Better late, than never, please welcome Lorrie Unites-Struiff!!!

First of all, thank you for your patience with me this morning, Lorrie! I am usually so organized with my blogging, so I spiralled into a complete panic when I couldn't open your blog that you so kindly sent me WEEKS ago!!! Anyway, welcome, over to you...


Hello Rachel,
Thank you so much for having me as a guest today.
Hello readers.

About Gypsies

When I think of gypsies, I think of a nomadic people. I imagine colorful caravans, mystical fortune tellers and beautiful violin music. All romantic, don’t you think?
Researching for my modern Roma family depicted in my novella “Gypsy Crystal,” I found some interesting material.
For instance, there is a school of thought that gypsies originated from Egypt, and were called, among other things, Egyptians, or ‘Gyptians, which is how the word “Gypsy” originated.
Today, there are over twelve million Roma living across the world. Many of them are living in the United States and Canada.

Many myths are told about their beginnings. I particularly like the one that tells of, one day while celebrating a holiday around a campfire, a stranger wandered into their camp, and as the usual way of a generous and happy people, they invited him to stay. Oooh! What a mistake.
This was the start of a curse, for this man was a necromancer and insisted the people serve him. The people refused, they loved life and refused to cheat death and serve chaos.

The necromancer raged and cursed them, saying they would forever wander the earth, never to settle and forever be outcasts. He disappeared into the night. The next night the land and their homes were stormed and destroyed by an army of the undead. Many died—or worse.

The survivors fled, regrouped, drew a circle in the dirt, drew their knives and shed drops of their blood into the earth. They vowed to serve balance and protect the land. When the last droplet fell, a strange feeling overcame them, like the land had embraced them. They heard a voice telling them they were to forever wander the land to preserve life at all cost and they now had the ability to curse their sworn enemies. And their greatest enemy of all was-- the undead.

A chilling folktale, no doubt, and had shivers sneaking up my spine.

The Roma people like many others hold certain beliefs and superstitions. You may recognize some of them. I’ll only mention a few.
Good luck charms, amulets, and talismans are common among the Roma. They are carried to prevent misfortune or heal sickness.
How about that rabbit’s foot you carry in your pocket or the horseshoe nailed above your barn?
Knock on wood? Throw salt over your shoulder?

Ceremonial events such as christenings, marriages, and religious festivals are occasions for community activity and sharing. Enormous quantities of food and drink are consumed during these celebrations, and the preparation is long and enthusiastic.
Ahem. I think most of us still go along with this one.

According to traditional Gypsy beliefs, life for the dead continues on another level.
Sound familiar?

Coins are put into the deceased’s coffin to help with their journey into the afterlife.
Another familiar belief many share.
There are many more, but let’s save them for another day.

I remain the romantic. I still imagine the colorful caravans, the mystical fortune tellers and the sweet violin music under a moonlit sky. How about you?
* * *
Blurb
Everyone has secrets.
Homicide Detective Rita Moldova has a secret, a crystal amulet from her Roma bloodline that shows her the last image a victim had seen before they died. Now, a ritual killer is terrorizing her town and the crystal’s magic has suddenly stopped.
FBI agent, Matt Boulet, is sent to lead the task force and gives the group strange orders. Worse, Rita senses he is holding back a deep dark secret about the killer.
When she confronts her seer mother’s advice, she learns another secret about their clan that she finds impossible to swallow.
Rita swims through a whirlpool of confusion as the investigation continues. Can Rita deny the lore of the ancients? Can she deny her growing feelings for Matt Boulet?

Excerpt

Before Rita had time to get her fingers on the gun, the man had shot out of the door, yanked her forward, and somehow shoved her headfirst onto the front seat. She skidded over the vinyl bench seat, her nose and cheek hitting hard, blocking her breath for a moment. Rita yelled; the door slammed shut. She scrambled to sit upright, gagging when she inhaled the dank, moldy scent of the interior. A metal object, hanging from the roof above the mirror, clunked heavy against her head. She swallowed the acrid taste in her throat.
The driver’s door opened and the man slipped inside. One corner of her mind wondered how he could have possibly run around the front of the van so fast.
Rita rubbed her bruised temple and twisted the door handle. It was stuck. She rammed her shoulder into the door. It didn’t budge. The window was up. Her purse with the gun lay on the sidewalk. She worked the lock button and slammed into the door again. The impact sent shock waves down her arm to her fingertips. Shit. The van was rigged. Rita looked at the serial killer, her heart banging against her ribs, her breathing short and shallow. Tapping the mic with frantic fingers, all she could do was pray.
The man grinned.
* * *
Visit my website for more info. http://struiff.wordpress.com/ and to read the great reviews.
Gypsy Crystal is now available in print and Multi-Format e-book at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Gypsy-Crystal-Lorrie-Unites-Struiff/dp/1770650415/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
(Bio)
Lorrie Unites-Struiff lives in West Mifflin, twenty minutes by parkway to downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has two grown daughters who have left the nest but not her heart.
Lorrie is the founder of the Waterfront Writer’s Workshop in her area, and after seven years has passed the baton to allow her more time for writing. She has many short stories published and is now working on her next novella.

