Anna Wolfe Guest Post

First, I'd like to thank Kate for letting me do a guest post!  Second, I'd like to thank the people reading the post. 

Over the course of my life, I've read or heard four pieces of advice that had a significant impact on my writing.  In this guest post, I'm going to focus on one of them: write what you know.  Given that I prefer genres that involve demons and vampires and witches (oh my), that's not always been the most useful advice.  Sorting out what it meant to write what I know took a long time (like two decades). 

Graduate school was a formative experience for me.  In many ways, graduate school breaks you down.  The classes and the culture require you to narrow your focus, train your brain to move in linear patterns, and reward you for developing an obsession with grammar and sentence construction.  No matter what I said, a professor always seemed to be saying, "you need a citation for that."  Once, in frustration, I asked if I needed a citation to say the sky was blue.  My professor, with a straight face, said, "it would help." 

And yet, immersing yourself in the sheer quantity of human thought (even though you'll never manage to absorb more than a fraction of it) teaches you to ask nuanced and focused questions about the world.  The favorite question of a social scientist is "why?" followed closely by "how?" and then "so what?"  Asking questions has always been one of my favorite activities and graduate school gave me a question-asking arsenal. 

I was in the home stretch of writing my dissertation and I was dog-tired.  I hated the topic, I hated the dissertation, I had nothing interesting to say anymore, and I was so sick of citing that I thought I might tear my hair out in frustration.  I have always loved reading and have been trying to write fiction for most of my life (though that's a story for another post).  My brain needed an escape and it found one in a whole new set of questions that didn't need a single citation. 

What if demons were real?  What kind of demons?  Horned denizens of hell?  Vengeful spirits of the dead?  Evil creatures that torment people?  Numerous cultures have examples of creatures that threaten, bedevil, and tempt.  Some are beautiful and some have horns.  Some come from other realms and some are created by human error or arrogance.  What explanation could make the myths of the demons across the world semi-cohesive?  Good god, what if demons were really real? 

My brain spit out answers so fast it was like a fever.  For every answer I could come up with, a dozen new questions popped up and then I was writing like a woman possessed.  When I don't know how to answer the question, I make up an answer.   All it has to do is make sense within the framework I've already laid out.  I swear, every time I do that, a part of my brain howls in triumph.  Fuck you, Academia, and your stupid little citations too!  HAHAHAHA! 

Every writer has to answer these kinds of questions (i.e. do world building and character development), but how they go about asking and answering reflects their own process of writing what they know.  For me, writing what I know is about the asking the questions my career path trained me to ask in the fantasy worlds I've been visiting since I was little. 

Below, I've included descriptions for Bitten (Book 1) and Addicted (Book 2) as well as links to my personal webpage and Smashwords.  The Amazon link is for Bitten (which is free).  You can also download the books at Barnes and Noble. 

Bitten: Description

“There is another world touching ours that is filled with demons or, at least, that’s what we call them. They call themselves something else entirely, though that is neither here nor there. Every now and again, human beings manage to pull these demons through to our side. The human dies, of course, and the demon gets a person shaped suit to live in. We call these creatures the demonridden.”

Only fanatics and lunatics believe demons can possess human beings. Or at least, that’s what Callie White thought until one possessed her best friend. Now, wanted for murdering the thing that crawled into her friend’s body and dealing with hungers and powers she doesn’t understand, Callie White just wants to die. She just has to make sure no one can bring another demon over before she goes. When that proves more difficult than expected, Callie is pushed to her limits and discovers just how common demon possession really is. 

Addicted

Since the end of the Great Demon War, Silas has done his best to teach the newly bitten how to harness their abilities and do as little harm as possible. After nearly two centuries, however, Silas is starting to feel like he’s fraying around the edges. He can only hope that the magic that binds him and honor will be enough to keep him one step ahead of those who would see him fail.

Website: http://www.anna-wolfe.com

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/wolfeanna

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bitten-First-Book-Rises-ebook/dp/B00CH2X88A/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_tops

Susan Reid Guest Post

Divinity the Gathering Book One

By Susan Reid

       There are many dimensions and realms within the Universe. We as humans exist in the mortal realm. In the spirit realm, however, an hourglass has been turned over — and the darkness within waits to take it from us. Many people have either caught glimpses, or have heard voices that echo from time to time, without an explanation. There are those that hear and see them all of the time.

