Written In Blood

Author Spotlight with Jimmy G

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

K.S. Hello and welcome to the blog. I am very excited to have you here. Why don’t we start off with a small introduction? Tell us a little about yourself.

My background is, in my opinion interesting as far what type of person one might consider to be the writing type. I would never, in my life had I thought that I would end up writing. I was the kid in the back of class avoiding the gaze of the teacher. I’d shriek when I would come across an essay question in place of the more mild mannered multiple choice option. It took me ten years to get through junior college! When I speak of how I got into writing I like to tell folks I fell into it, literally. I fell of off a train and broke my knee. I needed surgery. I was a professional firefighter at the time. A broken knee and that gig just do not mix. I was to be off of work for quite some time. During a visit to the firehouse the guys asked me what I was going to do with all of my time away, as if physical therapy wasn’t enough. I had always been an avid reader, for some reason “I think I’ll write a book” popped out. They didn’t think I could do it. Well, to me that was a challenge and one I obviously accepted. I headed home that day, fired up the computer and started typing. That was a little over ten years ago. As of this week I started writing my seventh novel. Since then I’ve been rather active where literature is concerned. I’m on the board of directors for the Chicago Writer’s Association. I head up their Windy City Book Review Program. I’m a panelist for the Clive Cussler Adventure Writers Competition. I’m a mentor for a teen writer, who by the way will have her first book published shortly. I was also instrumental in getting my hometown’s annual book festival going. Aside from all of that, I am no longer a firefighter, another injury closed that chapter of my life. I’m now a husband, a father of two, I umpire high school and college baseball and finally, I’m the Den Leader for my little guy’s Cub Scout Pack. That’s about it….

K.S. Any interesting writing quirks or stories you would like to share with my readers?

Not really, I’m sorry, kind of dull answer. I just sit down and type. What whatever pops out I either hit delete or keep rolling along. I guess this is kind of quirk. I don’t like writing home for some reason. I do, of course. I make a point to head out to my favorite local pub where I claim a spot at the bar. It’s fun, as with most saloon, bars and restaurants you’ll see a bunch of regulars hanging out. I usually stick to myself but I do like jumping into the banter when something catches my ear.

K.S. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? What sparked the desire to pen your first novel?

Oh boy, I’m sorry, I answered that in the first question! Oops!

K.S. What genre do you write?

I write in two genres. I started off writing adventure novels for adults. I still do but now I’ve added paranormal stuff for middle school kids to my resume. I tried my hand at that just to see if I could write something different. I’m glad I did, it’s fun stuff to work on.

K.S. What would you say has inspired you most in your writing career? Or, who is your favorite author and why?

I think it’s pretty neat to know there are folks out there who I have never met reading my stuff. At least I hope there is some out there reading my stories. The best part is fan mail, its nice to know what those people I’ve never met feel about the stories.

K.S. What does your family think of your writing?

Supportive, naturally, my wife isn’t big reader. I’ve written seven books, she’s read one. I still love her though.

K.S. What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your book/s?

Tough question, I’ve learned so much. In relation to the writing business in general, I’ve found editing and cleaning can take as long as or even longer than just writing the darn book. Another observation I’ve made since I started writing ten or twelve years ago, authors are often treated poorly by their industry peers, such as agents, publishers, sellers and reviewers. I sometimes wonder if all of these folks realize they that they wouldn’t have their jobs with out us?

K.S. What inspires you?

Another tough question simply because there is so much to mention. I’m inspired by other writers, my own hobbies and interests, my family and my friends. Part of what keeps me writing though, I just think it’s cool to know that there people out there who I’ve never met reading my stuff. The fan mail is cool too. I think have two or three of those now, fans that is.

K.S. Can you tell us a little about any of your novels?

Here you go, for the current book anyway….

1776: An English payroll ship loses sight of its convoy and wrecks on the shoals of a small, remote Caribbean island during a terrible storm, marooning its crew and a small group of soldiers. After rescuing the gold and burying it on the island, they are overrun by a tribe of cannibals, leaving the treasure hidden...

Today: Jimmy Quigley, a small town cop, inherits a boat and a treasure map from his Uncle Jackson, a renowned world explorer. He hooks up with Evelyn Quinn, who also received a small inheritance from his uncle. He heads to the Caribbean with Evelyn and her friend, Kristin, and his friend, Rick, for some fun in the sun and a possible treasure hunt. When the boat is ransacked by thieves not once, but twice, Jimmy wonders if his uncle's warning to watch his back has more to it than he first thought. With his friends' safety and the fate of the Lorraine gold in mind, Jimmy heads off into the biggest adventure of his life...

K.S. Where can we buy your novel?

Mostly on line at Amazon or anywhere books are sold on the web. If you’re in the Chicago area, swing on by your favorite bookstore, hopefully my stuff will be there. If it’s not, scream at the desk clerk.

K.S. Do you have a website, fan site, or Blog that we can visit?

I am at www.jimmygwrites.com. I’m told I should be blogging. I’ll get to that eventually. I am on Facebook as well, everyone hit me up, one can never have too many friends.

K.S. Do you have any closing advice to aspiring writers?

Just keep writing, you’ll get there, seems every established writer I know has passed that along.

Go Publish Yourself! Quick and Dirty Tips for Self-Publishing Success

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:17:00 +0000

New, and available exclusively on Kindle!

Go Publish Yourself!

http://www.amazon.com/Go-Publish-Yourself-ebook/dp/B007415JD6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328299992&sr=8-1

This handy dandy little guide, filled with lots of tips and tricks, will help you get through the major stumbling blocks on the road to self-publishing success.

What’s in the book?
Common Misconceptions
The Business of Self-Publishing
Basic Costs & Budgeting
Publishing Formats: Epub, Kindle, Smashwords, & Print.
Cover Art
Interior Layout
Pricing
Printing and Distribution
Marketing Basics: Platform building, Book Signings, Blog Tours, etc…

And much more!

So, what are you waiting for? Go Publish Yourself!

Writing with an infant - AKA Typing one-handed.

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:58:00 +0000

So, as many of you know, I have a newborn at home with me. That's one of the reasons I've been so quiet. Trying to work at home with an infant is quite a bit harder than I thought it would be. Babies, especially ones in the 0-3 month range don't really do much. They eat, sleep, and poo. They are really only awake and alert for a few hours at a time during the day. You'd think that would mean I'd have tons of time to work. Here's the reality of it. Sure, Hunter is only really alert a few hours a day, but that doesn't mean that's the only time I am caring for him. He loves to be held 24/7, he nurses on demand, often for a few minutes every hour, and he cat naps 20-40 minutes at a time during the day. Basically, if he is not in my arms or his father's arms, he is not happy. He'd prefer to sleep with us holding him. That means a lot of my work is done one-handed. Even now I'm typing this with my right hand while I'm cradling Hunter in my left. Now, I'm not saying any of this to make excuses. I just want you all to know that I have not forgotten about you or the books. I'm just working a lot slower than I used to.

Author Interview with Cesar

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

K.S. Hello and welcome to the blog. I am very excited to have you here. Why don’t we start off with a small introduction? Tell us a little about yourself.

Hello and thanks for having me, well my name is Cesar and I live in Ireland, I'm a very humble man trying to make my way through life as best I can. I have a wonderful daughter who's turning nine this year and I'm so very proud of her, she is a big inspiration that shows me how wonderful life can be.

K.S. Any interesting writing quirks or stories you would like to share with my readers?

If I let myself get carried away I will find myself staying up all night writing away with a cup of coffee to hand, only to realize how late it is when the sun comes up.

K.S. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? What sparked the desire to pen your first novel?

Well I had lost my job, and suddenly had heaps of time on my hands, and for years I had the thoughts of writing a book but I had never got around to it. So one day I decided to use my time constructively and picked up a pen and started to write.

K.S. What genre do you write?

This is my first published book but to be honest I don't stick to one particular genre, this book is simply about prophecies but I also enjoy writing YA fiction, psychological twisting stories, poetry and even a bit of romance.

K.S. What would you say has inspired you most in your writing career? Or, who is your favorite author and why?

Well one story of inspiration is of course JK Rowling who wrote because she loved to write and finally had a manuscript taken up by a publisher and now she has to be one of the single most enjoyed authors in the world today, I think her story of refusing to give up after the rejection letters is an inspiration for all writers.

K.S. What does your family think of your writing?

The support of family is very important, I often talk to my daughter about stories I am thinking about and stories I am writing, but as soon as I do, she will often start telling me about stories that she is writing and then I don't get a word in edge-ways. The rest of my family are proud of course, and my friends ask me to sign their copies.

K.S. What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your book/s?

We have all heard the saying 'the pen is mightier than the sword' but there is another level of understanding that writers come to; the realization that when you write fiction, you can take someone from your life that maybe you're not very fond of and put them into your story with an unlimited option of outcomes.

K.S. What inspires you?

Dreams are the source of inspiration for this book, but I also find them inspiration for my fiction stories, the mind has a depth of imagination that can make great books.

K.S. Can you tell us a little about any of your novels?

Book of Prophecies is my first published book, it is a collection of brand new prophecies about things that are destined to happen in the world, including the economy, wars, disasters, terrorist attacks and even nuclear disaster. This is the first book of prophecies to be published since Nostradamus, although, many people have published books about prophecies, they are simply based upon prophecies told hundreds of years ago. I would like to give you a snippet of the first prophecy from the book:

(i)

The business of the States which are United,

Will be deemed most successful,

It will be stable for many years,

But be warned as poverty follows,

In the eagerness to overcome the problems,

An event will occur which will consume its sons,

Only hard work to undo your errors,

Will bring any luck

K.S. Where can we buy your novel?

Book of prophecies is available on all online bookstores, however the best deal is at https://www.createspace.com/3719608 where you can buy the special edition for $9.99

K.S. Do you have a website, fan site, or Blog that we can visit?

Well after I had finished my book, I started doing research into ancient prophecies and started to Blog about it, the link to my Blog is

http://cesarprophecies2012.blogspot.com/

K.S. Do you have any closing advice to aspiring writers?

To write then to write more and never give up, even after rejection letters.

Author Spotlight with John Garrett

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 12:00:00 +0000

K.S. Hello and welcome to the blog. I am very excited to have you here. Why don’t we start off with a small introduction? Tell us a little about yourself.

Hi, Katie, it's great to be here! My name is John Garrett, and I'm a 39 year old artist, writer and web design-type from Milwaukee, WI.

K.S. Any interesting writing quirks or stories you would like to share with my readers?