Romantic, sexy, mystical, what more can be said about Gypsies??? You tell us...

I am interviewing Mary Alice Pritchard today....

Hi Mary Alice! It has been awhile since I've posted an interview so I'm really excited about having you here. Let's get started...

1) What is your writing routine?
I write for about an hour after work and after my work out at the gym. I write from 2 to 4 hours on weekends. I usually start out by re-reading the last chapter I wrote and editing it as I get back into the story.

2) Which author/s inspire you to write?
Laurell K. Hamilton, Christine Feehan and Lora Leigh

3) Which is your favorite romance subgenre to read? To write?
I love paranormal and erotica. I write paranormal romantic suspense and have started an erotica short story.

4) How do you deal with criticism/rejection?
Since I get a lot of rejections, I learned to let it roll off my back. I take any the true criticism that I can learn from and apply it to my writing. Yes, it hurts some but you can’t survive in writing as a business unless you can handle it.

5) What do you expect from an editor?
I expect to learn and grow with each set of edits. I want to learn from what they find and be able to talk to them about what I really believe should remain the same. You should be able to bounce ideas off them and know they will tell you the truth.

6) Tell me about your latest release
See How They Die is a paranormal romantic suspense. It is about a woman who is living in seclusion because of being a psychic but she dreams about a murder of two teenagers. The hero is a loner who doesn’t trust anyone but finds himself drawn to the heroine. They have to work with each other to stop the killer from killing again and again.


7) Tease us with a blurb or short excerpt

“Look, I’m not going to Casper with you. I’ll email you every single detail from the dreams as soon as I can write them down.” Rhi waited, but all he did was smile and shake his head. “Then you’re going to have to arrest me.” She schooled her face to hide the panic that washed over her and jerked the two ends of the towel tighter across her legs.

“Can’t,” was all he said. His eyes never left her, kicking her anxiety level up a notch or two.
“What do you mean you can’t? Can’t what?” Rhi had a bad feeling she wasn’t going to like this answer.
“I’m not an officer of any type of law, so I can’t arrest you.” His dark eyes still held their promise of danger, his face void of any expression. Finally, he moved off the bed, stretching to his full height before slowly approaching her.
Rhi’s breath caught in her throat as she watched him draw nearer. Caught in the chair with a towel barely covering her, she had nowhere to run. Her only choice would be to drop the towel and break for the door, but she wouldn’t even consider that option. When he leaned over her, snagging her panties with two fingers from the back of the chair, she sank deeper. His face never registered the first hint of emotion, but his eyes grew impossibly darker as he slowly lowered the silky scrap of cloth into her lap.

“You’re going to Casper.” He caught her eyes with his and she couldn’t look away no matter
how much she tried. “Unless you’d rather stay here with me as your roommate.” Leaning forward, he placed a hand on both arms of the chair, smiling with that predator smile, more teeth than lips.

It wasn’t a particularly friendly smile, but one holding the promise of something deliciously wicked. Rhi nervously moistened her lips, still unable to tear her eyes from his, and tried to keep from sinking any deeper into the chair.
“At least in Casper you’ll have a room all to yourself.”

Dear God, she groaned to herself. That smile was a dangerous thing. When it wasn’t all teeth, being dangerous, it turned his dark eyes into fiery pits promising every exquisite torture a woman’s body could ever crave. Everything inside her wanted to find out what just one of those delicious tortures would feel like, but she knew better. The crackling energy around him seemed alive with a mind of its own, telling her even though a taste would be worth it, she’d likely get burned in the end.


10) Which is your favorite character in the book? Why?

Oh, Gavin, the hero, because he is so sexy and in need of tender love and care. 

11) What is next for you?
I have book two in Tales of the Cat coming out in July from The Wild Rose Press. The title is Leopard Dreams. The first book was Jaguar Nights.

12) What are you working on right now?
I am also working on two books and two short stories. I hope to have one book finished in the next month. One short story is an erotica. It is a new genre for me.

13) Your biggest piece of advice to aspiring novelists?
Learn from others without getting your feelings hurt and write no matter what.

14) Where can readers find you?
See How They Die is with The Dark Castle Lords publishing and my web site is www.maryalicepritchard.com

Thanks for a great interview, Mary Alice - can't wait for your July releases from The Wild Rose Press...aren't they just one of the best small presses in the world?? Bring on your comments!!