They are chosen.

        The spirit realm is all around us, and there are millions of dark beings who constantly watch— and listen. They wait to hurt, destroy, kill, and ultimately enslave. But humans are resilient.

Divine warriors are the Marines of the spirit realm. They are chosen by the divine, to battle the darkness and protect the free will and lives of regular mortals from the sinister darkness.

Being chosen is a destiny, and just as we have no power to choose who we are, how we were created, and where we came from, we do have to power to choose light or dark.

       This is both the reality and dilemma that has been handed to college sophomore, Starling Roberts. She is like many others that have been chosen. Will she accept it or will she give in and surrender to the strengthening dark forces, as the end of the mortal world draws near?

       My creative flow and motivations can hit me at any moment, so I tend to keep a notebook or small recorder with me at all times. I find that most of my imagination is spurred after either seeing a great movie, or reading an awesome book in one of my favorite genres. Music is definitely a catalyst. I listen to music often when I write, because it allows me set up the story line, get a feel for the personality of my characters, and set up the make-believe places. I daydream a lot about the possibilities of aliens and things like cryptids and ghosts, all of which have never been disproven, so there is always a chance that it either exists — or is a possibility. I take those ideas and create an outline, and then do the research to add a hint of realism into the idea or fantasy theme that I’m looking to establish. I don’t write when I’m not feeling it, and sometimes that can extend to a few weeks at a time. I find that if I force myself to do it, those scenes tend to end up, chopped.

      

       A combination of observation, dreams and a vivid imagination of any and everything mysterious or questionable about the world around us has always been the perfect recipe for why I absolutely love genres such as fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and even horror. I love the idea of a bad guy with the small propensity or given some kind of motivation to do good or the right thing. Turning monsters or supernatural beings into a relatable character and losing yourself in a world that may or may not exist beyond our own is the best escape I can think of when reading or watching a movie. Love and romance are all elements that bring it all together, and even not so happy endings sometimes make a good story too. I’m a huge horror genre fan too, but I’m the biggest chicken there is, which is why I only tend to read horror books rather than watch the movies. I think when you see something visually; it tends to leave a more lasting imprint than simply reading words.

       The compulsion to write Divinity the Gathering, came from a repetitive dream that I kept having about what appeared to me, to be the end of the world. At first, it was meant to be just one book, but after I had finished creating each character, how they interacted with one another, what they were going through and ultimately striving for, I knew there was no way I could end it all in only one book.

       When I finally wrote down the details of my dream, I saw a story in it. That was when I created Starling and began writing the story around her. I wanted to know how a young girl, who has dealt with tragedy all her life and had no firm belief in religion or miracles, would handle seeing demons, escaping their pursuits and surviving their attacks — not knowing that she was destined for something far greater in her next life. After that, the dreams actually stopped. I’m a very spiritual person and I always take omens like that seriously.

       I also incorporated my own personal experiences, having seen many unexplainable things like both seeing shadows and hearing strange things myself for many years. In those dreams, I was always watching from a third person perspective, which is where the character of Starling began to develop and came about.

       The themes in the Divinity Saga books not only center around the ideas of darkness versus light, good versus evil, Morning Star’ attempt to rule the Earth, and Angels and Demons through both a Divine Warriors eyes, but through a Fallen Angels eyes as well. It is centered on the coming invasion of the darkness that waits to claim and rule Earth. There are all sorts of beings in the spirit realm and of course both Angels and Demons but it is by no means meant to be serious, heavy or dark. In fact, it has both humor and romance in it. The ultimate question of “What would you do in this situation?” Was the main theme I wanted to keep going, when setting up the plots, which is why I decided to write it in the first person voice of both of the main characters, Starling and Cam`ael, a fallen Incubus.

After a vivid recurring dream has her shaken. Starling begins dealing with the unknown and the continuing aggressive assault on her by both the shadows and demons, who are trying to kidnap her into the spirit realm.

       There is something about unique her though, she is different than all other divine warriors, which is what she is destined to become. Divine warriors are a chosen army of people chosen at birth to fight on the side of light against the darkness. Starling is a college sophomore who struggles between deciding if college is even worth it because of her recurring nightmares about the end of the world. Having to fend off the dark forces that have begun to assault her in their quest to claim her for Morning Star doesn’t help her faith much either.

