Friday 31 May 2013

Author Interview & Book Spotlight: Amanda Tilbrook

About the Author:

I am the sort of reader who likes to be completely captured by a book, transported into another world. My friend told me the other day that in the seven years I have known her, I have passiionately declared at least 100 books my favourite because I become so obsessed with books when I am reading them.


I am also currently writing a series of books called "The Faith" which are based on a family who follow a Goddess based religion, living in a Faith Union which consists of ten husbands and wives. This series then follows the lives of this family, The Trevelyons across the generations.

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

Any book I start always begins as a “world” in my head. I spend a great deal of time thinking about the characters and their lives. Then, after a while, I start to write down any scenes which I have gone over and over in my head. Finally, I start to connect those scenes into one story. As a result, it takes a long time to read over my work and make sure it will make sense to anyone who hasn’t been in my head for the past five years!

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

Always. I am always changing plots and endings as I explore a character further. Some characters get completely different endings than the ones I originally intended for them because as the character develops, I start to imagine other stories for them. Several characters that were just meant to be small parts of the narrative become integral parts of my stories.

What is your favourite food?

Anything with chocolate in – I know it’s a cliché but I just can’t help it.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Definitely a night owl. If I didn’t have to go to work I would never be up before 11 and in my holidays I often get into a routine of staying up until it gets light. (Partly a result of watching too many horror films)

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

Although there are many places round the world I would like to see, I have a terrible fear of flying and as a result never think about flying anywhere. I did it once and promised myself I would never do it again. However, my best friend is getting married abroad this year so am being forced into trying to conquer this fear. Hopefully after this holiday I will be able to put this fear behind me and start dreaming of different places I might actually be able to go.

Do distant places feature in your books?

Rather than distant places, as due to the aforementioned fear of flying I haven’t been to many places, I like to take familiar places and change reality slightly, creating a different world for my characters to live in.

Do you listen to music while writing?

Rather than music, I generally have easy viewing TV on, preferably things I have seen before so that I do not get distracted by the plot.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?


I have just recently self-published my debut novel “The Faith”. It is available on Amazon and Lulu in e-book
format. “The Faith” is the story of a family, the Trevelyons, who follow a Goddess based religion in which the followers practise polygamy. Unlike many polygamous societies, the Faithful include both multiple husbands and wives in their Unions. I have tried to explore the challenges and jealousies that this kind of relationship might present and to look at what might motivate different people to join a polygamous marriage.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

I think my biggest lesson was that just because you write something you understand, doesn’t mean other people will get it. I gave my first draft to friends and family to read, asking for honest comments. My brutally honest mother and sister came back with a whole list of plot and character holes that made no sense without more explanation. This process was very useful and I was very lucky to have a lot of friends and colleagues who were willing to read any number of drafts.

Is there anything you would do differently?

I think it’s probably too early to say. In a year or so I will hopefully have more insight into how self-publishing and marketing work.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

I think everything around me has influenced my writing, every film I have ever watched, every book I have ever read. I guess the person I have to thank for influencing my writing most is one of my best friends, Terri. She was the first person I knew who had imaginary “worlds” the way I did and we spent much of our time at college writing down scenes and events from these worlds for each other to read.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

As I am just starting out myself I guess my advice would be not to give up.

What are three words that describe you?

Obsessive, imaginative, dreamer

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

I can never pick just one book or writer because I like so many different genres. The authors I have to buy in hardback because I like them so much I cannot wait for paperback are: Karin Slaughter, Lisa Gardner, Sophie Hannah and Tanya Huff.

The books I have re-read over and over and probably will continue to do so are: “Anne of Green Gables”, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, “Swordspoint” and “Interview with a Vampire”.

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book

The Faith

This is Victoria’s story. At seventeen, along with her best friend Luca, she converted to “The Faith” and joined the Trevelyon Union. Gaining four husbands and five wives, they were given a chance at a whole new life.

Now twenty three, Victoria has been married for almost seven years and her marriage is, on the surface, the perfect example of a Faith Union. Together they have nine beautiful children, run a successful law firm which protects the rights of the Faithful and are well respected throughout Faith society. Underneath this veneer, are a variety of individuals who all joined the marriage for different reasons. Some joined for their Faith, some for friendship, some for love. Some joined because they felt they had no other choice.

When tragedy strikes, the Trevelyons have to pull together to protect each other and their children from outside threats. What they fail to realise is that the greatest threat to their family is from within.

Excerpt:

Katie, as she had been then, picked up a car at the station, paying for it with a credit card.


I looked at my oldest friend, who raised his eyebrows at the sudden ease with which Katie had found funds. It had just been the three of us for weeks; Katie, him and me. We had assumed she was as poor as us. She caught the look I sent him and grinned.

“I told you I had money, told you that I could give you anything.”

I just looked at her for a long moment. She had told us that; tales of ballrooms and diamonds that we had assumed were just stories. Pretty talk that I had not troubled myself to wonder about.

She looked back at me, her pretty eyes twinkling. “You didn’t believe me?”

I shrugged.

“And you came with me anyway?”

I laughed. “Did you think we came for the money?”

Katie looked vulnerable for an instant, younger than she ever had before. In fact suddenly, she did not seem any older than us. She looked away. “I would not have blamed you for it.”

Did she really think we had followed her across Europe for stories of riches?

I stepped towards her then and kissed her cheek impulsively. “We would have followed you to live outdoors like animals if that is what you had offered.”

She smiled then.

He laughed and rolled his eyes, gesturing for us to follow him to the car.

We drove for miles, sprawled across the front seat of the Sedan. The countryside seemed much greyer than what we’d been used to in and I couldn’t be bothered to look. Instead, I leant up against her, my legs resting across him. I had fallen asleep on her shoulder, her free arm resting around me but I jolted awake as we came to a stop.

We were parked in front of metal gates. I blinked a couple of times and sat up. I started to ask Katie where we were but stopped at the look on her face. She was as white as a sheet.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, anxiously.

Katie turned to us, looking stern and serious. “I need you to stay quiet, just agree with anything I say. I don’t know how everyone is going to react.”

“I thought these people were your family?” he asked, his beautiful face worried. He was concerned but I did not care. I was years passed caring. The new sudden purpose of my life was remaining with Katie. I would agree to anything in order to stay with her. He had always been more of a thinker than I.

“They are, it’s just…I left without warning. I don’t know if they will be happy to see me.”

I wondered why she had left. Three months can seem like a lifetime but it was not enough time to know someone’s history.

He just nodded without commenting. We both understood what it was like to run away.

We climbed out of the car and approached the metal gates. They were attached to a ten foot metal fence, which seemed to run for miles.

“Be careful,” Katie said sharply to us, “It’s electric.”

He looked at the fence in surprise. “Is it to keep people in… or keep people out?”

Katie didn’t reply. He looked anxiously back at it but even the fence did not inspire doubt in me. I had absolute trust in her. Out of the hut on the other side of the gates, a man had appeared. He was wearing a rifle over his shoulder and he was staring at Katie in amazement.

“Miss Jules?”

The Faith is available at amazon | amazon uk | lulu

Book Spotlight: Shadow of Light by David David Kernan

Shadow of Light
by David David Kernan
DDK Books

Have you ever wondered where you go at the height of sex?


Shadow of Light, a passionate debut novel by David David Kernan, a journey of mind, body and soul, answers that very question.