Now we know the Skhye is the limit in romance writing!!!!

First of all, apologises for the sad introduction, Skhye, LOL!! I couldn't think of a better intro for you and this is the result...hmmm. Anyway, I think I can truly say that Skhye Moncrief has pushed the romance genre to the limit with her latest acceptance, the world is open to anything and everything so get writing and don't let that internal editor beat you into submission of a traditional romance!!!

Thanks for having me over, Rachel. I'm certain you'll cringe when I start to ramble... But the fact is quite overwhelming for me. I sold my were-wolf space opera. I know what you're thinking. I do. I infer it all the time through the facial expressions on people who've asked what I'm writing lately. I get that "huh" mask. So, just what is a were-wolf space opera?

Were-wolf space opera: something akin to Star Wars or Battlestar Galactica with were-wolves.

But I couldn't just leave the concept of were-wolf space opera there. No. I threw in vampires too. But my vampires are the traditional extra-terrestrial alien with large head, black almond-shaped eyes, frail/petite body, etc. Then, one must write about the 2012 end-of-the-world legends. Right? Add a pinch of soul mates. *shake jar vigorously* And voila, psychics who fight for your freedom of thought against the emperor of the universe who wants you serving as his next pet zombie. And I don't know anyone who wants to be a zombie!

As you can see, I was truly worried I'd never sell this cross-genre masterpiece. Yes, I know. My assessments are biased. But I know that, so, it's okay to throw in words that don't apply. ROFL

I would just like to add that I'm aware all of my work is too speculative. But I just can't control that aspect of my creativity. I can't stop mixing time travel with cults, fairies, were-wolves, psychic vampires, psychics, witches, and ghosts. It's like I have some affliction--some horrible untreatable bacterial infection. And, no, I don't recall any lost time memories from nights when aliens tried to "beam me up" or poke needles in my eyes. No. I only did that to my hero in my were-wolf space opera! *snort* But he's having a bad day.
So, I'm here to revel in the news--my personal madness--that I sold my were-wolf space opera in all its darkest glory to New Concepts Publishing.

Now, if only I could find that little piece of paper with my grocery list scrawled upon it... Alas, I have two cats who find everything exciting and have probably ran off with said list.
~Skhye

Listen to Skhye ramble at SKHYE'S RAMBLINGS http://blog.skhyemoncrief.com where you can check out her backlist of speculative romance, a gazillion publishing links, read her thoughts on over 200 reference books, and be amazed by her Friday guests who blog about the research they did when writing their novels. You just never know when an author will spill the beans on the end-all be-all source for the information you've been searching for! If that's not enough, join Skhye's yahoo-group-newsletter to be in the running to win her monthly drawing for a Time-Guardian Fan Kit. She's usually hosting some other monthly contest. So don't miss out on trying to win a Celtic album this May! The link to the newsletter is at her blog mentioned above. ;) ~Skhye



"Arthur is a masterpiece..." HE OF THE FIERY SWORD's King Arthur ~Diane Mason; The Romance Studio

"FORBIDDEN ETERNITY... spine-tingling suspense. The story is dynamite; it explodes off the page and leaves you breathless for more." ~Tulip, LASR

“THE SPELL OF THE KILLING MOON offers the best of spine-tingling suspense. The setting is perfect... Moncrief’s ability to wield magic and emotion are without compare. Her words twist together emotions and visuals until you experience this tale as if the trap were set for you. Some lines blend a kind of poetic magic: “Moonlight wove a special kind of magic, a spell so vacillating that a person never knew if reality were anything other than a dream.” Darkness and premonitions and deadly intent fill these pages... a unique blend of mystic Medieval Gothic and romance…and a true blood-curdling thriller." ~Snapdragon, LASR

"Intense, original, suspenseful, and dramatic... an unpredictable topsy-turvy romance... the suspense builds with every page in SACRIFICIAL HEARTS. In a world where symbols mean everything, magic is the way..." ~Snapdragon; LASR

Stories available at www.thewildrosepress.com
www.timeguardians.com
www.skhyemoncrief.com

"Be the change you want to see in the world." ~Ghandi

I am so happy to welcome Debra St John today!!

Hi Debra (waving!!!), it is so great to have you here as a guest after all the wonderful support and comments you have left my other guests in the past!! Having read Wild Wedding Weekend and LOVING it, i can't wait to hear more of what Debra is up to!!



I don’t know about you, but when I read, I want an authentic story. One that feels real. One I can almost imagine being a part of. One I remember long after I’ve closed the book for the final time.

As a writer, I hope to provide those authentic stories to my readers. One way I found to do that is to use places I’ve actually been as the settings for my books. Having such a strong sensory, been there, done that reference helps me to recreate places for my characters and readers.

