerous of all, he hasn’t escaped the Call of the Master, enemy of the Kanaan, whose telepathic manipulations were why Deryl was committed in the first place.  Now, the Master will forge Deryl’s powers into a weapon to kill all he loves or destroy his mind trying.

Following is the interview (Psst: There's a trailer and excerpt as well)
1.  In Mind Over Mind, you had a romance between Joshua and Sachiko.  Will we see more of that in Mind Over Psyche?
No.  It’s Deryl’s turn to fall in love, and it will be a very different experience from Joshua’s.  For one, Tasmae is an alien.  Kanaan mate for life and when they meet their soul mate, it’s usually a compulsion.  They know, on a biological and telepathic level, that this is their soul mate, and they figure out the rest later.  Of course, Deryl being human makes things a little confusing for both him and Tasmae.  There’s more danger involved, as one or the other could drive each other insane in the literal sense.  Kanaan bonding is more than joining hearts or bodies.  They link minds.  Readers of Mind Over Mind know that’s traumatic enough for Deryl even with limited human contact.  What’s worse, however, is that Tasmae is under the psychic influence of her ancestor’s memories—her ancestor who had gone mad.  Add to that the fact that some of the Kanaan close to Tasmae see Deryl as a threat, not an oracle, and you can understand why Joshua is really worried about Deryl and Tasmae ever having the chance to be alone together.

2.  Joshua practices a form of psychiatry called neuro linguistic programming.  He used it extensively in Mind Over Mind.  Will he use it in Mind Over Psyche?
Some, but it really doesn’t work with aliens.  He will, however, save a child’s life with it, and will use some techniques to help Deryl and Tasmae out of danger.  In this book, he also gets to exercise his musical talents.

3.  What is your favorite scene?
Tasmae is deeply under the influence of her ancestor’s memories and the pain and confusion have made her violent.  They’re causing Deryl pain a well, and he begs Joshua to help her.  He’s a psychiatric prodigy, right?  Never mind that he’s 19, an intern, has no drugs or orderlies as backup and oh, yeah, is dealing with aliens.  I loved imagining what Joshua, Deryl, and especially Tasmae were thinking and doing.  Crazy can be a lot of fun…when it’s not real.

4.  What’s the challenge about writing about a psychic people?
They don’t communicate just in words, but also images, emotions, and simple knowing.  For example, why have a name for a person when you can pass on the knowledge of who that person is?  Ditto for places.  However, to reach a reader, I have to use words.  No one wants to read “the captain of the Kanaan guard” ten times a page, so some characters needed names, and I needed a reason for them to have one.  In the end, humans and the Barin (who also have verbal language) name certain things.  This will be fun in Mind Over All, because Joshua will joking name a young boy who clings to him, “Axel,” and it sticks, to Sachiko’s ire.
Also, with no written language, there needs to be a way to preserve history.  This is vital in Mind Over Psyche, as memories are stored in psychic plants.  You experience things as the person experienced them—no sanitizing, no skimming, no skipping the yucky parts (unless the plant allows it.)

  
5.  Tell us about the everyn.  They’re more than just small dragons, right?
Oh, yes.  The everyn are part of the sentient animals species called Bondfriends.  They have a symbiotic psychic relationship with certain Kanaan (also called Bondfriends).  Without this psychic bonding, an everyn reverts to a fully animal state, while a Kanaan will ignore their physical state until they die before they reach puberty.  Bondfriends life separate from “regular” Kanaan, who don’t’ really understand their psychic relationship.  Also, because they are an animal/person mind, so to speak, they are a bit wilder than the Kanaan.

Excerpt:
Joshua returned to consciousness fully expecting to be in a hospital bed, his slashed throat swathed in bandages, his singing career over before it had started. His hands moved to his throat, found it bare and intact and breathed a prayer of thanks before opening his eyes.
He found himself on his back in a small, tree-lined meadow, but he didn’t recognize the trees.
He sat up slowly, more disoriented than dizzy. Had he had amnesia? “Sachiko?” he called. “Mom? Dad? Anyone?”
He saw Deryl lying on his side, unconscious. Not far from him, near a break in the treeline, stood—
Joshua gulped.
A unicorn!
…or something like a unicorn. Its rhinoceros-like horn and thick neck and shoulders made it a far scarier version than any Joshua had read about in fantasy novels. It stared straight at them.
Joshua licked dry lips. “Easy fella,” he soothed, and reached over to shake his friend. “Deryl, time to wake up.”
Part of Joshua’s mind gibbered that Deryl was really psychic, that he’d teleported them to an alien planet. Another part argued that he was dreaming or had gone insane himself. He told them both to shut up, but he couldn’t stop his breathing from accelerating or his hands from trembling as he shook his friend.
Deryl’s eyelids fluttered, then closed. 
He’s drugged. Malachai’s zombiefied him again, and we’re stuck on another world! 
He shook his friend harder. “Come on, man! Don’t do this to me. Wake up!”
Joshua heard hoof beats and turned in time to see several unicorns with red-clad riders approach from the trail. He vaguely noted they looked human, before his eyes focused on the swords they drew.
He did the only thing he could think of. He raised his arms, palms open, and said, “We come in peace!”
The warrior he faced, a scowling man with a narrow head, wide-set eyes, and a pocked and scarred face, didn’t understand him or didn’t care. He arched his sword toward Joshua.
Joshua covered his head with his arms and ducked. 
 About Karina Fabian:
Winner of the 2010 INDIE for best Fantasy (Magic, Mensa and Mayhem), Karina Fabian has plenty of voices in her head without being psychic.  Fortunately, they fuel her many stories, like the Mind Over trilogy. Mrs. Fabian teaches writing and book marketing seminars, but mostly is concerned with supporting her husband, Rob Fabian as he makes the exciting leap from military officer to civilian executive, getting her kids through high school and college, and surviving daily circuit torture…er, circuit training.  Read about her adventures at http://fabianspace.com.  

