Hi, my name is Sophie Duncan. I'm an author of fantasy, paranormal, horror and erotica. Welcome to my blog. Here I'll ramble on about the books I'm reading and writing, ebooks, publishing and anything else I happen to think of.
Today, to celebrate the release of her latest book, a New Adult, Sci-fi Romance, Abducted Life, I am happy to welcome Patricia Josephine to my blog, and she's talking about
Creating an Alien Vampire
The dream I had that inspired Abducted Life was about a vampire trying to escape aliens. He had the cliché vampire traits like fangs, but for Abducted Life I wanted Savannah and Evan's looks to reflect the fact that aliens messed with their genetics to make them less human––especially in Evan's case. Not so much for Savannah. I had some ideas in mind and there were a couple real life creatures that really inspired me. Alien vampires are real
When it came to Evan and alien vampires, I had one specific animal in mind: a sea lampray. Specifically, it's mouth. I wanted Evan's changes to be something he had to cover and in doing so would make him stand out in a crowd. It also had to be horrifying. He shrugs it off in the story, but it's not an easy change to cope with as he makes it seem.
As for the alien creature, what I had in mind was something aquatic. I imagined something like the opposite of whales which breathe oxygen, but can spend hours under water. These creatures can spend hours on land, but only breathe underwater and hold their breath when out of the water. But since Evan is human and breathes oxygen, he can't breathe underwater. If he had been a fish spliced with this creature that'd be a different story. ;) Also, imagine something with a body like a crocodile, but the scaly skin isn't as rough.
Savannah Janowitz’s perfect life was destroyed the night she and her boyfriend vanished without a trace. When she reappears a year later––alone––she’s a shell of her former self. Robbed of her popularity and her boyfriend, she has no memory of what happened to her. Savannah struggles to move forward as strange, new abilities manifest.
Evan Sullivan never gave extra-terrestrials much thought until the night he and Savannah were abducted. While Savannah’s memory was wiped clean, he remembers every horrific detail. Constantly reminded of the experiments that made him less than human, Evan hides in the shadows and watches Savannah rebuild her life without him.
But neither can let the other go.
When their paths cross, Savannah and Evan finally see a glimmer of their old lives return. As they face what happened to them, they soon discover they aren’t safe. There’s more to fear than what’s hiding in the stars.
Patricia Josephine never set out to become a writer. In fact, she never considered it an option during high school and college. She was all about art. On a whim, she wrote down a story bouncing in her head. That was the start of it and she hasn't regretted a moment. She writes young adult under the name Patricia Lynne.
Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow, and an obsession with Doctor Who.
Men in black aren't usually associated with figure skating, but when MiBs try to arrest men's champion Louis Hayes, his ex-rival Rafe Derouet finds out to his cost that telepathic x-files really do exist.
For a Limited Time Only 99c/99p (Until 1st March 2016)
Rafe Derouet used to be a world class, British figure skater competing against his arch rival, flamboyant American Louis Hayes. A catastrophic knee injury ended his career and now all he can do is look on from the sidelines, commentating where he used to be a star. He hates Louis and wants nothing more than to see his nemesis go down in a blaze of failure.
Then mysterious men in black with guns take over a press meet, trying to arrest Louis, awakening something dangerous in their target, and setting in motion events they cannot control. Most shocking of all, Rafe finds out Louis can literally read his mind.
Dragged into a murky world of government agents and x-files by one of those x-files, Rafe finds his world view completely changing. And, along the way, his hatred for Louis proves to be something else entirely.
Now Rafe just needs to survive so he can decide what to do about it.
If you are kind enough to leave a review at Amazon I would like to give you a free short story sequel to say thank you. Please see the back of the book for details.
Excerpt (Listen or Read)
Rafe was in a hurry.
Whoever had had the idea to produce a US/Russian/Chinese special sporting event in celebration of the new economic treaty that was going through had to have been insane. There was figure skating and speed skating, long and short track, in the dual arena and athletics on the field and gymnastics in another arena down the road. It was as if someone had stuck pins in all the sports they thought the various countries were good at and then invited all the top athletes from the three countries to compete.
It was completely crazy and the whole world was watching, which was why Rafe was there reporting on it.
Given the current political climate, everyone was hoping sport could settle some of the latest rumblings. Rafe was waiting for it to all blow up in the organisers’ faces.
He had too many things to do and not enough time to do them, which was why he wasn’t really paying attention to his surroundings. The messages from his producer and his agent were far more important at the moment. If he had been giving thought to anything but texts he would have picked a different route.