It’s always a fine line to use someplace real. If it’s a place people are familiar with, it’s vital to get those little details correct. So sometimes I don’t use a setting exactly as it is in the real world. I might “borrow” things from a particular locale, but put them in an entirely different place.

In my first book, “This Time for Always”, I based the bar in the book on the place my husband and I met. Having spent a great deal of time there, it was easy to picture the setting in my head and (hopefully) give authentic details to readers so they can experience it, too. This bar is located here in the Midwest where I live, but for the story I’ve taken the liberty of moving it out West to the mountains.

For my latest release, “Wild Wedding Weekend”, my characters Abby and Noah, needed to go on a honeymoon. So, you guessed it, I sent them on my own. Now, trust me when I say the details of their honeymoon are not based on mine, but the places they visit are! I have an entire scrapbook dedicated to the romantic places my hubby and I visited twelve years ago, and this provided great visual fodder and background information when I was writing this book. For this, I did try to get those little details correct, as there are lots of people around who have actually been to the Caribbean and will recognize some of the very well-known places in the story.

When it came time to write a third book, I turned to one of our favorite vacation spots for the setting. Each year my hubby and I head to the Missouri Ozarks with our dear friends for a long weekend getaway. The very first time we went, I came home with visions of a story set there dancing in my head. With “This Can’t Be Love”, my upcoming release, those ideas have come to fruition. In this particular story, Zach and Jessica get to do some of our favorite things there: ATVing, cooling off at the swimming hole, and for me, riding an oh-so-sexy John Deere tractor. As this story is a spin-off of “Always”, I once again took the liberty of moving my setting out West.

Lately I’ve been working on a fourth book, and to be honest, it’s coming along slowly. For this story, the setting comes completely from my imagination. It’s not exotic or foreign…most of it simply takes place in a historic row home. But I’ve only been in a historic row home once, and I don’t have any pictures of the inside. I guess I’m having trouble transferring what I’m seeing in my head to paper. Since it’s all made up, I don’t have the memory of the sights, smells, and textures to go by. I’ve printed out blueprints and pictures from on-line, but it’s not the same. I think I need to make friends with someone who lives in a row home and invite myself over…a lot!

Setting is so vital to a story. Sometimes it can act as a character in and of itself. Getting it right is extremely important. Hopefully, in my stories, I’ve gotten it right for not only my readers, but my characters as well.

So what about you? Where do you find inspiration for your settings?



http://www.thewildrosepress.com/wild-wedding-weekend-paperback-p-3979.html

http://www.debrastjohnromance.com/

This is so weird, Debra! We work in the exact same way...I always take places I know well and give them fictional names when I work them into my books...and we've both been married to our wonderful husbands for 12 years, LOL!!

Waiting for your comments, people!!

Welcome Kelly A Harmon!!

Kelly is here to talk about her love of fantasy novels right across the board, and how fantasy encompasses so much more now than Tolkien...

The Appeal of the Fantasy Genre


I like to read fantasy for the escapism. I enjoy being transported to a different time period or a different world each time I open a book. There’s something appealing to me about the possibility of magic and the likelihood of meeting some fantastic creature, like a dragon or satyr, between the pages of a good book. Fantasy is bedtime stories for adults...
And why shouldn’t we have our bedtime stories?
We grow up believing in fairy tales. We make wishes on stars and birthday candles. We wait for the tooth fairy to show up. It’s not until we’re older that we realize the truth.

It’s for this reason I think that fantasy is on the rise, and science fiction is on the wane. Science fiction used to be fantastic fiction. In its infancy, it was about rocket ships and men from Mars, and later on became psychological. Always, it was about computers and gadgets. Except for the men from Mars, these things are common place these days. Where’s the fun in that?

I’m exaggerating, of course. But there’s a grain of truth there, I’m certain.

Mark Chadbourn writes, “The more rational the world gets, with super-science all around us, the more we demand the irrational in our fiction.”

What’s nice about fantasy is that “irrational” bit isn’t “one size fits all.”

These fantastic tales may have started with Lord Dunsany and proceeded to Tolkien and Terry Brooks, but fantasy has grown so far outside those boundaries of dwarfs and dragons and swords that even its sub-genres have sub-genres. And what this means is there is a slice of fantasy out there that appeals to just about anyone.


If dwarves don’t rock your world, maybe steam punk will, ala Alan Campbell’s Deepgate Codex where the world is built on chains suspended over a tremendous chasm, and angels fight for supremacy.

A lot of people enjoy their fantasy set in modern times and modern places, like Kim Harrison’s The Hollows series about the witch, Rachel Morgan. Her stories take place in an alternate “now” in Cincinnati where witches cast spells with visual results, vampires run casinos and pixies winter over inside rather than hibernate.