It is 1993, Los Angeles, and David, a newly divorced makeup artist, finds himself at a coffee house contemplating an espresso and a flirtatious waitress, when a beautiful man, Daniel, asks to join him. But Daniel is not what he seems.

Even after David finds out who Daniel really is, he is unable to deny or suppress his surprising, even innate attraction to the other man, and embarks on the most emotionally charged and spiritual journey of his life, maybe his whole existence.

Within the throes of passion David is made to realize the extent and purity of another facet of existence, a realm wholly attainable by every human on the planet, but purposely suppressed by dogma the world over.

While religion, politics, science and philosophy play integral roles throughout Shadow of Light, it is Shadow’s intimate relationship between two men, in all its thought-provoking tenderness and mystery, its sublime realizations of heart-felt truths that bring home its entirely progressive point: that within those precious seconds of rapture the human soul is connected to another place, in fact another dimension, and completely free of the rigors of mortality; in other words, completely free of everything associated with the physical.

Where organized religion is concerned, Shadow of Light is not kind, and denounces religion’s overbearing redefinition of God while deposing its reign over morality, more precisely religion’s monopoly on the morality of sexual relations, and reveals a long-held secret that has from the beginning purposefully kept mankind from reaching his inherent spiritual potential.

“Anyone who has ever experienced an orgasm,” says Kernan, “which pretty much means every adult on the planet, knows exactly what I’m on about. There is no refuting it: the complete and utter abandon—and even those words, as expansive and infinite as they imbue, don’t do the experience justice. At the same time this ability hasn’t ever been given meaning over and above what it is to the individual; but there is more going on than our current leagues of scientists will publicly admit to. Daniel revealed this... and much more."

About David David Kernan

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Mr. Kernan was once a makeup artist in the entertainment industry. He is now a writer with one previously published work, Angel Claire: An autobiographical work of poetry, commentary and pen & ink (DDKBooks, Los Angeles 2000). Mr. Kernan devotes his time to writing and family.

Visit David David Kernan @ http://ddkernan.com


Thursday 30 May 2013

Author Interview: Maria Hammarblad





About the Author:

Born in Sweden in the early 1970's, Maria showed a large interest for books at an early age. Even before she was able to read or write, she made her mom staple papers together into booklets she filled with drawings of suns and planets. She proudly declared them, "The Sun Book." They were all about the sun. She also claimed, to her mother's horror, that her being on Earth was a big mistake and that her alien family would come and bring her home at any moment. This never happened, but both the interest in space and the passion for bookmaking stayed with her.

As an adult Maria's creativity got an outlet through playing bass in a number of rock bands, and through writing technical manuals and making web pages for various companies and organizations. She did write drafts for a few novels, but the storytelling muse was mostly satisfied through role playing online on Myspace. It was here, while writing stories together with people from around the globe, she stumbled onto Mike. They started talking out of character, and she moved over to Florida to him late 2008. Today the two are married and live in the Tampa Bay area with three rescue dogs.

Besides novels, Maria writes screenplays and has won several awards. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys driving off-road, archery, and Tameshigiri.

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

I often come up with an idea for the beginning and the end, and write those. Then, I think I have a plan for everything that happens in between, but it changes as a write.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

All the time. Some are cooperative, but most are feisty. Some don’t like each other even though they’re supposed to, some don’t like what I have planned for them, and some wake me up in the middle of the night with great ideas for their story. Imaginary people can be quite lively, haha!

What is your favourite food?

I don’t eat mammals and I prefer completely vegetarian food. I don’t know if I have a favourite food – it kinda changes. Does coffee count as food? If it does, I’ll go with coffee. Caffeine is good for you. Well, maybe not, but it helps.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Left to my own devices I’m a night owl. My dogs don’t like that schedule, so they make sure I get up fairly early every morning. My youngest dog jumps into bed and pokes me with his little paw until I wake up. It’s so cute I can’t get mad with him.

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

I want to go to Siberia. In the summertime, not in winter… I’ve seen so many travel documentaries from Siberia and it seems so beautiful and different.

Do distant places feature in your books?

Absolutely. In my contemporary books, the characters usually travel. Not always voluntarily… In Undercover they go to Russia, Italy, and Mexico. In my upcoming novel Flashback parts of the story takes place in Afghanistan and Pakistan. I wish I could go to all these places and see them for myself, but since that often isn’t possible, I research the best I can through travel journals and photos.

In Undercover, the heroine ends up in a city far up north in Russia called Severodvinsk. I picked it randomly because I liked the name, and once I started reading about it, it was perfect. I found a blog from a girl who grew up there, and she said the city was closed for decades because of their navy base and its research. Inhabitants were not allowed to leave, and no one could visit. Tickles my imagination. I’d love to go see what it really looks like.

Do you listen to music while writing?

Usually, yes. My husband loves to watch TV. He watches sitcoms and Family Guy, and I can’t concentrate to that auditory background. I plop on my headphones and drown it out. Right now I’m on a 80s nostalgia kick and for the past couple of months I’ve been listening to Erasure, Communards, and bands like that.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?

I have a new release coming up soon: June 21. It’s called Flashback, and I’m really excited about this book. It is about a war veteran who was a prisoner of war in the Middle East. He was tortured, and even though he was physically rescued he suffers horrible flashbacks of pain and violence. As much as he tries, he can’t re-adapt to everyday life.

He meets a girl, and against better judgment, he attempts to make this new relationship work. Unfortunately, the war isn’t quite done with him, and it will be a bumpy ride.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

I have learned so much. When I started out, I self published a couple of books. Back then I thought they were pretty good. Now I know they weren’t ready at all. I used to think editing was about checking spelling, skipped words, and making sure all commas were in the right places. Now I know a good copy editor is priceless. My editor makes my thoughts seem coherent, she helps my text get the right flow and pacing, and I couldn’t do it without her. When this year is over I will have published twelve books, and I still learn more about writing every day.

Is there anything you would do differently?

If I could restart with the knowledge I have today, absolutely. Unfortunately, if I went back in time to do it all again I’d probably end up with the same knowledge I had back then, and blunder into the very same mistakes. Today, I write in a much more active voice, I’m much more careful with my point of view, and I have learned to delete many unnecessary words and phrases.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

My editors and my writer friends. The list could go on and on, but to mention a few: Christy Elkins, Gail Delaney, Carolyn Boyles, Patty Froese, Lynette Endicott… They’re all great writers, and have taught me different portions of the craft. I am particularly grateful to Christy Elkins, because she inspires me to keep working and to keep doing it better every time.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

Hang in there and keep writing. Technology today gives writers many great opportunities that weren’t available just a few years ago. If you’re serious about writing, look up a few author groups on Facebook and make friends. This is a great way to find people who know the ups and downs of the industry, who can give good advice, help find beta readers, and so on.

What are three words that describe you?

Happy, Creative, Tenacious

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

It’s hard to pick just one. I love “Parallel” by Christy Elkins. It’s a fantastic book. Chris J. Randolph is an excellent writer who weaves in a good portion of humour in his works.

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book

Here is the blurb for Flashback, TBR June 21.

Steve Petersen is a Very Troubled Man. Sole survivor of a Taliban POW camp he often thinks only parts of him returned; his sanity appears to have been left behind. He seeks solace in alcohol and drugs, but nothing helps block the images from his mind for more than minutes at a time, and he is trapped in horrifying flashbacks.

