Category Archives: Guest Blogger

Why I had to Write the Seal Queen

by Sandra Saidak

As every author knows, sometimes a book just grabs you and yells, “Drop what you’re doing and write me!”

That’s how it was with The Seal Queen.  I was on vacation in Capitola, CA, sitting on a beach, staring at the waves and hoping for inspiration for a novel set in prehistoric time.

Instead, I was overcome by the magic of the place.  How easy it was to just stare at the waves.  How invigorating the smell of salt and living things was.  How it felt, sitting on the western edge of North America, gazing across the largest ocean in the world.  More than anything, how safe I felt.

The word “sanctuary” came to mind.  A story began to form of a young woman on the run from something bad, finding safety in a place like this.  Next came practical considerations: how would she survive alone?  Just behind me was a small cave.  On the sand around me were the remains of countless shellfish.  And in the water in front of me (I could only assume) were fish.  There was driftwood, for a fire to warm her little cave.  Everything she needed was right there.  Clothes?  That might be a challenge—but that only made the idea more appealing.

I began with what I thought was going to be a straightforward, prehistoric adventure story, but I quickly discovered something was missing.  Other characters, perhaps, but I knew right away they could not be human characters.  The beach was full of magic and mystery, and so was the story.  My heroine’s friends needed to be creatures of the sea.  And I sensed she already had some kind of connection to them, even if she didn’t yet know it.

I had not written much fantasy, although I loved to read it.  I decided the best way for me to approach the fantasy element of the story was to delve into what I was already comfortable with: mythology and folklore.  I knew a bit about selkies, so I started there.  When I discovered the roane, the novel just took off, and pretty much wrote itself from there.

Excerpt from The Seal Queen

She awoke to impossibly bright sunshine. Water was lapping gently against one arm. From above came the raucous cry of gulls. Briah sat up suddenly.

She was on a wide, sandy beach. The coast stretched east and west, as far as she could see. Behind her were gray cliffs of varying height and depth. Before her the sea stretched. And kept on stretching. Briah would have gladly just sat there and stared at the endless rocking waves, but they were getting closer to her with each pulsing motion. She backed up until she reached the cliff, frightened, as she realized there was no way through them, and climbing was out of the question.

Briah calmed when she realized that the base of the cliff was interwoven with plants and nests, none of which would be there if the waves reached this far back. So she found a comfortable rock dappled with shade and sun, and sat down to see where she was.

Puffy white clouds sailed lazily across a vivid blue sky. There was no sign anywhere of human habitation. It took a while for this fact to sink in. Briah, as far as she knew, had never been alone in her life. For a long time, that was a good thing; a fact she never questioned. But on a harvest morning four years ago, all of that changed forever. Since then, she had known friendship and comfort, but most of the time, people had meant pain and fear. And always, they had been in control of her.

But now, there was no one except her. And as Briah turned around to examine the tunnel she had come through during the night, she saw it was gone. Water filled it. Only at low tide could this place be reached at all.

Briah was alone. And it seemed just barely possible that she might stay that way.

Suddenly, it seemed, a great weight rolled off her shoulders. She breathed a little deeper; exhaled a little louder.

“I’m free,” she said softly, testing the words. When nothing happened, Briah said them again, louder this time. The only answer was the monotonous roar of the surf and the raucous cries of gulls.

Briah leaped to her feet, graceful in spite of her awkward bulk. She pulled her sodden, sand filled clothes from her body and threw them into the rocks behind her, not caring that cold stung her body. Naked and bulging, Briah danced into the shallow waves. Cold water tickled her feet and sucked at her legs. It felt wonderful.

“I’m free! I’m safe! And I’m going to live!” It was madness, she knew. Even if there was no other access to this beach; even if no one else ever breached the tunnel’s secret, there was no reason to believe that a lone woman could survive here. And one about to give birth had even less reason to hope.

Yet Briah hoped. She sang. She soared.

It was only cold and thirst that made her stop. She gathered up her clothes, but did not put them back on.

She walked toward the west, since the going was smoother and less rocky that way.

She had not gone far when she came to a thin ribbon of fresh water. It bubbled down from the cliffs, ran across the beach, and then merged with the salt water of the sea. Briah drank her fill. Then, hanging her clothes and boots on some of the rocks that jutted into the surf, she beat them with some smooth rocks she found in the sand. Next, she carried them back toward the cliff, where the freshwater danced and dropped in small cascades. Rinsing the laundry was not easy, for space was cramped, and conditions were not designed for bare feet.

