Pre-Blog Tour Nerves!

I am really excited to be preparing for a 7-day blog tour next week. Thanks so much to the folks at Literary+, who, by organising authors and readers into a coherent, cooperating group have made this tour possible, especially Paul Carroll, who is the guy in charge of organising the blog tours. If you're an author, or a reviewer, or a cover artist, or anyone who is interested in books, book production, or book marketing and you haven't checked out Literary+, join us on Google+ or read all about the group at L+'s website, none of us bite, it's a great community and the more the merrier. You'll get as much out of it as you're willing to put in.

So, for this tour, I'm promoting my latest book, Death In The Family, a YA paranormal vampire novel, so I'm doing a post on vampires and one on paranormal fiction, but I'm also going to be waxing lyrical on a bunch of other topics, from erotica through to the obsession that is writing.

However, as I sit and write the blog articles, I'm getting more and more nervous about it. I keep wondering if I really have anything interesting to say! I mean, I can waffle for England, but I'm having to put my thoughts into order, an order than makes sense and gets a point across. Totally different experience from fiction writing.

Still, I think I'm going to enjoy the tour.

P.S.I'll be posting links to each of the live posts here on my blog.

New Novel: Death In The Family By Sophie Duncan

NEW From Wittegen Press Heritage Is Deadly eBook: Death In The Family by Sophie Duncan Available 14 June 2012

Title:  Death In The Family

Author(s):  Sophie Duncan

Date Pub:  14 June 2012

Length:  Novel (~100K words)

Genre:  YA, Paranormal Fantasy, Horror

Buying Options:  

• Smashwords - $2.99 (ePub, PDF, Mobi(Kindle), rtf, ltf(Sony), Palm Doc, Plain Text, HTML)
• Amazon: US - $2.99, UK - £1.99, DE - €2.68, FR - €2.68, IT - €2.68, ES - €2.68

ISBN:  ISBN 978-1-908333-35-3, ISBN 978-1-908333-34-6

---

Description:  

Leaving a good London school with solid prospects, Tom Franklin has the world at his feet. Yet one thing has always haunted his perfect life: his dreams. When Tom discovers that the nightmarish images of dark places and even darker instincts are in fact repressed memories from his early childhood, he must face the heritage from his birth-father, a savage vampire known only as Raxos.

Realising his memories are his only hope of controlling his awakening instincts, Tom returns to, Coombedown, the sleepy, Cornish village in which he was born, unknowing that the night-breed in his veins will lead him into danger.

"Death In The Family" is a young adult, paranormal novel.

This is the first story in the "Heritage is Deadly" Series.

---

You do not need an eReader to view this publication; there are Kindle aps available for most devices as well as formats for other eReaders, devices and PC.

---

Excerpt

Tom could hold on no more, he let out a gasp of breath and then his world shifted into one of silver-greys. Knife and fork went skidding off the plate as Tom grabbed the large hunk of dripping beef in both hands and lifted it to his mouth. Urgently, he sunk his teeth into the thick flesh. Blood and meat hit his tongue and Tom almost melted with relief. His senses closed around the bite, his body settled, aches and pains fading almost instantly, and there was no stopping him after that.

Sharp teeth and sharper claws were all Tom needed to rip the steak apart, devouring every decadent morsel like he hadn't eaten in weeks. Every mouthful made the power in his belly spin faster, until his senses were almost breaking out of his body in the way they touched the world. The sensations were divine, intoxicating and Tom grinned around his meal, lost to the sheer satisfaction.

Yet, the meat did not last long and, gasping away the intensity, Tom looked down at his empty, bloodied hands, reality sinking back in. He could feel the juices running down and dripping off his chin. He was a mess. Yet, Tom could not put the genie back into the bottle, and, despite his very human disgust at what he had done, the night was still in him, seducing his senses.