Fantasy is so appealing that even the romance are publishers jumping on the bandwagon, with great success, as readers of fantasy try new authors, and romance writers, such as Mary Jo Putney, known for her fabulous historical romances, delve into the fantastical, albeit while continuing to write romance. Paranormal romance, with were-cat, wolf, whatever and vampire heros, is a hot market.

Fantasy has even crossed over to literary (much to the horror of more than a few literary authors, I’m certain) with stories such as Susanna Clark’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norvell.

At the heart of it, fantasy is still about escaping. It’s about ignoring Facebook and email and turning off the cell phone. It’s about exploring new ideas (or old ones) and maybe discovering a little about yourself.

Young adult author T.A. Barron says, "Fantasy opens the door to experiencing the magic that is in the world around us and more importantly the magic in ourselves. As a genre, fantasy is about moving from our world into the world of experiences beyond. By tapping into those experiences we come to know more about ourselves."

Here is the blurb for Kelly's latest short story, Blood Soup. To find out more go to www.eternalpress.biz
A tale of murder, betrayal and comeuppance.

King Theodicar of Borgund needed an heir. When his wife, Queen Piacenza, became pregnant, he’d hoped for a boy. His wife, along with her nurse, Salvagia, knew it wouldn’t be so: with each cast of the runes, Salvagia’s trusted divination tools yielded the same message: “A girl child must rule or the kingdom will fall to ruin.” The women were convinced that the child would be a girl.

When the queen finally gives birth, the nurse and the king are equally surprised. The king is faced with a terrible choice, and his decision will determine the fate of his kingdom. Will he choose wisely, or will he doom Borgund to ruin?


Thanks for being here today, Kelly - I can't wait to hear from my readers and yours alike!

Catching up with Cate!!!

I am pleased and happy to welcome back one of my favorite author friends, Cate Masters, YAY!!! Not only is Cate hugely active on the writing loop circuit, she is also one of the most generous writers I have met with her encouragement and advice to other writers....and on top of that? She can still produce books like the rest of us produce pounds!!


Thanks so much for having me as a guest Rachel!


Creating the Fictive Dream

The best writing creates a continuous, seamless, alternate reality for the reader. What James Frey calls the “fictive dream.” How do we, as writers, find that dream world, entering and re-entering as we write and revise? How do we translate it to story?

In “Plot and Structure,” James Scott Bell said, “A good story transports the reader to a new place via experience. Not through arguments or facts, but through the illusion that life is taking place on the page. Not his life. Someone else’s. Your character’s lives.” Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

John Gardner’s “The Art of Fiction” delves further into this notion: “In the writing state—the state of inspiration—the fictive dream springs up fully alive: the writer forgets the words he has written on the page and sees, instead, his characters moving around their rooms, hunting through cupboards, glancing irritably through their mail, setting mousetraps, loading pistols. The dream is as alive and compelling as one’s dreams at night, and when the writer writes down on paper what he has imagined, the words, however inadequate, do not distract his mind from the fictive dream but provide him with a fix on it, so that when the dream flags he can reread what he’s written and find the dream starting up again. This and nothing else is the desperately sought and tragically fragile writer’s process: in his imagination, he sees made-up people doing things—sees them clearly—and in the act of wondering what they will do next he sees what they will do next, and all this he writes down in the best, most accurate words he can find, understanding even as he writes that he may have to find better words later, and that a change in the words may mean a sharpening or deepening of the vision, the fictive dream or vision becoming more and more lucid, until reality, by comparison, seems cold, tedious, and dead.”

Whew. I’m so glad to know other writers feel the same as me. Ever start writing and not want to come out of that dream state? I have. The obligations of real life take a back seat to story when the fictive dream is flowing strong. My dog Lily will stand beside me in vain, trying to will me to take her outside to play. I tell her she has to wait, like the dishes and laundry and sometimes the cooking. When I’m deep in the flow, it’s difficult for me to find that exact wave again.

Sometimes that’s a good thing. Sometimes the flow slows to a trickle and strands me on a rocky bed. So getting up and walking away can be a good thing. It can lend perspective, so that next time I dive in, the flow will be stronger.

But I want the reader to be right there with me in the flow, thrilling to the ups, gasping at the sharp turns, despairing at the downs. How can I grab that reader and leap from the hold of the Reality Plane into the realm of the Fictive Dream? Better, how I can make that reader want to leap with me?

The simple answer is: write a great story. James Frey said, “The power of stories is without limit.” The more complicated question is: what constitutes a great story? While different readers will have different answers, great stories share common elements: a strong lead to hook readers, a dominant objective for the main characters (even better if it’s an objective to which readers can relate), hurdles for the main characters in the form of conflict and confrontation, and an ending that will leave the reader satisfied.