But at last, Briah was satisfied. She wrung out the clothes and spread them to dry at the base of the cliff, where the sun shone fully. After weighting them down with rocks, Briah decided to explore further. But not without clothes. The late autumn cold had finally penetrated her euphoria. With nearly numb fingers, she untied her bundle, and wrapped herself in the drier of the two blankets. Stowing the few remaining scraps of food and her flints in the other blanket, Briah picked up her one knife and headed down the beach.

The shore was rocky, so she stayed near the surf, where the sand was gentle on her bare feet. Without realizing it, Briah began to walk in step with the surge and slap of the waves. She felt a sense of peace she had never before known. Perhaps that was what gave her the courage to keep walking in this strange place, looking for who knew what.

______________

Sandra Saidak graduated San Francisco State University in 1985 with a B.A. in English.  She is a high school English teacher by day, author by night.  Her hobbies include reading, dancing, attending science fiction conventions, researching prehistory, and maintaining an active fantasy life (but she warns that this last one could lead to dangerous habits such as writing).  Sandra lives in San Jose with her husband Tom, daughters Heather and Melissa, and two cats.   Her first novel, “Daughter of the Goddess Lands”, an epic set in the late Neolithic Age, was published in November, 2011 by Uffington Horse Press.

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The Clan Andriescu

Whenever I begin a blog, I feel as if I’m at an AA or some other rehabilitative meeting, that I should stand up and say, “Bon Jour, everyone…my name is Tony-Paul and I like vampires.  Not only like them but I write about them also.”  At this point, everyone would mutter, “Hello Tony-Paul,” but…instead of launching into a story of my addictions and failures, we’d proceed to delving into the nosferatu psyche and how our literary efforts can make them more exciting and interesting because…believe it or not…we of the vampire-author persuasion don’t want to be cured!

Nope…sorry…unrepentant and all that…we love our winged, fanged nightwalkers…otherwise we wouldn’t write about them. (Did you ever believe otherwise?  Truly?)  Each of us in this very esoteric and close little circle (close and esoteric compared to other genres) has his own favorite type of Undead, and if the characteristics don’t exactly fit, why we’ll just use that good ol’ literary license and invent some which do.  I know one writer who allows her vamps to be able to utter the Holy Name without injury, and they actually have images in mirrors.  Another gave her nos the ability to conjure up an image in a mirror but only for a moment.  Some are repelled by garlic, others by various herbs and spices such as basil and oregano.  There days, the vampyre can be as varied as the humans on the planet, and it’s a very rare one indeed who hasn’t allowed himself to change with the times and avail himself—to some extent—of the technologies now present.  Hey, the vampire hunters are certainly taking advantage of the Internet, etc., so why shouldn’t the vampires, also?

Which conveniently segues into mention of my newest release, The Clan Andriescu.  I’ve done what I consider a pretty nervy thing with this novel…I’ve made myself a character in it.

In the foreward and also in the first chapter, readers will learn how a smart-ass adolescent named Tony-Paul happens, just by chance to meet three sightseeing tourists on a Savannsh beach.  They’re looking for something that doesn’t exist. He’s looking for…well, to tell the truth, at that stage of his life, TP didn’t know what he was looking for.  The tourists, however, did help him find a goal in his as yet undetermined life.

Things get off to a bumpy start, but get better as it goes along.

If the following blurb/excerpt piques our interest (Oui, I know how to both spell and use that word properly) here’s the BUY LINK: https://www.classactbooks.com/index.php/general-fiction/horror/the-clan-andriescu-pdf-3482013-05-14-03-37-13-detail

BLURB, The Clan Andriescu

Marius, head of the Clan… Exiled for stealing one too many women from his prince…He can’t understand why the woman he loved in 1968 doesn’t want to renew their affair in 2013..

Valerius, the baby brother… ordered to marry, he selects the one girl who’s off limits because she’s human…all right to bite but not to wed…

Timon, the cousin… Being married to the most famous writer of vampire novels since Anne Rice can be fun, until she writes an exposé proving vampires are real…

When the sun sets on Savannah Beach, they meet a smart ass adolesdcent named Tony-Paul de Vissage…they entrust their life story to him…

Twenty years later, it becomes a novel…

EXCERPT:

“Back, foul fiend!” TP crossed one forefinger over the other, holding his hands in front of him.

“What the Hell are you doing?” The one called Val demanded, jumping back with a hiss.

Timon reached out, knocking TP’s hands apart. “That won’t help you,” he snarled. “We’re Jewish!”

“Don’t believe him.” Val recovered, leaning forward to whisper rather earnestly, “We’re Russian Orthodox. Really.”

“Back foul fiend?” Marius started laughing when TP spoke and now got himself under control. “I haven’t heard that phrase in at least a century. Where’d you dig up that?”