 She has no idea that she has been chosen, which means to become immortal and part of the Divine Army that will go head to head with the Fallen, darkness and Morning Star when they all begin to invade Earth. Though she can see the shadows and beings from the spirit realm, as she has all her life, she is unaware of her own destiny but has always believed in things of the supernatural because she has been able to see the shadows. Cam`ael is a Fallen angel, an Incubus actually, and though he lusts for her physically, he also knows what she is destined to become, and what it will all mean. Drakael is the angel who has come to her aide. He knows the intent of Cam`ael, and vows to keep him from her.

Feel free to stay updated on up and coming books as well as giveaways and free dates on any of the following!

On twitter:  @BabyNewt38

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B8L345S

http://www.bookdaily.com/book/3966890/divinity-the-gathering-book-one

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18134564-divinity

http://divinitysagabooks.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/DivinityTheGatheringBookOne

http://susanreid.webs.com/

Guest Post- Danielle DeVor

How Writing Made Me a Parent- Danielle DeVor

I’ve heard some people say that writing a book is like birthing a child. While I had no experience with birthing children, I do have a child and his name is Mathias. But, that isn’t quite true either. There’s a lot of Mathias in me.

One, I gave him my name. Truth be told, my last name should be Drvar. My grandfather changed his name after a family fall-out many years ago. He’d discovered a football player with the last name Devor and decided to go with it.

Two, Mathias has a bit of a potty mouth. While it makes sense for him to speak that way giving his time living on the streets, his voice is the voice in my head. He says the things I think a lot of the time.

Like Mathias, vampires were always on my radar. I’ve read hundreds of books about them. The one that stands out to me as a child was Prisoner of Vampires by Nancy Garden- great book if you haven’t read it.

But, there is more than an interest in vampires that links Mathias and I to the undead. My family’s original last name, Drvar, is  Serbian name. It is also the name of a town in a region currently located in Bosnia-Herzegovina.  And, we are distantly related to Vlad the Impaler- who of course was Bram Stoker’s inspiration for the evil count.

With all of this in mind, Mathias grew and formed in my head. His history, as well as vampire history, became what eventually grew into Tail of the Devil.

So, I guess you could say that in birthing a book, I did birth a child; a very willful, stubborn child who isn’t afraid of the dark and capable of both wonderful and horrible things.

Synopsis of book:

If Mathias thought being homeless sucked, being a vampire is worse. The vampires who transformed him believe he is the reincarnation of an ancient king. They expect him to quit swearing, use a napkin, and play by their weird, ancient rules. Screw that. But after the reigning queen assaults Mathias, he has visions of a past life in which he was that king. Turns out the current queen killed him then, and wants to kill him again. He’d better grow up fast, because if he doesn’t his second life may be shorter than his first.

Find me on Social Media:

Twitter: @sammyig

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

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/DanielleDeVor

Guest Post Sherry Soule

Author Sherry Soule provides today’s post. She is celebrating the release of her new novel, IMMORTAL ECLIPSE—due to be released April 30, 2013. If you like supernatural suspense mingled with a dash of chick-lit and a healthy dose of paranormal romance, then this is the book for you!

Sherry asked her snarky heroine, Skylar Blackwell to stop by. She has recently started her own advice column: “Dear Skylar.”

Since several people have asked Skylar for help with some very strange topics, she’s generously taken time away from her shopping cardio to answer them. Pasted below are some of the questions sent to her.

Question 1:

Q. Dear Skylar,

My boyfriend is in college and he likes to wear socks with sandals. When I complained about it, he just says his feet get cold. It’s so embarrassing! I refuse to go on dates with him until he buys a real pair of shoes. Any advice on getting him to stop?

Thanx,

Fashion-Clueless-BF

A. Dear Fashion-Clueless-BF,

Wearing socks with sandals has been a fashion faux pas forever, but that doesn't stop people (generally men) from doing it. Unless you are walking outside to pick up the newspaper, socks with sandals are a big fashion no-no! First off, you don’t have to alert the fashion police—just throw out those sandals yourself! Then buy him some nicer shoes to wear. He’ll have new shoes, and you’ll have a fashionable guy—problem solved.