Conflict was nothing new to Tom that day, and he chose to stall it with immediate considerations. Tom hated being dirty. That ingrained part of his character helped hold back the clash in his split psyche and, climbing out of bed, Tom headed to his en suite bathroom. He ignored the light as he went in and kept his head down, not wanting to see the sight he had made of himself. He knocked the mixer tap with his elbow and quickly ran his hands under it. Then he splashed his face, another sort of relief hitting him as he cleansed his skin of the evidence that he had lost control.

Yet, water could not wash everything away and Tom could not quite avoid the large mirror above the sink. His vision remained shifted, so the low light in the enclosed room could not help him and Tom looked. What he saw froze him with both the familiarity of it and the newness. His face, his messy brown hair, yet, it was his eyes that drew him in; at first, alarmed, he thought they were glowing. Trying to stay calm, Tom grappled onto any facts he could remember from his talk with Dr Cheringham. To be honest, he didn't remember many details, but enough came back that he stopped himself running away and hiding under the covers again with the knowledge that the cells in his eyes were just shining as they absorbed as much light as they could.

Shock dissipating, Tom dropped his gaze and stepped back from the sink. His hands and face were now clean again, but his shirt was covered in gore, so he hastily pulled it off. He heard the material rip as he misjudged his own strength and, throwing the clothing at the laundry basket, he could not miss the thick, sharp claw-like nails that had caused the damage. It was all too much too quickly and, keeping his mouth firmly shut, Tom retreated from his reflection.

Sinking back onto the bed, he curled up into his protective ball again, closed his eyes and tried desperately to bring the world back under control.

---

If you read and enjoy this title, please consider reviewing it at Amazon, or Smashwords, or one of the other eBook shops. Thank you.

And if you'd like to help a small, independent publisher: Ways you can help us to up the profile of the book. Thank you! :) There are many and varied ways to help raised the profile of this book, we've listed a selection below.

1. Tag Death In The Family on your local Amazon site (US, UK, DE, FR, IT, ES) Just below the product details on each Amazon page is the tag section. Please tick the boxes next to the tags you agree with (please DO NOT click the agree with all tags option, because it does not help the book).
2. Like Death In The Family on your local Amazon site (US, UK, DE, FR, IT, ES) At the top of every page there is a like link which you can click if you are logged in.
3. Like the Heritage Is Deadly on Facebook Heritage Is Deadly on Facebook
4. Review Death In The Family on any of the eBook sites: Amazon (US, UK, DE, FR, IT, ES); Smashwords.
5. Tweet about Death In The Family, example tweet: Check out the NEW Heritage Is Deadly eBook from Wittegen Press: Death In The Family http://bit.ly/MSbsI2
6. Circle, +1 and/or Share the Heritage Is Deadly pages(s) on Google+ Heritage Is Deadly on Google+
7. +1 the book page: Use the +1 Button on Death In The Family's Book Page on Wittegen Press Site

---

Death In The Family: http://www.wittegenpress.com/deathinthefamily

My GoodReads Review for Shakespeare's Cuthbert by Patrick Barrett - damn funny book

Shakespeare's Cuthbert by Patrick Barrett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This type of book is not my normal fare, not being YA, fantasy, or paranormal, but, I have to say, I loved it.

Set in 'the valley', Shakespeare's Cuthbert follows the life of farmer and local undertaker, Cuthbert; he's not 'real valley folk', he's a bit dim and a true accidental hero, and he is really fun to read.

The book is quite long and densely packed with chortles and asides (a la Terry Pratchet, only not at the bottom of the page) - be warned, until you get used to this, you may get a little lost as the story delves into an anecdote without warning, but it's normally worth the delve.

All the valley characters are as engaging as they are odd from Geraldine the somewhat cracked archaeologist to Percy 'the gardener', who seems to have a lot of strings to his rather bent bow. And close to my heart are the twins, they have no non-collective names, they are the valley mafia and ruthless, plus they like large bangs :).

At times this book made me smile, at others snigger and at others laugh so hard I had people coming in to see what I was laughing about. The best bits are the jokes that creep up on you and take you by surprise - all I will finish with is to say 'ninja sheep'. :D

View all my reviews

New FREE Haward Mysteries Short Story - Rite Name by Sophie Duncan Available Now

My new Haward Mysteries short story Rite Name (Haward Mysteries eShort #3) is out today and available from Amazon and Smashwords (Smashwords is FREE, still working on Amazon price matching). It should be up on Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and Sony soon, once it has been approved for the premium catalogue on Smashwords.