“I-I heard it in a Dracula movie the other night.” TP looked a little disappointed at their reaction.

“Dracula.” Marius looked disgruntled. “The best example of bad press, if ever there was. He should’ve sued his publicist.”

“If you’re through dissing Dracula, would you tell me…W-where am I?” wavered TP. “What have you done to me?”

“Done to you?” They looked at each other and back at him. “Nothing.”

“Don’t lie. I know what you are. Exactly.”

“Okay.” Timon walked over to the fainting couch and slouched on it, legs crossed, hands behind his head. “I’ll bite.” He looked as if he’d like to do just that. “What are we? Exactly?”

“Y-You’re…vampires!”

“Vam…” He began to laugh, displaying those overlong eyeteeth. “You’ve got a sense of humor, kid, I’ll give you that.”

URL: https://www.tony-paul.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonypaul.devissage?ref=tn_tnmn

MySpace: https://www.myspace.com/505918625

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5117438.Tony_Paul_de_Vissage

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007BDHDZY

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/tonypauldev

Twitter: @tpvissage

 

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Q&A with Elisha Barber

Q:  You’ve described Elisha Barber as “Dark fantasy about medieval surgery” isn’t that kind of redundant?

It’s true that the medical techniques of the middle ages leave a lot to be desired—bleeding, amputation without anesthetics (opium was sometimes available, but often banned by the church), tooth-pulling and balancing the humors with all sorts of strange diets.  But this makes for an exciting world of possibilities for the writer: the stakes are high, the research is fascinating, and it’s an area for fantasy where not much has been written.

Q:  You don’t have a medical background—what lead you to write about a surgeon?  And why a barber?

It started out with research I was doing for another book. I read up on medieval surgery for a scene where an injured character gets treated, but I was so intrigued by my reading that I just couldn’t stop. I had read half a dozen books on the topic before I realized I was already building a new world and a new character in my head.

I wanted to call the series “The Barber’s Battle,” but my editors at DAW worried that not enough people knew that barbers were medical practitioners and not just hairdressers.  During this period, there was a distinct medical hierarchy among formal practitioners, from the university-educated physicians, to the surgeons who may or may not have had formal education, to the barber, the lowliest role, who performed most of the bleedings as well as amputations and minor surgery.  This is apart from the folk practitioners who worked in the town and village environment and might begin as herbalists, “wise women” or midwives who filled other healing functions as well.

Q:  How did the series become fantasy as well as history?

This question has two approaches.  First of all, when I started writing it was historically inspired, but not pinned down to any particular time and place. It wasn’t until I started imagining my illiterate protagonist, Elisha, attending medical school that I resolved to make it historical.  During the 1300’s, the medical school at Salerno, which had been the most famous, was somewhat in decline. It still provided a rich setting, near the site of Pompeii, part of the kingdom of Naples,which was ruled by a young woman who was accused of killing one of her husbands, and close to the place Vergil named as the entrance to Hell (probably because of the volcanic activity). None of this comes into play in the first book, but it helped me to narrow my timeframe to 1347.

Q:  So where does the fantasy come in? 

A second touchstone of my research had to do with crime and punishment. How criminals were treated, what crimes were considered significant, how witchcraft might be thought of. . .that lead me to the truly grim areas of my research: torture, injustice, the inquisition.  One of the things that struck me as I read was the number of times that witches, Jews and gays are grouped together with heretics.  Whenever something went wrong, people identified as members of these groups (rightly or wrongly) were rounded up and expelled, punished, sometimes tortured or even burned at the stake.  It felt like the set up to some cruel joke:  what do witches, Jews and queers have in common?  When the stake goes up, they are the first to burn.  That realization lead me to a variety of plot elements as well as characters in the book.

Q:  Sounds both disturbing and exciting, from a writing standpoint.  So what’s the blurb for the book?

England in the fourteenth century: a land of poverty and opulence, prayer and plague, witchcraft and necromancy. Where the medieval barber-surgeon Elisha seeks redemption as a medic on the front lines of an unjust war, and is drawn into the perilous world of sorcery by a beautiful young witch. In the crucible of combat, at the mercy of his capricious superiors, Elisha must attempt to unravel conspiracies both magical and mundane, as well as come to terms with his own disturbing new abilities. But the only things more dangerous than the questions he’s asking are the answers he may reveal…

Q:  Where can readers learn more?

The book is available now at all major outlets (and probably some minor ones as well!).