“Well look who it isn’t,” said an all too familiar voice with an annoying American twang.
Not that Rafe found all American’s annoying, just this one in particular. He looked up from his phone to see Louis ‘pronounced the French way, darling’ Hayes less than three feet away.
Before he had fallen in the previous year’s world championships and shattered his knee, Rafe had been Louis’ arch rival on the ice. Competing for the UK in men’s figure skating, Rafe had spent the last few years swapping the number one spots in various competitions with Louis, but that was all over now. After eighteen months he could skate again, but he would never be able to compete at top level. These days he was doing TV shows and reporting for European sports channels and Louis was still glittering up the ice.
It made him want to knock Louis’ perfect teeth in with one of his skates all the more.
“Hayes,” he said and then realised that Louis was not alone.
Joy of joys, possibly his other least favourite person was standing next to Louis.
“And Voronov,” he added, wondering which deity he had pissed off to end up with both of them in the same place.
Voronov was a long distance speed skater for the Russians. Tall, blond and very much not sparkly, Voronov was an unlikely friend for a flamboyant American figure skater, but the pair had met at their first Olympics, hit it off and been firm friends ever since. Louis was something of a Russophile and had even been to Voronov’s wedding two years ago, which, given that Voronov was something of a state hero, had been quite a big deal. Louis was also one of the few allowed to call Voronov by a ridiculous nickname like they were in a club or something.
Rafe had met Voronov at the same time Louis had, only their relationship had started off more as instant dislike.
“You’re looking a little harassed there, Rafe,” Louis said, smiling sweetly.
The urge to deck the other man was strong. Rafe employed all of his skating will power not to do it.
“Places to be, important people to see,” he said, doing his best to get in a dig.
Of course he was all too aware Louis was much better at this game; Louis with his perfect hair and designer clothes and sycophantic fan base. It made Rafe grind his teeth.
“The competitors?” Voronov said, tone innocent, but Rafe couldn’t help it, he glared.
That stung.
There was nothing more in the world that he loved than the ice and it had been taken away from him. He honestly had no comeback.
Surprisingly he saw Louis dig his elbow into Voronov’s side. Maybe their antagonistic relationship did have lines. Once upon a time he and Louis had been friends and practice mates under the same coach, but then they had somehow become rivals. Rafe still wasn’t sure what had happened, but he had become the British poster boy for the international ice skating federation and Louis had become the American rebel with amazing talent.
“So, who are you commentating for this time?” Louis asked, clearly trying to be nice after Voronov’s below the belt shot.
That just rubbed Rafe completely up the wrong way.
“The BBC,” he said, digging his fingers into his palm to keep himself calm. “Now I’m late for a meeting, so I have to run.”
“Aren’t you co-commentating with the lovely Maria Hessle?” Louis said before Rafe could get away.
“Yes,” Rafe replied, doing his best not to grind his teeth and damning the polite genes his family had handed down.
“I’m sure I read somewhere that you and she were an item,” Louis said, “how’s that going for you?”
Louis’ expression was completely innocent, but Rafe wasn’t fooled, it was yet another dig. When they had been friends there may have been some adolescent fumbling between them and Louis was well aware Rafe’s tastes ran more to the male than the female: yet another bone of contention between them, what with Louis being out and proud and Rafe being firmly in the closet.
“You of all people should know not to believe everything you read,” Rafe said, as sweetly as he could manage.
The one thing he had to be utterly thankful for was that Louis was not the kind to out anyone, not even an ex-rival. Louis had had to defend his own sexuality so much, even before being officially out, technically, that Louis had the integrity not to do that to someone else. Didn’t stop all the digs though.
“Maria is happily attached to a Polish plumber from Chiswick,” he added, because he couldn’t help trying to rub Louis’ nose in the ridiculousness of tabloid reporting.
Of course it didn’t work, Louis just smiled.
“I find it always pays to check,” Louis said.
Every time they met it was the same with the subtle poking at his weakest points. And it galled Rafe to realise that he only understood his own sexuality so well because of Louis Hayes. He had done quite a bit of self examination over the years.
“Well, I really must go,” he said.
Louis clearly wanted to continue the conversation, but Rafe wasn’t sticking around to find out what for. The last thing his career needed was a headline about him trying to kill an American citizen on American soil.
~*~
Rafe was hovering, waiting for the next skater to come along for the press meet. It was currently Louis’ turn. He was supposed to have been interviewing everyone, but even his producer realised that asking him to interview Louis Hayes was a bad idea, hence his co-host, Maria, was doing it. He was in line to talk to the next skater in.