Question 2:

Q. Dear Skylar,

One day my sister Kate saw me enter the bathroom. She continued down the hallway, and to her surprise, she saw me inside my bedroom. Kate insisted I was in the bathroom, but obviously, I was lying on my bed doing homework. A few days later, Kate swore that she saw me watching TV in the living room, but I had been gone all day at softball practice. Later that same day, she also claimed that I ran past her and pulled her hair, but it wasn’t me! What do you think’s going on?

Kind regards,

Doppelgangers-Suck

A. Dear Doppelgangers-Suck,

Hmmm, you may indeed have doppelganger trouble. They are commonly considered an "evil twin," unknown to the original person, who causes mischief by confusing friends and relatives. But some have more insidious intentions…especially, if they’re already dead. My advice? Get yourself a magical charm for protection, and fast!

Question 3:

Q. Dear Skylar,

I recently took over the family business, and although everything has been running smoothly, it feels as though the female employees haven't quite accepted me as their new boss yet. In fact, they've been downright hostile and verbally abusive. And then there’s the little digs: one of them even asked how long I was planning to stay and told me that I was in over my head. How would you recommend I handle this situation?

Peace out,

Nobody-Likes-Me

A. Dear Nobody-Likes-Me,

Sounds like typical “Mean Girl” abuse. The pointed digs make some female bullies more toxic than the classic rageaholic. Well, I would advise you to fire all those hateful workers, but disgruntled employees can be nasty, too. Unfortunately, there’s no escaping your employees—unless you’re willing to quit or fight back. You’re just gonna have to dig in your heels—or Pradas—and get proactive. And try to keep in mind that life has a quirky way of working things out: When you're dealing with a bitch, remember that karma is a bitch as well. Best of luck!

Question 4:

Q. Dear Skylar,

My husband, Tony, is a construction worker and he fell from a scaffold at work last week. His boss said he had broken his spine and that he was taken to the morgue. But when I arrived at the hospital, he was alive! He was walking around like nothing happened. And one other time, Tony was bitten by a poisonous snake and he didn’t get more than a slight headache from the venom. Am I going crazy or what?

Best,

Husband-Has-9-Lives

A. Dear Husband-Has-9-Lives,

That is strange indeed! Hmmm, let me think...since he can move about during the day, vampire is out. Government experiment doesn’t fit either, unless he escaped from the lab. Alien from Mars? Nah, he’d have green skin and big eyes. Or perhaps he’s a werewolf with regenerative powers. Whatever the case, the guy must have nine lives!

Hope you enjoyed this comical post! Now go feed your mind and read a book! Preferably one of mine. ;-)

Places you can cyberstalk Sherry Soule:

Official Blog: http://www.sherrysoule.blogspot.com

Twitter @WriterSherry: http://twitter.com/writersherry

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/tdro6f

goodreads: http://bit.ly/uzohif

BUY IMMORTAL ECLIPSE:

D.A. Adams Guest Post

The older I get the more I see the importance of confidence, especially for writers.  I started down this road 23 or 24 years ago as an awkward, physically wounded young man full of lofty ideas and grand ambitions.  Please, allow me to give a little background to explain.  On March 7, 1989, I was 16 and a pretty good athlete with the goal of becoming an officer in the Marine Corps. At roughly 3:30 that afternoon, during track practice, I was struck in the head by an 8 lb. shotput.  For those who may not know, a shotput is basically a cannonball.  I suffered a concussion, brain contusion, brain swelling, and physical shock.  By that evening, I was literally fighting for my life, and all of my plans, dreams, and goals were suddenly gone.  Obviously, I survived and recovered, but at 16, I had to reinvent myself completely.

As part of my therapy, I started writing poetry to deal with the emotions of grief, loss, anger, and fear.  While helpful as a therapeutic exercise, the poetry I created was for the most part dreadful. Fortunately for me, however, it led to discovering fiction.  By 20, I knew for certain that I wanted to write stories for a living and dedicated myself to learning the craft.  I began writing fantasy but was soon taught by academia that genre work, all genre work, was for mindless hacks.  If I wanted to be a real writer, a “serious” novelist, I needed to write mainstream, literary fiction.  Being young, naïve, and impressionable, I listened and forced myself to abandon my love of fantasy literature in order to fit into the writing program.