For sample chapters, more historical research including a bibliography and some nifty extras, visit www.TheDarkApostle.com

E. C. Ambrose blogs about the intersections between fantasy and history at https://ecambrose.wordpress.com/

https://twitter.com/ecambrose

https://www.facebook.com/TheDarkApostle

Buy Links:

Indiebound:  https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780756408350

Barnes & Noble:  https://bit.ly/13pEciI

Amazon:  https://amzn.to/13HMvG2

E. C. Ambrose is the author of “The Dark Apostle” series of historical fantasy novels, beginning with Elisha Barber from DAW Books.  Published works include “Spoiler Alert” and “The Romance of Ruins” in Clarkesworld Magazine and “Custom of the Sea,” winner of the Tenebris Press Flash Fiction Contest 2012.   Additional stories are forthcoming in Fireside and through the Penguin Specials e-book program.  The author is a graduate of the Odyssey Writing workshop, a participant in the Codex on-line neo-pro writers’ workshop, and a member of the Cambridge Science Fiction Writers Workshop.

In addition to writing, E. C. works as an adventure guide.  Past occupations include founding a wholesale business, selecting stamps for a philatelic company, selling equestrian equipment, and portraying the Easter Bunny on weekends.  The author spends too much time in a tiny office in New Hampshire with a mournful black lab lurking under the desk.

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Q&A with Natalie Silk

1. What is the title of your newest book or short story?  What’s it about?  Where can readers find it?

The title is Stars’ Fire, science fiction for young adults.

Dahliea Gherac, a twelve year old girl, is the sheltered daughter of a politically powerful father. She is also from a very wealthy and prominent family. Yet, Dahliea is treated as an oddity by the dominant society, is hounded by the media, and is bullied by her peers because her mother is a blonde-haired, fair-skinned woman from Earth. Dahliea so desperately wants to be accepted by her schoolmates and wishes that she is like every other S’Renen.

Even though this is a science fiction novel, anyone who understands what it’s like to be bullied, excluded, or different may also find Stars’ Fire appealing.

Readers can find Stars’ Fire at Dark Oak Press (www.darkoakpress.com), Amazon, or Barnes and Noble. Readers can find me on: Facebook (Natalie Silk, Author), my blog (NatalieSilk.blogspot.com), and Twitter (NatalieSilkSF).

2. How did you choose to become a writer?

I always wanted to be a writer since I was a little girl.  I would spend hours in my room making up stories.  I started to really write when my sister gave me a journal for my thirteenth birthday.

3. What inspired your new book or story?

When I was twelve or thirteen, I had a dream about five men in monk robes standing in a circle.  I could only see their chins under their hoods.  One of the monks turned to me and he said, “You’re not ready.”  I wrote down the dream.  I had another dream where I was   standing on the side of a mountain overlooking beautiful trees and a huge monolith.  I wrote this dream down also.  Those two dreams became the foundation for Stars’ Fire.

4. What do you read for fun?

I love reading reference and spiritual books; just about anything that stretches my knowledge.

5. What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

Don’t give up your dreams, ever.  Don’t listen to anyone who tells you ‘never.’  Believe in yourself and believe that your dreams will come true someday.

Bonus: Listen to Natalie read from Stars’ Fire: https://ghostinthemachinepodcast.com/?p=398

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Q&A with James C. Gillen

My name is James C. Gillen author of the Paul Isaac Vampire Series with Kerlak Publishing.

1) What is the title of your newest book or short story? What is it about? Where can readers find it?

I currently have two books out, 1) Tortured Skin and 2) Crimson Madness, both are part of the Paul Isaac Vampire series. The main idea of the series is set in Orlando, Florida among the tourist district downtown.

In my first book, Tortured Skin, Paul Isaac, vampire executioner, has a problem. In spite of public opinion and politics, he still has a macabre job to do. He finds himself in pursuit of a sadistic monster and injected with a deadly virus designed to turn him into the thing he hunts. Now, he must chose between being manipulated by vampires and solving a bizarre case.

Paul uncovers a sinister night club that caters to the dark side of pleasure and pain that might not only be the key to his survival, but may bring him closer to the rogue killer. He must learn to face his own inner demons and trust in those who may just turn out to be less monsterous than himself.Isaac, vampire executioner, has a problem. In spite of public opinion and politics, he still has a macabre job to do. He finds himself in pursuit of a sadistic monster and injected with a deadly virus designed to turn him into the thing he hunts. Now, he must chose between being manipulated by vampires and solving a bizarre case.

Paul uncovers a sinister night club that caters to the dark side of pleasure and pain that might not only be the key to his survival, but may bring him closer to the rogue killer. He must learn to face his own inner demons and trust in those who may just turn out to be less monsterous than himself.