If Louis won things Rafe would have to bite the bullet, since he was the lead interviewer this time round. At least he could be thankful that it had turned out he was good as a celebrity commentator. However, these were just preliminary chats for sound bites, so he could get away with leaving it to Maria.
“Sorry, Ladies and Gentlemen,” a member of the event security team walked up to the gathering, “I’m going to have to ask you to move to a new area. This one is needed for warm up.”
That sounded odd to Rafe, because he was pretty sure no one was due on the ice yet today and he hung back. Louis looked equally put out, which was actually kind of funny. Rafe guessed Louis was bitching to his agent, who patted him on the shoulder, and followed the gaggle of press out as Louis went to make for the locker rooms. Rafe couldn’t resist stepping towards his ex-rival, just to see if he could get an annoyed sound bite. Those he was actually quite good at when it came to Louis.
Louis was trying to find something in his huge, oversized bag, by the looks of things, so Rafe waited for his chance. However, it never came. As soon as the press were out of sight men in black Kevlar appeared from several different places with guns. The truly bizarre thing was that they all seemed to be pointed at Louis.
“Nobody move,” was the shouted order and Rafe froze.
It was difficult for Rafe to believe what he was seeing and, if his face was anything to go by, Louis was just as shocked. Louis raised his hands, staring at the men in black with guns, clearly terrified. Frankly if there was anyone less likely to need a gun pointed at them Rafe had never met them.
“What’s going on?” Louis asked, sounding as confused and petrified as he looked.
“Don’t move,” was the only response and then a woman appeared.
The way Louis’ eyes opened slightly and a frown of confusion appeared on his face, replacing the complete shock, Rafe guessed Louis knew her…
Only 99c/99p Until 1st March 2016
~
For information about Natasha's other books, sign up for The Wittegen Press Newsletter:
We'll send you details of book releases, competitions and other news from our authors, BUT we WON'T spam you, or pass your details on to anyone else.
We will also give you 2 FREE ebooks just for signing up.
Well, I had a preview of this book since I edited it, but, even if I have to declare my bias, I have to say, I love it. It has thrills and adventure, but also tenderness, and what's not to love about telepathic figure skaters! :)
And, even better, it's FREE for 3 whole days - that's 72 hours to get your hands on this exciting release for no pennies, nothing, nada!
The Machine
Rise of the Gifted
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Men in black aren't usually associated with figure skating, but when MiBs try to arrest men's champion Louis Hayes, his ex-rival Rafe Derouet finds out to his cost that telepathic x-files really do exist.
FREE 21st - 23rd Feb ONLY (Starts 8am GMT- Midnight PST)
Rafe Derouet used to be a world class, British figure skater competing against his arch rival, flamboyant American Louis Hayes. A catastrophic knee injury ended his career and now all he can do is look on from the sidelines, commentating where he used to be a star. He hates Louis and wants nothing more than to see his nemesis go down in a blaze of failure.
Then mysterious men in black with guns take over a press meet, trying to arrest Louis, awakening something dangerous in their target, and setting in motion events they cannot control. Most shocking of all, Rafe finds out Louis can literally read his mind.
Dragged into a murky world of government agents and x-files by one of those x-files, Rafe finds his world view completely changing. And, along the way, his hatred for Louis proves to be something else entirely.
Now Rafe just needs to survive so he can decide what to do about it.
If you are kind enough to leave a review at Amazon I would like to give you a free short story sequel to say thank you. Please see the back of the book for details.
Excerpt (Listen or Read)
Rafe was in a hurry.
Whoever had had the idea to produce a US/Russian/Chinese special sporting event in celebration of the new economic treaty that was going through had to have been insane. There was figure skating and speed skating, long and short track, in the dual arena and athletics on the field and gymnastics in another arena down the road. It was as if someone had stuck pins in all the sports they thought the various countries were good at and then invited all the top athletes from the three countries to compete.
It was completely crazy and the whole world was watching, which was why Rafe was there reporting on it.
Given the current political climate, everyone was hoping sport could settle some of the latest rumblings. Rafe was waiting for it to all blow up in the organisers’ faces.
He had too many things to do and not enough time to do them, which was why he wasn’t really paying attention to his surroundings. The messages from his producer and his agent were far more important at the moment. If he had been giving thought to anything but texts he would have picked a different route.
“Well look who it isn’t,” said an all too familiar voice with an annoying American twang.
Not that Rafe found all American’s annoying, just this one in particular. He looked up from his phone to see Louis ‘pronounced the French way, darling’ Hayes less than three feet away.