At first, I flourished as story after story poured out, and my confidence soared as my skills developed.  In 1995 at 22 years old and just six years removed from the accident, I earned my first publication credit in Aura, a small literary journal from UAB.  Within the next year, I landed two more pieces in small magazines.  In addition to the publications, I was also contacted by a well-established agent from New York who had seen my first story and thought I had tremendous potential.  Those were his words on the phone, tremendous potential.  My confidence has never been higher than after we hung up.  I was going places.

Unfortunately, he didn’t like my novel, rejecting it outright, and the wind was sucked from my sails briefly.  Though painful, as I look back on it today, he was right.  The novel was immature and boring, so for the next year, I studied and practiced writing harder than any other point of my life.  I wanted to improve.  I needed to elevate my skills to a professional level, so I read and wrote and edited every single day.  My confidence grew once again as I saw myself improving, and I created several stories in that period that I’m still relatively proud of.  Then, I made the decision to return to graduate school.

From the outset, graduate school was a mistake.  For the entire first year, my confidence was dashed by the pettiness, jealousy, and negativity of both peers and professors.  Workshops ran as popularity contests and ego demonstrations.  The writing was secondary.  Personality prevailed, and anyone who stepped out of line with the accepted paradigms of the group was immediately squashed by an avalanche of bullshit.  My confidence was shattered, and I left graduate school in 1999 feeling hopelessly inept and lacking any measure of creative drive.  I gave up on writing as a career and felt hollow without that part of myself.

For at least three years, probably more like four, I didn’t write at all, not in a creative sense.  From 1998 to 2002, my confidence was gone because of the conflicting advice and negativity of writing workshops.  Then, sometime in 2002, as I watched The Two Towers, an epiphany struck me from out of the blue.  I realized that I wanted to write fantasy and always had.  Despite repressing it during my academic years, I still loved the genre, and since I’d abandoned any notions of being a “serious” novelist, I could entertain the concept of creating fantasy works without fear of academia rebuking me.  But my confidence was still broken, so I didn’t start writing straight away.  Instead, I pondered the idea of what I would create if I ever chose to write again.

For nearly a year, I mulled the concept, sketching notes and developing the world without a tangible goal of writing anything.  At the time, I didn’t believe I had the skills to write one book, never mind the five it would take to tell this tale.  Quite simply, I lacked the confidence to begin actually writing.  Then, something magical happened.  In July of 2003, I saw my first son’s heartbeat on ultrasound, the grainy speck fluttering at 150 bpm, and that long dormant part of me came back to life in a rush.  Watching his heartbeat, I knew the only way I could be a good father was first and foremost to be true to myself, and at my core, I’m a writer.  Within a couple of days, I sat down at the computer and started the first draft of book one.

When I look at the first couple of chapters of that book, I see my lack of confidence.  The narrative is unsure and halting as I felt my way back into writing, and by far, the greatest criticism I’ve faced with the series is the opening chapter being too slow, too full of exposition, and to a degree, I admit I probably should refine it.  However, I also see the subtleties and foreshadowing that lay the groundwork for the entire series, and I’m afraid of losing that foundation if I ever do rewrite it.  More than that, though, I’m proud of what those early chapters represent for me – my rebirth as a writer, my rebirth as a man.  Though not perfectly wrought, they are pure in their approach and mean more to me personally than just about anything else I’ve written in my life.

Today, my confidence stays at a fairly healthy level.  For the most part, I strike a good balance between believing in myself and remaining humble.  Occasionally, at conventions or online, I see other writers who remind me of graduate school, people more concerned with telling others how great they are than anything.  They know the one right way to do things and everyone else falls short.  Regardless of their levels of success, some considerably better than mine, these people annoy me because they are a reminder of those who crushed my confidence, and I have to stifle the urge to take them to task.  Never argue with a fool, as the saying goes.  People might not know the difference.

My point of this whole piece is for others who have been knocked down and worry that your voice is insignificant.  Don’t let anyone rob you of your creative drive.  If you fail, so be it.  At least you had the courage and dedication to create something.  If your work falls short, go back, learn more, and try again.  If some ego-driven jerk insults your efforts, don’t let that drown you in doubt.  Brush aside the criticism and listen to your creative voice.  Put forth your best effort and believe that your audience is out there waiting for you because they are.  There is no one right way to create.  There is no secret formula.  Success is arbitrary and fleeting.  In the end, all that matters is what you create, whether or not you can live with your efforts, and the authenticity of your voice.  Above all, believe that you and your voice matter.

