The Final City, Book 3 of the Osland Trilogy

With the arrival of summer at Osland Academy, Gail finds the lack of rift bleed and fanatical assassins a welcome change of pace. When Nick asks to introduce her to his parents, she wonders if it’d be less painful to take on an army of rift monsters. It doesn't help when he makes a shocking suggestion that has Gail questioning the very nature of her love for Nick.

Her relationship troubles are bad enough, but when Brunhilde finally surfaces and launches a series of brutal attacks, Gail realizes it is only a matter of time before her nemesis attempts her final revenge. Love may be an afterthought with death coming to Seattle.

AMAZON

BARNES AND NOBLE

KOBO

SMASHWORDS

The Eternal City, Book 2 of the Osland Trilogy

Months after a shocking showdown, Gail Dorjee is doing her best to recover and settle into her new role as a Rift Watcher at Osland Academy. Her friends are distant, and she’s uncomfortable with her growing relationship with the handsome Nick MacEvoy. That’s all stressful enough, even before she wakes up one night to a ghost warning her about a powerful enemy coming to Osland to seek vengeance.

The suspicious and timely arrival of a too perfect foreign exchange student feeds Gail’s paranoia. It doesn’t help that killer shadows keep appearing.

At a place known for beautiful lies, she finds it difficult to trust anyone, even herself, but with the rift in danger, she has to risk her life and friendships to carve through the darkness and find her true enemy.

Now available at Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble.


For those of you who haven't read The Emerald City, the first book in the Osland Trilogy, I direct you to here.

A Man Torn Between the Sea and a Woman: An interview with Chrystalla Thoma Azure, a paranormal new adult romance

Although I'm mostly out of the interview game, today I wanted to give a chance to my friend Chrystalla Thoma to talk about her new paranormal new adult romance Azure as part of her current blog tour:


A terrible mistake haunts college student Olivia Spencer. To escape the past, she travels to the Mediterranean island of Crete, hoping for the courage to start anew.

By the sea, she meets sexy and enigmatic Kai. But there’s more to Kai than meets the eye — and nobody wants to talk about it. The locals shun him, accusing him of magic. Kai, apparently, belongs to the sea, no matter how crazy that sounds.

Kai isn’t free to be with her or live his own life, and this is how he will stay, unless Olivia can break his curse and save him — in doing so atoning for those she failed in the past.

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1) Tell us a bit about your story overall. What makes it unique?

Hi, thank you for hosting me. And let me tell you about Azure.

Azure is contemporary romance but with a couple of twists. First of all, although my protagonists are college students, the story doesn’t take place in college but on the Mediterranean island of Crete. Each is there for different reasons, although both are running from their past. But that’s not all that’s unusual about Azure.

I mention in the book description that it’s contemporary romance with a smidge of paranormal, and the paranormal in it is not the typical kind. No vampires, zombies or werewolves were used in the making of this story. Instead I drew on local legends and Greek folklore for the magic of the story. Hint: it has to do with the sea...

2) Tell us about your male lead. What separates him from other male leads out there in New Adult books?

As far as I’m able to tell, male leads in New Adult books are usually bad boys, with tattoos and an attitude, running from a traumatic event in their past. Although Kai is running from his past, he isn’t your typical bad boy. He isn’t sleeping around and drinking himself stupid when Olivia meets him. But he’s a recluse, someone who has forgotten how to live, how to feel, how to laugh or cry, and Olivia is determined to break his shell and bring him back to life.

3) Tell us about your female lead. What separates her from other female leads out there in New Adult books?

Well, there is a huge variety of New adult romances, so such questions are tricky – but compared to most of the New Adult romances I have read, I’d say Olivia is stronger. She has her own demons and is struggling to regain balance and be happy, but she is determined to help Kai, no matter the cost to her own heart or her beliefs. She will go as far as believe in magic if it can aid him.

4) Crete isn't a setting you see in a lot of romance books. Why did you decide to set your book there?

I love Crete. I’ve visited the island a number of times – it’s not far from Cyprus where I live. It’s a stunning place, with its rugged mountains and fantastic beaches, the archaeological sites and the great food! It’s a magical place, and I’ve always wanted to set a story there, especially since my last trip in May. Every village, every hamlet has an ancient shrine, a cave where an ancient god or goddess was worshipped, a legend. I wouldn’t be able to imagine this story set anywhere but there.