Before he had fallen in the previous year’s world championships and shattered his knee, Rafe had been Louis’ arch rival on the ice. Competing for the UK in men’s figure skating, Rafe had spent the last few years swapping the number one spots in various competitions with Louis, but that was all over now. After eighteen months he could skate again, but he would never be able to compete at top level. These days he was doing TV shows and reporting for European sports channels and Louis was still glittering up the ice.
It made him want to knock Louis’ perfect teeth in with one of his skates all the more.
“Hayes,” he said and then realised that Louis was not alone.
Joy of joys, possibly his other least favourite person was standing next to Louis.
“And Voronov,” he added, wondering which deity he had pissed off to end up with both of them in the same place.
Voronov was a long distance speed skater for the Russians. Tall, blond and very much not sparkly, Voronov was an unlikely friend for a flamboyant American figure skater, but the pair had met at their first Olympics, hit it off and been firm friends ever since. Louis was something of a Russophile and had even been to Voronov’s wedding two years ago, which, given that Voronov was something of a state hero, had been quite a big deal. Louis was also one of the few allowed to call Voronov by a ridiculous nickname like they were in a club or something.
Rafe had met Voronov at the same time Louis had, only their relationship had started off more as instant dislike.
“You’re looking a little harassed there, Rafe,” Louis said, smiling sweetly.
The urge to deck the other man was strong. Rafe employed all of his skating will power not to do it.
“Places to be, important people to see,” he said, doing his best to get in a dig.
Of course he was all too aware Louis was much better at this game; Louis with his perfect hair and designer clothes and sycophantic fan base. It made Rafe grind his teeth.
“The competitors?” Voronov said, tone innocent, but Rafe couldn’t help it, he glared.
That stung.
There was nothing more in the world that he loved than the ice and it had been taken away from him. He honestly had no comeback.
Surprisingly he saw Louis dig his elbow into Voronov’s side. Maybe their antagonistic relationship did have lines. Once upon a time he and Louis had been friends and practice mates under the same coach, but then they had somehow become rivals. Rafe still wasn’t sure what had happened, but he had become the British poster boy for the international ice skating federation and Louis had become the American rebel with amazing talent.
“So, who are you commentating for this time?” Louis asked, clearly trying to be nice after Voronov’s below the belt shot.
That just rubbed Rafe completely up the wrong way.
“The BBC,” he said, digging his fingers into his palm to keep himself calm. “Now I’m late for a meeting, so I have to run.”
“Aren’t you co-commentating with the lovely Maria Hessle?” Louis said before Rafe could get away.
“Yes,” Rafe replied, doing his best not to grind his teeth and damning the polite genes his family had handed down.
“I’m sure I read somewhere that you and she were an item,” Louis said, “how’s that going for you?”
Louis’ expression was completely innocent, but Rafe wasn’t fooled, it was yet another dig. When they had been friends there may have been some adolescent fumbling between them and Louis was well aware Rafe’s tastes ran more to the male than the female: yet another bone of contention between them, what with Louis being out and proud and Rafe being firmly in the closet.
“You of all people should know not to believe everything you read,” Rafe said, as sweetly as he could manage.
The one thing he had to be utterly thankful for was that Louis was not the kind to out anyone, not even an ex-rival. Louis had had to defend his own sexuality so much, even before being officially out, technically, that Louis had the integrity not to do that to someone else. Didn’t stop all the digs though.
“Maria is happily attached to a Polish plumber from Chiswick,” he added, because he couldn’t help trying to rub Louis’ nose in the ridiculousness of tabloid reporting.
Of course it didn’t work, Louis just smiled.
“I find it always pays to check,” Louis said.
Every time they met it was the same with the subtle poking at his weakest points. And it galled Rafe to realise that he only understood his own sexuality so well because of Louis Hayes. He had done quite a bit of self examination over the years.
“Well, I really must go,” he said.
Louis clearly wanted to continue the conversation, but Rafe wasn’t sticking around to find out what for. The last thing his career needed was a headline about him trying to kill an American citizen on American soil.
~*~
Rafe was hovering, waiting for the next skater to come along for the press meet. It was currently Louis’ turn. He was supposed to have been interviewing everyone, but even his producer realised that asking him to interview Louis Hayes was a bad idea, hence his co-host, Maria, was doing it. He was in line to talk to the next skater in.
If Louis won things Rafe would have to bite the bullet, since he was the lead interviewer this time round. At least he could be thankful that it had turned out he was good as a celebrity commentator. However, these were just preliminary chats for sound bites, so he could get away with leaving it to Maria.