Find Karina at:
  Or visit her Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Karina-L.-Fabian/e/B002BLY5L6/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

16 June 2012

Book review: Sleeper, AwakeSleeper, Awake by Bob Rich

Sleeper, AwakeSleeper, Awake by Bob Rich

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The story takes place in the future, to be more precise 1400 years after the Cataclysm had hit the earth and destroyed it as we know it today. That destruction resulted in the building of a different type of society.
For one thing, sexual disposition, though more relaxed, promotes equality and better chances, people live in synch with the environment, respecting it by using challenges against it to prove their worthiness, homes can be relocated with a thought, and there are no geologically threatening acts that could ruin it, again. People have learnt their lesson. Governments are no more, the planet is governed by Control; a group of people who utilize an intelligent computer named Artif. There are problems of course, the author didn't create a utopian world, but there is one more significant difference; population, all over the earth, is limited to one million, plus the sleepers. Sleepers are people who have been placed in suspended animation in the 21st century until a better future is available for them. They are mainly people with incurable diseases, but there are those who have done it out of vanity.
It was natural that when Flora Fielding was awakened that she assumed a cure was found for cancer. Except that wasn't true; cancer didn't stand a chance before Artif's watchful eye that monitors everyone's health, fertility level, and thoughts.
So why was Flora awakened? To solve a problem of course, but until then, she gets her own implant, learns about this new society where men have to prove their worthiness to women since the women choose who would father their children. Flora also adapts to warmer world, which means almost everyone walks around naked, proud of their natural appearances. Darker color is more beautiful as it complements the change in temperature. Still, Flora's paleness is not held against her. After all, she was a sleeper.
Dr. Rich created a thought provoking world, he took problems and warnings we're facing today, allowed them to bloom, and then offered a solution and an remarkable world to exist in. I managed to glimpse the world from the eyes of a 70 years old woman, a 13 years old boy, and from a newcomer to that world. It was pleasant to be able to view and analyze that reality from several angles.
The book is incredibly creative and it shows the author's knowledge. Needless to say, the book remained with me for a long time, it's a book that makes one ponder life and decisions.




View all my reviews

27 December 2011

Guest Blog: How Cleanse Fire came to be by Anastasia V. Pergakis

Please welcome author Anastasia V. Pergakis who has agreed to share with us how her debut novel, Cleanse Fire, came to be.
Welcome, Anastasia. The floor is yours.
****
Thank you Su for having me on your blog to talk about my debut novel, Cleanse Fire.
Complete the mission, no matter what…
Captain Derac Vidor has served Kinir for nearly twenty years. It’s his life, his blood, his soul. And then his Commander betrays everything Derac holds dear. Now he has to focus on his own life and his team instead of saving the citizens of Kinir.
Treason is only the beginning…
Fueled by rage, the team chases the source to their Commander’s betrayal – a powerful wizard bent on revenge. The wizard seeks to destroy the Kinir Elite, in both mind and body. No place is safe, even among their allies.
The past holds the key…
Derac’s tragic past may be the key to saving the team. But can he face the gruesome nightmare in time?
~ * ~ * ~
Su asked me to tell you how the story, how Cleanse Fire came to be. I've talked about this before, but it's one of my favorite stories to tell. My intention with this book is to honor soldiers and the sacrifice they make serving their country.

I'm sure you're wondering what a fantasy author - or a fantasy book - has to do with honoring soldiers. Simply put, I'm a proud Army Brat. My Dad served 20 years, 1982 - 2002, in the U.S. Army, retiring with the rank of Sergeant First Class. He was as a Drill Sergeant for a few years, training fellow infantrymen where he earned the nickname "The Hurricane." His service took him around the world to places like Korea, Panama, Egypt, Israel, Germany, and more. I asked him once what he felt like serving and he told me "privileged."

"Who shall we send for us?" … "Here I am. Send me." -- Airborne quote

Now, the thing about my Dad, as you can see in the picture here, he looks very serious - and almost scary really. But the thing is, he would get down on the floor with me and my sister when we were little girls, and play Barbies with us! I'm definitely a Daddy's girl and I wanted to honor him with my writing.

Even though I'm a fantasy writer, I had the idea a few years ago to write a story about his career and his life. He was great and answered all the questions I had, even though I'm sure some of them were hard to answer. I began writing the story and got about a page into it when I realized there was no way I could do it. I didn't think I could capture the feelings, the emotions, he felt during that time in an accurate way. I would hate to write a story to honor him - and all soldiers - but only end up ruining it completely.

So, I put the story down for a few years. When NaNoWriMo came around in 2009, the story resurfaced in my brain again and the urge to write a story to honor soldiers was still strong. But this time, the story came to me in a different way - as a fantasy novel.

The story as it exists now, is completely fictional. The characters in the book are soldiers, granted they're elves, but soldiers just the same. And they are dedicated to their country, just as soldiers in our world are dedicated to theirs.