5) Lot of possibilities in the Mediterranean. Will you be revisiting the area in the future? If so, can you give us any sneak peeks into any of your ideas?

Oh sure! Since I moved back here to Cyprus, my world setting has been more and more influenced by the area. I am planning a series about a cloned angel set in Italy and Greece, and a steampunk series based right here in Cyprus. I’m very excited about them both.

6) What was your favorite part of writing this book?

Part of it was reliving my Cretan experience – remembering the food, the atmosphere, the towns, the mountains, the people. Another part was writing about supernatural in connection to the sea. I love the sea and I’m happy when I find a way to give it a role in my stories. Finally I was excited about my heroes. I like them both, I like how they both struggle to keep afloat but need each other to make it through.

7) The "New Adult" genre/demographic/category/whatever-you-want-to-call-it to explode it has exploded in the last year or so. Why do you think all the sudden interest in this particular type of books?

I’m not sure. I’ve heard say Twilight started it, with its young but not-too-young heroes. Others say it’s because Young Adult became so popular and New Adult is its erotica counterpart... I bet there are many factors at play here. I feel that the age of the protagonists (18-25) is ideal for dealing with coming-of-age questions while being able to include adult themes, so maybe that’s where the appeal comes from.

8) Please tell us briefly about some of your other published works.

I have an urban fantasy/paranormal romance series called “Boreal and John Grey” – Season 1 is now out in complete If you like elves and mechanical creatures, then I think you’ll love this one. I also write dystopian science fiction, so if you like the genre check out my series “Elei’s Chronicles”.

9) Please tell us about your writing plans for the future. 

I have so many... Can barely keep track! I am finishing my dystopian series this month, and will be working on Season 2 of my urban fantasy. I have the series mentioned set in the Mediterranean mentioned further up, and loads of other books bouncing around in my head... Wish me luck!

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Thanks, Chrystalla.

You can find more from her here, and enter a drawing for a copy of Azure here

Azure can be purchased from Amazon.

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About Chrystalla Thoma:

Chrystalla is Greek Cypriot (hence the strange name) and likes writing about bratty, angsty boys and spunky girls in fantasy and science-fiction worlds. She writes mainly for a young adult public but not only (heed the warnings!) 

She's currently preparing a non-fiction book about dragons, because the truth must out, and is juggling two series ("Elei's Chronicles" and "Boreal and John Grey").

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Voodoo, the KKK, time travel, and redemption: An interview with historical fiction/paranormal author Lane Heymont

1) Please tell us about your book.

 

The Freedman and the Pharaoh’s Staff set in Reconstruction-era Louisiana, and blends the boundaries between science fiction, fantasy, and as you can imagine, American history.

In 1871, the United States government has nearly eradicated the Ku Klux Klan, afraid their fanaticism will inspire other Southern whites to rise up against the Union. A very real threat.

The Klan’s remaining forces have retreated to Louisiana – as Deep South as you can get – in order to escape justice and regroup.

Jeb, a former slave, rescues his brother-in-law Crispus from the Ku Klux Klan, pulling him into a world of Creole Voodoo, hatred, time travel, and redemption. The two brothers-in-law set out to stop Verdiss and his Klan followers from using the Pharaoh’s Staff, a magical artifact from ancient Egypt. Soon, Jeb and Crispus learn Verdiss’ diabolical plan and discover that he serves an evil far more insidious than himself. In the end, Jeb and Crispus must stop an entire people from eradication and each find redemption for his own past sins.

2) What inspired this book?


It originally began as a short story I wrote for an African-American literature class I took in undergrad. During the class, I fell in love with the slave narratives, so I expanded the short story. Ironically, I ended up switching the two main protagonists’ roles.

About the same time I was reading about Nazi occultism, in particular, Hitler and the Occult by Ken Anderson. It detailed Hitler’s bizarre obsession with the supernatural. He was convinced he could conquer the world by possessing all these magical/religious items. The Spear of Longinus, the Holy Grail, and spent considerable resources on discovering time travel, super soldiers, Atlantis, and Norse runes.

The two ideas – slave narratives and Hitler’s twisted desires – blended together and The Freedman and the Pharaoh’s Staff was born.


3) Tell us about your main characters.


There are several main characters – I like stories where you experience the same events through a wide spectrum of perspectives.

Jebidiah Johnson, a former slave and now freedman, is a hardened soldier who fought during the Civil War. He’s haunted by the horrific violence he witnessed, and is determined to live a life with his family. He’s the perfect soldier, but doesn’t want to cause any trouble, or get dragged into any.