“Sorry, Ladies and Gentlemen,” a member of the event security team walked up to the gathering, “I’m going to have to ask you to move to a new area. This one is needed for warm up.”
That sounded odd to Rafe, because he was pretty sure no one was due on the ice yet today and he hung back. Louis looked equally put out, which was actually kind of funny. Rafe guessed Louis was bitching to his agent, who patted him on the shoulder, and followed the gaggle of press out as Louis went to make for the locker rooms. Rafe couldn’t resist stepping towards his ex-rival, just to see if he could get an annoyed sound bite. Those he was actually quite good at when it came to Louis.
Louis was trying to find something in his huge, oversized bag, by the looks of things, so Rafe waited for his chance. However, it never came. As soon as the press were out of sight men in black Kevlar appeared from several different places with guns. The truly bizarre thing was that they all seemed to be pointed at Louis.
“Nobody move,” was the shouted order and Rafe froze.
It was difficult for Rafe to believe what he was seeing and, if his face was anything to go by, Louis was just as shocked. Louis raised his hands, staring at the men in black with guns, clearly terrified. Frankly if there was anyone less likely to need a gun pointed at them Rafe had never met them.
“What’s going on?” Louis asked, sounding as confused and petrified as he looked.
“Don’t move,” was the only response and then a woman appeared.
The way Louis’ eyes opened slightly and a frown of confusion appeared on his face, replacing the complete shock, Rafe guessed Louis knew her…
FREE 21st - 23rd Feb ONLY
~
For information about Natasha's other books, sign up for The Wittegen Press Newsletter:
We'll send you details of book releases, competitions and other news from our authors, BUT we WON'T spam you, or pass your details on to anyone else.
We will also give you 2 FREE ebooks just for signing up.
As promised, it's cover reveal time for my new book, The Burning Web. The book is a ghost story following ex-copper, Tris McCall, as he tries to rebuild his life after a shooting incident that cost him his career and his health. The consequences of his actions have changed Tris' perspective on life in more ways than he knows when, still recovering from a brain haemorrhage, he begins visiting Berwick House, the rambling Victorian pile he is planning to make a family home with his husband, Xander. he quickly discovers that the house holds secrets that force him into keeping some of his own.
The book has a fair collection of scares and spookiness, so I hope the cover reflects that. So, here's the cover in all its creepy glory :)
Psst - before we start this post, a note to those looking for my A to Z post for today, it's here, but first, please take a look at what Linzé has to say :).
Today, I am happy to welcome author, Linzé Brandon, to my blog to talk about the STORM anthologies she is working on and how she managed the process of creating anthologies. So, over to Linzé.
I am one of those people who love to read anthologies. Full length novels are amazing, but anthologies have less impact on my time, and I get to read a whole story in one sitting.
In August 2013 I came up with the idea for our writers' group to do a joint project, and the STORM anthology was born. The brief was a simple one: Write a short story where a storm, whether physical, fantastical or otherwise, forms an integral part of the story. The only requirement was that it had to be aimed at adult audiences, and I had undertaken not to write any erotic stories. As the only erotica writer in the group I felt that it would limit the exposure of especially the début authors.
Unlike most anthologies, it only had a common theme, not a common genre. This created a conundrum. The majority of the group members write fantasy, while some of us cross the genre borders on a regular basis, there are some who stick to what they do best.
It became a more practical solution for each member to write two stories as far as possible. The additional story allowed the multi-genre authors some leeway in their creative thinking.
STORM then became STORM Volume I and Volume II, split into the type of genres appealing to the readers most likely to read them.
Volume I is made up of stories in science fiction, fantasy, supernatural and dystopia genres, whereas Volume II is for the contemporary genres - romance, drama, and crime. The cover had to be generic, but the theme made it not too difficult to settle on the design.
As the leader of the group, managing this whole process became my biggest challenge. Managing the technical aspects of the anthology was relatively easy: genres, cover, editing, formatting, printing and e-book publishing - check.
The challenge before me was getting everyone to submit their final drafts to the editor by the deadline. Normally we have two editors in the group, but with Charmain Lines involved in a commissioned project, it was up to the members to help out. We beta-read for each other and gave feedback as far as possible to lighten the load on the final editing, now falling on the shoulders of a single person.
Since we ended up with 14 stories, between nine and twelve thousand words, it turned into a daunting task to allow Vanessa Wright enough time to edit and finish her own contributions to the anthology.