He is more than surprised when he wakes up in a bright and merry bedroom that turns out to belong to the widow Anna, a woman he has rudimentary memories of meeting. Knowing he should leave isn’t the same as doing it, and before he knows what’s happening, he finds himself pulled into a world with real life problems, such as folding laundry, and what’s for dinner.

Whiskey is no longer his first priority, and not being alone in his waking nightmare is a relief. That is, until Anna disappears. Steve finds himself forced to return to Afghanistan, a place where he’ll have to face both external enemies and himself.

List of previous books if any

Kidnapped – science fiction romance

Undercover – contemporary romance

Courage and Retribution – a science fiction romance novella

Embarkment 2577 is a series of science fiction romance:

Brand New World

High Gravity

Adam and Eve

The Goddess’s Saga is a series of science fiction romance:

Touch of the Goddess

Wrath of the Goddess

Return of the Goddess

To be released this year:

Flashback – contemporary romance, June 21

Operation Earth – science fiction romance, August 11

A Shadow of a Man – science fiction romance, November 1

Any websites/places readers can find you on the web.

Website: http://www.hammarblad.com

Blog: http://www.scifiromance.info

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mariahammarblad

Twitter: @mariahammarblad

Undercover
by Maria Hammarblad
Genre: Romantic suspense


Publisher: Desert Breeze Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-61252-216-6
ASIN: B0098TGWTW
Word Count: 77000
Cover Artist: Gwen Phifer
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/YePFbRgPP9o
Amazon

Book Description:

When Jenny Moore meets Alexei Roshenko, it's love at first sight. The tall, dark and handsome stranger appears to be the answer to every romantic fantasy any woman ever had. There is however more to him than meets the eye, and a dark and violent past is catching up with him. When Jenny decides to follow him back to Russia, she gets entangled in a web of deceit and secrets beyond her wildest imagination.



Book Review: The Corpse Reader by Antionio Garrido

Review Copy from Amazon Vine

The Corpse Reader
by Antonio Garrido
Historical
Amazon Crossing Publishng

Blurb:

After his grandfather dies, avid scholar and budding forensic investigator Cí Song begrudgingly gives up his studies to help his family. But when another tragedy strikes, he’s forced to run and also deemed a fugitive. Dishonored, he has no choice but to accept work as a lowly gravedigger, a position that allows him to sharpen his corpse-reading skills. Soon, he can deduce whether a person killed himself—or was murdered.

His prowess earns him notoriety, and Cí receives orders to unearth the perpetrator of a horrific series of mutilations and deaths at the Imperial Court. Cí’s gruesome investigation quickly grows complicated thanks to old loyalties and the presence of an alluring, enigmatic woman. But he remains driven by his passion for truth—especially once the killings threaten to take down the Emperor himself.

Inspired by Song Cí, considered to be the founding father of CSI-style forensic science, this harrowing novel set during the thirteenth-century Tsong Dynasty draws readers into a multilayered, ingenious plot as disturbing as it is fascinating.

Review:

This book was wonderful, so different to anything I've ever read before. Think of it more like a biography of Song Ci, rather than an outright mystery/crime book, although there are details of mysteries and crimes within.

It is set in medieval China, an era and place I am not too familiar with, but the book seemed to be researched very well as far as I could tell. There was nothing that jolted me out of the story for being too modern or not suited to the place. I loved finding out about all the different customs, such as why children's jackets had five buttons, and how many times you should refuse a gift before accepting it graciously. There were lots of little details like that which made the story come vividly to life.

In the first half of the book, poor Ci goes through as almost as many trials as Job, he suffers betrayals, humiliations, beatings, robbery and more as he tries desperately to re-enter the university and better his lot. He does finally get accepted at the university, but at great personal cost.

The second half of the book is when Ci attracts the attention of the emperor and is asked to help solve some gruesome murders The pace picks up quite a bit after that, but I wouldn't have said the first half was slow either, but just more sedate at times.

There are some violent moments in the book, as well as detailed descriptions of corpses and their injuries, not one for the squeamish, but you couldn't really have a book about a corpse reader without it.

It was a very interesting read with some fascinating facts on historical crime-solving and medieval China.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Wednesday 29 May 2013

Author Interview: M Yero Morris

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

I had the story just spilling out of me as a catharsis out of myself. It started as a Why letter to my father... he has not read a word.


Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

well, yes

What is your favourite food?

pizza and anything cheezy


Are you a morning person or a night owl?

night, by much, but life has taken me around the clock a few times over

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

everywhere and anywhere, just cause. I believe the world has just too many things to be learned from. Still working on the broke/money side of traveling though.

Do distant places feature in your books?

you could say that

Do you listen to music while writing?

yes, can't work without a soundtrack, you can read that on the oscars speech in the back of the book

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?

I had to tell my own story, which is meant to inspire and help anyone who is in a tough place in life. I was searching for the proverbial pot of gold, and found something much more valuable... the saga is in the book.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

well, I was an industrial for 15 years, just got the literarybug sting me recently, so I am stumbling and learning everyday as I go

Is there anything you would do differently?

maybe start earlier, but then again, I wouldn't have a rounded up story to tell

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

life. If I had to narrow that down a bit, my mother. All others are in my book.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

dive right in. Fear is totally worthless. with todays tools, it is up to you and you alone to make your work available beyond your brain.

What are three words that describe you?

hopelessly-idealist/realist happy/loveful creative businessman, that happens to write from time to time.

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

I have so many. Conan Doyle, Alan Weiss, Woody Allen,Cousteau, DragonLance saga... I've read maybe around and upwards 1000 books. So, yup, no trends. I do drive Amazon suggestions crazy.

List of previous books if any:

just the one, for now Odyssey through Hell, exit push here: X

I am working on a new project which will be a tad bit more business cut but with tons of philosophical and lessons and who knows what else

Any websites/places readers can find you on the web.

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00BM9EKSG

Twitter @myeromorris

Facebook.com/myeromorris


Odyssey through HELL
Exit, Push here: X
By M Yero Morris

This story is meant to inspire and assist everyone who wants to be helped in finding your way out of Hell; Anyone who is and has been in a tough place in business and in life.


In his quest to find the proverbial Pot of Gold, he found himself a much richer man. This is after all a family owned business story at its core; it includes elements of strategy, innovation, tactics, espionage, family, misery, hope, fear, arrogance, bonding, exile, betrayals, greed, war, inner-peace, life, death, spirituality, happiness, and selfless help.

The author wishing to share with the rest of the world his experience, to help as many people and businesses alike that could be in a situation like the one he went through. His desire is to save what is salvageable, and in the process to continue understanding oneself as a human being.

The book is available from amazon

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Author Interview: Joss Gibson

About the Author:

Joss Gibson studied English and American Literature at the University of Kent at Canterbury before becoming a journalist.

From local papers and radio, he moved to television current affairs as a director and then film drama, initially as a location manager and first assistant director, and later as a producer, winning an Emmy Award as co-producer of the BBC film Gloriana.

At various times he has also worked as a scriptwriter and teacher of creative writing, psychology and media.

American Rebel is the first in a series of novels with continuing characters planned by Gibson. Set against the backdrop of the great political events of the sixties, the series is designed to thrill and intrigue, to be historically accurate and to evoke a powerful sense of the times.