In my second book, Crimson Madness, Paul Isaac is back and had found himself between a rock and a hard place. Someone or something is killing the human supporters for vampire rights, known as the Knights of the Night. An ancient master vampire has been targeted as the killer. But when Paul discovers the vampire may be innocent, he is forced to confront the police and their possible cover up or turn his back on the monster that may hold the only clues to the deaths.

In order to protect the humans being targeted, Paul must set aside his fears and prejudices and walk through the doors of a new vogue vampire art gallery known as Crimson Madness. What he finds there might be more frieghtening than anything with fangs.

Both books are available through most major bookstore chains, Amazon, iTunes and is available in book form as well as electronic.

2) How did you choose to become a writer?

I have loved writing and creating stories, songs and poems my whole life. When I was in first grade, I even re-wrote the Bible!  After that, I began to write easier material such as a book on a killer shark, inspired after sneaking into a theater and seeing Jaws. I’m very musical and in a few of the bands that I was in, wrote a lot of the music and lyrics to original songs. Life took over shortly after high school, got married, bought a car and house, got a real job, became a father, so writing took a serious back seat.  As time went on, I was able to free up some time and began to write again. In my head I had so many ideas trying to crawl out that it was almost overwhelming. Joined a writers group and after a couple of years of holding on to my manuscripts for dear life, finally took a chance with letting others read it and eventually met up with Kerlak Publishing.

3) Where can readers find you on social media?

My web site : jamescgillen.com, goodreads.com, James C. Gillen on Facebook

4) Was there a book you read in your childhood or teen years that changed your world? 

Not a book, but an author. Edgar A. Poe. It was about 3rd or 4th grade and we read The Raven and a couple of his short stories in class and I was blown away. Until then, everything I had read was puppies and rainbows with happy endings, and now here was this dark, sinister writing that had been placed before me. I was hooked on horror from then on.  After that, every year when school started, the first thing I would do was go through my reading book as see if there was anything from EAP. A couple of years ago, my wife bought me a hard cover edition of the complete works of Poe. Sometimes I’ll slip away, light a candle and read a page or two.

5) What advice would you give an aspiring writer?

Join a writing group. Not just any writing group, but one that will give you honest critiques. If you’re in a writing group and all the feedback is positive, it’s not the group for you.  No ones writing is perfect, much less every time, so be selective when you look for a group. Also, look for one where you are not the best writer in the group.  These environments are the best way to learn how to write well and improve your characters and ideas. Plus, it will be a great way for someone to question the plot or characters along the way and help you with issues in your writing that you might not even know were there.

Beyond that, do the following: Pull up a chair to the computer/typewriter (Do they still make those), sit down, place hands on keyboard and get lost in a great story.

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Q&A with Christina St. Clair

1. What is the title of your newest book or short story?  What’s it about?  Where can readers find it?

Blue Caravan is a supernatural fantasy for teens and anyone interested in Arthurian folklore, Merlin, evil, and 1950s England. It is a sequel to Emily’s Shadow but is a stand-alone read. It took a lot of research, something I love to do. Blackheath, London, where the story takes place was said to be where plague victims were once buried in mass graves. This turned out to be untrue, but when I walked across that barren grassland, I could feel strangeness begging to become a story…

2. How did you choose to become a writer?  I had reached an impasse in my life.  I’d been a fairly successful chemist (even got patents), but didn’t find it meaningful.  I found myself telling stories to my little nephews, have always loved books, and long ago as a child wanted to write, so I began twenty years ago to get serious.

3. What inspired your new book or story?  I intended exploring the Mordred/Arthur son/father conflict because I know more than one son who has trouble with his dad–and I love gypsies and wanted to learn more about them and create a fun read with supernatural underpinnings.

4. How do you research your stories?   I get lots of facts online, and I also buy and read books that inform me.  I found some ancient books about gypsy-lore on Amazon that were invaluable with all sorts of spells, including  “Cuckerdya pal m’re per Caven save misece!  Cuckerdya pal m’re per Den miseceske drom odry prejial” which means  Frogs in my belly, devour what is bad.  Frogs in my belly show the evil the way out!

5. What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?  Read!  Write!  Revise! Keep an ideas notebook.  And stubbornly persist without taking yourself too seriously.

 

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Q&A with Kimberly Richardson

1. What do you read for fun? – Since I write dark and creepy fantasy, my reading tends to be classic works of literature. Right now, I am reading Sophie’s Choice by William Styron.

2. What advice would you give to an aspiring writer? – Write, write, write! Everyone has a story inside of them; all it takes is just one word, one sentence.

3. What is the title of your newest book or short story?  What’s it about?  Where can readers find it? – My newest short story is Agnes Viridian and the Search for the Scales. It is part of Pro Se Press’ newest anthology entitled Black Pulp: Pulp stories with an African American hero/heroine. My character, Agnes Viridian, is a woman filled with knowledge of all kinds; she has been called by the mysterious Mr. O to search for his missing scales. . . .