I want to honor my Dad - and all soldiers. Because of that, I'm donating a portion of the royalties from Cleanse Fire, and the books to follow in the series, to the Wounded Warrior Project. This organization helps wounded soldiers and their families heal after they return home. You can learn more about them and read stories from soldiers they helped at their website, www.WoundedWarriorProject.org. It is an American organization, but it is my hope that my book honors soldiers across the sea as well. The Wounded Warrior Project is merely the beginning!

This is just my way of saying thank you to the sacrifice and dedication our armed forces give for our freedoms. I was lucky that my Dad was not killed during his service (and he still lives to this day). But there are so many that come home severely wounded, or not at all. I want my book, even though it its fantasy, to tell soldiers that their sacrifice means something, that we know how important it is, and that we are eternally grateful.

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what's in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." -- G. K. Chesterton
 
~ * ~ * ~
 Purchase Cleanse Fire
Join the Kinir Brigade by signing up for our newsletter! Get exclusive deals, access to special giveaways, and inside information about the series! Join the Kinir Brigade now and receive the first five chapters in your email! And don't forget to visit our Facebook Page and Website too!

Giveaway
 I’m giving away an e-copy of Cleanse Fire! Leave a comment on this post to enter into the random drawing. I'll draw the names at the end of my tour, January 31, 2012. If you want more chances to win a copy, visit our website to follow our tour! The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

All commenters will also be added to the drawing for a chance to win a signed hard cover. Drawing for the hardcover will be on January 31, 2012, the end of my tour.

You can also get more chances to win by tweeting or posting on facebook! Just leave a link to the tweet or post in a comment below!

**All Winners will be announced on the Kinir Elite Website on February 1st**
 ~ * ~ * ~
 AUTHOR BIO

Anastasia knew she always wanted to write. She began at a young age, writing those little stories about the apple tree in the yard. Though her love of stories stayed with her through her poetry stage in high school, she didn’t begin writing novels until she was almost an adult. That’s where she found her true passion.
Her characters visit her dreams – and sometimes during the day – to share their stories with her. Anastasia is merely the writer, but the characters are really the storytellers.
Anastasia lives in Columbus, Georgia with her husband and son. A stay at home Mom, she loves spending time with her son during the day, then writing furiously at night.

23 May 2011

Book Review: Home by Carson Buckingham

Title: Home
Author: Carson Buckingham
Genre: Horror

Publisher: Hellfire Publishing
Available format: PDF, E-pub,Mobi
Buy here

HOME by Carson Buckingham

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Kate Kavanagh’s life is changing, in many ways. Secrets, weird allies, and changing views of the world are only few of the elements Kate has to face to carry on with her life.

I doubt I can say more without giving Home away, and that would be a shame. One must read this book to experience the suspense, intrigue, and the amazing revelations at the end. I’m usually good at guessing what’s coming next, fortunately, I failed miserably with this book. Surprises popped on each page, leaving me wondering where this was leading. I can honestly say Home made me experience an emotion I haven’t felt for a while; I was hooked without knowing on what.

I believe Home could have been longer. Some very interesting characters were mentioned in the passing, ones I wanted to know more about. I can’t even mention their names because I will give part of the surprise away. Also, the revelations came in a gush at the end, all in one go. I wish she had stretched it a bit by trickling surprises the same way she trickled the incidents leading to it. I can only hope that Buckingham is planning a sequel or a prequel to the book.

This was my first Carson Buckingham book, it will most definitely NOT be my last.

*off to look for more books by this author*


View all my reviews

29 April 2011

Book Review: Shadow Path by P.L. Blair

Book Title: Shadow Path
Author: P.L. Blair
Genre: Fantasy - Adventure - Mystery
Publisher: Studio See Publishing

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Buy Paperback

Review: 
Kat Morales and her Elf partner, Tevis, are police detectives in Corpus Christi, Texas, assigned to solve the mystery of the dead ogre found stabbed with an enchanted sword. The world isn't the same since the portals opened between our world and the "Otherside" few years back. Seeing an elf with his pointy ears is a normal thing, maybe not accepted by all, but normal nonetheless. However, crimes now (sometimes) involve magic and a good portion of--what was called before the portals opened--the supernatural.Although "Shadow Path" is book one in the fantasy adventure Portals Series by P.L. Blair, it is the third book I read in the series. Luckily, each book was written to stand alone, with enough hints to drive you back to read the other books but without missing the story you're reading at the time.
Shadow Path has some enlightening moments when mythology met P.L. Blair's imagination half way. An intriguing read, indeed. It was quite entertaining to research Greek mythology to find out where Blair's creativity sparked and changed things or even added to them. Reading how Arvandus and Gairth met Kat and Tevis was like meeting old friends after a long time; I had goosebumps all over my arms. I smiled.
Dragons, elves, pixies, and many other creatures I haven't heard of make an appearance in this book. If you are a teen or older, interested in fantasy and its fantastical creatures, myths, and whodunit mysteries, then Shadow Path is for you.


15 March 2011

Stormcaller by P.L. Blair ~ Book Trailer

This is the trailer for Stormcaller, book 2 in P.L. Blair's "Portals" fantasy adventure series.


Tilte: Stormcaller
Author: P.L. Blair
Genre: Fantasy - Adventure
ISBN: 9780979697425
Publisher: Studio See Publishing
Book Blurb:
Stormcaller continues the adventures of Corpus Christi police detective Kat Morales and her Elven partner Tevis in P.L. Blair's second book in her "Portals" series. They battle an ancient Aztec god to save the Texas gulf coastline from certain destruction by a hurricane. Tlaloc, worshipped by the ancient Aztecs as a god of rains, storms and disease, has come to Corpus Christi with an ultimatum: He will be worshiped as in times past, including Human sacrifice, or he will destroy the Texas coastline with a hurricane. It's up to Police Detective Kat Morales, her Elven partner Tevix and the rest of an elite team headed by the Wizard Arvandus to stop Tlaloc before he makes good on his threat. The adventures that began for Kat and Tevis in Shadow Path continue as they race against time, and between worlds, to defeat the Stormcaller.