Crispus Moorfield, Jeb’s brother-in-law, is as opposite as they come. A naïve activist, he has never truly experienced any horrors that come with racism. This has led to a complete lack of fear of repercussions for his actions. He’s reckless, and more dangerous to his beliefs than he thinks.

There are two other main characters: Verdiss, and Fallon, but their journeys change who they are, so I’ll leave that for reader to discover.


4) What primary themes does your book explore?



The power of unity, the depth of damage racism can cause, and redemption.

5) Though your story touches on some very powerful and real
 historical injustices, you have a heavy fantasy/paranormal component.
How does the use of such elements enhance historical narratives? Did
it even make the process of writing the book and the thematic work
more difficult?



Great question. I think using fantasy elements in historical settings is such a great experience, both to write and read. If we stop to think – at most points in history various cultures already considered what we call fantasy facts of life. Humankind pursued witches, mythical sea beasts, and up until Europeans fully explored Africa, gorillas were considered mythical creatures – half man, half monkey.

Weaving fantasy and science fiction elements into The Freedman and the Pharaoh’s Staff, a story set in Reconstruction Louisiana, had its difficult moments. I really had to follow a set of laws governing what fantasy elements I would allow, what science fiction would be entertained, and how normal people of the time would react to those events.

Voodoo was, and is, still very much alive in Louisiana. Especially in the bayous. So, that flowed smoothly through the story. Also, I did not want fireballs and lightning bolts shooting through the skies like some Lord of the Rings movie. Voodoo magic is subdued, as magic goes, and having real practices to base mine on, proved that much easier.

What I found most difficult it was intertwining the science fiction aspects of the story in a way that felt believable. We don’t ever see a time machine or hear science jargon or even learn the logic behind it. The focus is on how our modern, aka 1870’s, characters would respond to any technology they witness.

6) Your academic background is partially in history. Were the eras of
your books eras you've previously spent a lot of time studying?



Yes and no. I was always more of a medieval, poetry/philosophy person. Being Jewish, I have a deep and painful connection to World War II. Also, my grandfather oversaw the largest Jewish DP camp in Europe after the war – horror stories…and photos frequented my youth.

I did have an interest in the Civil War, because it was, and still is, such a powerful moment in our history. Almost a domestic holocaust. Just as World War II was a conflict for the soul of us as a race, the Civil War was a battle for the soul of our country. It defined who we are as Americans – would we choose tyranny over freedom? Righteousness over sadism?

If either war had been lost to evil…humanity would have fallen.

7) Please tell us about your general research process and resources.



At the time I was writing The Freedman and the Pharaoh’s Staff I was in school full-time for my undergraduate degree. I spent every minute in between classes at the school library, doing research. There, I used a lot of online resources – the most difficult part was sifting through crummy information sites and finding the real, great ones.

Researching Voodoo was a lot of fun. Several of my friends are from Haiti, or their parents are, so I got to interview them. Besides having great conversations with great people, the subtle nuance in the information they gave was amazing.

At home, stacks of books surrounded my computer. There’s too many to count, but some included:

· Remembering Slavery: African Americans Talk About Their Personal Experiences of Slavery and Freedom
· Hitler’s Occult War by Michael Fitzgerald
· Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877 by Eric Foner
· Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A. Blackmon
· Degrees of Freedom: Louisiana and Cuba after Slavery by Rebecca J. Scott

8) What other projects do you have planned for the future?



Right now I’m working on a screenplay with my writing partner Michael Klein of The MAK Company out in L.A., which is exciting! I also have a few books on the side burner. So, stay tuned!

9) Where can readers find out more about you?

You can find me on Twitter (@LaneHeymont), on Facebook, Goodreads, and on my website http://laneheymont.com.

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Thanks, Lane.

The Freedman and the Pharaoh’s Staff is available in paperback and for the Nook and Kindle.

A Murder Across Two Centuries: An interview with historical fiction author Barbara Gaskell Denvil

1) Please tell us about your book.


FAIR WEATHER is a historical thriller which covers several genres. It is also an adventure/romance, and a crime mystery. The plot is based around a time switch, so that action takes place both in 13th century England, and in modern day England. These switches are integral to the plot. The romance also interweaves through time – and in an unusual sense, time is an actual character within the story.

2) Why did you decide to combine historical fiction with modern paranormal suspense?