I don't know if I have any “good” quirks. I guess I'll have to make something up so it can be my thing 100 years from now when they're teaching me in schools :)

K.S. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? What sparked the desire to pen your first novel?

Growing up I always concentrated on the artwork so much. I wanted to draw comics and [maybe] write them as well.

I think the urge to write only really hit me in college when I had some creative writing classes. I always had my own ideas for stories, but after that I thought “I think I could really do this”!

K.S. What genre do you write?

I write sci-fi and fantasy, but my current book is actually a humor book mixing comics and writing.

K.S. What would you say has inspired you most in your writing career? Or, who is your favorite author and why?

Well, I'd have to say that Guy Gavriel Kay is my favorite writer. He writes in the fantasy genre [usually]. His stuff is extremely well researched, and he always ties it into a certain era of history so you can somehow relate it back to our own world.

I always wanted to write something like him. I finally came to the realization that I'm not going to write anything like that, it's just not what I do, but I wouldn't want to become a “clone writer “anyway, so I'm cool with it!

K.S. What does your family think of your writing?

Ha ha! My family is not very interested in comics and fantasy and sci-fi for the most part. Of course, they wish me the most success possible and will help me as much as they can, but you won't really ever catch one of them curled up with a comic book!

K.S. What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your book/s?

I'll tell you, I learned that when you're writing a book, people tend to discount it. They tend to almost automatically write it off as some kind of a pipe dream.

It seems like if you don't have Steven King or J.K Rowling level success then you're a failure, but if you shoot for that then you're just dreaming.

Hey, I don't have to make millions to be successful! :)

K.S. What inspires you?

The chance to get my work in front of people and have them enjoy it inspires me. I'm a creator, so making my living creating things is something that pushes me and inspires me every day.

K.S. Can you tell us a little about any of your novels?

Sure, my current book is called “How to Deal with Stupid Clowns who don't know what the Hell they're talking about!”

It's a comic and written guide to navigating life when dealing with difficult people who always seem to be around to try to derail us.

I've met some pretty crazy characters in my life and I've rolled them up into comic form just for this book!

The first chapter is available for download here (6mb): http://hypertransitory.com/stupid_clowns/Stupid_Clowns_FIRST_CHAPTER.zip

K.S. Where can we buy your novel?

You can buy a copy of the book on my website here:

http://hypertransitory.com/stupid-clowns/

K.S. Do you have a website, fan site, or Blog that we can visit?

Sure my website is http://hypertransitory.com/

It's ground zero for all my projects. I have a weekly comic, and I also talk about web stuff, pop-culture and a whole bunch of things. I know you're supposed to laser in on one specific thing on these blogs but I really don't feel like holding back :)

K.S. Do you have any closing advice to aspiring writers?

Sure, while you're getting your book done, you can be out there connecting with people via a blog or using social media. Maybe you can bring some of these people along for the ride as you create the story.

People like to see some of the background process as well, and then it means more to them and you when it finally arrives.

Oh, yeah...GOOD LUCK!!

Here's a look at the book trailer for “Stupid Clowns”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_HNEELqe_k

Welcome to the world Hunter Alexander Salidas

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:37:00 +0000

I have to get this written out before I forget. Even now, at only a week later the details are beginning to get fuzzy. But here it is, the reason I have been so quiet lately. I was busy having a beautiful baby boy!

Hunter Alexander Salidas, my son, was born on December 7^th 2011.

We’d originally planned for a home birth. That was an important thing for me, and the reason I’m mentioning it now. While yes, it all turned out well, there is still a little sense of mourning going on inside of me for the loss of that natural experience and the missed hours of bonding time. I was not able to hold my son for close to three hours after he was born.

Since my first child was born via C-section, I knew what that surgery entailed and I did not want to be forced into it again if it wasn’t necessary. In Las Vegas, there is no real middle ground in the debate over C-section and VBAC births. The mentality here is, “Once a C-section, always a C-section.” Even if it is not medically necessary it is the default process for birthing a second time. That is what led us to homebirth and our wonderful Midwife April Kermani of Baby’s First Day. I’ll admit, the idea of home birth was initially a scary one but after lots of research into it, I learned that it was not any more dangerous than going to a hospital. Yes, that’s right; there are tons of risks involved in having your baby at a hospital. Don’t think that just because it has all the medical equipment, that it is a 100% safe environment. But, I won’t go into all the details here. What I wanted to point out is that we tried for the home birth and the natural approach but ultimately fate stepped in, and we ended up going into the hospital anyway.

The Day before Birth

The story really began on December 6^th with our regularly scheduled appointment with the midwife. I went in expecting nothing special. Our previous appointments had been very mellow and uneventful. I was anxious to get the baby out because I was just so darn uncomfortable. I know. All pregnant women say this! LoL.

Our Midwife felt my belly and performed all of the standard measurements. We knew Hunter was going to be a big boy. Our Midwife had estimated him at 9lbs but he was still “floating” in my pelvis, which meant, he wasn’t exactly ready to come out yet. Then she got out the doppler so we could listen to his heart.

That’s when the drama began. She played around, trying to find the best angle to hear him, but he was being a little elusive. When she did finally lock on to his heartbeat she made a face indicating that she did not like what she was hearing. She switched me over to a better piece of equipment (I forget what it’s called. It’s the one that prints out the heart tracings). It appeared that on every 4^th-5^th beat. Hunter’s heart was making a hiccupping sound.

She said it might be nothing. Sometimes larger babies have a little arrhythmia, but we had better check to be on the safe side.

Alarm bells began ringing in my head! No mom wants to hear there is a potential problem with her baby’s heart. Even though our Midwife was reassuring, I was still worried. She sent us down to a Perinatologist to have a Biophysical Profile done. That’s basically a really in-depth ultrasound with a Nonstress Test. What they saw was that Hunters heart was slightly off in size. The right chamber was larger than the left and one of the valves was slapping up against the chamber wall. Again we were told this is something that while scary sounding, is not life threatening. Most babies that have this type of irregularity will correct within 24 hours of birth. However this was not a free pass.

At this point the Perinatologist, who I really didn’t like much to begin with (his bedside manner left a lot to be desired), started counting on his fingers all of the reasons why I cannot have this baby at home and why I (since I was already 39 weeks) should have this baby ASAP.

1) The heart arrhythmia means the baby needs to be checked by a cardiologist immediately upon birth.

2) Irregular sizing of the chambers of the heart. Again, something that a cardiologist needs to check out as soon as he is born.

3) The estimated weight had now jumped to 9lbs 14oz. (potentially too big to fit through the birth canal.)

4) There was a larger than normal amount of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby. (The Perinatologist was concerned that if my water were to break, it might gush out so much that the cord could come out first and that was a major concern to them.)

The doctor let us go home saying he would be speaking to our Midwife about getting us into a hospital ASAP.

On the drive home my Midwife called me. She’d talked with the doctor and while respectful of the fact that we didn’t want to have another C-section, she agreed with the doctor that C-section was probably for the best. Being a prior C-section though, meant induction and VBAC was not an option. She again tried to calm our fears, telling us that this was in no way an emergency situation and we should have a few days to wrap our heads around this.

It wasn’t want we wanted to hear, but Nick and I agreed that it was better to be safe than sorry where Hunter’s health was concerned. My Midwife transferred me to the doctor’s care and said I should expect a call in the next day or so from the Perinatologist office to schedule me for the C-section.

Little did I know that that when the Perinatologist said ASAP, he meant it! There was no waiting. Almost as soon as I hung up with my Midwife, my phone began blowing up with calls from the doctor’s office, trying to schedule me in for that evening. When there were no beds available I was pushed back to 7am the following morning and told to get my stuff together and be at the hospital at 5:30 to be prepped and ready.

Suddenly, I went from not feeling too stressed out to feeling extreme anxiety. Not only was I not mentally prepared for this surgery, but I also needed to arrange for emergency child care for my daughter. C-section meant at least 3 days (we stayed almost 5 full days), and Munchkin had all kinds of activities planned for the week. The timing just couldn’t be worse.

The Birth

After what felt like hundreds of phone calls, I had child care arranged, coordinated with my Doula (Jenny), and let everyone who needed to know, where we would be for the rest of the week. I’d even managed 3 hours of sleep which was a surprising feat given my level of stress.

Finally 5am rolled around and we made it to Spring Valley Hospital. There was only one problem. The hospital couldn’t find my paperwork. Come to find out, they had my name spelled wrong, and they also had told me the wrong schedule time. We weren’t scheduled for 7am we were scheduled for 1pm.

Talk about Murphy’s Law! I was a little annoyed but there was nothing I could do about it. I asked if we should just go and come back later, but they said no. They put a call into my doctor and he wanted to have me monitored and have blood work done, so the nurse decided to set us up in a room. I was given a lovely and fashionable hospital gown and then strapped down to the bed with those heart monitoring belly bands. There I sat (With my hubby and our fabulous Doula, Jenny) for about 6 hours.

When the time came to head off to the O.R. I was shocked to find out I had to walk myself in there. When my daughter was born (7 years ago), I was prepped and wheeled in ready to be cut open. This was a new experience. I walked in on my own two feet and hopped up on the operating table. It was such a surreal thing for me.

Even though I had done this before, I was scared walking into that operating room. My heart was pounding, my nerves were shot, and if it weren’t for the IV pole I was attached too, I might have run screaming down the halls.

Okay, I’m exaggerating a little bit, but I really was terrified walking into that operating room.

My anesthesiologist was the best! And it really helped make a huge difference in the experience. He explained everything he was doing, step by step, and constantly asked me how I was feeling. He gave me a spinal block and then helped me lay down on the operating table.

Around me, the O.R. staff began their pre-op dance, while I fell into a warm fuzzy drug induced state. I remember my arms being strapped down, my legs being positioned and strapped down, the gentle rub of cleansing solution across my abdomen, and then the curtain went up for the final performance. My world was that blue curtain sitting inches away from my face. Beyond that, people were talking and doing things, but they seemed so far away. It dawned on me at that moment that I didn’t know where my hubby was, and before I could open my mouth to ask, someone grasped my hand. He was there, right at my side. I couldn’t turn my head to look though, I was so focused on that curtain and what was happening beyond.

Hubby

The anesthesiologist was at my ear, again asking me if I was okay and reminding me of what symptoms were normal to feel. He offered me a mask for oxygen and I accepted it happily. I needed to breath. As long as I was breathing, I was okay. I remember thinking “Breathe, just breathe,” through the odd pressure and pushing that was happening behind the curtain.

Hubby had my hand and I was squeezing with all my might as I listened through the fog to hear what the doctors were saying. I remember hearing “Oh my god that’s a lot of fluid.” That was accompanied by the first wave of released pressure. Then, they said they were pulling out my baby. That was the second and biggest relief of pressure.