04 March 2011

Guest Blog ~ DEMONIZED – When side characters take over by Naomi Clark

Today, Naomi Clark shares with us how Demonized, her latest release from Damnation Books, came to be.
Welcome, Naomi.

DEMONIZED – When side characters take over

When I wrote AFTERLIFE, I didn't honestly think it would ever get published. I was going through  a bad patch with my writing – I'd just left my agent, and wasn't sure I really had what it takes to "make it" as a writer. So in writing AFTERLIFE, I just wanted to have fun and I threw in a whole bunch of things purely to entertain myself. One of those things was Ethan Banning.

I've always had a thing for private eyes and noir, and I had a blast writing about down-and-out PI Ethan. I loved him the minute he showed up on the page. I loved his mannerisms, his not-as-funny-as-he-thinks jokes, and his ballsy, no-defeat attitude. I even loved the bad things about him, like his chain-smoking and incessant foul language. He wasn't supposed to be more than a side character, but for me he took over the page every time he came on it. So it seemed natural – nay, inevitable -  to me when AFTERLIFE was finished, to follow it up with a story all about Ethan.

You see, in AFTERLIFE, Ethan got possessed. Oh, sure, Yasmin Stoker, heroine of that story, helped get rid of the demon, but a little piece stayed behind. And now Ethan has it's voice in his head constantly, telling him to hurt people, to hurt himself. When you're already broke and living off noodles, that's the last thing you need. So in DEMONIZED, readers get to see what happens to Ethan now the events of AFTERLIFE are wrapped up. It's a dark book, and I actually felt pretty bad about some of the things I put Ethan through whilst writing it, but I love it nonetheless.
I got to know Ethan better now he was centre stage. I found that he loves dogs and late-night shopping channels, that he's not always as brave as he likes to pretend, and that he keeps his sense of humour no matter how bad things get. You've got to love a man like that, even if he's not real. And I hope readers will feel the same way I do.

Demonized Blurb:
PI Ethan Banning is smoking too much, sleeping too little, and hearing voices. One voice, to be exact: the voice of the demon that possessed him on his last case. A voice that urges him to hurt, rape, kill, and Ethan doesn't think he has the strength to ignore it much longer.
When his latest missing person case turns into a murder investigation, Ethan finds himself fighting not just demonic urges, but black magic, an incubus with a hidden agenda, and a client who just won't pay up. Luckily, Ethan's got a few friends on his side, like Detective Anna Radcliffe, and his trusty dog, Mutt. If Ethan can ignore the demon long enough, he might just solve this case before it kills him.

About Naomi Clark:

Naomi Clark lives in Cambridge and is a mild-mannered office worker by day, but a slightly crazed writer by night. She has a perfectly healthy obsession with giant sea creatures and a preference for vodka-based cocktails. When she's not writing, Naomi is probably either reading or watching 80s cartoon shows, and sometimes she manages to do all three at once.
Find me online!

15 February 2011

Author Interview and Giveaway - Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz

This interview with Author Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz is part of her A Past and A Future blog tour.
Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz has published more than 100 articles, 75 stories, two e‑books, a chapbook, and her stories have been included in two anthologies. She writes for both adults and children. Her fiction has appeared in numerous genre and children’s publications and non‑fiction work has appeared in a variety of writing, parenting, and young adult print magazines and on line publications.  She edits for three small independent publishers.