4. Where can readers find you on social media? (Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Library Thing, Redd It, etc.) – Facebook (Kimberly Richardson), Twitter (ViridianGirl) and my blog, The Nocturnal Aesthetic.

5. What inspired your new book or story? – When I was younger, I wrote the Indiana Kim stories: a little girl who, like Indiana Jones, goes off in search of treasure while fighting her arch nemesis, Dr. Doom. Agnes Viridian is basically Indiana Kim grown up yet still filled with adventure!

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Q&A with E. Rose Sabin

Q. What is the title of your newest book?  What’s it about?  Where can readers find it? 

A. My newest book is the fantasy novel Mistress of the Wind, a novel set in the same world and country as my four YA novels: A School for Sorcery, A Perilous Power, and When the Beast Ravens (all published by Tor) and the independently published Bryte’s Ascent. However, Mistress is more “new adult” than YA. In the novel, Windspeaker Kyla Cren sings to the wind, understands its moods, gathers news from it, and treats it as her lover, yet she longs for a companionship that the capricious wind cannot provide. Her quest for friendship and love carries her to a land filled with hostility and hate, where her windspeaking ability is useless. To save herself, she must trust a magical and mysterious being whose lies have already sent her into grave danger, a young woman who has known nothing but treachery and deceit, and a man whose love can cause her death—or his own. It’s available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble as well as from my publisher’s site, https://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com

Q. What’s your favorite part of writing a new book or story?  What do you like the least?

A. My favorite part is the beginning, in which I expand on what starts as a vague ideas, develop characters, decide on the plot, and write the opening chapter or chapters.  That’s an exciting time, when ideas come so fast that I can hardly get them written on my computer. I also love reaching the end of a novel and tying it up in a satisfying way. Sometimes it turns out very differently from the way I expected and the ending works far better than the way I’d intended would have. I love it when the characters come alive and talk to me and point me in the direction the plot needs to take. The part I like least is writing the middle of the book, in which it seems that the novel can’t possibly work and what do I think I’m doing? I always have to slog through that stage, telling myself that I can fix the parts that don’t work and the novel  is doable, no matter how discouraging it may seem at that point. And generally I get through that and the novel works, although sometimes I do have to set that novel aside for a time and work on something else until I can take a fresh look at it and solve the problem that had stopped me.

Q. Where can readers find you on social media? (Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Library Thing, Redd It, etc.)

A. I am on Facebook both with a personal page and an author’s page: E. Rose Sabin’s Books. I’m also on Twitter as @erosesabin and on Goodreads and LinkedIn as Elenora Sabin. I have posted all my book covers on Pinterest.

By the way, I write as E. Rose Sabin, using my first initial and my middle name so I can use a rose as my logo and mainly because people tend to misspell Elenora in many different and inventive ways.

Q. Who are your favorite fictional characters—your own, and from other books, TV shows and movies?

A. As for my own favorite fictional characters, I’d have to say Lina from A School for Sorcery and When the Beast Ravens and China from the Terrano Trilogy. (I enjoy writing the bad girls.) From other books, I loved Corwin from Roger Zelazny’s Amber series, Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and its sequels, and Door from Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman—both the novel and the BBC TV series, and also from TV, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Q. What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

A. Be persistent; don’t give up. But at the same time, don’t be in such a hurry to be published that you send your work out to agents and publishers before it’s ready. Be sure you’ve given it a thorough editing and have had it read and critiqued by other writers whose opinion you trust (not family members). I’ve seen too many self-published novels with amateurish errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar and with plot holes large enough to swallow a house and garden. Have enough faith in yourself to accept criticism, decide whether it’s justified, and, if it is, make corrections that improve your work.

For a special treat, head over to the Ghost In The Machine podcast to hear E. Rose read from her latest novel by clicking here.

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Guest Interview with Toni V Sweeney

1. What is the title of your newest book or short story? What’s it about?  Where can readers find it?

My latest novel is the 5th in the Adventures of Sinbad series, from Double Dragon Publishing  It’s called Sinbad’s War, and, just as the title indicates, the galaxy’s once more at war. This time, however, instead of being a child in a war-torn galaxy, Sinbad’s a man fighting in one.  He has more reason than most to win this war, for his home planet is attacked, his wife and infant daughter killed and his son Adam’s wife is carried off by the invaders, along with many other women on the planet.  Sin, his sons, and his grandson enlist and are soon in the middle of the battle.