Hunter came out and screamed almost instantly. His cry was music to my ears! They told Dad (Hubby) it was okay to take pictures if he wanted and then they lowered the curtain just a little. I craned my neck but couldn’t really see anything beyond pink skin and chunky baby legs.

A nurse in the background who I assume was taking notes asked “Is it a boy or girl.” To that, my hubby responds, “Are you kidding? His junk is bigger than mine!”

Hunter continued to scream while they worked on him. A nurse said it was okay for hubby to come over. I squeezed his hand one last time and said “Stay with the baby.”

I laughed and cried and felt such relief all at the same time. He was out, he was crying, and that had to mean he was doing good.

Time sort of became a blur at that point. I felt lots of tugging and pulling on my belly while I listened to the cries of my son. I just can’t explain how comforting it was to hear him, knowing that he was at least healthy enough to cry. And let me tell ya, he is not a silent baby! This boy has a set of lungs on him.

In the background I heard them listing his stats. Born at 1:42PM, 9lbs 4oz, 21 inches long. What a big boy!

Then he was wrapped and they brought him over to me for a quick kiss. Hubby snapped off a picture and the doctor reminded them they needed to see the cardiologist. Off to the NICU they went while I was being sewed up.

I hated the separation time. I felt the loss the instant my husband and son left the room.

They wheeled me into recovery, attached lots of wires to me to monitor my heart, blood pressure, and oxygen. My Doula was allowed to come back in and visit me, she tag teamed with my mom so someone was with me at all times. I didn’t want to be alone. I can’t describe the empty feeling I had but it was less when there was someone with me. And that had been my one big request. If I had to have a C-section, I didn’t want to be left alone for any reason in the hospital.

Jenny, my wonderful Doula, smuggled in my cell phone and I was able to keep in contact with Hubby in the NICU. He sent me pictures of Hunter and told me what test were being done and how Hunter was doing. I was so grateful for that. It kept me sane. Though I was in another part of the hospital, I wasn’t too far away as long as I had that life line.

Hunter had an EKG done, had blood drawn, was put on monitors, and given the goopy eye stuff while he was in the NICU. Through it all, Hubby was right there at his side.

After about 2 hours, Hunter had passed all of their test with flying colors and was ready to be released from NICU. That was a big sigh of relief, but they were taking their sweet time discharging him down to the regular nursery. Now that I knew he was okay, I wanted to hold my little man and start breastfeeding ASAP. I was watching the clock like a hawk, waiting for them to come through the doors. Finally, at close to 4pm, I was able to hold my little man! 4 days later, we were released to go home.

Big Sister loves her baby brother

Welcome to the world Hunter Alexander Salidas.

Not even a werewolf can outrun the past

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Title: Broods of Fenrir

Author : Coral Moore

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Broods-of-Fenrir-ebook/dp/B006AKQVR0/

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/106624

Barnes & Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/e/2940013500624

Shapeshifter Brand Geirson was raised to rule the Broods of Fenrir, but he refused his birthright. Instead, he killed their brutal leader–his own father–and walked away.

For hundreds of years he’s avoided brood society, until a werewolf kills an innocent human woman and Brand finds himself dragged back into the violent politics of the shapeshifters. When the two brood women who mean the most to him come under threat, he must take up the throne and risk becoming the kind of vicious bastard his father was, or let the broods descend further into chaos–taking the friend he swore to protect and his lover with them.

Tell us the story behind the story. What inspired you to write this novel?

Well, that’s kind of a long story, but I’ll try to give you the Cliff’s notes version. I first saw the phrase “broods of Fenrir” on a wikipedia page and immediately fell in love with it. I started reading the referenced source, which was a Skaldic poem called Völuspá and after that it was all over.

Tell us about the book cover. How does it represent your book? How did you choose the artwork?

The cover was designed by the very talented Amanda Kelsey at Razzle Dazzle Design. She deserves all credit for how lovely it came out, because what I gave her was a very basic description of Brand and tell her there should probably be a moon and a wolf on there somewhere; she did everything else.

Excerpt:

Broods of Fenrir by Coral Moore

Chapter 1 - Excerpt

Brand walked along the yellow crime scene tape that cordoned off the dilapidated building. His gaze wandered over the stained brick wall and broken windows. He remembered when the building was new, how modern it had seemed rising out of the barren landscape. The abandoned industrial complex south of downtown had deteriorated from a Denver landmark into a crumbling eyesore over the last several decades.

Glare from the bright, early winter sun prevented him from seeing inside the dim structure.

The patrolman guarding the perimeter passed a long, appraising look over him. Brand nodded to the man and handed over his identification. The uniformed officer glanced at the badge. He gave Brand another once-over and frowned. “Private security? You’re not authorized to be in this area.”

Between his height and the presence of the wolf inside him, most humans found Brand intimidating. They would never be able to define exactly what bothered them, only a vague sense of strangeness. The more sensitive they were to the energies of the natural world, the harder he had to try to put them at ease. If the man in front of Brand had been a wolf, his hackles would have been raised.

Brand pulled off his sunglasses and smiled without showing his overlong canine teeth. “Detective Grant asked me to stop by.” He kept his voice light, trying to convey that he was just another guy, there to do his job when he’d rather be anywhere else.

With a pensive creasing of his forehead, the officer seemed to come to the conclusion that Brand was no threat, and his expression eased. He turned to speak into the radio at his shoulder. “Tell Grant a guy named Brandon Geirson from Sword Security is here to see him.”

For Brand, dealing with humans was easier than interacting with his own kind. Aggression was counterproductive, rather than required. He appreciated that humans responded better to courtesy than intimidation, something that would never work in the brutal subculture into which he’d been born. The constant battle for rank among the Broods of Fenrir brought out unwelcome feral tendencies.

The crackling that answered was all but incomprehensible. The patrolman handed back Brand’s identification. “He’ll be here shortly.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Brand slid his sunglasses back into place.

“Sure thing.” The officer nodded and resumed his scan of the area.

Grant emerged from the building a few minutes later and jogged over to the edge of the cordoned-off area. He made a beckoning gesture with one thick-fingered hand.

Brand ducked under the yellow tape. “What’s going on, Grant?” They’d never met under what could be called pleasant circumstances, so Brand wasn’t surprised Grant seemed perturbed.

Grant led the way toward one of the oversized loading doors that had been propped open. Police personnel wandered in and out of the building. Snatches of conversation drifted over to them.

Grant paused several feet short of the entry. “We got a call about a body inside. Your company is the security outfit for this place?”

Brand swiped a hand down his face. He hoped some kid hadn’t thought to have an adventure exploring the empty derelict and instead had fallen down an open elevator shaft. It had happened before, and the guilt gnawed at him. “They don’t pay for anything but one guard doing occasional walks of the outside.”

Grant made a note, then fixed his astute eyes on Brand. “Must be frustrating for you.”

Brand sighed. “It is. I’ve tried to talk to the owners about it, but they aren’t interested in spending money to keep out trespassers.”

“Well, in this case, it’s not some adrenaline junkie looking for a new high.” Grant shook his head. “Wish it was. Lady in there is all slashed up.”

Brand froze in the act of scratching his jaw. “She was murdered?”

Grant looked over his notes and gestured toward the page with one finger. “The coroner’s hemming and hawing about bites that look canine, but there’s no animal I know of would do that kind of damage.”

Dread slithered up Brand’s back, raising the hairs on his neck. “Canine?”

Grant flipped a few pages in his notebook. “Maybe some coyotes came in after the guy was done with her and had a snack, who knows?” He shrugged. “All I know is, there’s no dog-like thing on Earth that would slice her up that way.”

Brand knew firsthand that wasn’t true. Bloody images bubbled up from the deep place he’d buried them. His stomach turned while he battled the painful memories. “Why’d you ask me to come here?”

“I need to know about anything unusual going on in the vicinity.”

He met Grant’s cool stare. “Kids come to get their kicks exploring the empty building. It’s been happening since they closed the factory down years ago.”

Grant scribbled some more notes. He pushed a few buttons on his phone and held it up for Brand to see. “You know her?”

Bruises and cuts covered the woman’s swollen face. Brand swallowed to alleviate the sudden tightening of his throat.

At the bottom of the frame, bloody gashes in her clothing made the pain she had endured before her death obvious. Teeth marks were visible along one side of her neck. Not canine, not at all, though Brand understood why someone who didn’t know about the existence of his kind might assume that. He closed his eyes briefly and searched for calm. His temper flared, but he regained control. “No, I’ve never seen her before.”

Grant harrumphed. “That’s all I’ve got for you right now. I’ll call your office when we clear out of here.”

“Thanks.” Brand offered his hand, and Grant shook it with a short nod.

While walking back to his motorcycle, Brand mulled over what do to next. Leaving the investigation up to the police was out of the question. Even if they could figure out who’d done it, they were ill-equipped to deal with one of the brood. The responsibility of seeking justice for the woman’s death fell to him.

The leader of the brood in the Denver area was a long-time friend and one of his biggest clients. In all likelihood, a member of Erik’s brood had murdered that woman. That placed Brand in a dangerous position since he wanted to put the wild animal down.

Where can readers find out more about you and your work?

http://www.chaosandinsanity.com/
Don't forget to "Like" me on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCoralMoore

Get to Know the Broods of Fenrir (And win an Ebook copy)

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Broods of Fenrir

Author : Coral Moore

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Broods-of-Fenrir-ebook/dp/B006AKQVR0/

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/106624

Barnes & Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/e/2940013500624

The original inspiration for my werewolf story came to me a while browsing the Wikipedia page on Fenrir.

There, in a paragraph about the Poetic Edda (a collection of ancient Skaldic poetry) I first read the phrase broods of Fenrir and immediately fell in love. There is a roundness to words that to me feels like a growl. From there, I ventured out into the convoluted paths of the internet to learn more about Fenrir and his broods.

In my travels I found a gem of a site, voluspa.org, that has beautiful translations of Icelandic and Norse Eddas and Sagas. The stories there spurred my imagination for weeks afterwards, even prompting me to learn some Old Norse pronunciation so that I could speak the original lines.

The 40th stanza of the Völuspá (The Prophecy of the Seeress) in particular really started the gray cells churning:

The giantess old | in Ironwood sat,
In the east, and bore | the brood of Fenrir;
Among these one | in monster's guise
Was soon to steal | the sun from the sky.

The web site explains that the brood of Fenrir is a pair of wolves, named Skoll and Hati, who are prophesized to consume the sun and the moon.