Welcome, Penny. Thanks for visiting Vivid Sentiments.
Hi Su, thank you for the opportunity to talk about my recently released collection of short stories, A Past and A Future.  This book is published by Sam’s Dot Publishing, and is available through Genremall at http://www.genremall.com/anthologiesr.htm#pastfuture
  • Tell us a bit about yourself.
I retired from my position as Office Manager for our County District Attorney in 2008.  Since then, I have been able to write full-time.  I am also an editor for MuseItUp Publishing, Damnation Press, and 4RV Publishing.  When I’m not reading as an editor, I enjoy reading for pleasure and primarily read fantasy and science fiction.  My husband and I live in rural Oregon on six acres, and while we’ve had numerous animals in the past, we’re now down to two small dogs and three cats.  We have two grown married children with one 3 year old granddaughter and a grandson due in June.  I also enjoy gardening, crocheting, and water aerobics. I’m trying to learn to knit, but that’s not coming along too well.
  • As a child, what did you want to do when you grow up?
This is an easy one!  I wanted to be a writer.  It’s something I’ve always known I wanted to be from the time I started to dream of life after childhood.  It’s nice to finally be a grown up and get to do what I enjoy doing…telling stories and entertaining people.
  • When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I always thought of myself as a writer, even when I wasn’t published.  It was hard however to introduce myself to people as “Hi, I’m Penny. I’m a writer.”  Now that I’m retired and writing full time, with several book contracts signed, it’s easier to identify myself as a writer.  I’ve been writing stories for my own enjoyment since I was a child.  If I wasn’t writing stories, I was writing letters to friends, relatives and pen pals.  I still have some of the stories I wrote as a child. It’s fun to read them to school kids when I do an author’s visit.
  • Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
I would say the most challenging thing in writing is marketing.  Telling stories is easy, but selling the finished product is hard for me.  I’m not an outgoing person and knocking on doors and asking people to buy my book is difficult.
  • What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
When I start to write, I tend to write every day. Since I’m retired, I have the luxury of being able to write whenever I want to and for as long as I want to.  I find my stories play in my head like a movie when the scene is being played out on the computer screen.  Sometimes, I close my eyes, see what’s happening and then start writing.  I like being able to pick and choose when I write, since on beautiful days (which happen only on rare occasions here in Oregon), I like to be out in my garden.  I have found, though, with my recent laptop purchase, I can now take my writing work outside with me.  This is a plus.
The one thing I have to try not to do when I’m on a writing binge is get side-tracked with email, Facebook and Twitter :-)
  •  Where do you get your ideas for your books from?
I get my ideas from a lot of different places.  Sometimes, it’s a story someone told me.  For example, my middle grade novel, Ghost for Rent, got its start after a friend told me about ghostly apparitions in the house she was renting.  Other times, I get an idea when I’m reading a newspaper or magazine article.  Ashley of Ashland, in the A Past and A Future collection, came from an article I read in a newspaper.  Rebels with a Cause was prompted by my work as a secretary in our county juvenile department.   My picture book, Boo’s Bad Day, came out of a true life story of our black cat that, during a severe ice storm, climbed up a 75 foot tree and didn’t know how to get down.
  • What does your family think of your writing?
I think they have mixed emotions, although they are supportive.  I started my professional writing career when my youngest was ten years old.  At the time, she didn’t believe I was a “real” writer because I focused on non-fiction articles and short stories.  She said I couldn’t be a writer until I had published a book.  That was the beginning of my first  children’sbook, Ghost for Rent.  Now, as a grade school teacher, she has invited me to her classroom to talk to her students and read from my book. My husband is thrilled with me each time I see my name in print. My daughter-in-law is perhaps more excited about my writing than my son, but he also thinks it’s great. My mother, of course, is immensely proud of my writing accomplishments, but isn’t that what moms do best?
  • How many books have you written?
My first book was an eBook, Then and Later, which had a short life since the publisher went out of business about a year after publication.  My next book was Ghost for Rent, published by an eBook publisher but also available as a POD.  I’ve written over a hundred short stories for both adults and children which have appeared in a variety of genre and small press magazines and online.  Now that I’m retired, I am more focused on the books.  I have two novelettes coming out from MuseItUp publishing this year and four children’s books coming from 4 RV publishing over the next four years. The recently released A Past and A Future is a collection of some of my favorite short stories.  Some of these were in the original collection, but many are new to this book and a couple have never before been published.
  • What do you think makes a good story?
For me a good story needs to entertain me, and I hope I do that when I write my stories.  I’ve had a number of jobs where I dealt with nasty things…working for a women’s crisis center, working at the juvenile department, and working at the district attorney’s office.  So, when I pick up a story to read, I want to be transported to another realm.  I guess this is why I write fantasy and science fiction.  I like good strong characters who also have their flaws.  I tend to include relationships in my stories because I believe those interactions are important to my stories.
  • Do you ever suffer from writer's block? If so, what do you do about it?
I have definitely had dry periods.  I’m not sure they would be considered writer’s block.  When I think of writer’s block, I think of someone sitting at her computer screen unable to think of what to write.  I tend to write in spurts.  I’m not a writer who has to sit down every day to write, although I’ve read in numerous writing manuals that’s what I should do.  When a story idea hits me, I’m ready to go.  If I don’t have an idea in mind, I don’t worry about it.  One will come along.  One thing I have found useful is being able to vary what I write.  If a fiction idea isn’t coming, I can turn to non-fiction. I have had success with writing parenting articles, teen self-help articles, and writing tips. Also switching genres helps…thus my fantasy, science fiction, romance, and children’s stories.
  • How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?