D.A. Adams Bio

D. A. Adams is a novelist, a farmer, a professor of English, and in my estimation, a true gentleman. His breakout fantasy series, The Brotherhood of Dwarves, transcends genre and illuminates the human soul in all its flashes of glory and innumerable failings.

He is active on the Con circuit and has contributed writing to literary as well as fine art publications, and maintains his active blog, "The Ramblings of D. A. Adams". He lives and works in East Tennessee, and is the proud father of two boys, Collin and Finn.

His ability as a storyteller breathes life into every character, and his craftsmanship as a writer makes these stories about relationships; human or otherwise.

Between Dark and Light Synopsis

The stakes are higher than ever in the fourth installment of the popular dwarven saga!

The Great Empire has surrounded the Kiredurks and are preparing to conquer the kingdom, but unknown to them, Kwarck, the mysterious hermit of the plains, has his own plan in action. To the east, he has summoned an elven army and charged Crushaw with leading them into battle. To the south, Roskin will gather an army from the fractured Ghaldeon lands. But to the west, an ancient and powerful evil stirs.

The Great War is about to errupt, if Roskin can overcome the Dark One...

  

D.A. Adams Links:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/biggunsalex

Website/Blog: http://www.daadams.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1418876.D_A_Adams

Dusty Crabtree Guest Post

The Theme of Hope in Shadow Eyes

Shadow Eyes Blog Tour and Kindle Fire Giveaway

Thank you for hosting me, Kate, and for such a great review back in September!  (See review here.)  I’m super excited to be on your blog again and to share one of my favorite things about my YA urban fantasy, Shadow Eyes – the theme of hope!

First of all, everyone, don’t forget to enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win a print copy of Shadow Eyes, your full name in the sequel, and a KINDLE FIRE!

Let’s check out the synopsis for Shadow Eyes before I delve into one of its themes.  It will probably make more sense that way.

Synopsis:

Iris Kohl lives in a world populated by murky shadows that surround, harass, and entice unsuspecting individuals toward evil.  But she is the only one who can see them.  She’s had this ability to see the shadows, as well as brilliantly glowing light figures, ever since an obscure, tragic incident on her fourteenth birthday three years earlier. 

Although she’s learned to cope, the view of her world begins to shift upon the arrival of three mysterious characters.  First, a handsome new teacher whose presence scares away shadows; second, a new friend with an awe-inspiring aura; and third, a mysterious and alluring new student whom Iris has a hard time resisting despite already having a boyfriend.

As the shadows invade and terrorize her own life and family, she must ultimately revisit the most horrific event of her life in order to learn her true identity and become the hero she was meant to be.

Hope is so important for everyone, but especially teens who are trying to grow up in our jaded world.  It’s easy for them to look at the society around them and become negative and cynical.  They need to be able to hope for a positive future, even if it seems unlikely.  I’m not saying they shouldn’t be realistic and instead think life is a great big fairy tale.  I’m simply saying they need to see that there are positive outcomes, even through tough times, that they can hope for and strive to achieve.

So how do books help with this?  Well, think about.  We, as readers, live vicariously through the main characters of the books we read, experiencing what they experience to an extent and feeling what they feel through all their ups and downs.  If the characters have hope, the readers get to latch on to that hope as well.

For example, if the main character has hope that her relationship will last, the readers get a sense of hope that they too could have long-lasting, amazing relationships in the future.  If the main character has hope that their family situation will improve and maybe even does by the end of the book, the readers may gain some hope that their family issues can be resolved too.  Even if it doesn’t work out for them the same way it does in the book, living with that hope will have a positive effect on the person.

No matter what the character’s issue, if readers can relate to it, they can get healing and comfort from seeing the character get healing and comfort.

In Shadow Eyes, Iris struggles with self-worth and confidence, while having to endure so much with her family and friends and turmoil in her own relationships (sorry, can’t be specific – spoilers!).  On top of that, she has to deal with the tragic event that happened three years ago and that’s been eating away at her since.  Through all of this, by the end of the book, she goes through a healing process like no other where she acquires a new sense of hope, confidence, and inner-strength.  The reader, especially if they’ve experienced any of the same events or emotions as Iris, gets the immense satisfaction of undergoing that same healing process. 