Title:	Rite Name (Haward Mysteries Short Story #3)
Author(s):	Sophie Duncan
Date Pub: 19th March 2012
Length: short story (~3.75K wds)
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
Buying Options: Amazon UK £0.77 Kindle Amazon US $0.99 Amazon DE EUR0.89 Amazon FR EUR0.89 Smashwords FREE ePub, PDF, mobi(Kindle), rtf, ltf(Sony), Palm Doc, Plain txt
ISBN 978-1-908333-28-5, ISBN 978-1-908333-29-2
Description: The right name is important when working magic. It is the night of the Spring Equinox, a time for beginnings, and Rommy Haward is in search of a new name. Remy isn't very happy about it, but he won't say no to his twin when goody-two-shoes Rommy asks him to help him to be naughty and work magic to find the name. The Haward Mysteries is a set of Contemporary Fantasy, short stories and bargain priced novels full of magic and mystery with a side of CSI thrown in. Follow the Agatha Christie style whodunits of the novels, delve into the artfully rendered sorcerous science of the magical crimes and explore the enchanted world of the Haward Twins as they face supernatural trials in both their professional and private lives. Or enjoy a briefer, less investigative sortie into the twins lives in the short stories. Rite Name was released at the Spring Equinox 2012 as a FREE gift for fans of the Haward Mysteries. Check out the other books using the series link.
You do not need an eReader to view this publication; there are Kindle aps available for most devices as well as formats for other eReaders, devices and PC.
Excerpt "What's wrong?" Remy's question came pretty quickly after the light went out and Rommy looked over to see a worried frown lit by moonlight on his twin's face. He didn't really know where to start, because he wasn't sure why he was so upset. "It's not the name thing, is it?" Remy got it right as usual and Rommy nodded. Remy sat up then and, leaning over Rommy, dismissed, "That was just Auntie Daisy. She has to be spooky one time every day." "But she's right," Rommy confessed and felt instantly guilty as Remy's shock showed. "You don't like being Rommy?" Remy checked and his voice was rather small. Rommy sat up then as well and Remy looked away at his knees. "Doesn't feel right," Rommy tried to explain what Auntie Daisy had told him to think about. "But we're Rommy and Remy," his brother sounded lost and Rommy stuck an arm round him. "I know, but I think it's wrong," Rommy sighed as the thought of it made him a little bit spikey inside also, kind of tingly as well, so he tried to explain again, "It's not like me not liking being called Romulus, I don't hate Rommy like that, but I think I have another name." Remy looked at him then and he could see spikiness in his twin's eyes too, and he didn't like it either, but Auntie Daisy had only told him something that had been bothering him since the 'stopping stuff' had finished and the 'making magic' had started. "Okay, what do you want to be called?" Remy asked with a shrug. That was the thing Rommy had been thinking about since bedtime. "Don't know," Rommy replied, sitting back, and he bit his lip when his brother scowled at him for that one. "So what are we going to do about it?" Remy did not sound like he was in the mood to be patient. It was Rommy's turn to look away then, because he had been thinking about it, but it would be naughty.
If you read and enjoy this title, please consider reviewing it at Smashwords or Amazon or one of the other eBook shops. Thank you.

Ways to help up the profile of the book: Thank you! :)

1. Tag the book on Amazon (UK | US | DE | FR | IT) Just below the product details on each Amazon page is the tag section. Please tick the boxes next to the tags you agree with (please DO NOT click the agree with all tags because it does not help the book).

2. Like the book on Amazon. (UK | US | DE | FR | IT) At the top of every page there is a like link which you can click if you are logged in.