I don’t use a set formula.  I’m what is called a “pantster.”  I write from the “seat of my pants.”  When an idea comes along that I want to pursue, I tend to sit down and start writing. Sometimes a character comes to mind first and then has to tell his or her story. When I wrote Down So Low, The Ground Looks Like Up, I had the concept for someone so down on her luck there seemed like no options for her.  The story went from there.  I would have to say that each story develops differently based on what story I want to tell, or what story my character wants to tell.
  • What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?
My tools, besides my computer, are my collection of writing reference books.  Although my computer has a dictionary, I rely on my good old Random House Webster’s Dictionary.  I also have both the Roget’s Super Thesaurus and Roget’s Thesaurus of Phrases.  I often refer to my Strunk and White, Elements of Style, and The Craft of Writing by William Sloane.  Finally, I’ve become fond of The Writer’s Digest, Grammar Desk Reference.
  • Do you look to your own phobias to find subject matter? Are your stories the products of nightmares, childhood experiences, fantasies?
I think most writers do, and I often include things which are either my own or my children’s experiences.  As a woman writer, I like my female characters to be strong, not necessarily physically, but able to find ways to defend themselves.  Sometimes they use magic, sometimes they use their intellect, but I want them to win.  My dad died when I was a child, so I definitely have a fascination with ghosts and the afterlife. 
  • Where do you as an author draw the line on gory descriptions and/or erotic content?
I tend to write more PG-13 material than gory descriptions or erotic content.  I think the imagination of the reader is so much more vivid than anything I would want to put on paper.  I will write about sexual relations without describing the act.  I will also write about physical violence but not give graphic descriptions.
  •  What are your current projects?
  1. A Past and A Future – my latest release, is a collection of sixteen short stories, half are fantasy and half are science fiction. 
  2. Ghost for Rent – is a middle grade paranormal mystery. 
  3. Dragon Sight – is a young adult illustrated chapbook. 
  4. Love Delivery – is a contemporary romance, coming August, 2011.
  5. Lady in Waiting – is an historical romance, coming November, 2011.
  6. Funny Dog –  is a picture book, coming May, 2012.
  7. Ghost for Lunch – is a middle grade paranormal mystery and sequel, coming September, 2013.
  8. Many Colored Coats – a picture book, is coming October, 2014.
  9. Boo's Bad Day – is a picture book coming June, 2015.
  • Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Stories included in A Past and A Future are:
1. Flight of the Roc: What would you do if your master told you to collect a roc's egg?  What would happen if the egg you collected hatched?
2. Blurred Vengeance: Temur's father is murdered.  Will his journey to avenge his father's death bring him what he wants, or will it destroy him?
3. Who Will Heal the Healer: Marzan teaches Niane to control the winds, but what about the winds of fate?  Will Niane be able to save her mentor when the underworld claims him?
4. Ashley of Ashland:   Ashley, a young magician covets his brother's fiance, but what are her feelings?  Can Ashley's magic be enough to save him and his true love?
5. The Watcher: Zerelda is a watcher in a world of women.  When a prince comes to impregnate her ruler, will they find a forbidden love instead?
6. Enchantress:  Merlin knows his fate, but he struggles to stand against it.  Will his powers be stronger than his apprentice’s, or will he find himself a victim of love?
7.Drakoni: She is from this world.  He is from another.  A dragon draws them together.  Will she look beyond his pointed ears and see the man of her dreams? 
8. Heshe: Lyda runs, hiding her identity from her abusive stepfather.  Her rescuer has a secret of his own.  Will they both find happiness or will their pursuers stop them before they find their paradise?
9. The Baby Makers: How far would you go to have a baby if you can't conceive on your own?  Would you accept a clone?  Would you fight for that's child's rights in a world unprepared for it?
10. 3-D Pictures:  Avery's boss thought he was crazy, but was he?  When he stared into the 3-D picture, he saw a land others couldn't.  Will he enter the picture, or accept the doctor's diagnosis?
11. Screen Saver:  Clancy is used to strange people.  His boss represents them.  But when the bullets start flying, will the screen saver save him?
12. Isolation:  The world has died, except for small pockets of isolated communities.   But what if you are tired of the isolation?  What if you wanted to find somewhere to be free?  Would you take the chance?
13. Love in a Different Hue:  Chiri's father is a scientist who invents artificial life.   What should she do when the robot her father created looks better to her than her husband?
14. Down So Low The Ground Looks Like Up:  Sylvan is sensitive to others feelings.  It drives her crazy, so she drinks to dull the pain.  Will Dev, the police officer who finds her, rescue her from her demons?
15. Rebels With a Cause:  Shahleena is bored with her existence.  Will volunteering to help juvenile offenders help her or help them?
16. Clockworks:  John lives in Structured.  His ancestors came from Upheaval.  On a whim, he decides to visit.  What will happen to him when he cannot leave fast enough?
  • How did you come up with the title for your book?
Since the collection is half fantasy and half science fiction, I wanted a title which reflected the past and the future.  An earlier collection, which also included both fantasy and science fiction, was Then and Later.  Since I couldn’t use the same title  again, I went with A Past and A Future.
  •  Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Again, since this is a collection, rather than a novel, I don’t think there is any one message.  I write to entertain and allow readers to move outside the present world in which we live.  I think, though, that all my stories have a message of hope.  No matter when, no matter where, things can get better,
  •  Are there parts of the book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
I would say my characters are composites of people I know or have met or seen somewhere.  No one character is exactly like a real person or completely based upon a real person.  However, each character might have a trait or physical resemblance to a living person.
  • If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
No.  I like the stories I chose to include in the book.  People who have read it, tell me they are enjoying it.  This is always pleasant feedback for an author to hear.
  •  What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Above when I answered a similar question, I said the marketing of the book.  But I would also say the discipline to sit down and actually write and not get distracted by a sunny day or a household project that needs doing. 
  •  Where can we find you online?
My blog is http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.blogspot.com/