The next in the series, titled ‘Let Them Come to Berlin’ leads off from Kennedy’s famous 1963 speech in Berlin and again features journalist Ray Halliwell as the main character, as well as other familiar faces from American Rebel.

Let Them Come to Berlin is a Cold War thriller, inspired by Le Carré’s, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and is due for publication in the Spring of 2013.

www.americanrebelonline.com

www.altopico.com


Where did the idea of writing about William Morgan and Cuba come from?

The idea was born of pure serendipity. I love secondhand books and bookshops. One day, I stumbled across William Morgan’s name in a book called Cuba: An American Tragedy by Robert Scheer and Maurice Zeitlin, published in 1964 by Penguin. There was only a paragraph or so about Morgan, but with tantalizing hints of an intriguing story. I was hooked.

This is your first novel. What is your background?

My background is journalism. I studied English and American Literature at college and then went through the usual route of local newspapers, even a little local radio, before moving into television as a producer/director in documentary social affairs. But the lure of working in drama was always there.

I took a few steps back down the ladder and became a location manager, then a first assistant director in TV and film drama, before becoming a producer. As a producer, I worked in a niche area, translating theatre to film, working with a fabulous man called John Wyver of Illuminations.

Together, we did opera with Phyllida Lloyd directing Gloriana by Benjamin Britten. We picked up an Emmy for best performance film for that. But also pure theatre projects like Macbeth with the Royal Shakespeare company and Richard II with Fiona Shaw in the lead, directed by Deborah Warner.

What attracted you to this particular story?

Twenty-five years ago, I wrote a screenplay based on Morgan’s rise and fall, told from the point of view of an invented journalist named Calvin Towne. Granada Films picked up the screenplay and Leigh Jackson came on board as co-writer. For a few months, we raced to meet editorial deadlines, only for the project to be dropped when Sydney Pollack’s Havana, starring Robert Redford, failed to ignite audiences at the box office.

For some years, the story sat on the back burner. When circumstances allowed a concentrated period of writing, I found myself drawn once again to the tale of Morgan’s spectacular rise and tragic fall, finding in the story a series of contradictions and conundrums, a poignancy, the seeds of a comic book adventure, a moral tale, even a certain mythic quality.

There was also a political dimension I wanted to explore, namely how to make the middle road between the extremes of left and right, capitalism and communism, an attractive, viable option. Morgan seemed to do that in his life and I thought the example stood the test of time and provided a pointer to our own troubled times.

You decided to combine fact and fiction. Why?

The facts of Morgan’s life were in themselves, compelling. But in order to shape a coherent story, and indeed to explain the complicated politics of the time to new readers not even born when the revolution took place, I wanted to have an interpreter if you like. Hence the creation of Ray Halliwell, a journalist who tracks Morgan’s development, interacts with him and allows the reader a different perspective on events as they unfold.

Are there particular problems in writing about real people and real events in fiction?

Very much so, and the pitfalls grow with each passing year. At one time, libel was naturally the great issue in writing about those still living who were involved in actual historical events. Now there’s the right to privacy and the right to publicity to contend with as well. The extension of these rights to the descendants of those you’re writing about is another recent development. The first amendment is on the other side of the scales, still in my opinion, the cornerstone of a free society and free expression.

The way I’ve approached the problem is to be completely upfront about the distinction between what is ‘true’—in other words what can be documented independently from a number of sources—and what is invented. I’ve tried to lay this out in the author’s note at the end of the book. Having said that, it’s important to remember that history—as Churchill had it—tends to be written by the victors and is necessarily partial itself.

I hope I have been very serious about the research, diligent in changing names and places to protect privacy, extremely careful in how I depict people and always clear that American Rebel is fiction, a good—I hope—story with the ambition of delivering an imaginative truth that does not harm the reputations of those involved or casually contradict the known facts. It’s a balancing act, just as the legal implications are a balancing act between the rights of individuals and the right to free speech and fair comment.

How did you do the research?

Any way I could. Contacting those involved, reading everything I could lay my hands on, watching films from the time, soaking up the social conditions of the fifties and trying to understand the complex mechanisms churning in the background. That means the politics certainly, but also something of the more intangible forces around then. Fear for example. Fear of communists, fear of invasion, that sort of thing.

It’s important to remember that we’re right on the cusp of the fifties becoming the sixties and a radical shift in societal values. Youth culture is coming to the fore, Rebel Without a Cause and all of that, is beginning to permeate the culture. The average age of the rebels with Morgan’s band is roughly early twenties. That’s a remarkable idea, even today.

You have an epigraph from Chekhov, ‘in order to live in the present, we must first redeem the past’. Is that the theme of the novel?

I guess it is. To be honest, the theme emerged in the course of writing but I began to realize that both the macro element—America and Cuba for instance—and the characters themselves, were in some way seeking redemption and in the case of Morgan and his wife, actively, courageously, pursuing better lives for themselves and their comrades and the people of Cuba by fighting the dictator and putting their lives on the line. Of course, the idea of redemption takes on another dimension when you look at a character like Morgan, kicked out of the US Army, who works for the mob running guns but ends his days as a hero and a moral hero at that.

The style of the novel is very visual, very filmic. Is that deliberate?

Yes, but for two quite distinct reasons. The first is straightforward. The story was first written as a film script and a lot of the material that went into the script was transferred wholesale to the book. The second reason is a much more conscious attempt to attract readers—new readers especially—brought up in a visual culture that relies on screens and bite sized information. I was trying to find a style that would satisfy the Potter generation looking for new reading material without dumbing down on content. Film seemed to me the appropriate metaphor and the appropriate style.

Cuba is inevitably a politically charged subject. How did you approach this issue?

The attempt to please all the people all the time is futile. Some will take issue with my approach and especially the clear statement of a political position in relation to the events of the story. But I’d rather be upfront and clear in my stance. Let other argue their case against with equal freedom. I must also say I am not an expert on Cuban politics, on American foreign policy and international relations. I am a novelist and a writer interested in people, but people who live in the real world and sometimes die because of a fixed idea. That junction—between humans in all their contradictory, mercurial beauty—and the rigid thinking that characterizes dogma, fascinates me.

Can you tell us something about the writing process? Do you have a set routine with writing?

Writing, for me, is hard work. Five years have gone into this book. Five years of research yes, but also pure hard work, sitting at the computer trying to make a single sentence flow, and failing. I have only one rule. A thousand words a day. The next day, the same rule applies, whether it takes three hours or twelve hours. Getting your unconscious to do its job is like training a difficult puppy. Carrot and stick but the rule never changes.

The best part—and the most important part for me—is the time after the writing day. Then you can do other things, like fix the fence, swim, whatever, and make friends again with your unconscious puppy, play at what might have been during that day’s writing, and what might be tomorrow. That’s the creative time. Other than that, I can only say that the old adage of re-writing is absolutely true. I must have written 300,000 words to end up with 100,000, and most of those have changed over time. The other analogy that works for me is cooking. Choose the best ingredients, pay attention to the process, but above all allow those ingredients to blend to become something new. Most manuscripts, said a successful novelist who’s name escapes me, are simply submitted too early, before they are ‘cooked’.

And I think it was DH Lawrence who said something about the novel as the supreme example of ‘interconnectedness’. I think that’s so true. And I think that interconnectedness only develops over time and with huge effort of will.