3. Circle the book series on G+ The Haward Mysteries on G+, or join Theo Haward's Grail Poetry Loving alter ego on G+

4. Like the series on Facebook Sacrifice of an Angel on Facebook

5. Review the book on any of the eBook sites.

6. Tweet about the book with this link: http://bit.ly/ygtH4S

My GoodReads Review of BloodSucker Bay by Rachel M D'aigle - I wanted more plot

Bloodsucker Bay by Rachel M. D'aigle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think I like the idea of this book more than the execution. I like the characters, I like the story, but it needs some editing and more writing to make me love it.

This feels more like the start of a story, rather than giving me a satisfying conclusion. I understand it is part of a series, but this just doesn't feel like a whole story to be published alone, but the first section in a longer work. And, even then, I think it needs some rewriting to expand the characters, take out the overwritten explanations and provide more show don't tell.

I think the author had certain scenes clearly in mind, but not all of the ideas get onto the page, which means the pace is far too quick for my taste. Any suspense is left between stories, not in this actual story, which, since it is being presented as a standalone work, left me dissatisfied. Everything is in question-answer pairs and the only answer to be given in this story comes far too quickly, even episodes of TV shows usually take longer to get to the point.

So, I gave this book a three star review for the ideas, but I'd have liked more plot.

View all my reviews

My GoodReads Review of Ghost a la Mode by Sue Ann Jaffarian - an excellent book!

Ghost a la Mode by Sue Ann Jaffarian
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I adored this book, it is witty, touching and just a damn good adventure mystery in the end.

I like ghosts and murder mysteries, so this book had two pluses for when I read the blurb. Add to that the style and engaging characters and I was in love. I was thinking this would take me four session on the exercise bike (my reading venue of a morning), but I was so into the book this morning, that I kept on reading until I had finished it!

A 40-something divorcee is not usually my idea of an engaging main character, but I liked Emma a lot, and the strong, somewhat bombastic Phil was a winner from the moment I met him in the pages of this book. Not to mention Granny Apples. The town of Julian is also described well, the author knows her location.

This is chick lit with a paranormal twist and I will be looking up more Granny Apples mysteries for sure.

View all my reviews

My GoodReads Review of Demon Girl by P S Power - well it was an okay part of a story

Demon Girl by K L Byron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Be warned, this is not a complete story, it leaves more plot lines hanging than it concludes in this first book of what I would term a serial, rather than a series, since it really isn't much good reading this book stand alone.

I don't mind a book with a main plot and then a continuing arc subplot, but I was left after reading this book feeling cheated that I'd read a concluding subplot, not a major theme.
***SPOLIER ALERT***************
***SPOLIER ALERT***************
***SPOLIER ALERT***************
***SPOLIER ALERT***************
***SPOLIER ALERT***************
***SPOLIER ALERT***************
***SPOLIER ALERT***************
***SPOLIER ALERT***************


Apart from the heavy Christian bashing that goes on throughout the book, which was verging on the uncomfortable at times, I really liked the character of Keeley, she's not depressive, or ponderous, she's practical, if a little bit sociopathic. I even liked Darla, although every time she was mentioned, I kept seeing Julie Benz thanks to the demonic Catholic Schoolgirl of the same name in Buffy. Most of the other characters are thinly, but sympathetically written.

My big beef with the book is the fact that it doesn't end, there is no payoff for the reader. We spend long enough with Keeley for her life to be turned upside down, a murder to be committed and some strange, possibly dangerous background characters to be introduced and then that's it, we're left without much of a resolution to anything. The only plot line that got anywhere was the lesser demon round up, which was clearly a red herring for the murder from the outset and I was left feeling cheated out of a plot. The book goes as far as the change of direction that normally comes before the final chase/climax in a movie, the bit where the protagonist discovers they've been barking up the wrong tree and needs to refocus and then, it just stops, rather gratuitously making it very clear there's everything left to solve.

I wanted at least something to be sorted, and the lesser demon did not feel big enough, a distraction, no more. This book gets its stars for generally good writing, although I did find the plot a bit flighty at times and interesting main characters, but it lacked a satisfying conclusion.

View all my reviews

My GoodReads Review of Always by Pamila Daniel - not my type of book, but...