Four simple components James Scott Bell refers to in “Plot & Structure” as LOCK (lead, objective, confrontation, knockout ending). An oversimplified idea for a complex process, obviously, but writers who stick with their craft will eventually learn to master these components. The journey can be long and arduous, and the best writers retrace their steps again and again through revisions. Why? To get the flow on the page to be as seamless as the imagery flowing through the writer’s head. To bring readers into the fictive dream.

My latest release reflects this idea on two levels. My contemporary novel, “Fever Dreams,” available from Eternal Press on May 7, carries readers into the fictive dream of the story, which further leads into the dream world of the heroine. Dreams allow us to delve deeper into our subconscious. Most importantly, they allow us the freedom to explore our most basic desires, and to set our imaginations free. “Fever Dreams” was a fun way to explore these concepts. The novel contains many fantasy dream sequences that allowed me to delve into the subconscious of the heroine, Diana, in a unique manner. Through her dreams, she recognizes her feelings for Cal overwhelm her reason and better judgment. She knows the relationship has wonderful elements, but in almost a sensory overload way.

Here's the book trailer:




Other upcoming releases include a fantasy novel with romantic elements called Surfacing, about a mermaid and an indie rocker. Also, a short story with magic realism elements called Winning, and two historical novels: Angels Sinners and Madmen, set in 1850s Key West, and Follow the Stars Home, centered on the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Follow my blog at http://catemasters.blogspot.com for the latest news! Thanks, and sweet dreams!


Cate Masters writes fantasy/dark fantasy, historical, contemporary and speculative fiction, described by reviewers as “so compelling, I did not want to put it down,” “such romantic tales that really touch your soul,” “filled with action scenes which made it a riveting story,” and “the author weaves a great tale with a creative way of using words that makes the story refreshing to read.” Visit Cate online at www.catemasters.com, www.catemasters.blogspot.com or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.




If you can’t use the trailer, here’s the story blurb and trailer link:

When Diana Taylor changes jobs, she doesn’t expect it to change her life. Meeting Cal opens up a new world of passion. He encourages her to pursue her passion for photography. Her love overwhelms her, blurs the line between reality and dreams. But is it love or obsession?
I hope you’ll view the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/user/catemasters?feature=mhw4#p/a/u/0/9nA_fWQ_3vc

Wonderful post as always, Cate! Bring on your questions and comments, people....

Teel James Glen is here today to talk about writing and the downside of living in a studio apartment...

Great to have you here, Teel and thank you for completing my interview! Over to you, can't wait to hear about your latest projects with Eternal Press...

1) Did you set any goals for 2010?

I’ve got six complete books that I am shopping at the moment- looking for an agent to move ‘up scale’.

2) What is the best part of the writing process for you?

I really love it all—from the staring at the ceiling till I sweat blood while thinking the stuff up until I read the last line on the computer screen and smile.

3) The worst part?

Wondering if my ‘new child’ will find a home.

4) What is the book you wish you’d written?

I have so many rolling around in my head; I suppose that Drums Along the Mohawk is pretty much a perfect book. Or Princess of Mars—Gosh that is gets my blood stirring every time I read it.

5) Favourite author/s & book/s?

ER Burroughs, Lester Dent and Robert E Howard a are top of the list for authors who understood action; Richard Matheson for his mood and characterization and Nathanial Hawthorne and Poe for their language.
Best book? Probably Tarzan of the Apes.


6) Tell us about your latest release?

My first book novella for Eternal Press was The Horsed Thief: a virtual tale of old Basra and is a romance/mystery that flashes between present day and a virtually created 6th century Arabia. My other book due out from Eternal Press is a Traveler’s Tale-is due out in June and is a straight up high-fantasy romance set on my Seven Kingdoms world.
Korvan, a lowly Gypsy (a Traveler he would say) is rescued by a Princess from some racist thugs an later returns the favor when she is attacked by a dreaded clazbear! Needless to say, a forbidden romance ensues and Korvan, our hero becomes embroiled in a political plot against the crown….good old fashioned intrigue. I hope to do more for Eternal on these characters/world….