American Rebel
by Joss Gibson
Alto Pico Publishing
Ebook and Paperback

Book Description:

In order to live in the present, we must first redeem the past..." Anton Chekhov, The Cherry Orchard. They said William Morgan was a traitor. They said he was a communist. They said he was a CIA agent. They took away his US citizenship and then erased his name from the history books. Now, fifty years on, a woman's enduring love is about to reveal the truth behind the secrets and lies. Maria Jensen is taking her case to the highest authority in the land - the US Senate. But in taking on the government, Maria must face her own demons and re-live a past long buried. One man can help. Ray Halliwell was a witness. He shared the good times and the bad. And long ago, he loved her. Together, Ray and Maria embark on a difficult journey - to another place and another time. Cuba, 1957...


www.americanrebelonline.com

http://jossgibson.blogspot.co.uk/

Author Interview: Lisa Binion

About the Author:

Lisa has several years of experience in the educational field. Not only did she homeschool her two children who are now grown, but she also taught for three years at a local private school.


Her love of reading led her to pursue a career as an author and editor. While a student of Holly Lisle´s “How to Think Sideways” writing class, she became the Fiction Writing editor for BellaOnline. Lisa has edited several books for various published authors. She is the head editor at Silver Tongue Press, and works as an editor for Edit 1st, a manuscript editing service.

Lisa lives on a small farm, located in Beattyville, Kentucky, with her husband, three cats (Tigger, Casper, and Sasha), three dogs (Kronk, Pip, and Precious), and two goats (Snickers and Clover), When not taking care of all of them, her time is spent working on her first fiction book and her first resource book for writers.

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

I tend to lightly plan what is going to happen chapter by chapter or section by section. As I’m writing, the characters will speak to me and let me know where to take the story. I don’t always listen to them at first, but in the end I do. They won’t go away until I write it like they want.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

Yes, if the characters want the story to go in a certain direction, they won’t be quiet until they get their way.

What is your favourite food?

That is not an easy question to answer. I guess I would have to say a steak that is cooked rare and seasoned with sea salt and garlic.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

When I was younger, I was a night owl, but not anymore. I love my sleep and like to get up early.

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

I would like to be able to travel to exotic and exciting places all over the world, but then I want to be able to sleep in my own bed each night. I have lived in England and visited Scotland. I’ve lived in Texas and California. They were all great places to visit, but Kentucky is home. I honestly don’t get out very much. My husband calls me his little brown recluse.

Do distant places feature in books?

No really distant places have been featured in any of my writing yet. I just like to go to the outer limits of my imagination and beyond.

Do you listen to music while writing?

I normally don’t listen to music while I write. I love music and tend to become really involved with what I’m listening to, so music tends to distract me from writing more than it helps me to write.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?


Sofly and Tenderly is the story of a young girl who sees things at her home and at the funeral home that no one else seems to see. Losing a mother at a young age is difficult in itself, but then having to go to her funeral makes it even more difficult. For Lori, it literally turns into a nightmare.

When I first wrote this, I just wrote it to get it out of my system. My mom died when I was only nine years old, and it was a difficult time for me. The first part of the story when Lori’s mom dies is very lightly based on the morning my mother died. Lori begins to see things even before the paramedics take her mom out of the house, and the situation only intensifies at the funeral home.

I originally ended the story with the death of Lori’s father. The day I finished the story, I got a phone call from my brother. My 84-year-old dad had fallen down the stairs and wasn’t breathing. The paramedics started his heart again, but he never woke back up. Even though he wasn’t pronounced dead until about two weeks later, he was dead when he hit the bottom of the stairs. I went back and changed the ending of my story.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

Writing is hard work, and even though it is exciting to finally be published, it is scary. Why? I know there are people who will be very critical of what I wrote.

Is there anything you do differently?

If I could go back years into the past, I would take my writing seriously much earlier. I could make excuses and say that I didn’t have enough time while I was raising my children, but if there is something you really want to do, you will always find time for it.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

The people whose work I’ve edited have told me that I need to write. And editing has only made my desire to write grow. Then there are those times I have a story that is literally about to explode inside of me. That is what Softly and Tenderly did.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

Never give up, and write what makes you happy. Don’t let anyone talk you out of pursuing your dreams.

What are three words that describe you?

I had several of my friends give me words that they believe described me, and I’ve chosen three words from all of those. The ones I selected are obsessive, determined, and reader. My husband calls me his little brown recluse and crazy cat lady, but I don’t think those should count.

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

Choosing a favorite book or writer is harder for me than choosing my favorite food. Agatha Christie was my favorite author for a long, long time. My favorite story by her would be Towards Zero. The Widower’s Club by Dorothy Cannell would be another mystery favorite. My favorite horror book is definitely Darkfall by Dean Koontz.

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book

I’m working on the next part to Softly and Tenderly, but I only have a really rough draft written of it so far. Below is a part from Whisper, another book I’m working on right now.

She finally started to doze off, then Kristi's sarcastic voice was replaced by another voice, this one much more menacing. “If you tell, I will know. If you whisper to your toys, I will know. And I'll come back, but not just for you. Oh, I will hurt you, but I'll also hurt everyone you care about.” Sammi jumped and sat straight up in bed. No one would believe her. They all thought she was crazy. What would it matter if she told anyone? She knew of only one way to make him go away. Only one way to make him leave her alone. Forever. She ignored the storm raging outside, grabbed her knife, and jumped out her window onto the tree. She hung onto the branch and dropped down to the ground.

Renny saw her go and she crawled as fast as her little legs would take her back out onto the tree. Now was her chance. Now was her opportunity to get into Sammi's head, to gain Sammi's trust.

As Renny crawled down the tree, she watched Sammi just stand there in the pouring rain. During a flash of lightning, she saw Sammi's hand went into her pocket, and then it came back out empty. Her mind apparently made up, her hand reached again into her pocket, then came back out empty yet again. As the thunder crashed Sammi's fingers kept moving, they couldn't seem to stay still. Another flash of lightning and her hand disappeared into the pocket; this time she pulled out a knife. Her hand shaking, she stood there and just stared at the knife in her hand.

Renny scurried down the tree. It was time.

Any websites/places readers can find you on the web.

I am the Fiction Writing Editor for BellaOnline. The address of that site is http://fictionwriting.bellaonline.com/  I publish at least two articles each week.

I can also be found on BellaOnline http://fictionwriting.bellaonline.com/Site.asp, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lisajbinion
https://www.facebook.com/pages/BellaOnline-Fiction-Writing/125143070846792
Twitter (@FictionWriting2),
LinkedIn (Lisa Binion),
StumbleUpon (lisajbinion), T
umblr (Fiction Writing 2),
Silver Tongue Press (www.silvertonguepress.com,
Edit1st (http://edit1st.com/editors/








Monday 27 May 2013

Author Interview: Tamsen Schultz







About the Author:

Tamsen Schultz is the author of The Puppeteer and “American Kin” (a short story published in Line Zero Magazine) and is a three-time finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association annual competition. She worked in the field of international conflict resolution and co-founded a non-profit prior to attending law school. Since graduating, she has worked as a corporate attorney and, like most real lawyers, she spends a disproportionate amount of time thinking about what it might be like to do something else. She lives in Northern California in a house full of males including her husband, two sons, a cat, a dog, and a gender-neutral, but well-stocked, wine rack. A Tainted Mind is her second novel and her third, These Sorrows We See, is tentatively scheduled for release in late 2013.


http://tamsenschultz.com

Twitter--@tamsenschultz

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

I’m a planner. Definitely. Although, once I have a plan down, I tend to go with the flow and only revisit the plan if I find myself getting stuck somewhere or am feeling unmotivated (which does occasionally happen )

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

My secondary characters like to take over A LOT. They don’t take over the story but I’ll find myself writing a scene with one of them in it and then the next thing I know the secondary character’s entire backstory and future just pops into my head. I love it because it’s fun, but there are days where I would just like to tell them to mind their manners and wait their turn :)

What is your favourite food?