Always by Pamila Daniel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm going to say upfront, I didn't get to the end of this book I got to halfway through. So, why 4 out of 5 stars then? The reason, is I think this is a well written book and engaging, but for someone else, not me. If you like Barbara Taylor-Bradford, or Danielle Steele, then this book is your type of book.

When I read the summary, it suggested maybe a bit of paranormal to me, and there is some spiritualism in it, but it is definitely in the strong-woman romance category with the supernatural gift on the side. I want wonder with my supernatural talents, y'know, a bit of the unusual, and this book doesn't attack the subject that way, it is much more matter-of-fact, reminds me actually of Orson Scott-Card's Alvin the Maker in its practical style - another book that left me personally disappointed.

I tried this book out on a chance, it wasn't for me, but I think literary romance lovers, or those who just like strong women in their fiction with really go for it.

View all my reviews

My GoodReads Review of The Woman In Black by Susan Hill - spooky, spooky!

The Woman In Black by Susan Hill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this story: I have seen it adapted for TV and for stage and finally decided to read it.

It reads like a classic Victorian ghost story, full of description and reserved emotion, which give an eerie charm that I find some modern horror novels lack. I am truly a fan of the spooky side of horror, things that make my spine tingle, not that make me feel sick, and this book is a perfect fit for spook lovers.

Having said that, the beginning is a little long-winded as we are introduced to Arthur Kipps as an older man, looking back on his youth. I did find my eyes skipping large sections of description at this point, since it did not seem relevant to the plot at all, long descriptions of his current house, how he got his current house, all could have been done in a few lines - at times I am in favour of tell, don't show when the show would not be relevant to the plot.

However, after the slow start, Crythin Gifford looms into sight and the plot is afoot. Anyone who has read my reviews before knows that quite a few are me reading a book after having seen it on TV and I do like the contrast between media. The book has a slower pace to either of the other media I have experienced, an indulgence allowed because the book is first person POV and we are given a view on Arthur's thoughts and feelings. It is a little ponderous in places due to this, but the atmosphere that Susan Hill conjures makes up for this slow down. The drama from the book is very much in Arthur's head and his wavering emotions and determination are beautifully believable.

Every encounter with the woman in black made me nervous and I got a real sense of Arthur's isolation at these times. The only part that was truly shocking to me was the end, which is different in all three media, and, in the book, left me reeling. I won't say what happens, but it is shocking and abrupt.

Anyway, brilliant book.

View all my reviews

Sophie's Review of The Star Child by Stephanie Keyes - A good read

The Star Child by Stephanie Keyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

******SPOILER ALERT - I DISCUSS THE DETAILS OF THE BOOK, DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW*******
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
******SPOILER ALERT - I DISCUSS THE DETAILS OF THE BOOK, DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW*******
I enjoyed this book, it had a mostly good pace and interesting characters. I would have liked to have given 4.5, instead of 4, because it is almost perfect, but a few things held me back from the full 5. It needs a teensie weensie bit more editing, especially towards the end (made me think the author had got a bit over excited and just typed stuff wrong :) ), there are some wrong word, to instead of too, your instead of you're.

I also felt that sometimes Kellan was not a good observer, and since this book is first person POV, just occasionally I didn't get the drama of a scene until after the fact, because Kellan didn't observe it in the other characters - the prophecy scene is one such scene, I didn't get Calienta's nerves until she actually said the place was not safe at the end of the scene.

I also felt that psycho Dad, Stephen, needed some more back story - but then this could be waiting for book 2, so I didn't cast judgement, or dock stars on that one. But I did want more info about Uncle Dillion as well, and since there was a whole part with him in it, some more background would have been nice: if there is a book 2, I can see him playing a part in it.

I kinda guessed/hoped Cabhan would not get killed which made me happy :D The ending was pretty satisfactory as far as fulfilling my expectations went. Twu Wuv was handled sincerely and without too much sappiness. I am glad Gabe came back into it, I was rather afraid at the beginning that Kellan was just going to abandon his family and friends for the solitary life in Ireland.