Most mythology has roots in fact, describing occurrences that earlier man didn’t understand. So, I started to wonder, what might have served as the inspiration for a story like this. My imagining of the race of werewolves that spawned this tale became the seed of an idea that grew into my book, Broods of Fenrir.

In my alternate history, werewolves are a separate species from humans and were enslaved by the Norse in pre-Viking times. Their culture was repressed by the aggressive barbarians, and after a time they adopted a variation of the Skaldic myths as their own origin story. Eventually, some of the brood escaped captivity and fled to Iceland, Greenland and North America ahead of the Viking expansion through those areas. Their violent, tumultuous background is the basis of some of the darker scenes in my book.

The research I did while writing was extensive, but not much of the actual detail made it into the story. Instead, I let the knowledge of Norse culture and language I gained flavor the characters and world they inhabit.

For a chance at a free eBook copy of Broods, tell me about your favorite myth adaptations.
**Post a comment below to enter to win.**
You have until 12/8/11 to post your comments to enter to win the contest. Please be sure to include an email address or some way for us to contact you. (If we cannot contact you we cannot award you your prize.)
Winner will be announced on 12/9/11

Thanks to the lovely Katie for hosting me!

* * *

I would love to talk to you about werewolves and Norse mythology on Twitter. Please stop by my website and say hello or read an excerpt of Broods.

Don't forget to "Like" me on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCoralMoore

Find Broods of Fenrir at these retailers:

Amazon (UK Version)

Smashwords

Barnes & Noble

Rising Sign Books: Black Friday Holiday Gift Pack!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:03:00 +0000

Vampires... Just in time for the holidays!

Get all three of the Immortalis books for one low price.

Ordering for a friend or loved one? Not a problem! We'll have each book signed by the author (to the recipient of your choosing). For no additional charge, books will be gift wrapped in holiday paper, ready to place under your Christmas tree!

Act fast, supplies are limited.

Only $25.00

(US shipping only.)

Order before December 10th to ensure product arrives in time for Christmas.

Social Networking Faux Pas

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:39:00 +0000

After receiving quite a few messages from random authors with requests to read their latest book, (many of these people were not on my friends list.) I felt this reminder was in order!

Your online personality is part of your overall platform as an author. It’s an excellent interactive experience for you and your readers.

However, you can’t treat your online presence as a virtual billboard for your books. The biggest part of social networking is the social aspect. I’m sure you’ve heard this a million times, but you need to be active online.

However, there is a caveat. “Active” means being a participant, not a spammer.

If you’re on Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, etc., before you even think to post something about your work, go through your friends list and make sure you have given other people’s posts time and consideration. You’re not the only one out there. Your followers are your audience and your potential readers. Keep them close. They are the ones who will (hopefully) buy your next book; you want them to know you care about them beyond whether or not they will read your book!

Here are a few quick Social Networking don'ts to avoid.

Don’t directly ask someone to follow you.

There are millions of people online, and it may be tempting to contact them and suggest yourself as a person of interest. Trust me, don’t do this. Instead of coming across as cool and interesting, you come across as the type of person who will spam their friends daily with request of “buy my book.” Be interesting and social, toss out your screen name or Twitter handle when asked, but don’t go begging for new followers.

Don’t email or message strangers with advertisements for your book.

Don’t contact random strangers or new followers and shove your book’s information under their noses. If someone gets to know you, they will naturally learn about your book. That’s a better sales pitch than the hard sell.

Don’t use your social profile to only talk about yourself or your book.

Part of being social is the interacting. You are not interacting if you are just standing on your soap box screaming about your book.

Don’t forget to proofread your posts.

You’re an author—people will judge your spelling and grammar a little more harshly than they would any other average Joe’s. Put your best face forward and quickly proof your post before you hit send.

Don’t use links in every post.

If all you do online is post links, you will be ignored very quickly. This is not interacting with your audience. It’s okay to post the occasional link, but your purpose for social networking is to be part of the conversation, not someone who stops the flow and directs traffic away.

Don’t post hundreds of updates a day.

Posting too little can be troublesome, but posting too much is worse. Instead of being creative and witty, your posts become white noise among the throng of thousands of other people spamming the system. Only post when you have something worthwhile to say; otherwise, stick to commenting on your friends’ posts.

Don’t pester someone who stopped following you.

There are many social “helper” sites that will let you see who is and who is not following you. If someone has dropped you as a “friend,” there was probably a good reason for it. Either you were not interacting with them, they did not like what you had to say, or you spammed them. No matter what the reason, leave them alone. Pestering a dropped follower is a sure-fire way to give you a bad reputation online!

Now that you know what you shouldn’t do, here are a few things you want to make sure that you actually do.

Do join in the conversation.

Did one of the people you follow say something witty? Respond to it. Get in on any good conversations that are happening. That’s the best way to be social and get to know your online friends.

Do share funny links, videos, posts, etc.

Just do it in moderation. Remember what I said above, don’t spam the system.

Do ask questions in your post to promote social interaction.

I have found that asking the audience really gets people involved. I write about vampires and ask lots of opinions of my readers, wanting to know what they like and don’t. The questions result in tons of responses.

Read more tips and tricks in my handy dandy little guide.

Available exclusively on Kindle!

Go Publish Yourself!

http://www.amazon.com/Go-Publish-Yourself-ebook/dp/B007415JD6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328299992&sr=8-1

A word to the self-publishing community

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:18:00 +0000

Actually, a few words if I may… Grab a snack and settle in, this could be a bit of a rant!

Self-Publishers… You are not an island. You are not some special and unique creature that exists within a vacuum where your actions are independent from anything else or anyone else surrounding you.

Let’s drop the whole “Indie” publishing title. It is too elitist and gives people the wrong impression. We’re not independent of each other, because whether you like it or not, you are part of a community!

Let’s break this down just a little for you. When a customer goes to buy a book they look at a few things: Genre, Cover art, Summary, and price. That price has a lot more to do with who published than what the product costs. I can’t count the number of forum threads I have read on various sites trafficked by both readers and writers, where people want to avoid self-published books. The most common response to the question of how to avoid them is price. The 0.99-2.99 price point is a dead giveaway for most that the book they are looking at is a self-published work. There are other clues but this one is generally the best indicator. Let’s face it, we do dominate the bottom of the pricing pool. Even $3.99 is becoming a flood of self-published work.

Why would people want to avoid a well-priced book? Why do people want to avoid a self-published book?

Because there is a lot of crap out there!

Sorry guys, I’m mad, and I’m not sugar coating things today.

You may not want to hear this but it gets right down to the heart of the matter. There is a whole lot of crap out there! Books with terrible cover art, books that have been published with no editing, books that were published as first drafts with no beta reading, proofreading, or critiquing. But, among the mass of crap there are also a lot of wonderful, well-written, beautifully edited, and polished books too.

Problem is, once a reader is burned on as little as one bad self-published book, they give up on all of them.

That’s why we’re not “independent.” There is no differentiation in a readers mind between one self-published book and another. They aren’t going to buy your book, no matter how many stars you have next to it because it’s self-published. Price doesn’t really sway their opinion. People are still buying overpriced traditionally published books because they know the quality of the work they are getting.

So why am I mad? Why am I jumping up on my soap box about this today? Because I am sick of seeing the elitist attitude some people in the self-publishing community take toward other authors.

In the last couple of days it was widely announced that Book Country, a subsidiary of Penguin Books had a self-publishing service. Many self-published authors, including myself, were very active on blogs and indie community sites spreading the word of caution about this new Vanity press. The response to this was split down the middle. Some self-published authors were outraged that yet another company was taking advantage of other potential authors. But there were others who seemed to take the cavalier attitude of “If another authors fall prey to this, it’s their own damn fault for not being informed.” It seemed to me, that there were many people not only defending this new Vanity Press, but they also seemed annoyed with anyone who dared to post the warning about it.

And that, my friends, is what pissed me off. Self-publishing is not a one size fits all thing. There are literally thousands of ways to get your book into print (or ebook) and for many new authors it’s hard to differentiate between what is potentially a scam and what is legit.

As a newbie myself, it took a year of work and research before I felt I had a handle on how to properly self-publish a book. Two years later, I am still learning new methods and making connections with freelancers. I don’t care how much research you do, there is always something for you to learn. And the community is where you should be sharing these things as well as learning them from others. The more you know, the better you can make your own work. The better your work, the better the community looks as a whole.

So, when someone puts up a warning to the community, they should thanked and the link shared, not chastised by people who claim to know it all. Knowledge is the way we fight against self-publishing being labeled as crap. Make it easy for that new author to find the right information, don’t just sit idly by and watch others being taken advantage of!

Even though “self” is the first word in self-publishing, it does not mean you’re alone. You are a part of something bigger. And the only way we can help make self-publishing a true force in the publishing industry is to strengthen our ranks with information and the tools to successfully do the job right!

Book Country - Publishing Service (aka Vanity Press)

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 06:42:00 +0000

Self-publishers beware, there is yet another company trying to get in on the self-publishing action and make a quick buck or two off of a perspective author.

Book Country (a subsidiary of Penguin) recently announced that it is offering Self-publishing services.

Professional Print and eBook: $549
Let us do the work for you! When you choose the Professional option, Book Country formatters will transform your raw manuscript file (.doc, .docx, .rtf, or .txt files accepted) into polished print and ePub files. Choose from six different elegant interior styles designed specifically for genre fiction.

Please note that the use of the word "polished" here does not mean edited. I've seen nothing on their site to indicate they edit your work which is a crucial step in the publishing process. Also, $549 is a hefty price tag for book formatting.

There are plenty of freelancers out there who can produce a nice clean interior book block (print) or ebook ready files (Epub, Mobi, Doc (smashwords)) for a whole lot cheaper.

Rising Sign Books
Self-Pub.net
Just to give you a couple off the top of my head.

User-formatted Print and eBook: $299
Are you more the hands-on type? This option provides you with all the tools and services you need to format a professional-looking interior file. Your Publishing Kit includes a special Book Country interior template designed to work for both print and eBook, instructions for preparing your manuscript and front matter for production, a checklist to keep you on track, cover design tips and recommendations, and ideas for marketing your book after it has been published. This option requires Microsoft Word version 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, or 2010.

I'm not sure what the "service" is here. It seems to me you are paying them for the privilege of your hard work formatting your manuscript and all they do is use your files to create the final product.

I should remind you it is `100% free to upload your ebook ready files to Pubit! (Barnes & Noble Nook), Amazon KDP (Kindle), and Smashwords. Those are just the top three places you can upload to. There are more. For print books you have the option of going with Createspace and they cost next to nothing to setup a book to be printed and distributed.