At the moment, Mexican. We just moved back to California and after nine years in the Pacific Northwest, I think my family and I may singlehandedly be keeping the taco truck in town in business. That said, ask me tomorrow and I could say sushi, or steak, or Indian food. Or wine.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Morning person through and through. I think I may be the only mother on the planet who is looking forward to her boys becoming teenagers so they’ll sleep in late and I’ll get even more time in the morning to myself.

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

Everywhere. Seriously. I have a friend living in Senegal right now that I would like to visit. I’ve never been to South America or Vietnam. Some girlfriends and I are talking about renting a massive house in Scotland for our 40th birthdays next year. And someday soon, my husband and I will take the kids to Yosemite. I love to travel far and wide and thankfully my family loves it too. Though I do wish I didn’t have to fly everywhere, but I guess you take the bad with the good.

Do distant places feature in your books?

Most of my books are set in the Northeast US. I don’t live there now but spent a lot of time back east as a kid then went to college at Mount Holyoke in Massachusetts. After college, I moved to Boston and lived there for four years. I make it back every year now and though California is my home, the Northeast holds a big part of my heart and imagination. That said, and much to the dismay of my left-leaning liberal tendencies, I have a MASSIVE crush on the Deep South. I love Southern history, the land, the culture and, of course, the food. Someday I’ll set a book there but not until I feel like I can do it justice.

Do you listen to music while writing?

Nope. I’m a sensory deprivation kind of girl, especially when writing. I dream of buying myself a pair of those ear protectors/noise cancelers that ground crews wear when working around airplane engines. That might just make it quiet enough for me.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?


“A Tainted Mind” is a romantic suspense novel set in the fictional town of Windsor in the Hudson Valley of New York. Dr. Vivi DeMarco happens to come across a dead body buried under the road when she pulls over to change a flat tire in the middle of a storm. She and Ian MacAllister, the Deputy Chief of Police, work together to uncover a serial killer they think is responsible for the deaths of twenty one women. And since it is a romance, there’s a little bit of falling in love going on, too.

Originally I set the book in the Highlands of Scotland because it seemed like the perfect atmosphere for this kind of mystery – remote, a bit isolated, and somewhat unknown. But after thinking on it long and hard, I opted to set it in a part of New York State I know and love. It’s atmospheric in a different way and “A Tainted Mind” will introduce you to the town of Windsor and its people who will continue to show up in the next several novels.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

The first thing that comes to mind is “trust.” I know, kind of a strange thing to say, right? But since entering this world, I’ve come to know and love several other writers. Many of them sit down and write every day and keep track of their word counts. I tried that, I really did. But what ended up happening was that I started to feel anxious if I didn’t write or if I didn’t write whatever it was I thought was ‘enough.’ And then my anxiety turned into frustration and then to guilt. Like many women, I’m very good and letting myself feel guilty for any number of things.

And then one day I realized that I just needed to trust myself. I needed to trust that I would write when I could and in a way that worked for me. I don’t write every day now. There may be a few weeks that go by where I don’t write anything. But when I feel I need to write, I find the time and get down to business. And after having written three more books in this way, it works for me. I love writing, I still feel like I can do it with all the other things going in my life, and I like the stories I’m writing.

But to get there, I had to learn to trust myself which we all know can be kind of scary at times.

Is there anything you would do differently?

In writing? There are always things I’m thinking I should do differently and inevitably, just as a book locks down, I think to myself “Oh, I should have added that one scene or that one line.” But as for the process, I love my publisher, Booktrope and the creative team that works together to get my books out, including my Book Manager, Sophie Weeks, so I wouldn’t do anything to change that. I like having more creative control over my books and working with the team to set deadlines and release dates rather than having it dictated to me.

If the question was meant to ask if there was anything I’d do differently in life, the answer isn’t all that different. There are definitely things I wish I had done differently, but as I get older I’m getting more and more comfortable with the fact that we all make mistakes and for all intents and purposes, we’re not here on this planet for very long so we better make the most of it while we are here. We’ll hurt people and we’ll get hurt. We may do dumb things (or at least I know I will) but as long as I stay focused on being a good person, a good parent, partner, friend, colleague and all that I may stumble along the way, but I think I’ll have a good time getting to wherever it is I’m going.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

It’s hard to narrow it down because my influences are so broad. Certainly being an avid reader myself has influenced my writing, but so have friends, family, and just other random people and events (including television and movies). I can get an idea from just about anywhere or anyone.

But if you are asking about personal influences (and not book idea influences) I’d say that while my family is uber supportive, my girlfriends are the shiznit. My girlfriends have encouraged me from the get go to write and follow this path. They’ve cheered me on, read my books, given my books to family members and friends and have always, always been there. But they haven’t just promoted and supported my writing. In our quiet (or not so quiet) conversations, in our girls’ nights out or girls’ weekends away, there’s always a kind of freedom and strength that comes from being together. And I think it’s more that strength – the strength to explore, to grow, and to make mistakes and know you’re still loved - that has been one of the biggest influencers of my writing.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

There aren’t any secrets about writing. There aren’t any tricks. You just have to do it and do it in a way that works for you. Then take a deep breath and start sharing.

What are three words that describe you?

Loyal, adventurous, and perceptive (I think : )

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

There are so many it’s hard to say which is THE favourite. Some books I regularly recommend are Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s “Shadow of the Wind,” and Mary Lee Settle’s “Choices.” “The Historian” is also a good read and I tend to like old Russian satires such as Bulgakov’s “The Master and Margarita,” and Nikolai Gogal’s short stories. My romance favourites include authors such as Carla Neggers, Heather Graham, and Lisa Jackson. That said, I don’t like to read romantic suspense while I’m writing so tend to pick up more historical romances. If I’m talking to someone who likes more traditional mysteries, I always recommend Julia Spencer-Fleming who has a fabulous series set in upstate New York.

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book


Short Blurb from “A Tainted Mind”

The irony of her situation did not escape her. Whatever was compelling her to stay and find answers on the side of this country road was the same thing that had gotten her here in the first place. She didn’t like to let things go, and because she couldn’t let things go, she had almost destroyed herself with her last case. She’d taken to the road to escape, to maybe find some balance. If she were to hazard a guess, though, she’d say that whatever balance she’d found in the past few weeks was about to be tipped.

And, as if to give weight to the direction of her thoughts, about fifteen feet away from her position and about halfway down the embankment, her light landed on a small collection of rocks. No, not rocks, pieces of road that had broken away from the winter-weakened, rain-pummeled lane and tumbled down to rest a few feet away.