7) Tease us with a blurb/short except

My name is Korvan Orm and I am what the rest of the world calls a Varnian Gypsy, or, insultingly “Darkhairs”. We call ourselves, simply, the Travelers. I was backed against the wall of the barn while the two stablehands, armed with cudgels, advanced on me with a look in their eyes that I had seen before: pure racial hate.
“Linden,” Midan said, “I am a loyal Pyrran but I swear I can’t see the sense the King has in letting scum like this have even a job shoveling horse droppings. I lost a brother fighting in Ardulia to keep Pyrran pure and then they let this sort walk the streets with full citizen rights.”
The two men were big and broad with faces that might have been handsome had they not been twisted with almost bestial rage. Their blue eyes were fixed on me with very clear, vicious intent. They were dressed in rustic leathers jerkins that were stained with tobacco and ale. A few stains just might have been blood picked up after their night at the tavern. On their arms they wore the sleeve markers of the “Pure Pyrran” cult that was sweeping the country because of the bad state of things.
“Gentlemen,” I said with the best non-threatening smile I could muster, “surely you have me confused with someone else. I am from Shinaria.”
The two thugs exchanged a startled look at that, not because my statement was credible but for exactly the opposite. Shinarians were blonder and paler then my new playmates. Like most of my race, I am dark, tall and lean (well, young Travelers are lean—it’s amazing what pear-shaped fellows so many of the elders become with us young bloods doing all the work).
Midan, who seemed to be the lead buck, shook his head and smiled an ugly smile. “You think we are as stupid as a Gypsy, huh?”
……


8) What is your favourite attribute of the hero and heroine?
Korvan has been raised to be pretty self sufficient-though even with the Travelers he’s something of a rebel- and his determination to never give up-is what I admire most. As for the Princess—she has the same determination to do what is right despite convention and that is what , I think, first connect the two who are from such different worlds…

9) What’s next?

More of the same.
I have a collection of stories about a husband and wife team –Moxie and Maxi Donovan- who investigate weird crimes in the 1930s—but with a light touch. Think of the Front Page meets White Zombie.
He’s a reporter and she a showgirl. Bela Lugosi even shows up in two of the stories as a goodguy. The book is called Deadline Zombies and is out from BooksforaBuck in May.
I’m working on sequels to a number of my books—I tend to write in series.—once I ‘meet’ a character its hard for not to want to say goodby….

10) Tell me where you write?

I have a studio apartment so I write at a desk smack in the middle of it—the advantage is that I’m two steps away form all my reference books, the kitchen and the work out area. The disadvantage is that I’m two steps away form all my reference books, the kitchen and the work out area….

11) Where would you like your career to be in 5 years?

In a bigger apartment! lol! I hope to be continuing to write full time-to the point where I won’t have to take time off for films. And I’d like to see some of my work adapted for the big screen.


12) Where can we find you?

Theurbanswashbuckler.com,
Wordcave.wordpress.com
And on amazon, fictionwise, smashwords and gypyshadow.com

Fabulous! Comments, comments, comments, please!!!

Well, it's Tuesday and time for a new guest blogger

I am so happy to introduce fellow Eternal Press author, Heather Keuhl. And I've got to say, Heather, your cover is one of my favourites that Eternal have produced. It's beautiful! Anyway, on with your interview...

1) What is your writing routine?

I don’t have one. I write when the muse hits me, which is usually after my son goes down for the night. It’s very hard to write something decent with a sixteen month old running around underfoot.

2) Which author/s inspire you to write?

When I first started writing, Anne McCaffrey and Brian Jacques inspired me. Such imagery; I wanted to write just like them. Now I’ve added Kim Harrison and Charlaine Harris to the list. I envy their long term character development and action scenes.

3) Which is your favorite romance subgenre to read? To write?

I love to read paranormal romance. There’s just something about two werewolves finding love that just does it for me. I love to write paranormal/fantasy/romance. My first love was high fantasy and I refuse to let it go.

4) How do you deal with criticism/rejection?

When I get rejected, I brush it off and submit the story somewhere else. If the rejection came with comments, I read through them and see if they found something that needs to be addressed. Maybe their advice could lead to a sale later on down the road.

5) What do you expect from an editor?

The number one thing I except is friendliness. I’m going to be asking questions and debating scenes with them. I don’t want to be afraid to ask or say what’s on my mind.

6) Tell me about your latest release

PROMISES TO KEEP was released by Eternal Press back in March. It took me over ten years to get Starlette’s story where I wanted it and make Dreashae the best bad guy ever. It tells the story of Starlette DeFore, a young woman who is looking for her father.
Starlette is on a mission, and nothing will get in her way...
Starlette DeFore knows that her father is alive, even though her family buried him ten years ago. When a faerie confirms this she travels to Charleston, South Carolina to hunt down Sivad Night, the only person to have ever escaped from the hands of a power sorceress, the Dark Lady Dreashae. With help from a witch, Starlette travels into Verella a fantasy realm filled with dragons, centaurs, and magic. She is very close to finding her father, but first she must defeat Dreashae. Will Starlette, a mere mortal, have the strength needed to finish her quest and save her father?

7) Tease us with a blurb or short excerpt

From Chapter Seven:

I looked up to the sky, at the rainbow-colored dragons trying to kill one another.

“Wow, talk about your bad divorce,” I said to no one in particular.