***

I was freer. More alive. More like the person I was meant to be than who I had chosen to be in the past. Baggage I hadn’t even known I was carrying and lies I hadn’t known I was believing had been kicked to the curb. I felt like an innocent child again. I had been given a second chance, and I was ready to run with it wherever it wanted to take me.

***

I’ve heard from readers who have cried, felt uplifted and encouraged, been filled with happiness and satisfaction, or just simply loved the way it ended.  Granted, it isn’t a complete resolution because there are a few things left unanswered for the sequel (which is in the works), but there is definitely a great sense of closure.  And it is my hope that this sense of closure in the book will help even just a few readers gain closure with their own issues, giving them the confidence to replace their worry with hope.

Check out Dusty’s blog at http://dustycrabtree.wordpress.com/

Find her on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/dusty.crabtree.1

Follow her on twitter at https://twitter.com/dustycrabtree

Buy Shadow Eyes at http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=176

(also available at all major online bookstores)

View the book trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7UP9A0Fm78

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Cursed Embrace Cover Reveal

I have reviewed Cecy Robson's work here on the site before, and I have enjoyed reading her writing a lot. So when she contacted me about a cover reveal I jumped on board. I love her work, and I think a lot of my readers will too, so here are some links to my other reviews of her work and some information about her new book! 

The Weird Girls Review (prequel novella) 
Sealed with a Curse Review (book 1)

SYNOPSIS

Celia Wird and her three sisters are just like other twenty-something girls—with one tiny exception: They are the products of a curse that backfired and gave each of them unique powers that made them, well, a little weird.…

After Celia Wird and her sisters help master vampire Misha save his family, their powers are exposed to the supernatural community of the Lake Tahoe region. But fame comes at a price, and being “weird” isn’t always welcome.

To make matters worse, Celia desires the love of Alpha werewolf Aric, but his pack is bent on destroying their relationship to preserve his pureblood status. And once weres start turning up dead—with evidence pointing to the vampires—she must face the prospect of losing Aric forever. But the chaos only masks a new threat. An evil known as the Tribe has risen—and their sights are set on Celia and her sisters.

AUTHOR BIO

Cecy (pronounced Sessy) Robson is an author with Penguin's SIGNET ECLIPSE. She attributes her passion for story-telling back to the rough New Jersey neighborhood she was raised in. As a child, she was rarely allowed to leave the safety of her house and passed her time fantasizing about flying, fairies, and things that go bump in the night. Her dad unwittingly encouraged Cecy's creativity by kissing her goodnight wearing vampire fangs. Gifted and cursed with an overactive imagination, she began writing her Urban Fantasy Romance Series, Weird Girls, in May 2009. THE WEIRD GIRLS: A Novella and SEALED WITH A CURSE are now available. The second novel in The Weird Girls Series, A CURSED EMBRACE, releases July 2, 2013.

LINKS:

Website:               www.cecyrobson.com

Twitter:                 https://twitter.com/cecyrobson

Facebook:             http://www.facebook.com/Cecy.Robson.Author

Keri Lake Guest Post

Adding Depth To A Flat Character

Had I attempted to publish some of my very first stories, I suspect I’d be getting a whole heck of a lot of negative reviews.  Not because the plot wasn’t juicy enough or the grammar sucked, but because my characters were about as lively as nuns at a wet t-shirt contest. 

I had this fear that if I gave them vices, the reader would be turned off and quite possibly have me committed.  So I wrote these perfect people in perfect lives that stumble upon a road bump.  No real tension or conflict going on here.  Just existing.  This wasn’t really writing, not to me at least, because I was holding back a little bit.  Okay, a lot.  The truth was, these characters had a whole hell of a lot going on inside my head—drug abuse, depression, and language that would make the Osbournes blush—but I tamped them down and refused to let those pieces be a part of their personality.  Why?  Because I thought my characters and their exciting adventures would stand on their own and leave the reader feeling satisfied in spite of their wholesome selves.

Aside from the obvious, one of the bigger reasons why this was such a monumental writing fail, is the fact that I was lying to myself while the whole time.  These weren’t the same people chattering inside my head.