My inspiration for the whole plot came from dreams. I used these dreams and wove my characters through the ideas and visions which came to me. Fair Weather was therefore crafted very much as a labour of love, and not created in any logical or practical sense.

3) In modern times, in most countries, women have fairly easy freedom of movement. Given that you go so far back, the interaction of women with their society was considerably changed, even compared to other later English historical eras. Did this present any difficulties in plotting?

Surprisingly, no. My heroine is a beggar girl, and few restrictions have ever been put on the abjectly poor as long as they can escape the jurisdiction of the law. It is invariably the noblewomen who are watched and limited by society’s conventions. The poor go where they will. Also, in the 13th century, society was less conventional in many ways and women were not quite so tethered as is sometimes imagined. Female subjugation actually got far worse from the 16th century onwards.

4) Given the ignorance that afflicted the distant path, do you think it's easier or more difficult to maintain tension in murder plots. The lack of forensics, systematic investigation, et cetera, for instance, makes it easier for guilty folk to reasonably evade the authorities in the past, but, in modern times, access to technology by criminals and improved education provide their own opportunities for mischief.

Yes, I do agree. And nowadays the author herself must do some thorough research on national standards of justice, police procedures and the latest forensic science. But my murders come under the label of black magic, so it was different again. I did a great deal of research – but not at all the sort a modern crime-writer might have to do.

5) With all of English history (or history for that matter) to choose from what made you pick the particular period you chose?

Although the Church was very powerful during the 13th century, there were still pockets and aspects of religion that echoed back very strongly to the old pagan beliefs. Many priests got away with being married, country rituals and celebrations could be more pagan than Christian, and there was still considerable acceptance of fairies and spells. Witchcraft was not illegal – (no one was burned for it in spite of many modern film depictions) and the ‘wise women’ were respected and sought out. Since my book is wrapped around pagan magic, this was the ideal time in history to base it. It’s also a period I already knew a good deal about in the more general sense – the costumes, the way of life, the architecture and the details of Old London. I adore this era for its atmosphere and the fascinating colours of the period, so very, very different from our own.

6) Please tell us something interesting you found out about this period during your research?

I became very interested in the character of King John. We usually hear about him only as the wicked brother who tried to usurp good King Richard’s throne. That’s all from the Robin Hood sagas, and of course, we know Robin Hood was not entirely true at all. Apart from the fact that I dislike the sound of “good King Richard”, I was struck by how difficult it is to judge history and historical personalities through the extremely limited documentation that remains to us, and most especially because of the bias shown by those who wrote it. I did not grow to love King John, but I do admit we have very little right to think we know him at all.

7) What other projects are you currently working on?

My big early Tudor mystery adventure/romance (SUMERFORD’S AUTUMN) is due out in hard copy this coming June. The plot is once again somewhat multi-layered, but largely concerns the so called pretender “Perkin Warbeck”. Then I have another book in the works – BELSSOP’S WIFE – and yes – it’s a historical mystery/romance, but set a little earlier this time during the first tumultuous year of Richard III’s reign. I have a passion for this period in history – and after researching the times of King John, I moved on to the late medieval and Richard III. So I have two books waiting for publication, but neither of these has a black magic or time switch element to the plot.

Now, naturally, I am writing yet another. Well, if I didn’t write all the time, what on earth would I do?

8) Where can readers find more out about you?

I have a blog, www.bgdenvil.com which gives information on my books – and of course,

 I sell both FAIR WEATHER and my other historical crime adventure SATIN CINNABAR on Amazon U.K. and U.S.A., where I also have an author’s page. And once my next book is on the market mid year – there’ll be more I hope! 

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Thanks, Barbara.

I also previously interviewed Barbara about SUMERFORD'S AUTUMN. Please check it out.

Opposing the First Emperor of China with Magic: An interview with historical fantasy author Troy Jackson

1) Please tell us about your book.

My novel, The Elementals, finds actual events that occurred some 2200 years ago in ancient China colliding with a supernatural twist. The First Emperor of China, Qin Shí Huangdi (pronounced CHIN-SHHR-HWANG-DEE) has united a region of the world that has not known peace for many hundreds of years. Some viewed him as a savior, but many saw him as a tyrant bent on furthering his own power. Upon the backs of those he conquered he began numerous projects, including the first Great Wall, the Linqu Canal, a standardized system of writing and money, and a highway system of roads. Overtaxed and overburdened, the citizens were powerless to stand up to the Emperor. However, a handful of brave men and women rose up in an effort to overthrow him. One such group is the Dragon’s Spite who must gather their strength before confronting what they view as the forces of pure evil. But first they must locate three young teenagers who hold vast supernatural powers that could bring balance to the region. Can they do so before the agents of the Emperor capture them, thus ensuring total victory?