Vivi kept her beam trained on the pile as she walked closer. Tracing a line up the embankment, she could see an approximately two-foot by one-foot section of the road cracked and starting to cave in, the edge beginning to break away.

As she contemplated the small sinkhole illuminated by her flashlight, a gust of wind picked up. Her wet jeans pressed against her legs, her ponytail lifted, and her skin broke out in bumps from the sudden chill. Another piece of the road cracked and tumbled down the slope.

And there, at that crumbling edge, barely visible in the dark and shadows, was theunmistakable form of a human hand.

List of previous books if any

The Puppeteer (2012)

Any websites/places readers can find you on the web.

www.tamsenschultz.com

https://www.facebook.com/TamsenSchultz

www.amazon.com/author/tamsenschultz


Tainted Mind
by Tamsen Schultz
Romantic Suspense

OBSESSED with her job as a medical examiner and lead consultant with the FBI, Dr. Vivienne ‘Vivi’ DeMarco is a woman running from her own demons. And finding the remains of a body on the side of a road in rural upstate New York wasn’t part of her plan.

FRUSTRATED that the ghosts from his past won’t leave him alone, Ian MacAllister makes for a reluctant Deputy Chief of Police of Windsor, New York. But as more victims are discovered, all women that bear a shocking resemblance to Dr. DeMarco, he knows he’ll need to call on all the skills he learned as an Army Ranger if he wants to keep her safe.

DENIED over and over again of the one thing he desires most, a killer may have finally reached his breaking point. The only question that remains is, will he take Vivi and Ian with him?



Book Review: Surprising Myself by Christopher Bram

Surprising Myself

by Christopher Bram
Gay Literature/Coming of age/Family drama
Open Road Media
4 Stars

Blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Joel can’t be gay if he’s straight

After four years of living with relatives in Switzerland, seventeen-year-old Joel Scherzenlieb finds himself in the United States for the summer, working at a Boy Scout camp. There, he meets nineteen-year-old Corey Cobbett, a fellow counselor who'sand the only person Joel wants to be friends with. Soon, Joel’s sarcastic, distant CIA father shows up and whisks him away to live with his mother, grandmother, and older sister on a farm in Virginia—he’s not going back to Switzerland after all. As his father pleads poverty and his dreams of going to college vanish, Joel faces his longest year yet. But everything changes when Corey returns to his life, bringing with him the discovery and excitement of reciprocal love.

Review:

I'm not sure what to make of this novel. On the one had it is an interesting read on coming out and coming to terms with your sexuality in the 1970s/1980s, but I didn't really get a sense of time at all. It could have been set in today's world and it wouldn't have lost anything.

The book is told from Joel's point of view and the first person point of view is not one of my favourites to read. I'm always wondering what the other characters felt and thought, and we only get Joel's opinions as to what they might be feeling.

It is an interesting read and I enjoyed Joel's growth from scared youth wondering if he was really gay, to his acceptance of himself and others later on. What I didn't like was the time jumps in some certains, such as "Three years later I went back to Switzerland." I wanted to know what happened in the three years in between. The relationship between Joel and Corey felt a bit glossed over, we're told they are in love etc., but only because Joel as the narrator told us so. They are in  a relationship, but it's not a romance, as we as readers don't get to see them on their journey as they fall in love, we come back to them in New York when they are already an established couple.

The writing is good, very solid and flows really well, some of it is quite poetic in places but a lot of the characters besdies Joel and Corey fell a bit flat for me, almost as if they were cariactures of themselves. Since we are only relying on Joel's narration, it might be the way he viewed them, so a lot of them don't get much depth.

I was expecting more of a romance between Joel and Corey and we didn't quite get it. I'm not sure I would class it as a romance, more of a gay drama, and a lot of the book focuses on Joel's sister and her boyfriend and, then husband, Bob Kearney. I wanted more about Joel and Corey, I wasn't all that interested in what happened with the rest of Joel's family.

I think my expectations of a romance were what made it that little bit disappointing for me, as it is a good book, but just not the one I was expecting, so a solid four from me.

Author Interview: Mike Reeves-McMillan

About the Author:

Mike Reeves-McMillan lives in Auckland, New Zealand, surrounded by trees.


He’s almost certainly the world’s only steampunk-fantasy author who holds a master’s degree in English, a certificate in health science, an Advanced Diploma of Hypnotherapy and a certificate in celebrant studies (rituals for transition through crisis). He's worked as an editor for a major publishing house, which is just one of the reasons he has no interest in being published by a major publishing house.

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

I'm in transition at the moment towards doing more planning. For Realmgolds, I mostly let the story flow, but I'm using the Dan Wells Seven Point Outline, and I've written a synopsis for my next book before I started writing.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

My characters are very strong-minded, especially the women. They want to take over everything. I have to be quite firm.

What is your favourite food?

Smoked salmon.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Morning person. Married to a night owl, which is a source of occasional conflict.

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

I'd like to visit the Caribbean someday.

Do distant places feature in your books?

Extremely distant - I write secondary-world fantasy.

Do you listen to music while writing?

Never. I seem to use the same part of my brain for listening and reading, and I can't do both at once.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?


Realmgolds is a steampunkish fantasy novel. It tells the story of the struggle between a rabble-rousing upstart and the legitimate ruler of the realm of Denning, who really wanted to be a history teacher, but now has to make history instead. Fortunately for him, he gets the able assistance of his ally Victory, the brilliant but eccentric ruler of the neighbouring realm. Unfortunately, an ancient magical treaty between their realms means she can't send him any troops...

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

I used to work in publishing, so I know that side fairly well (though it's changed a lot in recent years). I've learned a lot about storytelling, though, how to give a story shape and direction.

Is there anything you would do differently?

Start sooner and keep going more consistently.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

I have a lot of respect for Lindsay Buroker. She's a smart indie publisher of steampunk fantasy, which is what I want to be.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

Treat it as a craft. Work hard, don't cut corners, and be professional.

What are three words that describe you?

Tall, thin and bearded.

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

I enjoy Jim Butcher's stuff immensely. I'm really looking forward to his new steampunk series.

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book


The Human Purity movement is growing in power and influence in Denning, attacking dwarf businesses and caravans and inciting popular rebellion against the central government, with the passive or active support of many of the ruling Golds.

Opposing them almost alone is the Realmgold, a young man named Determined. His problem is that, even though the Realmgold is meant to be in charge, nobody is paying much attention to him.

Victory, who rules neighbouring Koskant, would love to support Determined, but an ancient magical treaty between their realms means she can’t send in her troops, her skyboats or her pressure guns. What she can do, though, is share a new magical communications technology – and her elite corps of Gryphon Clerks…



List of previous books if any

(Not in the same setting) City of Masks, a political fantasy without magic; and Gu, a near-future science fiction novella about a disruptive technology and how it changes people's lives.

Any websites/places readers can find you on the web.

My blog is at http://csidemedia.com/gryphonclerks
 I'm often on Google+ at http://gplus.to/mikerm

Sunday 26 May 2013

Book Spotlight: Dancing in the Flame by Ann Gimpel





Dancing in the Flame
By Ann Gimpel
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
ISBN: 978-1-93176-191-8
Release Date: 4/22/13
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Book Description:

Life in a were bordello is all Keira has ever known. Because of her mixed blood, none of the magicians’ guilds want her, or protested when the Weres bound her as an indentured hooker. Mired in the hopelessness of her dreams, Keira longs for more.