When I crack a book open, I’m looking for danger, conflict, and only resolution at the end of a harrowing journey.  I want characters that are so extreme from what I already know, that they grab me and pull me under, leaving me breathless while I refuse to come up for air until I KNOW that something is going to go right for them.  In romance, it’s a given that someone’s going to end up happy in the end, so the journey in between sure as hell better offer some surprises that make me forget the forthcoming pink bow, sealed with a kiss.

The more extreme a character, the more thrilling the conflict, the more satisfying the resolution.  So these days when I write, I try not to hold anything back and let the personality inside my head unfurl into the story as it was meant to.

Michele Drier Guest Post

I Owe it all to My Daughter

Although I tell people I don’t read much in the paranormal genre, years ago I read a series about the vampire colony living underground in L.A.

I buried the author’s name and the titles but remembered the basic plot, so the vamps made an impression that came back when my daughter said “Write a vampire book!”

I’d just contracted for my first book, a traditional mystery, and was planning the second when my daughter and her husband started hammering on me about the undead. They both read, voraciously. Between them, they have three Nooks and four Kindles, plus iPhones, iPads and computers. They’re so wired in they just bought their two-year-old a Kindle for games and kids’ show and she calls it her book. A little scary!

With all these reading devices (plus books) scattered around, I figured they were au courant on the hot literary trends so I listened when my son-in-law said, “Go into any bookstore and see the size of the mystery section. Then look at the paranormal section. Then decide.”

I started reading. Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Karen Moning. And then I picked up Kelly Armstrong and was hooked. These guys were writing involved, intricate books full of imagination and other worlds.

But I was a mystery writer. How could I find a hook? I batted around a few ideas (lame) with my daughter until she said, “You’re over-thinking this. Look at celebrities. They all wear oversized dark glasses, don’t come out much during the day, ride around in limos with tinted windows...they could all be vampires.”

And SNAP, the world’s biggest and best international conglomerate of celebrity gossip was born

I also dredged the underground colony from my mind and discovered that my protagonist, a regular named Maxie Gwenoch, had heard all the vampire rumors while at UCLA.  They continue to this day.

The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency lists the Sunset strip area of L.A. and Hollywood as one of the five mostly likely places in the United States to find vampires, due to the crush of nightlife activity.

Google some combination of vampires, L.A., night, underground and up come more than 10,000,000 hits, including a Meetup listing of groups in the L.A. area having to do with vampires in some way.

There are vampire nightclubs, vampire bands, vampire games and a listing for “real vampires in L.A.” Clearly, my daughter was on to something.

I did some research, then imagined my vampires, the Kandesky and Huszar families, in different ways.

Over their 500-year history, the Kandeskys have given up killing and found ways to feed themselves non-violently. They also found a love of wealth, and amassed a fortune from their businesses, which only grew once they went into celebrity journalism. And when Maxie goes to work for SNAP she finds the truth about all those L.A. vampire rumors!

Now I listen with a little tinge of fear when my daughter suggests something. All I am now is due to her!

Michele Drier was born in Santa Cruz and is a fifth generation Californian. She’s lived and worked all over the state, calling both Southern and Northern California home.  During her career in journalism — as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers – she won awards for producing investigative series.

Her mystery Edited for Death, called “Riveting and much recommended” by the Midwest Book Review is available at Amazon. She’s working on the second book in the Amy Hobbes Newspaper mysteries, Labeled for Death, out in spring 2013.

Her paranormal romance series, SNAP: The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, is available in ebook, paperback and audible at Amazon.  The first two books, SNAP: The World Unfolds, andSNAP: New Talent, received 4 stars from PRG.  The third, fourth and fifth books, Plague: A Love Story, Danube: A Tale of Murder  and SNAP: Love for Blood rated 5 stars. The first four books are available in a boxed set at Amazon, B&N and Kobo. She’s writing SNAP: Happily Ever After? for release in summer 2013 and a seventh book in late fall 2013.

Visit her website: http://www.micheledrier.comor facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMicheleDrieror her Amazon author page, http://www.amazon.com/Michele-Drier/e/B005D2YC8G/

One lucky commenter will receive a copy of her set of books seen above! Good luck to everyone!