2) Please tell us a bit about your main characters.

Unfortunately I cannot tell you much more than what I have below, or I may give away too much!

Protagonists:

Cai – a young orphan who has bounced from town to town most of her life
Shí Lin – eldest daughter of a prominent merchant
Jiao Ai – the third teenage girl who travels around with her reckless, uncaring parents
Li Jun – co-leader of the Dragon’s Spite tasked to find the three anomalies and keep them away from the Emperor

Antagonists:

Qin Shí Huangdi – the First Emperor of China who views himself as the Son of Heaven and righteous ruler of all
Li Si – the Emperor’s Prime Minister; the force behind the strict code of Legalism and many of the efforts to standardize everything in life
The Triad – three brothers, Meng Na, Meng Fei, and Meng Wen, who have declared their allegiance to the Emperor and will defend him to the death

3) What got you interested in writing a centered around China in the time of Qin Shi Huang?

I have always enjoyed history, even as a child. So it was no surprise that I latched on to it in college and received a degree in it. I have read many books and watched numerous movies and shows regarding various periods in history. But I always found myself engrossed in Chinese history. It is one of the oldest and most fascinating cultures that have ever existed on this Earth. I remember hearing about the First Emperor during a class in college and I never forgot about him. When the idea first popped in my head years ago about writing a book I thought back to a period of history that it would fit well in. Not to give too much away, but during the reign of the First Emperor, he and his Prime Minister (Li Si) hated and feared free-thinking, believing that it could lead citizens to rise up against the Qin Empire. And so they mercilessly cracked down on those they viewed as a threat, including Confucian scholars. They also burned nearly all texts that existed during that time period, and is why there is very little actually in print about the reign of the First Emperor. As a writer, it gave me a lot of “wiggle room” to implement my own twist to the story.

4) Many of the elements that Western people associate with China, even ancient China, are associated with somewhat later eras in Chinese history such as the Tang and Qing Eras. Did you have any concerns about setting accessibility when developing this title?

It is true that when most people think of ancient times, they think of the Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks, and generally not the Chinese. Throughout writing The Elementals I viewed it as a way of introducing Chinese history to the readership. Very little is actually known about them except maybe in the last 1,000 years, and I found it as a unique challenge to not only better educate people but to do so in an entertaining fashion.

5) What sort of research did you do when writing this book? Is your formal history background in ancient Chinese history? Was there anything particular fascinating you learned that challenged your preconceptions about this era?

In preparing to write this novel (and the subsequent novels that will hopefully be out in the next couple of years) I did a great deal of research. I’d conservatively say I put in 100-150 hours of research, including midnight shows on the History channel, seeking any website I could find on the time period, and reading several novels (including Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian, Tales of Emperor Qin Shihuang by Yuan Yang and Xiao Ding, and The First Emperor of China: The Greatest Archeological Find Of Our Time by Arthur Cotterell).

I received a Bachelor’s Degree in History, but there was no specific time period that I focused on. That is typically done for higher degrees in History.

As I read more and more about the First Emperor and events during that time it read to me like a TV mini-series. It had everything that today’s shows include and what audiences demand, from political intrigue to betrayals to a grand sense of good versus evil.

6) Do you have any links to any excerpts you'd like to share?

If by excerpts you mean from my book, I would direct anyone to Amazon or Barnes and Noble, where they can view the first eight chapters of The Elementals to get a taste and feel for it.

7) Please tell us about your other projects.

Currently I am plodding along in writing book two of The Elementals. It progresses the story and sets things up for the climatic conclusion set for the third and final book. I am hoping to have book two out by the end of 2013 or early 2014, and book three by the end of 2014 or early 2015.

I am also getting the word out on The Elementals. As a new author I am starting from the very beginning and having to really work to get my name and my work out there for people to see. Hopefully enough will enjoy it and spread the word. After seeing reviews on it I can say, “So far, so good!”

Finally, I am busily working on my website, Tempest Works (http://www.tempestworks.com), which is meant to not only introduce people to The Elementals, but all of my future works, and also keep readers in tune with the publishing world. Since I first launched it last year I have posted a great many interviews on my blog for people to check out.