Another challenge facing me was the question of profit sharing. Since we decided on printed books as well as e-book publishing, the money question became an important one. Unfortunately for me, I left sorting out the details on this one way too late. Note to future indie anthology project leaders:Sort this out before you start writing.
A friend of mine's lawyer has a saying: "Money makes people funny, and lots of money makes people very funny." I have no idea whether this is a famous quote, but it remains true nonetheless. Get the compensation sorted out before you even start. Do it in writing, and get an agreement signed by all the contributors in the project.
Printing is expensive and not everyone can contribute equally to the cost. This caused me a sleepless night or two. As a published author I know the incredible feeling of holding your own book in your hands. Nothing compares. I wanted the younger authors in the group to experience this feeling and came up with a pre-launch marketing plan on the printed books.
Shortly after the deadline for the submissions, two of the authors withdrew their stories. A rethink on the publication of the paperback version was required, since we were now four stories short, two each in the two volume publication. The members rallied and decided to go ahead with the publication. The print version will now be published as a single book with 10 stories, while the e-book will remain as two volumes.
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! Six authors stepped up to a challenge outside their comfort zones and the end result is something we are exceedingly proud of.
By the time this guest post goes live, STORM Volume I and Volume II are in final formatting for publication as both a printed paperback and e-books on Smashwords. The launch is planned for June 2014 in both formats.
Linzé Brandon Author Profile:
Teaching herself to read before she went to school; it was the start of her life long love affair with books. Trained as an engineer, Linzé has worked as an export consultant and is presently a project manager at a company that designs and manufactures products for the military industry. She also enjoys counted stitch embroidery, archery, fly fishing, painting abstracts, her husband's medal winning photographs and watching Manchester United play.
She is one of the moderators of the Google+ group, Writer's Rabbit Hole, and leads the Pretoria Writers' Group, consisting of nine members, six of whom are published authors in various genres.
Linzé Brandon lives in Pretoria, South Africa, with her engineer husband and German Shepherds who are convinced that the world revolves around them.
Today, I am hosting author, Danielle DeVor, on a stop of her Constructing Marcus Book Tour. She's talking about writing horror, or rather, not writing it. So, without further ado, over to Danielle. :)
Welcome to the Book Tour & Giveaway for Constructing Marcus by Danielle DeVor. You can find Danielle's complete tour schedule at MythBehaving Book Tours. ~
Writing Horror is Different
I kind of always set out to write horror, but in my brain, something isn’t horror unless it scares me. So, by that rule, I have, so far, never written anything horror. But- other people disagree.
My publisher first listed Constructing Marcus as horror and coming of age. Well, that surprised me because, to date, it is the least scary of all of my books. The main premise is the love between Emma and Marcus, so that makes the book a YA Paranormal Romance in my mind.
I did have them change that listing.
Why? Because horror is in-your-face-scare-the-pants-off-you stuff. It can be psychological, like The Shining, or full of gore like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
So, that makes writing horror different than writing other genres. Instead of creating a good feeling, you set out from the start to incite fear, disgust, angst, and melancholy. You are not writing a book that is supposed to make someone feel better. You are writing a book to create a very specific response.
So far, the closest I’ve come to true horror is Sorrow’s Point, but even then, I don’t think I’ve made it yet.
So, that’s what makes Constructing Marcus so different. Almost all of the violence occurs off-screen so to speak. It has one very minor part that could be considered gory, but it is so minor that most people probably won’t notice. And, above all else, I want you to care for Emma and Marcus, not be afraid of them.
Sixteen-year-old ghost hunter, Emma Hoffman thought that moving into an old Victorian was going to be awesome– ghosts galore.
Much to her delight, she discovers that the house is haunted—not by a ghost, but by a construct (a spirit created to be a servant). As she gets to know Marcus, the construct, he asks her to help him avenge his maker and find her killer. Emma’s not too sure this is a good idea, she’s a ghost hunter after all, not a detective, but she agrees to help him anyway.
While trying to discover more information about the killer, Emma begins to have feelings for Marcus- feelings she isn’t ready to admit. Then the sorcerer who killed Marcus’s maker shows up at Emma’s house with an insane plan to capture Marcus and absorb his power- Emma isn’t having it. Marcus is hers.
When the killer performs a spell that begins to steal Marcus’s life force, Emma risks losing him. It’s a race against time for Emma to figure out how to stop the sorcerer and his spell before Marcus fades away and disappears from her life forever.
Danielle DeVor
Danielle DeVor spent her early years fantasizing about vampires and watching “Salem’s Lot” way too many times. After living briefly in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she moved back to her hometown to write. When not writing and reading about weird things, you will find her hanging out at the nearest coffee shop, enjoying a mocha frappuccino.