“This isn’t funny, Star.”

“I don’t think it is.” A green dragon was scorched, wings ruined. It fell down, spiraling until it hit the ground with a sickening crunch. “We have to do something.” I said my thoughts aloud. I knew the dragons were not our friends. They wouldn’t help us in our time of need. But there was no reason we couldn’t help them.

“Sivad, get on Zarzia. We have to get to the highest point on this island.”

“Starlette, that would be suicide!”

“I don’t care. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if they died and I didn’t try to help.”

Sivad looked up once again, his jaw clenching when another dragon fell from the sky. His eyes met mine as he nodded curtly. We mounted Zarzia, her wings lifting us up into the air. It was no surprise to me that the highest point was the top of Lady Cleoante’s throne room. I reached into my bag of hairpins and pulled them out. A large red dragon flew past us, whipping my hair about my face.

“Which one is Kalin?” I shouted above the din of the battle. Sivad pointed at the large red dragon that had just flown over us.

So that was Kalin. He spiraled around and flew toward us again. As he passed, I threw one of the hairpins. I hadn’t had much practice with throwing a knife. My hit rate was only one out of ten. It never hurt to try, though. The hairpin flew up with deadly accuracy, finding its home in the red dragon’s eye. He screamed, flapping around and pin-wheeling through the sky. I knew it wasn’t a mortal wound as the dragon regained his balance, turned around and headed straight toward us. Zarzia landed and I ran to the gap that led into Lady Cleoante’s throne room. I was just praying that the drop wasn’t too far. I jumped, my heart going up in my throat as I fell through the hole and onto the large stone slab that was Lady Cleoante’s throne. My legs went numb and I collapsed, gasping for breath. I needed to move. I heard a dragon scream, a sound that would forever haunt me in my nightmares.

I rolled off the slab onto the stone floor. My legs still didn’t want to cooperate and I had to force myself to crawl toward the exit. I needed to get out of here before Kalin came after me. The earth started to tremble again and I wondered if the island would survive this battle. I heard the echoing of footsteps walking toward me.

“Sivad!” I cried out. I wondered how he had gotten down here so quickly.

A man with thick black hair stood in front of me. He would have had iridescent red and brown eyes, except one of them was nothing but a bloody mass. I tried to stand to run, but nothing happened. I must have jarred my legs pretty good. Kalin didn’t miss a step as he walked over and kicked me, sending me flying into the wall behind Lady Cleoante’s throne. My head hit the wall, causing spots to burst across my vision. I lay on the floor, trying to reorient myself, but Kalin grabbed a handful of my hair and dragged me to my feet. His face was only inches from mine. I shifted around and found my feet were now agreeing to work. I lashed out, kicking him in the knee as hard as I could. He fell to the ground, releasing my hair as he went. I turned and ran, trying to get some distance between the angry dragon-man and me. I reached in my bag, pulling out another hairpin but cried out in pain as I was once again grabbed by the hair and forced back.

Kalin, with his hands on my shoulders, roughly turned me around to face him. Without thinking, I struck, imbedding the hairpin in his chest. It went in all the way to the decorative jewel. Kalin howled in pain, shoving me back so he could rip out the hairpin. His hand swung out, backhanding me across the face and causing me to land in a heap on the floor, once again seeing stars. I reached out, trying to crawl away. Kalin shimmered and transformed back into his red dragon form. I screamed as he opened his fang-filled jaws with a roar and struck out at me.

8) Which is your favorite character in the book? Why?

I love Tabitha Desdamona Drake, known to her friends as T.D.. She’s a kick-butt witch that feels obligated to help Starlette find her father. She’s everything I wish I could be. She’s strong, powerful, and says what she thinks. I hope to tell her story one day, that’s how much I love writing her.

9) What is next for you?

I’m attempting to finish the Sarah Vargas series. FADE TO BLACK was book one and was published by Eternal Press in Oct 2009. MALEVOLENT DEAD (book two) will be submitted to publishers once I finish editing and BLOOD MOON (book three) I just started to write. I planned for this to be a three book series, but I refused to label it as a trilogy because I have a feeling Sarah isn’t quite done with me yet.

10) What are you working on right now?

Writing BLOOD MOON mostly. Trying to make sure all the loose ends from FADE and MALEVOLENT are taken care of.

11) Your biggest piece of advice to aspiring novelists?

Keep at it and never give up. It’s going to be a rough road, but it’ll all be worth it in the end.

12) Where can readers find you?

Readers can find me on my website (http://sites.google.com/site/malevolentdead) or blog (http://heatherkuehl.blogspot.com). Readers can also follow me on Twitter and/or join my Facebook fan page.

Please leave Heather your comments - she'd loved to hear from you!!