Thank you for your time!

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The Elementals can be purchased at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Because There Is No Polite Way Of Asking a Handsome Gentleman If He Sent a Magical Wooden Man To Kill You: My Regency paranormal release, A Woman of Proper Accomplishments

Helena Preston, the eldest daughter of a Bedfordshire gentleman, would rather risk spinsterhood than marry a man unwilling to accept her for who she is, much to the consternation of her mother and sister. She feels marrying an ugly or poor husband would be a mere inconvenience; marrying an irritable fool would be a genuine tragedy. Intrigued more with books and scholarship than finding a husband, the young woman has yet to attract any interest from eligible bachelors.

Joseph Morgan is a scholar who studies spiritus, the rare ability to imbue life into objects. With his arrival, Helena finds herself in the delightful position of having the attention of a handsome, educated gentleman of status, but she begins to worry Mr. Morgan is more interested in seduction than marriage. Soon after meeting the scholar, an unfortunate encounter with a sinister highwayman ends in rescue by the stoic and handsome Captain Thomas Southward.

As bothersome as juggling the attention of two potential suitors can be, Helena is still the target of a criminal. When evidence suggests her assailant is a wooden man created by spiritus, Mr. Morgan falls under suspicion. Unfortunately, she can think of no polite way to accuse a gentleman of sending a pile of animated wood to kill her.

A Woman of Proper Accomplishments is currently available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, iTunes/iBooks and Kobo.

Paranormal vs. The Skeptic: An interview with author Corinna Underwood

1) Please tell us about your book.

A Walk On The Darkside is a collection of stories. Pearl Blackthorn is a novelist and investigative reporter for Darkside paranormal magazine. Armed with her digital recorder and accompanied by her friend and photographer Harry Raymond, Pearl is sent by her editor J.J Benson - affectionately known as Benny - to the four corners of Great Britain, (and sometimes further), to investigate stories of spirits and specters, demons and doppelgangers, prophecy and possession. The problem is, Pearl doesn’t believe in the supernatural; her creative imagination is tempered by a strong skepticism. She is immovable on her stand that there is always a simple, rational explanation behind every report of paranormal activity. But Pearl soon realizes that the intricacies of paranormal events are often far from simple and not always rational. This is the first book in the Pearl Blackthorn series.

2) Please tell us about your main character.

Pearl Blackthorn grew up an orphan in a series of foster homes and knows nothing of her parents. She befriended Benny, her editor, when she was a teenager and after graduating university began to write fiction for his magazine Darkside. Now he is sending her to check out a series of strange events. They range from a haunted building, to a poltergeist and a voodoo curse. At the outset Pearl refuses to believe that there is anything but a rational explanation to these occurrences, but as she investigates deeper, she begins to see that this may not always be the case.

3) What inspired you to write this novel?

I have had a fascination for the paranormal since I was a teenager. More recently, I was the feature writer for Art Bell’s paranormal magazine After Dark, so I got to talk to many interesting people about paranormal research and strange encounters. I think it was a combination of these that led me to write the Darkside stories.

4) In your book, a skeptic confronts the paranormal. Do you believe in anything paranormal, or are you more a skeptic?

Like Pearl Blackthorn I have a healthy skepticism, but I also share something with her sidekick Harry, and that is I have had experiences that would count as supernatural. I do believe that there is more to this world, and between worlds, than science can currently account for.

5) Please tell us a bit about your literary influences.

Many of my favorite authors write in the style of magical realism, such as Italo Calvino and Isobel Allende. I also like supernatural/horror writers Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman and Stephen King.

6) Do you have any excerpts links you'd like to share?

You can read an excerpt of A Walk On The Darkside here.

7) Please tell us about some of your other projects.

I am currently completing a novel entitled Elsewhere. It is a magical realist tale of an ancient island, its inhabitants and its mythology. You can read chapter one here .

I am also working on a sequel to A Walk On The Darkside. In this novel, entitled Darkside And Back, a woman is found wandering through the underground caves of Nottingham in England. She has no recollection of who she is or how she got there and is carrying no identification. Amazingly, she looks exactly like Pearl Blackthorn. Before Pearl and Harry can find out more from the woman, she becomes the victim of a macabre murder. This leads Pearl to delve reluctantly into her past, and what she discovered is more disturbing than any story she has ever written.