Danielle has been on a writing roll this year! With the release of Tail of the Devil,Constructing Marcus and Sorrow’s Point she already has three books out.
You can find Tail of the Deviland Sorrow’s Pointat Amazon.
Buy Links for Constructing Marcus
Giveaway
Win one of two prizes:
ONE - $10 Amazon Gift Card
ONE - eCopt of TAIL OF THE DEVIL by Danielle DeVor
Today, I'm excited to be welcoming young adult author, April Margeson, to my blog, where she'll be answering a few questions and also giving us some information about her new book series, Waking Up Dead.
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I live in Tennessee with my family. I have been writing all my life and I enjoy reading Young Adult Fiction.
Tell us about your book(s).
My books are stories that will pull at your emotions and make you lose yourself in the world that I have created. All of which are stories about a new life, whether it be that it is a welcome change or not. It is all about the issues that my characters have to face and how they make it through them.
Writing – why?
I write because I have to. It is more than something that I enjoy doing. It is a need.
Do you have a favourite character from your book(s)? Why?
It would have to be Laynie from my Waking Up Dead series. She is such a strong character, but she has a weak side as well. The way that she believes herself to be a monster, yet she still feels love for others.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Just do it. Don’t worry about selling or people wanting to read it. Just write it and do it with everything inside you.
What is your favourite genre and why?
I love Young Adult Fiction and the many sub-genres.
Do you have conversations with your characters?
Yes. Sometimes out loud and everyone thinks I’m totally nuts.
Do you have any odd (writing) habits?
I yell at myself when I write something that I don’t fully agree with.
If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be?
Different.
~
About April
April Margeson lives in Tennessee with her family. She is the bestselling author of two Young Adult Fiction series, Waking Up Dead, which includes Chaos and Redemption, Also the Ultimate Power series, which includes Beginning and The War. Random Scribbles poetry collections Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 as well as Demon's Death (a short story) are all available on Amazon.
Laynie goes to a party against her mother's judgment. She finds herself with a mysterious young man, Aden. He's easy to talk to and she feels comfortable around him. The last thing that she can remember is sitting outside, alone with him, when he lunged for her throat. The piercing pain is still fresh.
After waking up in a field, held down by an unseen force, Laynie realizes that Aden had changed her into something, but she wasn't sure what she was. The burning in her throat forces her to drink from a feeding animal. Her phone rings. It was him.
Now Aden is stalking her, wanting to help her settle in to her new life, but there is much more to being a vampire than she could imagine.
Soon, her whole life is twisted into a Pandora's box of sorts.
Her mother wants her dead and a powerful witch is hunting her maker. After falling in love with Aden she meets Max, a powerful witch that Aden has called on for help. Both of them are desperate for her love, but only one of them wants it for the right reasons. Max is captivating, but her heart lies with Aden. When Aden pushes her to be a maker everything changes. Laynie finally loses control and hurts the one person that she dearly loves. Not even Alice can help her now.
Laynie is distraught over the harm that she has caused. The witch, Alzar is closing in and doom is just around the corner. Alzar and Max have a wild card of their own secretly hidden.
Aden will soon pay for his evil deeds and with that the price will be the ultimate one.
Laynie falls weak over the happenings in her life, but now more secrets have been uncovered and the man that she had thought was her father actually wasn't. When she learns who her father truly is, she panics. Alice tries her best to help her come to terms with everything that is happening, but Laynie refuses and disappears into a perfect little bubble inside herself, oblivious to the outside world.
What Laynie doesn't know is that every moment that she stays there is making it harder for her to come back to the real world.
Max calls on Aden's ghost for help, but not even the most powerful of magic can bring her back. All she wants is to not be the creature that she is. She just wants a second chance.
Alzar offers Laynie a choice, but is her heart strong enough to make the right decision?
Today I am very happy to welcome Julia Matthews to my blog, and she has given me some information about her latest book release: Journey Revealed Conclusion of Journey Series
Finally! Carlito wanted to shout, and scream, he found her. His Mother Earth mate. Two interruptions, two slip, and her lack of recognizing they were mates made no sense. Information was needed. She was a witch, so why hadn’t she reacted. Why had she been scared of the clan master of the South Beach Clan? All those things had to be answered. Not only that he had to find out who and where she was. Could it be done? Would it open more cans of worms? Would it lead to the conclusion of the King, Singer, and Laker intertwined life journey?