 2. How did you choose to become a writer?

I don’t think anyone chooses to become a writer. It’s inborn, like being able to play the piano. You have the ability, you just need to cultivate and develop it.

3. What’s your favorite part of writing a new book or story?  What do you like the least?

There are always some scenes that seem to flow better than others.  Usually I find the most emotional ones work well. Don’t know why. Perhaps it’s because I’ve lived through so much emotion I can channel it onto paper better.

4. What inspired your new book or story?

It was a natural progress.  Unlike some series where the characters appear to stay the same age and everything occurring would theoretically have to happen in very condensed circumstances to fit in, Sin starts out as a very young, unencumbered smuggler and progresses to a much older shipping magnate and grandfather.  It was only natural that, since he lives in the galaxy governed by the United Terran Federation (and we all know how belligerent those Terrans are) sooner or later, he, and the galaxy, would be involved in a war of some kind.  So I decided to show how that war would affect him and his family.

5. How do you research your stories? 

When I’m writing one of my “medieval fantasies,” or sword and sorcery as they used to be called, I do a lot of delving into lives, history, and customs in the years 1000-1400.  Then I adjust what I’ve read accordingly to whatever locale and people I’m writing about.  Most of what I use is based on fact in one way or another.  I try to keep actual dates accurate, as well as spellings, and be as realistic as possible down to the smallest detail.

6. Where can readers find you on social media? (Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Library Thing, Redd It, etc.)

BUY LINK FOR SINBAD’S WAR: https://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/single.php?ISBN=1-77115-089-0
URL: https://www.tonivsweeney.com/
Goodreads: https://https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=Toni+V+Sweeney
MySpace: https://https://www.myspace.com/tvsweeneyhttps://https://www.myspace.com/tvsweeney
Facebook: https://https://www.facebook.com/tvsweeneyhttps://https://www.facebook.com/tvsweeney
Amazon: https://https://www.amazon.com/Toni-V.-Sweeney/e/B002BLQBB8/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1365694962&sr=1-2-enthttps://https://www.amazon.com/Toni-V.-Sweeney/e/B002BLQBB8/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1365694962&sr=1-2-ent
Twitter: @tonivsweeney
Author Database: https://https://authorsdb.com/authors-directory/2030-toni-v-sweeneyhttps://https://authorsdb.com/authors-directory/2030-toni-v-sweeney
Ask David: https://https://askdavid.com/search/Toni-V.-Sweeneyhttps://https://askdavid.com/search/Toni-V.-Sweeney
Youtube: https://https://www.youtube.com/user/tvsweeney?feature=mhee

7. Who are your favorite fictional characters—your own, and from other books, TV shows and movies?

Mine:  Sinbad (The Adventures of Sinbad) and Aric kan Ingan (The kan Ingan Archives)

Other books:  Harry Dresden (The Dresden Files); Eve Dallas and Roarke (The In Death series)

TV:  Richard Castle  (Castle)

8. What do you read for fun?

I like Regency romances, mysteries, and paranormal novels.

9. Was there a book you read in your childhood or teen years that changed your world? Tell us which book and how it made a difference for you.

I read so many books as a child I can’t select just one! I got a library card when I was seven and I’m 70 now, so that’s a lot of reading material and time.

10. What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

Don’t talk about it, do it!  If you’ve been wanting to write that novel, get it out of your head and into the computer or on paper or somewhere tangible…then take it from there.

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Q&A With Toni V. Sweeney

By Toni V Sweeney

1.     What is the title of your newest book or short story? What’s it about?  Where can readers find it?
I’ve two novels coming out this month from Class ACT BOOKS….YAHOO! DOUBLE FEATURE!

One is a little fantasy called That Demon in Blue Jeans. It’s about a girl who asks the Devil to send her a “Bad Boy” and what happens when he does. It’s being re-issued by Class Act Books on April 15.  The original was a short story. This one is re-edited, re-furbished, and a much longer version.

The other is another entry in the Lovers of Leonesse series called The Seventh Mothman. It’s a bit of steampunk,  rolled up in a romance, about a group of soldiers who use flying machines to fight, a girl disguised as a boy who infiltrates their ranks, and the mix-ups that causes.

2. How did you choose to become a writer?

I didn’t “choose” to be a writer, I was born one.  I just had to recognize that fact and do something with it.

3. What’s your favorite part of writing a new book or story?  What do you like the least?

I like to get a story going with a good beginning, catch the reader with the first line, if possible…something that’s make him blink, say, “I’ve got to find out more,” and keep on reading.

There are always some parts I have trouble writing.  I really hate death scenes or scenes where someone leaves someone else.  Once I took the coward’s way out and had someone die between one chapter and the next and had the characters simply say he’d died.