I guess the $299 goes to cover the cost of their tips and recommendations, and ideas for marketing your book but for that price you better get more than just a few tips! I'd expect some kind of a media blitz for the release of the book for that kind of price. At the very least a blog tour or something to that effect.

User-formatted eBook Only: $99

For this special introductory price, you'll receive exactly the same tools and services as above, except you won't be creating a print book.This option requires Microsoft Word version 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, or 2010.

Again, I will point out that it is `100% free to upload your ebook ready files to Pubit! (Barnes & Noble Nook), Amazon KDP (Kindle), and Smashwords.

The only benefit I can see here is that they claim to do all the legwork for you, but for me, I'd rather save that $99 and just do it myself.

But... publishing is not the end of the fee's. They will still take a cut off the top of your sales as well.

For a $2.99 eBook sale of a Book Country title on Amazon, Amazon takes $0.90 and then the author is entitled to $1.47.

If you were to upload and sell your book directly on Amazon, at $2.99 you would be entitled to 70% royalty meaning you earn $2.09 on the sale of that book. Amazon takes their cut, yes, the 0.90 but that's it.

According to Book Country, Amazon takes their money and the author gets $1.47 . They conveniently forgot to mention that they are going to take $0.62 for themselves. That amounts to roughly 30% of your expected profits per book after Amazon takes it's cut.

That's the ebook percentage, they also state that print books can be as high as 50%. Something to keep in mind.

There are better and cheaper ways to get your book out there to a wide distribution network. Please don't fall prey to the big businesses trying to make a profit on your dreams!!

Code of Darkness by Chris Lindberg

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Chris - Chris Lindberg was born and raised outside Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from Northern Illinois University in the mid-1990s, he headed out to the west coast for a couple of years, where he began writing as a casual pastime.

Some time after returning to Chicago he began attending writers workshops at StoryStudio Chicago, where he wrote two character studies, both of which have since been developed into key characters in Code of Darkness.

Chris now lives outside Chicago with his wife Jenny and their two children, Luke and Emma. You might catch him working away on his second novel while commuting on his morning train into the city.

K.S. Hello and welcome to the blog. I am very excited to have you here. Why don’t we start off with a small introduction? Tell us a little about yourself.

CL – I’m very excited to be here, thanks for having me! About me, why is that the hardest question, right? My name is Chris Lindberg and I’m a proud Indie Author. I recently published my first novel, a dark thriller titled Code of Darkness, in August. I live outside Chicago with my wife, son and daughter, and an ornery old cat.

K.S. Any interesting writing quirks or stories you would like to share with my readers?

CL – a strange writing quirk I have is that I write much better while in motion. I wrote much of Code of Darkness while commuting to downtown Chicago on a commuter train to work (the same train line Scott Turow wrote Presumed Innocent on, I’ve heard), so it’s kind of become a frame of mind, I guess. I’ve written some of my best stuff through turbulence on plane rides, pothole-filled streets on buses … but I haven’t tried it in a cab yet. I figure that’d be pushing my luck.

K.S. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? What sparked the desire to pen your first novel?

CL – I’ve always had creative bones in my body. As a kid I wanted to be the next Charles M. Schultz. I started in college as a Graphic Arts major before realizing it wasn’t the right career path for me. Once I was out of the art world, I found I still needed a creative release. So when I began having to take long train rides every day, and had read a bunch of other people’s novels, I thought I’d try my own hand at writing one.

K.S. What genre do you write?

CL – Code of Darkness is a thriller, but it’s got elements of science fiction, intrigue, and horror, too. But in the end it’s more thriller than anything. I’ve got another thriller I’m working on, but I’ve also started a coming-of-age space opera that would probably be classified as science fiction. The one common theme is, everything I’ve worked on has had a supernatural element to it.

K.S. What would you say has inspired you most in your writing career? Or, who is your favorite author and why?

CL – I’m always curious about this question with other writers, too. Because I figure any source of inspiration is a good one, and you can always learn new things from other writers. I’d say what inspires me more than anything is just the stuff I see every day. Not everything obviously, but sometimes I’ll notice a random thing for which I have no idea how or why it caught my attention: a conversation on the street, the shape of a cloud, the sound of shoes on pavement, wind blowing through trees … anything, really. Sometimes witnessing those things sparks a stream of thought that turns into an idea for a storyline, character, or plot element. I can’t really explain how it happens, but it does.

K.S. What does your family think of your writing?

CL – they’re all very supportive of it. A few of them have read the book, even though the thriller genre isn’t quite their cup of tea. My wife and some of her family have even helped with a few of the promotional elements, which is really cool.

K.S. What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your book/s?

CL – besides that I was actually able to do it? (Ha) Seriously, probably the fact that creating and studying character helps you understand people better. Putting your characters in different situations or challenges, creating their interactions with one another, gives you a chance to study and better understand human nature. I feel like in some cases that I understand people better as a result of writing. I didn’t expect that at all.

K.S. What inspires you?

CL – other good writing, but in a lot of different ways. The detail of some authors, the prose of others, efficient dialogue or different things that yet other authors do well. Great use of metaphor. It’s always inspiring to read an entire story, or even a chapter or passage when the writer just nails it. It makes you want to push your boundaries.

K.S. Can you tell us a little about any of your novels?

CL – so I’ll lead off with the fact that Code of Darkness is a dark thriller that includes elements of sci fi, intrigue, and horror, and then I’ll turn it over to what’s on the back cover:

When a routine bank robbery takes an unexpected turn, veteran Chicago police officer Larry Parker witnesses a heroic act by a mysterious intervener. But seconds later the Samaritan disappears, leaving Larry with only unanswered questions.

Suddenly, vigilante activity begins popping up all over the city – including several murders. Larry finds evidence the Samaritan might be tied to them, and learns the man’s identity – a loner known only by the name Rage.

But Rage has also drawn the attention of a covert Black Ops division within the Pentagon. Seen as knowing too much, Larry suddenly finds himself in the crosshairs. After a deadly standoff, Rage is captured, forcing Larry to search for answers while on the run.

The deadly chase leads cross-country to a top-secret military facility in Virginia, where Rage and Larry uncover the greatest danger of all -- and only they can stop the unthinkable from happening.

K.S. Where can we buy your novel?

CL – you can find it in e-book form on Amazon, BN.com, and the iTunes Bookstore by searching my name or “code of darkness” … it’s also in paperback on Lulu.com, but by the end of October it’ll also be on Amazon and BN.com in paperback as well.

K.S. Do you have a website, fan site, or Blog that we can visit?

CL – I sure do, thanks for asking! You can find me at www.codeofdarkness.com, and on Facebook by searching “code of darkness”. I also have a Twitter handle, Chrislindberg7. You can also email me at chris@codeofdarkness.com – I’d love to hear from you!

K.S. Do you have any closing advice to aspiring writers?

CL – yes. Just keep writing. We’ve all heard the whole “your brain is a muscle” spiel, but that’s because it’s true. The more you do it the better you’ll get. And support other new writers. We’re not in competition with one another; we can learn a lot from each other, and you never know what kind of friends you might make along the way.

How many more words do you have until you’re done writing that book?

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:07:00 +0000

So my dad comes over the other day. He pokes his head into my makeshift office. He sees me typing away in a MSWord doc and asks, “How many more words do you have left until you’re done writing that book?”

“Oh probably 30k or so more words,” I said with a bit of a groan. I’d been working through a particularly hard scene and the words were not coming fast enough for my liking.

To that, my dad responded with, “Great. Can I get you to help me with some typing when you’re done?”

Dad’s question got me thinking. An author’s view of a word count is different than most people. Non-authors don’t really know what it’s like to write a book. It’s a creative process which is a very abstract concept to non-creative types. It’s not a matter of just hitting a word count. You can’t take my average words per minute typed and use that to estimate how long it would take to write an 80k novel. If that were the case, I’d be churning out stories by the truckload monthly! That would be pretty awesome though, wouldn’t it?

A lot of “writing time” (and I’m using myself as an example here) is spent staring at a blinking curser, making odd faces at it while you work through a plot issue in your head. There are also many hours of research that need to be done for some stories. Distractions like: Email, Facebook, Twitter, and Message boards might have something to do with that too, but we’ll just ignore their influence for now. =p

For me, an average writing session can last anywhere from 1-3 hours, and in that time I may not get more than 1k words down on the paper.

Of course, some stories take longer than others to write. My first novel took 5 years. The second, only 6 months, but by the time I got to the fourth one, I was back up to taking a year to write it. Each story is like a living, breathing thing, which requires its own amount of time to grow and mature.

So, while I’m stating a word count goal to my dad, it’s really not a measure of how long it will take me, just an end result. Which means I won’t be getting out of helping him with his typing project any time soon. =p

Alas, a writer’s work is never done.

Rochelle Melander's Write-A-Thon

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Title: Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (and live to tell about it)

Author : Rochelle Melander

Genre: Writing Reference – Nonficiton

Format: (print, ebook, or both) – print and ebook for Kindle, Google Books

Links to buy: http://www.amazon.com/Write---Thon-Write-Your-About/dp/1599633914/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319575049&sr=8-1

Link to trailer: (if applicable) http://bit.ly/WriteathonTrailer

Tell us the story behind the story. What inspired you to write this novel?

I’ve always liked marathon style writing. In college and graduate school, I chalked up my all-night writing marathons to procrastination. But in the past 15 years, I’ve been blessed with publishers who have given me insane deadlines! I’ve completed nearly every one of my thirteen finished books (ten of them published) in less than three months, most in 6 weeks, and one in just nine days.

When I found out about National Novel Writing Month, I discovered that I am not the only crazy person who likes to write marathon style. Every November (and now during the summer Camp NaNoWriMo), a whole bunch of folks attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I signed up, figuring it would be one way to finish my mystery novel. I failed miserably—my poor victim is still languishing naked in a hunting cabin in the mountains of western Pennsylvania because I couldn’t find the courage to have my murderer kill him.

So, I tried to figure out how to succeed at writing marathons. I began researching writing, how famous writers worked, and what psychology had to say about how writers could work faster more efficiently. In 2007, I taught a class to help other writers successfully complete National Novel Writing Month. I have taught that class in local bookstores every year since. In the meantime, I began collecting all of my research and ideas in a project notebook. I had been thinking about writing a book on writing since 2006, but I was not sure what kind of a book I wanted to write. Then it hit me: I’d write about writing books fast. But could I do it fast?