Releasing Feb 24th 2014!
About Julia
My family is small, just me, mom and dad. They have stayed together for over 30 years. They are very supportive in anything I decided to do, whether they agree to it or not. I grew up Mt. Airy, NC. Most would know it by hometown of Andy Griffith and the Andy Griffith show. Lived there till about 2007 then moved to Winston Salem. I’m a huge animal lover. I have a pug, which is spoilt worse than a child, according to my mom. Then there’s my mom’s toy poodle, and the newest addition is the shin-tzu.
I played softball and enjoyed school. I’ve not completed a college education, but I do strive to learn the things that I enjoy doing. Like when I decided to get into self-publishing. I knew nothing about it and my grammar suck to high heaven. So I began to teach myself the ropes of each. Of course there’s been struggles and trials, but by doing it this way I feel I’ve truly excelled and achieved a much better education. I also love to work with numbers, computers, and of course to create things. It doesn't matter what I create, whether it’s a coloring photo, my very pood drawings, wood burning, crocheting, and painting figurines. As long as I create something, but writing a story will always top the list of what I love to create.
I got into writing in elementary school as part of my therapy for ptsd originally. However, it helped me in other areas of my life. It is what allowed me to keep my sanity. Living with what people call mental illness is not an easy thing for anyone. It’s a continuous daily struggle. Medication can help, but it won’t cure it completely. You have to learn the skills that best help you and make sure to practice them in every aspect of your life. At some point it becomes easier to do this without even thinking. Some areas it will come quicker, and other areas you will struggle. Just know there is hope and not to quit fighting the battle.
I am a firm believer that you can’t learn if your mistakes aren’t point out to you, or if you fail to listen. Criticism is hard on anyone, but in the long run it will help you grow. Just don’t get bogged down about it. Remember that you are the one that has to be happy in the end with everything you do. It doesn't matter if it’s writing a story, or if it’s cooking a meal. Just take pride in what you do and live your life.
Now my goal is to just keep advancing my writing skills, better my advertising skills, and my computer skills. I know I can do this as long as I can keep my imaginations flowing.
Writing a story is
Bringing a story to life
Letting a bit of yourself, rather known or hidden come to life
Expression yourself in a way that one you can imagine
Is letting your creativitiy flow and grow in a way that others can see what you see inside your head.
What saved me
Gives me the strength to keep fighting from day to day
Give me the strength to push forward in my life
For these reason I strive to bring the best of my imagination to life and share with others.
My writing is completely fictional, but it expresses parts of my life, whether others interpret it how I had originally meant it. I believe that each type of art, whether it writing novels, movies, television shows, or painting, sculpting, architecture is open to the reader or viewers interpretation. They may not see what the creator was aiming for, but that’s fine as long as it appeals to them in some way that affect them personally or indirectly. That’s to me is what I feel is most important. No interpretation is wrong and no one should be criticized for his or her interpretation of any type of art.
So read and view everything for yourself. Just remember to allow yourself to interpret with freedom and without fear of how others view how you see things.
~
More Books in The Journey Series
Journey To A Mate (Co-written with Vickie Matthews)
Every panther shifter dreams of finding their Mother Earth mate to spend the rest of their lives with, some never find it. Others, like Tally King, the son of the Pride Master of London Pride, has known who his other half would be since he was eight. That’s when Tally’s father arranged for him to mate with the daughter of Miss Donna, even though she lived in the United States. Problem is Miss Donna hasn’t contacted him, and all letters have been returned. Tally is determined there’s a reason and sets out to search for her and his arranged mate. He’s warned that when he finds her that he would face complications. Will those complications make his long search a waste of time? Or will he finally find his Mother Earth mate, that one true love that everyone desires.
U.S were-panthers live different than the British ones. Andrew King knew this and knew this move would change his life. He just didn’t know how much, till the day he met his Mother Earth mate, Keith Singer. Would finding this man destroy his life? His mate thinks not and swears he will do anything for his mate. That statement is put to the test when a secret hidden for four generations comes to life.
For forty years, Robert and Dragon lived separate even though they are Mother Earth mated. Both secretly wanted the other.
Robert felt it impossible. Three reasons at first, now only one. A seer indirectly tells Robert, to fix his life, dive into his past. Robert listens, only finds lies and secrets. Will this help or hinder his chance with Dragon. Will Dragon forgive him or toss him to the side.
Dragon’s dead set his Mother Earth mate isn’t getting away from him again, at least, not without an explanation. Problem is, he only knows his name. Can he locate him? If he does, will it only to be rejected again?
and 