View all my reviews

My GoodReads Review of Scottish Rite by Stephen Penner

Scottish Rite by Stephen Penner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hmm, well, yes, I'm torn over this book.

The overall plot isn't bad, I enjoyed the fast-paced climax and I really liked the character of Maggie Deveraux, she's believable and fiesty and has just the right amount of getting-into-trouble instincts to make her a perfect accidental sleuth.

However, there were a few things that got in the way of the plot for me, hence the not quite perfect rating.

1/ There was, from time to time, a tendency to overwrite and over explain some things - as I once read somewhere, you have to sometimes leave your reader the ability to make their own mind up about the motives of your characters. This messes with the pace a lot and the book took an awfully long time to get going.

2/ Sometimes the author slipped into omnipotent info dump, usually when describing a location, e.g. when talking about the University of Aberdeen, there was a long section on the fact that it had three campuses and where they were located around the city - a brief description from Maggie's POV would have been much better than the general information list. These info dumps were unnecessary and need editing out of the manuscript, since Stephen does a perfectly good job of describing what he needs at other times.

Both of these instincts I understand well and for me as an author, they stem from trying to make sure, really make sure your reader understands what you want them to, but sometimes we just have to trust the reader and I have an editor who is very ruthless with my text.

3/ This book is set in Aberdeen, with Aberdeen police NOT American police. There are a whole bunch of terms that are totally wrong and also facts that are questionable. E.g. we don't have patrolmen, we have Uniforms (if you're in the police), or Constables if you're not. This was but one of the things that kept making me cringe in all the police scenes and kept throwing me out of the story. There were a few things non-police related as well, mainly to do with University procedures and terms, but many, many less. I wouldn't have minded so much if the police scenes had been a/ relevant and b/ convincing, but neither was the case. The whole book with a few tweaks could have been written from Maggie's POV without the lone police bits, IMHO, and it wouldn't have mattered. I did not care about the police characters, or their investigation and neither does the plot.

So, in summary, I hope I haven't been too scathing, as I said, I enjoyed the plot and I may read the next one, but this book needs a damn good edit for pace and POV and a good Brit Pick by a Scottish Beta.

View all my reviews

New Book of Christmas Poems

A little something to get you in the Christmas Spirit!

	Title:	Christmas Poems
	Author(s):	Sophie Duncan
	Date Pub: 5th Decemeber 2011
	Length: Poetry (6 poems)
	Genre: Christmas Poems, Christmas, All Ages
	Buying Options: Amazon UK £0.86 Kindle Amazon US $0.99 Amazon DE EUR 0.99 Amazon FR EUR 0.99 Amazon IT EUR 0.99 Amazon ES EUR 0.99 Smashwords $0.99 ePub, PDF, mobi(Kindle), rtf, ltf(Sony), Palm Doc, Plain txt
ISBN 978-1-908333-10-0, 978-1-908333-11-7
Description: Meet the battered old Christmas Fairy, or listen to a child's prayer on Christmas Eve; sympathise with a harried shopper, or think a while on the meaning of Christmas. The 6 poems in this book were written to be read aloud as the last lesson at a Christmas Day service in a little, English church. They can be enjoyed by anyone from 8 to 80.
You do not need an eReader to view this publication; there are Kindle aps available for most devices as well as formats for other eReaders, devices and PC. Please see FAQ item 11 for more info.
Excerpt: Baby Boy Baby boy, what are you? A king, they say? What king lies on a bed of straw When silk, or the finest cotton Should cradle a royal head? Baby boy, what are you? A Lord, they say? What Lord breathes stink of ass and ox Should only perfumes of jasmine And sweet musk suffice? Baby boy, what are you? Saviour, they say? Saviour in a humble stable, Born beneath a holy star A child and yet a king? Lord of Light, Peace and Joy, You are a Saviour, Saviour of the World. You are a lord, O Lord of Love. You are a king, King of my heart.
If you read and enjoy this title, please consider reviewing it at Smashwords or Amazon. Thank you.