I wrote Write-A-Thon during the 2009 NaNoWriMo (in just 26 days)! In January 2010, I wrote the book proposal for the book. During the long Wisconsin winter, I revised the book—cleaning up prose, clearing out repetition, and adding new material. Writers Digest Books accepted the proposal in February 2011. I had a month to add 25,000 words to the book and finish revisions.

Tell us about the book cover. How does it represent your book? How did you choose the artwork?

The cover was designed by a team at Writer’s Digest Books. The graphic and colors represent the fast moving world of marathon writing!

Synopsis:

Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days is a compendium of writing tools, performance techniques, problem solving—plot, structure, voice, dialogue, encouragement and life skills for writers. Detailed dos and don’ts for the writer about query letters, agents, publishers, writer’s platform and marketing.

Where can readers find out more about you and your work?

www.writenowcoach.com or www.write-a-thon.com

Author Spotlight - Rochelle Melander's Write-A-Thon

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

K.S. Hello and welcome to the blog. I am very excited to have you here. Why don’t we start off with a small introduction? Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a certified professional coach, author, editor and speaker. I’ve done this full time since 2001. I’m married to a writer, and we have two children. When I am not writing, I love to read, exercise, and hang out with friends. In the winter, when I cannot be outside, I spend a lot of time beading and crocheting.

K.S. Any interesting writing quirks or stories you would like to share with my readers?

I like to write in the morning, after I exercise and eat breakfast. Even though I know I can also write at different times of day, I’m a bit superstitious about my morning time. If I do not write in the morning, I am afraid I will never get it in.

K.S. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? What sparked the desire to pen your first novel?

I have been writing since I was a kid, but it took years for me to have the confidence to pursue writing as a career. I did some freelance writing in graduate school, but it was not until I was working in my first job that I realized I wanted to do this full time. Since then, I have written and published 10 nonfiction books. I have also written a memoir, three children’s novels, several picture books, and half of a mystery novel. As a big reader of fiction, I have always been interested in writing one.

K.S. What genre do you write?

Writing Reference/Non Fiction

K.S. What would you say has inspired you most in your writing career? Or, who is your favorite author and why?

My favorite author and inspiration is Madeleine L’Engle. I discovered A Wrinkle in Time when I was seven, and it opened up the world to me. I have reread that book more times than I can count. In my 20s, when I was trying to figure out how to make writing work as a career, I rediscovered L’Engle and her interesting mix of books—both fiction for children and nonfiction for adults. She became my role model because I admired her ability to cross genres. I was fortunate to meet her several times and even take a writing workshop with her.

Today, my main inspiration is the children I teach in the inner city. Every time I work with them, I learn something about how to better communicate. The children are so excited by reading and writing. After I have spent time with them, I am aware of what a wonderful job I have—reading and writing all day!

K.S. What does your family think of your writing?

My family is very supportive. My husband is also a writer, and we have written several books together. He is a great source of encouragement for me. Both of my kids are proud of what I do. And both have allowed me to come to their schools and teach writing in their classrooms. My daughter has even started designing book covers for my current works-in-process!

K.S. What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your book/s?

Write-A-Thon was written very fast during National Novel Writing Month in 2009. After it was accepted, I needed to write 25,000 additional words very quickly and revise the whole book. I could not clear my schedule for the project—so I knew I would have to write in the midst of doing everything else, including other writing projects. I was surprised and delighted to find out that I could (and did) write at any time of the day. Because I was writing about something I was passionate about, I always felt engaged when I was writing. That made the process a lot of fun!

K.S. What inspires you?

I find inspiration in lots of places—books, music, plays, concerts, and in ordinary conversations with friends. I think Julia Cameron offered amazing advice when she encouraged people to take an artist’s date once a week. Anytime I can get out of the house and do something inspiring—walk in nature, visit a museum, spend time in a bookstore or art store—I am inspired to write.

K.S. Can you tell us a little about any of your books?

Write-A-Thon provides the blueprint for people to write a book in less than a month! Write-A-Thon contains three sections: Training, Write-A-Thon, and Recovery. Each section utilizes introductions, brief valuable essays filled with practical tools, and just enough encouragement for the writer to press on and finish what may very well be the challenge of their life (or simply the challenge of the month). Perfect for accomplished authors or those who simply write, Write-A-Thon provides the complete guidebook for brainstorming, writing, and finishing that novel or nonfiction book (preferably with all sanity intact)!

K.S. Where can we buy your book?

R.M. on Amazon.com – here’s the link

http://www.amazon.com/Write---Thon-Write-Your-About/dp/1599633914/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319565912&sr=8-1

K.S. Do you have a website, fan site, or Blog that we can visit?

R.M. Yes, www.writenowcoach.com and www.write-a-thon.com

K.S. Do you have any closing advice to aspiring writers?

Follow your passion. Yes, you can write about just about anything to build your portfolio. There is nothing wrong with that. But, as soon as you can, forget about trends and all that and spend time writing something you care deeply about. In my experience, success comes to those who follow their curiosities and passions.

Book Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G72HcoQ2ZB4

In a world where parasites create new races, Elei is hunted down for a secret he doesn’t possess.

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Title: Rex Rising

Author : Chrystalla Thoma

Genre: Older YA - science fiction adventure

Format: (print, ebook, or both) ebook

Links to buy:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon DE
Smashwords

Book Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-6Gxf8oQas

Tell us the story behind the story. What inspired you to write this novel?

Once upon a time, I wanted to write a story about a kingdom in the sea, and the world of the Seven Islands was born. I pictured a post-apocalyptic world of many secrets. As I delved more into this world, I thought up a boy with special abilities, and when I tried to figure out what caused them, I discovered the amazing world of parasites and all the ways they can affect our abilities and behavior.

Thus Elei was born, insecure but willing to trust others, hunted for a secret he doesn’t possess and haunted by the death of a woman he thought of as his mother.

Tell us about the book cover. How does it represent your book? How did you choose the artwork?

I found a photo which reminded me of Elei, so I added scales on his cheek with Photopaint and changed the color of his eye to show the changes he undergoes in the story. Since this is Elei’s story, I thought that the cover ought to be about him.

Synopsis:

Blurb: My novel, Rex Rising, is a YA science fiction adventure set in a post-apocalyptic sort of world ruled by a race of women called the Gultur. In this world, where parasites create new human races, Elei leads a peaceful life as aircar driver — until a mysterious attack on his boss sends him fleeing with a bullet in his side and the fleet at his heels. Pursued for a secret he does not possess, he has but one thought: to stay alive. Yet his pursuers aren’t inclined to sit down and talk, and that’s not the end of Elei’s troubles. The two powerful parasites inhabiting his body, at a balance until now, choose this moment to bring him down, leaving Elei with no choice but to trust in people he barely knows in a mad race against time. It won’t be long before he realizes he must find out this deadly secret — a secret that might change the fate of his world and everything he has ever known — or die trying.

Sample:

Blood seeped between Elei’s fingers.

The small wound was above his left hipbone. He pressed down harder to staunch the bleeding and gritted his teeth. His pulse leaped under his palm as he sat shivering on a hard, cold bench. He rested his other hand on the grip of his holstered gun. In his blurry eyes, everything had a shimmering edge, suspended between reality and dream.

Then the world tilted.

Danger.

Elei jerked and sharp pain erupted in his side. Hissing, he drew his gun and waited. His possessed eye throbbed; cronion, the strongest of his resident parasites, hated surprises. The world lit up in bright colors. Be ready. His heart pounded in his chest, sent bruising beats against his ribs. He swallowed past a dry throat and gripped his gun until his knuckles creaked.

Nothing moved. Oblong objects around him pulsed in cool hues of green and blue. Safe. Nothing living. He relaxed a little. For a while he simply sat, left hand pressing against the wound, the cold metal barrel of the gun held against his right thigh.

“Hey, you,” a man’s voice said from behind.

Clamping his jaw, Elei lifted the gun and turned to point in the general direction of the voice. Cold wind blew his jacket hood back, allowing him a wider view. The man appeared at the right periphery of Elei’s tainted vision — a splash of red. He went still when Elei cocked the hammer. The click rang too loud in the quiet.

“Calm down, will you,” the man said, raising his hands. “Just checking on you. You’re bleeding all over my boat.”

The boatman. Elei let out a breath and lowered the gun, but didn’t click the safety back on, just in case. The cold breeze ruffled his short hair and water splashed and murmured. The low hum of an engine set his teeth on edge. What was he doing in a boat out at sea? He prodded his memories, but came up blank.

Cronion beat at the back of his eyeball like a hammer. He forced his tense muscles to relax and rubbed his eye with his thumb until the dull ache eased. This time, when he blinked, he saw the surface of things, his unfamiliar surroundings — the wet prow, moonlight glinting on metal benches like the one he sat on, yellow lifesavers underneath them. The boatman stood by the rail, dressed in shabby trousers and a pale yellow shirt, watching him from under his dark cap. The light from a lamp set on a bench pooled around him. The sky stretched naked above, night-black and starry.

The boat rocked and listed. His legs slid. He was falling.

He threw his hands to the sides, to find a handhold, the gun screeching against metal. His fingers caught the edge of the bench. He clutched it, the deep, sharp pain in his side squeezing the air from his lungs, and he bent over, panting.

Broken pieces of memories rushed back with a deafening roar. Shots fired. Running through the streets. The docks of Ost.

He was crossing the straits between the great islands.

Shivers crawled up his spine. He lifted his hand and stared at the blood on his fingers. He’d been shot, but couldn’t remember who’d done it.

Elei groaned to himself. He laid his gun — an antique, semi-automatic Rasmus — on his lap and wrapped his arms around himself, tucking his icy hands under his armpits; hoping fervently this was nothing but a dream, and knowing he just wasn’t that lucky.

“Hey.” The boatman approached him, stepping over the benches with his long, spindly legs. Red color flashed over his heart, pulsing with each beat.

Elei straightened with a wince and raised his gun. It seemed to have grown heavier; he could barely lift it. “What do you want now?”

“We’re almost there.” The boatman’s voice resonated with a hidden growl. When he raised the dakron lamp, its light revealed a leathery, deeply lined face and bright blue eyes. “Better get ready to jump, do you hear?”

“I heard you.” Elei kept the gun leveled, his arm muscles straining. Where in the hells are we? Cold sweat sluiced down his back. His nostrils flared and his body tensed with the urge to run. Run where? He was in a boat, for all the gods’ sakes, and yet he knew that even here, in the openness of the sea, he couldn’t afford to relax.

Holstering the gun, he struggled to rise but his damn legs cramped and resisted. Shivers danced down his spine and adrenaline made his blood pump faster, so it trickled down his side, scalding his chilled flesh.