Su, I want to thank you for the opportunity to be here today.  You asked some great questions.


Thank you, Penny for stopping by. Your books sound interesting and worth checking out. Good luck!
The Giveaway

Leave a comment below with your email address if you would like to win a copy of Crash Landing, a free story not part of the anthology. The author will email the book to one lucky winner.
Giveaway ends Wednesday, February 16, 2011.

21 January 2011

The Zargothian Tales: Return of the Son of Hamorin - The Trailer

Yes, I'm back, and I bring with me a bag of goodies.
Well, one goody really, but it's worth it. I've been gone for sometime doing this and that, but mainly I was designing a trailer for a heart warming young adult book:
The Zargothian Tales: Return of the Son of Hamorin by Aidan Lucid.
It is a fantastic story of a boy, who finds a coin that takes him to another world. Oh, boy, what a world!
Here's the blurb:
Outside the walls of Zargothia, two forces will collide in bloody combat. King Zakarius and his Sadarkian army fight for total supremacy; Argoth, king of the humans, and his allies - the Jenormes and the Volarks, fight for their freedom. Argoth's most powerful ally, however, is Henry Simmons, a 15 year-old boy from our world who was transported along with three others (two airmen from 1945 and a cat named Jasper) via a portal to Zargothia to save Argoth and his people. But Henry is no ordinary boy for he has come into possession of a golden coin that holds incredible powers which aids him in the battle. Will young Henry be able to free King Argoth and his people or will he fall to the might of Zakarius' army? The outcome will be revealed in the battle that will change Zargothia forever!