4. What inspired your new book or story?

That Demon in Blue Jeans was inspired by the 1980’s country/Western song “Somebody’s knockin’ sung by Terri Gibbs…about a young woman who answers a knock at the door and finds a blue-eyed, blue jean-wearing devil there.  I took it from that point and showed just what happened to her and the blue-eyed devil.  It was a fun story to write.

The Seventh Mothman had a very odd origin, though I suppose all books have odd origins if you think about it.  I wanted to write another in the Leonesse series but was stalled as to what it would be.  I’d heard about the”Mothman” legend and was intrigued by that word but I didn’t want a paranormal story, so I got to thinking of what else a moth man could be and I came up with someone who flew a plane in a time when airplanes weren’t exactly common vehicles.

5. How do you research your stories? 

No matter era I’m writing or even if it’s a fantasy set on another world, there’s always some research to be done. I do a lot of delving into lives and history to be as accurate as possible, whether it’s a certain gemstone that’s supposed to aid memory or whether or not a man in 1812 would be smoking a cigarette he’d just lit with a match. A lot of the names and “foreign” words I use are actually the original forms of words and names we use today.

6. Where can readers find you on social media? (Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Library Thing, Redd It, etc.)

URL: https://www.tonivsweeney.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/tvsweeney

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Adventures-of-Sinbad/248540951861742

 

AMAZON CENTRAL: https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/profile

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

MYSPACE: https://www.myspace.com/tvsweeney

TWITTER: @tonivsweeney

 

7. Who are your favorite fictional characters—your own, and from other books, TV shows and movies?

Mine:  Sinbad (The Adventures of Sinbad) and Aric kan Ingan (The kan Ingan Archives)

Other books:  Harry Dresden (The Dresden Files); Eve Dallas and Roarke (The In Death series)

TV:  Richard Castle  (Castle)

8. What do you read for fun?

I like Regency romances, mysteries, and paranormal novels.

9. Was there a book you read in your childhood or teen years that changed your world? Tell us which book and how it made a difference for you.

When I was seven, my mother got me a library card and I’ve been a first class patron ever since.  With the advent of ebooks, I’ve now read so many novels, etc., it’d be impossible for me to select just one.

10. What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

If you’ve been wanting to write a novel…do it!  Get it out of your head and into the computer or on paper or somewhere tangible. If you don’t have a computer or a typewriter, write it in long hand, but get it written, and take it from there.

The Renaissance…Romance…and a Bit of  Steampunk…

THE SEVENTH MOTHMAN, The second offering in the LOVERS OF LEONESSE series…available soon from Class Act Books.

When Andre duCleau’s Will leaves his entire estate to his runaway son, François, daughter Antoinette is forced to make a drastic choice:  Find her brother or live in poverty.   She chooses the later and travels to Leonesse disguised as a young nobleman.  Antoinette doesn’t find François, but she does find a home with the city’s flying squadron, the Mothmen.

Once the guardians of Leonesse, these brash young men took to the air in flying machines created by King Georges’ Venitani inventor, but now, they and their brave deeds have been almost forgotten…until war again arises.

Secure in her disguise, Antoinette is ready to fight…until her feelings for Etienne, a fellow flyer, get in the way.  What will happen if Etienne and the others discover her secret?  Will they denounce her or will they accept as The Seventh Mothman?

“There is humor, suspense, love, romance, and a strong array of characters.”

–Linda Tonis, Parasnormal Romance Guild reviewer.

 

 

That Demon in Blue Jeans, available soon from Class Act Books.

Kate Carter has always considered herself a good girl, but she’s also a very lonely one because of that fact.  One night, she does something rash…she asks the Devil to send her his baddest Bad Boy, all for her own.

What Kate gets however is Zel, an underachieving incubus, who’s in line for evaluation.  Zek’s failed every review he’s had for the last ten thousand years, and Kate’s his last hope for promotion.  This assignment is one he’s desperate to pass.

What follows is a night of passion neither mortal nor demon can forget and that leads to complications…as Kate and Zel realize they’ve fallen in love…and that the Devil had plans for both of them…

“Fantasy or not, a good story is a good story and Demon in Blue Jeans is that in triplicate. If the chill of loneliness prevails and a spicy romance is desired, then Toni V. Sweeney has just what you need with Demon in Blue Jeans.”

–C.B. Smith, author of Still Life with Psychotic Squirrel and Diary of a Teenage Faërie Princess.

“…suspend your belief and get carried away with a total fantasy. And Toni V. Sweeney definitely delivers with Demon in Blue Jeans.”

 

–Margaret Marr. Nights and Weekends

 

 

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