Barrett, one of the Daoine Sidhe, runs a magician supply shop in what’s left of Seattle. No one is more surprised than he when the Sidhe leader commands him to extricate Keira from the weres.

Magic and intrigue throw Keira and Barrett into one another’s arms. Convinced they have a job to do, they struggle against the heat of the passion between them. Until it gets way too hot to handle.

Excerpt:

Prologue

Barrett bent over, hands on his knees. His limbs were heavy, weighted with weariness. Even the mud-streaked asphalt looked tolerable as a place to lie down, assuming he found some cover. He strengthened the magic surrounding him and sucked air. The goddamned humans and their atomic weapons had poisoned the atmosphere. It would probably hasten the end of the war, but at what price? His gaze swept over an uninterrupted vista of gray. The sky, clouds, remaining buildings, and ground were the same depressing color. He didn’t have to try very hard to hear the Earth cry and curse her guardians, the Sidhe, for doing such a piss poor job of protecting her.

“The weres, druids, and witches are ready to talk. The fairies agreed to moderate.” A familiar voice sounded from behind him.

“Hmph. Nice of them to consent to parlay while there’s still something left to salvage.” Barrett straightened and turned to face Caelin. With the Daoine Sidhe queen long dead, he was their de facto leader. All the other Sidhe answered to the Daoine, so Caelin was responsible for thousands of them. Too bad he hadn’t thought of that before dragging them into the war…

Tall and wraith-thin Caelin looked about as trashed as Barrett felt. His shoulders sagged. Bright red hair had escaped his warrior braids and hung to his waist in tangles. His battle leathers drooped in tattered shreds. Bits of grit, leaves, and dirt mingled with everything. His sharp-boned face was streaked with grime. The only part of him which looked the same was his eyes: a deep, dark blue.

“Isn’t it, though?” Caelin’s customary sarcasm rang through. He spread his arms wide. “That last atomic blast decided things.”

“Maybe it’s for the best.” Barrett met Caelin’s gaze. “We’ve been fighting for close to ten years. If the humans hadn’t felt threatened and pulled out all the stops, this might have turned into a hundred year war—if any of us lived that long.”

Caelin snorted. “We coexisted with those bastards for thousands of years. The minute they got a whiff they weren’t the only ones on the planet, they overreacted.”

A corner of Barrett’s mouth twisted wryly. “You have to admit magic can be a bit off-putting for humans.”

“Well, they’ve fucked themselves. There won’t be very many left once the atomic dust settles.”

Barrett quirked a brow at his leader. “To borrow from your vernacular, they’ve managed to fuck us, too, by dying. We’re going to have to figure out how to keep things running without them.”

“Point taken. Be sure to toss it on the table when we draw up a Covenant with the other magic wielders.” Caelin shook his head. “Despite all our efforts, there are more weres left than any of the rest of us—”

“Only because they breed like rabbits.”

Caelin waved him to silence. “Be that as it may, we must secure their cooperation. Otherwise, our numbers are too small to maintain any semblance of civilization. There’s electricity, water, the Internet, the cellular system, and food.” He ticked them off on his fingers as he talked. “It’s fortunate enough structures are still standing to house most of those left.”

“Where and when is this meeting scheduled?” Barrett hoped he could catch a few hours of sleep. He’d been up for the better part of the last two days.

“It’s now. In the Opera House, since it’s mostly intact. Walk with me.” Caelin set off at a moderate pace.

Barrett caught up to him. His muscles ached. A headache pounded behind one eye. Normally, he would have used magic to ease both, but he was seriously depleted. What little remained of his power was focused on filtering the air before it entered his lungs. “I still wish—”

“Don’t say it. Even in my worn-out state I have enough magic left to read your thoughts.” Caelin’s jaw set in a hard line Barrett recognized only too well. The Daoine Sidhe leader had never liked being questioned, nor was he open to discussion about his decisions.

Fine. Read my thoughts then. You can pretend they don’t exist, but we both know differently. The loss of their queen, Ivanne, had heated the rift between weres and the Sidhe to a boiling point and proven disastrous. She’d been a skilled mediator, navigating difficult political waters with grace and skill. Caelin was a warrior. He saw the world in black and white. Convinced the weres had murdered Ivanne, he’d convened the Council, dominated it with his anger, and led the Sidhe to war. At first it was just Sidhe against weres. Then witches and druids jumped into the fray, some on one side, some on the other. The only magical beings who’d remained neutral were the fae and the fairies.

“The weres poisoned Ivanne. Her death demanded retribution.” The harsh gravel of Caelin’s voice broke into Barrett’s thoughts.

“That may be true.” Barrett grabbed Caelin’s upper arm and forced the other man to a standstill. “War never solved anything. Not in human history, or in ours, either.” He swung an arm wide. “Look. Just look what a mess we’ve made. It will take decades for Earth to recover, if she ever does. Deep within my soul, she reprimands me over and over for our part in the destruction.”

A sheepish look flitted across Caelin’s face. He ran a hand down it, distorting his features. “Glad I’m not the only one she nags.”

A brittle anger filled Barrett, setting his guts on fire. “We deserve to be nagged. More than nagged, we deserve to be chastised—”

“It’s not like I did this singlehandedly.” Caelin sounded defensive. “The weres could have capitulated anytime.”

Barrett let go of Caelin’s arm. He pounded a fist into his open palm. “Damn it! You know better. Weres never apologize. They’re constitutionally incapable of admitting they were wrong about anything. It’s their dual natures. The animal side takes over and—”

“Spare me.” Caelin’s hands settled on Barrett’s shoulders. Fingers dug in hard enough to make him wince. “If I made a mistake avenging Ivanne, it is water long passed under the bridge. Think, man. That was ten years ago. We must play the ball where it is today. There’s little enough of our royalty left. Here in the Americas, it is you and me. I must have you standing solidly beside me. The weres will sniff it out soon enough if we are not aligned with one another.”

Barrett blew out a breath. Annoyance scoured his nerves. He hated to admit it, but Caelin was right. If the war was finally over, the next task would be crafting a Covenant with terms advantageous to all Sidhe, not just the Daoine. And making certain it enlisted everyone’s aid healing the damage done to Earth.

He ducked from beneath Caelin’s hands, squared his shoulders, and swept straggling copper-colored hair out of his face. “You need have no fears on that front. You have always had my allegiance and support.” Of a height with Caelin, Barrett locked gazes with him. “You are a brilliant tactician. And a fearless warrior. I only wish you had a bit more in the way of warmth and compassion to temper things.”

A wry grin split Caelin’s face. He didn’t smile often. The effect was electrifying, bringing all his latent beauty to the forefront. He punched Barrett lightly. “I wish for a lot of things, too. Problem is I rarely get any of them.” He inclined his head in a mock bow. “After you.”

About the Author


Ann Gimpel is a clinical psychologist, with a Jungian bent. Avocations include mountaineering, skiing, wilderness photography and, of course, writing. A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Since then her short fiction has appeared in a number of webzines and anthologies. Several paranormal romance novellas are available in e-format. Three novels, Psyche’s Prophecy, Psyche’s Search, and Psyche's Promise are small press publications available in e-format and paperback. Look for two more urban fantasy novels coming this summer and fall: Fortune’s Scion and Earth’s Requiem.

A husband, grown children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out her family.

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