Some of the royalties from The Zargothian Tales: Return of the Son of Hamorin, will go towards helping Friends of ABLE, a charity based in Tralee, Co. Kerry, Ireland. ABLE helps people with disabilities by providing them with an opportunity to gain new skills and then assists individuals in becoming part of or rejoining the workforce.
The lovely illustrations are done by Leonardo Borazio. One illustration (dragon breathing fire on an airplane) was illustrated by John Blackford.

Like the book?
Here are its details:
Author: Aidan Lucid
ISBN: 978-0-9819158-2-10-9819158-2-5
Genre:  Fantasy/young adult.

Till next trailer  :-D

15 September 2010

Author Interview: P.L. Blair

P.L. Blair is the author of four fantasy/detective novels, the first of which was published in March 2007. She also writes for a local newspaper in the Coastal Bend area.

Let’s have a look at what drives/compels this author to write.
  • Tell us a bit about yourself.
Native of Texas – born in Tyler. Spent 10 years or so on the Texas coast (Corpus Christi and Rockport) before moving to Sheridan, Wyo., in the late 1980s. Now I'm dividing my time between Rockport (where my sisters live) and Sheridan.
I got degrees (A.A. and B.A.) in journalism, because I knew I wanted to write books, but I also knew I needed to earn a living. Then I got kind of sidetracked by newspaper work (a little more than 30 years), until in 2006, at age 59, I decided if I was going to be a novelist, I'd better get busy. I wrote Shadow Path, the first book in my fantasy/detective Portals series that year.
As it turned out, a friend of mine in Sheridan wanted to launch a publishing company, and she wanted Shadow Path to be her first book. Studio See incorporated in January 2007, and Shadow Path was published in March that year – then reprinted with a new (and better) cover in 2008.
Also in 2008, I finished Stormcaller, which was published that year, then Deathtalker. Book 4 in my series, Sister Hoods, was released June this year.
  • As a child, what did you want to do when you grow up?
Before age 8, I was probably reasonably typical – nurse, doctor, cowgirl (I was a nut over horses). When I was 8, I wrote a story about a witch, which my teacher urged me to read to my classmates. I did, and – wonder of wonders – they liked it! So I was like, wow! I can entertain people with this stuff!
So 8 years old, I decided I wanted to be a writer. I did havebrief flings with other career choices as I got older – historian, paleontologist, archeologist, geologist. But I could never settle down to any one choice, and I finally realized, as a writer, I could dabble in all those things too. I loved doing research!
Best of all, as a writer, I never really had to deal with the issue of what I was going to be when I grew up. Which is probably a good thing, because I've never really grown up either.
  • What inspired you to write your first book?
A lifelong interest in mythology and folklore, coupled with heavy doses of Tolkien and a dash of the CSI television shows. I was kind of kicking around the idea – not as a book but just as a concept – that common motifs run through most of the world's folklore: nearly every culture has dragons or the equivalent … elves or elf-like beings … some type of magic-wielders …
So I started running this “what-if” scenario in my mind: What if the world of magic really does exist? What if it's adjacent to our world, and the reason we have all these stories of elves and dragons and wizards, trolls and ogres and so on is because our distant ancestors actually came in contact with these creatures? What if our world and the realms of magic are separated by portals … and the portals at some time were closed – which is why we think of these beings as products of our ancestors' imaginations?
And what if … at some point in the near future … these portals opened again, and we humans of the 21st century found ourselves face to face with ogres and pixies, fairies and elves and dragons?
And while this was going through my head, I actually saw an image of a herd of unicorns meandering across Everhart Street, which is a heavily-trafficked thoroughfare in Corpus Christi.
And I thought – I have to write this book.
That's where the CSI shows come in. They influenced my decision to make my main characters detectives.
  • What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I'm a morning person, up between 5 and 5:30, feed dogs, feed cats, feed me, spend some time with my sisters before they head off to work. I'm usually at the computer between 7 and 7:30, and I'll write for two or three hours – unless the book is going well, in which case I may put in another half-hour or so. But I love to write – or driven, depending on point of view. I've told my publisher, you probably don't have to be obsessive-compulsive to be a writer, but it doesn't hurt.
I do write for a local newspaper, a weekly, in the Coastal Bend area, so on Mondays and Tuesdays (deadline days for the paper), my schedule changes a little. I write at least a few paragraphs on the books nearly every day – I have to. It's like an addiction; if I go more than a couple of days without putting in book time, I start feeling cranky, restless … withdrawal symptoms.
  • Where do you get your ideas for your books from?
From my own head – which is pretty scary when I stop to think about it. Everything is in there – from my main characters, who are good and caring, to my villains, most of whom I wouldn't want to meet even on one of their good days.
But they come from me!
Sometimes, the book starts out as the flash of an image – as with Sister Hoods, when I “saw” a band of uzi-toting little nymphs holding up a bank. “Deathtalker” was the result of extrapolation: What would happen if a creature of legend, known for incidentally leaving corpses in his wake, should decide to deliberately kill his victims.
Sometimes it's a matter of knowing that, now or later, I want to use a particular creature from legend. I want to do something with Baba Yaga, a witch who figures in Russian folklore; I just haven't worked out what yet.
And I know at some point, I'll take my Corpus Christi detectives to the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming, because I want them to deal with a dragon. And maybe a few Dwarves.
I did manage to get some Black Dogs into “Leprechauns.”
  • What does your family think of your writing?
My sisters think it's great! They're very supportive – sharing their copies of my books with friends, letting friends and co-workers know when I have book events coming up. My youngest sister posts copies of book reviews outside the door of her office, for her colleagues to read.
If you're really determined to be a writer, you can probably succeed without the support of your family, but having that support is absolutely fantastic!
  • How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?
I really don't. I sit down and start writing. It's a seat-of-the-pants style that doesn't work for everyone, but it's a good fit for me. I'm not a sit down and plan things out kind of person. I like setting things in motion and let situations build on each other.
My style goes back to my school days – to those term papers where we were required to have an outline for our term papers. I was one of the kids who wrote the paper – then did the outline based on the finished document.
  • Do you ever come up with anything so wild that you scare yourself, that leaves you wondering where that came from?
Oh yeah. Which is why I don't write straight horror. I scare the daylights out of myself.
I do incorporate elements of horror into my Portals series. The Deathtalker, as I've mentioned, is a kind of psychic vampire. And in Stormcaller, I introduce a sentient, and somewhat hostile, forest that creates creatures that harass Kat, Tevis and their allies. On one occasion, they find themselves confronted by a giant spider that disintegrates into hundreds of smaller, but equally deadly, spiders. On another, Kat is attacked by a giant anaconda intent on making a meal of her.
I was quite pleased when my publisher said I'd given her nightmares about spiders and giant snakes ...
  • Do you have any advice for other writers?
Write. And keep writing.
At book events, I'm always approached by at least one person who says, “I've got a book in my head.”
Get it out of your head and onto paper!
The other comment I hear: “I want to write a book, but I can't find the time.”
If you wait to “find the time,” your book will never been written. Time can't be found these days. It has to be seized by the throat and wrestled into submission.
My mentors, Michael and Kathleen Gear, at one seminar I attended, asked what are you willing to give up to become a writer. They actually lived in a log cabin without amenities for a while. My own “sacrifices” weren't quite so extreme: I got up an hour earlier in the mornings and gave up some lunches while I was writing Shadow Path.
  • What are your current projects?
I'm attending book events to promote Book 4, Sister Hoods – heading for FenCon, an SF/fantasy convention in Dallas, Sept. 17-19. Book 5, A Plague of Leprechauns, is with my publisher – set for late November/early December release; can't do much about that except wait, which I can do, but not too well. So now I'm working on Book 6, Unholy Cause – 17 chapters in, although I'm currently revising some earlier chapter.
  • Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Sister Hoods begins with a bank robbery (in Rockport, Texas), perpetrated by nymphs and satyrs. It started with an image – a lot of my books start with images – of nymphs armed with uzis, holding female bank tellers at bay while the bank's male employees tripped over themselves to load the bank's money into bags for the nymphs.
After I brought in the satyrs, I didn't need the uzis. Ah well … But the bank robbery serves to bring Kat, Tevis and their allies (including a Wizard, Arvandus) into the investigation – and they discover the incident is much more than it seems. The nymphs need money to keep a greedy developer from taking over the woodlands in which they live …
Because the woodlands, on the Lamar Peninsula on Texas' coast, are extremely magical – and being sought by a group of evil Wizards who want to bend the magic to their own dark purposes.
And if the woodlands are destroyed, a wyvern will be released. Wyverns are distant kin to dragons, their lives regulated by only three imperatives: to eat, to sleep, to breed. The one in the woodlands is sleeping, but if he wakes, he will be ravenously hungry.
And wyverns' favored food is humans ...
  • How did you come up with the title for your book?
All my titles are puns or word plays. My first book, Shadow Path, deals with a necromancer, a wizard who deals in death magic and the dead. The villain of Stormcaller is Tlaloc, an ancient Aztec god of storms, agriculture and fertility - who could summon (“call”) storms.
Book 3, Deathtalker, is the play on “lovetalker,” a creature in Irish folklore who seduced young women then left them to pine away and die. The Deathtalker of my title is a lovetalker turned serial killer, who deliberately coerces women into killing themselves so he can feed on their life force as they die. Kind of a psychic vampire.
Sister Hoods suggested itself to me because the nymphs are sisters - and criminals (“hoods”).
  • Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I don't do messages. I write purely for entertainment. I sometimes think books are another variation of those inkblot tests, where you look for images, and the psychologist analyzes you according to what you tell him you see.
I'm delighted when people tell me about some insight or other they've discovered in my characters, or in a situation or plot line, but it isn't there on purpose. At heart, I'm a storyteller. If I can give a reader a few hours of pleasure and escape, that's good enough.
  • Are there parts of the book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
No – and yes. My human character, Kat Morales, is kind of the me I'd like to be – strong, intelligent (well, I'll admit to that), young, good-looking and gutsy.
Tevis, her elven partner, is something of a cross between Illya Kuryakin (the old Man From Uncle TV series), on whom I had a crush, and Sherlock Holmes, the first fictional detective I met.
I suspect after 30 years of working for newspapers, I've incorporated bits and pieces of just about everyone I've ever met or heard of into one or more of my characters in all of my books.
  • Where can we find you online?
Books can be ordered directly from my publisher's web site, http://www.studiosee.com/
Since I always have a few of my books with me for promotional purposes, Pam has on occasion called me and asked if I would sign a book to someone and send it to them. I'm always happy to do that.
You can read more about me on my website: http://www.plblair.com/

Thank you, Pat!
Su