“Hurry up, boy,” muttered the boatman and his hand closed around Elei’s arm like a band of steel. “We can’t linger here.” He hauled him up as if he weighed nothing, the movement sending sharp claws of pain deep into Elei’s side.

Hells. Elei gritted his teeth and refused to make any sound as the boatman dragged him to the rail and left him there, the boat rocking with the movement. Muttering, the man went back to his steering wheel and navigated the boat through the dark waters.

In the distance, squat buildings, old warehouses, rose from the white mist of night. Starlight reflected off polished gray walls. The vacant pier jutted out into the sea like an arm of stone. The boat swerved toward it, then slowed down and bumped to a stop, thumping gently against the square blocks.

Elei inhaled the humid air and tried to get his bearings, to remember something, anything. In the end, he had to admit defeat. “Which island is this? Is it Kukno?”

“Are you saying I tricked you?” The boatman’s voice was dry. “We’re right where you told me to take you. Dakru.”

Where can readers find out more about you and your work?

http://chrystallathoma.wordpress.com

About the Author:

Chrystalla Thoma is permanent resident of fantasy land, complete with angels and demons, elves, vampires and werewolves. A Greek Cypriot, she lives in Cyprus with her husband and her vast herd of books. When not reading or writing, she works as a freelance translator and text editor.

October, Halloween, and Vampires….

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 11:00:00 +0000

October, Halloween, and Vampires….

A Guest Post by Tamela Quijas

Hmmm, the mere thought is scrumptious, on all counts.

I never really paid attention to vampires prior to a few years ago. Up until about 2005, I had steered clear of the entire genre-inducing vamp. Honestly, did you ever look at the men from the helicons of Hollywood? Take a gander at the images of Nosferatu, Bela Lugosi’s Dracula, the vamps in Van Helsing, or even Mel Brook’s Dead and Loving It. You’re stomach will churn, you’ll clutch your pillow close, and you’ll close your eyes in horror. On the other hand, in Mel Brook’s case, you’ll laugh until you can’t breathe. Neither one is sexy or very appealing.

Granted, if I were male, I would have loved every second of breast revealing, fang gnashing, gossamer dressed creature of the undead. There’s a ton of buxom beauties in various states of undress in just about every horror film ever created. Remember Salma Hayek in Dust Till Dawn? I think she made a million male fans with one shot of her…ample assets.

Being female, the options were nothing more than gruesome, vomit inducing, and disgusting.

With the turn of the new century, Gerard Butler stepped into the role of Dracula 2000. Yes, I know, the movie was a total bomb but….bear with me, ladies….have you really looked at him as a vampire?

Damn! It was about time the cinema decided to put a HOT man in the leading role of the king of the undead!

So, 2005 sent that little spiral of hmmmm running through my mind. The undead male could be just as sexy as the female creatures of the night and just as lethal in his entirely rippling muscle, penetrating gaze way….

And it was nice to see one with a bit more of a toned torso than Gary Oldman.

Let’s fast forward to what inspired me to write about the secret world of blood and passion…

Blame it all on Mick St. John, CBS’ golden boy vampire from Moonlight. He was a vamp with a heart—hungering for blood and hating every moment of it.

What was it about Alex O’Laughlin that caused him to have millions of adoring fans?

It was those soul-searching eyes, an everlasting love that would endure eternity, and his deliciously wicked undead charm. Mick didn’t need to use any of his powers to change a person’s mind, to alter their perception of events. He was Mick…pure despite the evil curse and woman that had stolen his soul, repentant despite his damnation, and an all out good-looking good guy.

Yeah, that’s what I’ll call it…It was his charm, his finesse, and his outright humanity.

Did I happen to mention he was something else to look at? Smooth, elegant…goodness, the list could go on for hours! Just finding all the adjectives to describe him makes me wipe at my chin…LOL

So, like a million other star struck fans who watch rerun after rerun of Mick and Beth, I became addicted to the entire vampire legend. Before I knew it, my own vampires were spiraling from my overactive mind, and they were the type that made me cringe in disgust. Vampires could be a little bit more human in personality.

They could care, ache, and feel…

They could be filled with regret, longing, and a desperation that could last centuries…

Above all, they could love someone for eternity…

The Russian vampire Demetri emerged from the depths of those musing, inspired by Moonlight, seeking his own stalker in Blood of the Beast.

One tale led to another, as only vampires can do among mortals, and The Blood Chronicles were born.

Blood of the Beast and Blood Moon are available at 1 Place for Romance, All Romance EBooks, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Smashwords.

Tamela Quijas-Author

http://tamelaquijas.webs.com

http://tamelaquijas.wordpress.com

Would you Become a Vampire, if given the Opportunity?

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Vampires have always intrigued me. There was just something about those mysterious creatures of the night. Unlike werewolves who hunted in the full moon, ripping their victims to shreds (Ouch), or Zombies (Shudder… I hate zombies) who stalked you for your brains and ate the flesh away from your bones, vampires would lull you into a stupor, mesmerizing you with their gorgeous eyes. Sometimes, for the lucky ones, they made you, like them.

I think that last bit is the most interesting part. Becoming a vampire and being granted immortality would be pretty cool. Never to have to worry about sickness and death. To live and experience the world as it changes and grows.

It’s an enticing idea, no?

Of course if they were real, and you did turn, it wouldn’t be all glitz and glamour. Reality is never as fun as fantasy. Sure you could have your immortal lover forever and see the world grow all around you. That’s all fine and good, but mixed in there would be a pretty harsh reality to deal with. There is that one pesky thing about killing and drinking blood that might be a problem.

And there’s the rub.

Could you do it?

I don’t think I could. Well, let me add the caveat. I don’t think I could do it willingly.

It’s a theme I touch on in my Immortalis series. My main character, Alyssa is turned without knowing all that it entails. It’s something she struggles with. Killing is not something a normal person considers; but, if it is what you have to do to survive, you have to find a way to cope.

As a victim of a horrible mugging, Alyssa finds hunting down criminals as a way to deal with her need for blood. If she has to kill, then it will help stop bad people from harming others. It works for her, but not every vampire follows that method of thinking. Each vampire has to deal with killing and death in their own way.

So the question remains, and I open up the floor to you readers: Would you willingly turn vampire, knowing it meant you had to kill for blood? How would you cope? Whom would you hunt?

Can Bats be Sexy?

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Can Bats be Sexy?

A guest post by Nina Croft

Most speculative fiction has some base in myths and legends, and vampires are certainly no different. But writers have a tendency to take what we want from the myths and disregard what we don't require (and make up a few bits unique entirely to us at the same time).

One of the biggest myths surrounding vampires is the whole bat thing. Vampires and bats just go together. Yet while I've written quite a few vampire stories, I've largely ignored the whole bat connection. Which is odd, because I love bats—they're fascinating creatures. My tutor in my first year at University was actually one of the world's experts in bats, and he passed some of his enthusiasm on to me.

But we demand a certain level of hotness from our vampire heroes, and can bats really be sexy?

So let's take a look at bats and their habits.

There are a number of species known as 'vampire bats'. The most common is Desmodus rotundus, which is found in Mexico and parts of central and South America. Spanish explorers first discovered these blood-drinking bats in the sixteenth century, but they weren't called vampires back then. In fact that name derived from the vampire myth not the other way around.

Bats have been associated with the supernatural for a long time, but it was Bram Stoker's, Dracula, who first brought bats and vampires together in the public's eyes. Stoker was also the first to suggest that vampires could shape shift into actual bats—Count Dracula had a habit of disguising himself this way and flapping at windows.

Unlike vampires (who often turn their noses up at furry food) bats feed mostly on the blood of livestock, though they have been known to have a nibble on the odd sleeping human.

Like vampires, they are creatures of the night. They have really good hearing so they can tell when an animal is asleep, and they use infrared radiation to locate blood hotspots on their prey. Once a likely victim is spotted, they land close by and approach on foot. (They are the only bats that can move around easily on land). Up close, they use heat-detecting molecules on their noses to hone in on the blood supply.

If the prey is furry, the bat uses its teeth like a barber's blade to shave away the hairs (maybe this could come in useful if your vampire likes to munch on the odd hairy werewolf). Then it will open the vein with its razor sharp upper incisors. Once the bat has found a vein it can drink up to half its body weight—which isn't actually very much.

They don't suck the blood, but lap it up like a cat drinks cream (I actually like this idea, and I might find my vampires lapping rather than sucking in future!) Their saliva contains an enzyme which acts as an anticoagulant, which prevents the blood drying up so they can lap it for longer (called 'draculin' the enzyme is being researched for use in dissolving blood clots in humans.)

And of course, during the day, bats sleep, though not in coffins. They hang upside down, somewhere away from the sunlight (an image of Keifer Sutherland pops to mind—hanging upside down in a cave in The Lost Boys—I loved that film) and wait for night to fall.

Rico the vampire hero of my recent Sci-fi release, Break Out, is super-cool (when he's not being sizzlingly hot) and I can't see him flapping about or hanging around upside down. But I'm definitely thinking my next vampire might lap up his blood and shave his victims—in fact, I might even go the whole way and have him a bat-shifter.

So what do you think—can bats really be sexy?

About the Author:

Nina Croft grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of 9-5 work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain.
Nina’s writing mixes romance with elements of the paranormal and science fiction.
http://www.ninacroft.com

Can the Real Monsters Please Stand up? (A Vent about Vampires and Mainstreaming)

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Can the Real Monsters Please Stand up? (A Vent about Vampires and Mainstreaming)

A guest post by Violet W

Excerpt from Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

[She cast a sideways look at Bill, her eyes flicking up and down him with an offensive interest. Offensive to me at least.

"I haven't seen you in a few months," she said to him, her voice as cool and sweet as his could be.

"I'm mainstreaming," he explained, and she nodded.]

***

Mainstreaming, according to the True Blood wiki, is defined as "a social movement within the vampire race, in which vampires attempt to integrate themselves into everyday human society."

My definition of mainstreaming is a vampire that’s had its metaphorical balls castrated.

(photo from homorazzi.com)

Vampires, by definition, are predators. Generally, they survive with good ole fashioned dark-backalley-sucking-humans-dry. They prowl the streets at night, striking fear into anyone that finds themselves alone, hearing phantom sounds that alert them to their impending doom.

(photo from sbs.com.au)

Unless they mainstream.

In Harris' popular vampire universe, The Sookie Stackhouse Novels or Ball's TV interpretation, True Blood, vampires are out of the coffin. After the Great Revelation when they revealed themselves to the world, they now claim they want to live among humans since they can survive off of synthetic blood.

While even the politicians like Nan Flanagan talk the talk, but just don't walk the walk, you'd think that I'd be tickled pink. The joke is really on the simple-minded humans because they're even falling for this charade, right?

(picture from sookieverseblog.com)

But is it really a charade? The only plausible reason for vampires wanting to come out of the coffin lies in the warm and fuzzy memories of what it was like being human. Living as a human, as Hoyt and Jessica from True Blood tried out, associating with humans like at Fangtasia, etc. cycles it back around to the vampire with a conscience thing, or even worse, shooting fish in a barrel.

Personally, that is far from what I think a vampire should be...sexy, not because they open the door for you on a date, but because they’re freaking terrifying.

The whole appeal of vampires to me is the fact that underneath the svelte attraction and syrupy words, they want to eat my face off. It gets my blood pumping and brings waves of beautiful fear. But going on a date with a vampire? Marrying a vampire? Playing house with a vampire? I’ll pass.

(photo from mediacomicvine.com)

Vampires are awesome...virtually gods with only a handful of hangups like their allergy to the sun and ability to be killed with pointy things. Why would we want to dumb them down and chain them to the mediocrity of what it means to be human?

I scoured my brain for vampires in popular literature that have a little less conscience and a little more bite. I love Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire because of Lestat. He killed without apology and delighted in his predatory nature. Louie’s constant whining was a bore and unfortunately, spawned the ‘vampire with a conscience’.

(photo from fascinationwithfear.blogspot.com)

And that’s more and more what’s coming out these days and it truly sucks. If being a monster is so inconvenient and heartbreaking, man up like Godric from True Blood and end yourself. Leave the fun for the real monsters, who rejoice in their monster-ness. I don’t want to delve into a fantasy world where morality rears its ugly head. I don’t want my vampires trying to romance their way into their prey's pants. I want a cold-blooded killer, Michael Myers style that’s just killing and enjoying every moment of it. That, to me, is way more attractive than playing human and giving me a bouquet of flowers before you bleed me dry.

Mainstreaming and consciences are for pussies...vampires are supposed to rule the night, and scare us shitless. If you guys can recommend any vampire fare where the vamps aren’t dressing up as humans and sparkling and other nonsense, share it in the comments!

About the Author

I’m an erotica writer living in the Greater Sacramento area, saving the world via taboo tales, one e-reader at a time. You can connect with me online at http://violetwilliamserotica.wordpress.com or on Twitter at @avioletmuse.

Vampires, the Making of a Monster

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Vampires, the Making of a Monster

A guest post by Alan Ryker.

Not long ago, Katie and I and some other writers had a twitter conversation about different ways to hurt a vampire. Obviously sunlight. Probably a stake through the heart. But what about garlic, silver and crucifixes? The mythos of the vampire is huge. It's so big that when you decide to write about vampires, you need to select your own rule set. Can your vampires enter a home uninvited? Can they cross running water?

Some of these questions can be answered by looking at how powerful your vampires will be. The more powerful a character, the larger the weaknesses a writer should consider giving them to keep them from being overpowering (unless that's the intention). Superman has kryptonite. Batman doesn't need a version of kryptonite because knives and bullets are the equivalent for him.

Another factor is the origin of the monster. Many vampires have an origin based in religion. Vampires who are demonic or have otherwise turned their backs on the Christian God probably have an aversion to crucifixes. If your first vampire was Judas, then there's a good reason for silver to burn his offspring.

What all this highlights is the flexibility of the concept of the vampire, and I think I tested that flexibility almost to the breaking point. In Burden Kansas, vampires aren't magical. That's a rarity. Except for the antagonist, my vampires have more in common with the chupacabra than Dracula. For one thing, they're moving north out of Mexico. But also like the chupacabra they're dumb, they're not super strong, and they prefer livestock to human prey. They're afraid of people and each other, so my challenge wasn't to give them weaknesses, but to figure out how to get an antagonist out of their ranks that could stand toe-to-toe with my protagonist, a hardass old rancher named Keith Harris.

To do that, I took a page from Anne Rice and made vampire blood more potent than human blood, the difference being that it doesn't matter if the vampire being drained is older and more powerful or not. That's why my vampires naturally fear each other. That's why they carve out territories instead of working together. But the combination of vampire blood and a little–okay a lot of meth creates a new breed of vampires who are intelligent, powerful, and capable of tearing one small community apart.

I found that for my small-scale vampire invasion, I didn't need much of the mythos. In Burden Kansas, vampirism spreads when a human is bitten but not killed. Vampires burn in the sun and can be killed by decapitation. The tale is gritty and surprisingly realistic, so my vampires are toned down. But that's the great thing about the vampire mythos, and one reason why it's so popular: it can be molded to fit the agenda of the author. And while vampires may slip from the mainstream at any point, there's always going to be someone writing a fresh, new take on them.

A question for you, the readers.

How would you make your vampires? What strengths and weaknesses would you give to them?

Buy Burden Kansas at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004UH8DRG

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Burden-Kansas/Alan-Ryker/e/2940012317568

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/49953

Alan Ryker writes good fight scenes because he practices Muay Thai boxing, though not as often as his coach would like. He lives with his wife in Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City, where he writes both dark and literary fiction, and tests the boundaries of each. He has previously published short fiction in a number of print anthologies and magazines.

Winner Winner!!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:27:00 +0000

Sorry it's a day late. My apologies. But we're ready to announce the winner of Denise Verrico's latest release, My Fearful Symmetry!

And the winner is.....

Samira Fahley

Congratulations!!! You should be receiving an email shortly from Denise with information on how to claim your prize.

Thanks so much from Denise Verrico and me, Katie Salidas of Written in Blood!

Stay tuned for more vampire giveaways and posts as Vampire Awareness month continues.

Vampire Lust

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Vampire Lust

A Guest Post by Lynda Hilburn

Since the first version of my book The Vampire Shrink came out, I’ve done lots of media interviews. At some point in each talk, the interviewer would inevitably lower her voice (most were women) and ask, “Why would a woman fall for a disgusting dead guy?” which prompted a discussion of zombies vs. vampires, giving me an opportunity to defend the appeal of my bloodsucking – undead not dead – lust objects.

I’ve been a vampire fan since I first read Bram Stoker’s Dracula as a kid, and I stood in block-long lines on Saturdays to buy a ticket for the matinee at my local theater, which usually featured scary vampire portrayals by Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee. I enjoyed the werewolf, alien and general monster movies, too, but nothing could freeze my blood like the sight of those sharp incisors hovering over a quivering mortal’s neck.
Most of the early vampire books I read were of the horror variety: Festering, cadaverous, hygiene-challenged bloodsuckers who crawled out of graves to steal children and drag them back to their filthy lairs in fog-shrouded cemeteries. Hideous, terrifying, long-fingered, dark visions from my worst nightmares — walking corpses. What fun.

Then the Frank Langella version of Dracula appeared. Even though sexuality and sensuality had been attributed to vampires much earlier, I didn’t get a personal clue until I saw this movie. Yikes. I remember my friends and I screaming at the end of the film, hoping Frank would somehow manage to escape and fly away.
Did we find a bloodsucking fiend arousing? What was up with that?

Over the years, I’ve thought about this issue a lot. Not only as a reader and author of vampire books, but as a psychotherapist. You wouldn’t believe how many women share dreams and fantasies of vampires in therapy (and what great book material!).

Here are a few of the reasons we love vampires:

Vampires are the quintessential bad boys of the preternatural universe.
They break the rules, have little – if any – regard for human laws/morals, and don’t even try to be politically correct. They’re the dark, brooding figures hiding in the shadows and we love projecting our secret, forbidden fantasies onto them. Unlike the “normal” men we know, vampires won’t sit around drinking beer and watching television. They’re adventurous. And dangerous – in every way. Imagine the Terminator with fangs. Or, Captain Jack Sparrow rising from his coffin.

Vampires need our very blood to live.
What could be more intimate (especially combined with sex) than the lure of someone who can’t exist without the blood flowing in our veins? In many vampire mythologies, the very act of sucking blood causes a body sensation (for the suckee) more powerful than the most vivid orgasm. Who wouldn’t want that? Where can I sign up?

Vampires can grant us immortality.
Afraid of death? Most humans are. Fall under the spell of a vampire, take his blood, and live forever – or for a long time, at the very least. Worried about keeping your body in shape? Never fear. You’ll never gain another pound and will be eternally young (depending on your age at turning). Existence won’t become boring for at least a century or two, right?

Vampires are extraordinary.
This one is my favorite. The vampires I love in movies and books (and my own vampire hero, Devereux) are brilliant. They’ve used their long lives to gain wisdom and knowledge. They’re usually gorgeous, and have bodies to die for. And, while they have flaws and psychological baggage from their human years, they seek understanding and awareness of themselves and the universe at large (it’s a good thing there are psychologists to work with these tortured creatures!).

Vampires have stamina.
Endless sex? Enough said.

About the Author

****************
The rewritten/expanded version of The Vampire Shrink is now available from Quercus/Jo Fletcher Books, UK. The British hardcover and paperback are only available across the pond, but the Kindle version is available everywhere. The USA trade paperback version (yet another version with its own cover!) will be released by Sterling Publishing/Silver Oak in April, 2012.
Links to buy:
Kindle, UK: http://amzn.to/qkjBeZ
Hardcover, UK: http://amzn.to/niYpB2
Kindle, USA: http://amzn.to/qHNTdt
*******************
Bio:

Lynda Hilburn writes paranormal fiction. More specifically, she writes vampire books. After a childhood filled with invisible friends, sightings of dead relatives and a fascination with the occult, turning to the paranormal was a no-brainer. In her other reality, she makes her living as a licensed psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, professional psychic/tarot reader, university instructor and workshop presenter. Her first novel, “The Vampire Shrink” -- which introduced us to Denver Psychologist Kismet Knight and a hidden vampire underworld -- was first released in 2007 and is being re-released (the rewritten, expanded version) by Quercus Books in 2011 and Sterling Publishing/Silver Oak in 2012. Several more books are planned. “Undead in the City,” an erotic paranormal novella, and “Diary of a Narcissistic Bloodsucker,” a satire/parody, are now available in e-form from Amazon.com. Her short story, “Blood Song,” is part of the Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance anthology, April, 2009. For more information, visit Lynda’s website: www.lyndahilburnauthor.com

Winner Winner!!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Salidas) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:29:00 +0000

The winner of the Twilight Collectible Tin with Four Keepsake Journals from Intoxicated By Books is....

Lucy Swing

I'll be emailing you shortly Lucy with information on how to collect your prize! Congratulations!!

Keep on reading all month long as we have more fun Vampire giveaways left!