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Thanks, Corinna.

You can see more from Corinna at http://www.ambiguousmedia.net/.

A Walk On The Darkside can be purchased at Amazon.

Piercing the Folds of Reality: An interview with YA paranormal author, Venessa Kimball

1)   Pleases tell us about your book.

Jesca Gershon-Sera has an average life on the surface. She is a sophmore in college, has a loving family, and holds a part time job at a local bookstore with her best friend. Her life is pretty normal. Except, under the surface she feels like she is losing her mind. Reoccurring nightmares have plagued Jesca for most of her childhood. She thought nothing of them, until they began intensifying and finding their way into her waking hours. Voices, vivid images and supernatural abilities in her nightmares are beginning to seep into her reality.

Ezra Kahn is one of her college professors. Lately, Ezra happens to be everywhere she is; like he is watching her. Along with the slight fear that her professor is stalking her, Jesca fears that she won't be able to handle much more of the insanity that is blurring her reality. On a chance encounter, Jesca confides in Ezra about the crazy happenings. Jesca thought that he would think her to be insane or a freak. But, to Jesca's surprise, Ezra Kahn reveals that she is not a lunatic and that all of the insanity is very real.

Instantaneously, Jesca's reality is set askew. Ezra reveals that he has been sent to help her. He tells her she is experiencing these events in her life because of her inherited purpose to protect humanity from inconceivable catastrophe.  

Jesca's roller coaster begins here! Boasting piercing suspense, pre-apocalyptic adventure, consuming romance, and "reality-based" spirituality and science fiction, Piercing the Fold: Book 1 will pull the reader in for the ride and won't let go! 

2) Please tell us about your lead.

Jesca Gershon-Sera. She is not a meek character by any means. She is confident, independent, and has no problem telling things like it is. She is curious. She is sarcastic and witty.  She is physically fit. She is a runner and loves the outdoors. She is a very loyal and compassionate person. Passion drives her for sure. Because of her upbringing, she is a very spiritual person. But, she appreciates and is curious about how science plays a part in her faith, like an extension to her faith.

3) What inspired this book?

It all started with a show on The Learning Channel or Discovery Channel, can't quite remember. It was late on November 22, 2010 and I was decompressing in front of the television. I was watching a show about the plausibility of wormholes. That was it. My mind started going through the "what ifs". I started googling everything from wormholes to galatic collisions. This prominent person kept coming to the forefront of my mind. It was her, Jesca, the main character. Her image, her features, her stature, everything was there when she came to my mind. That night she was born. The next day, November 23, 2010 I started drafting Piercing the Fold: Book 1. All the characters began popping into my head revealing their purpose in this story. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.

4) What fundamental themes does your book explore?

Fundamental themes: self discovery, awareness of responsibility and purpose, how religion/spirituality and science could have a connection in our great expanse, how knowledge can be both powerful and dangerous if not wise about how it's utilized. 

5) You have some interesting style choices in this book, including some chapters in first person and other chapters in third person from the POV of other characters. Please tell us a bit about your thought process behind your POV choices.

While writing Piercing the Fold: Book 1, some of the characters were becoming more prominent in the storyline. I have always found it to be interesting how POV transitions can be utilized to bring a developing supporting character to the forefront in a storyline. Those characters I chose to bring into first person needed to reveal their perspective in regards to the storyline. Some authors choose to hold one POV throughout. However, with Piercing the Fold: Book 1, reality has been set askew and with that the perspectives within the book needed to reflect the chaos other characters were experiencing as well. Inevitably, those POV shifts in Book 1 and Book 2 (and so on) will be justified when certain events throughout the series are revealed.

 6) Please tell us about your other projects.

November 2012, Piercing the Fold: Book 1's audio book will be released. It is going to be a unique audio book. There will be multiple talents reading for the characters. It will be movie-like in a sense. Except, the movie will be created in the listener's mind. It's very exciting! Surfacing the Rim: Book 2 in the Piercing the Fold series will be released in March 2013. Book 3 (Title not revealed yet) is projected for a June 2013 release. I'm not sure if the Piercing the Fold series will stop at Book 3.

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Thanks, Venessa.

Piercing the Fold: Book 1 can be purchased at:

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Piercing-Fold-Book-1-ebook/dp/B008H772VI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1350066669&sr=1-1&keywords=piercing+the+fold

Smashwords.com: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/241690

You can learn more about Venessa at:

 

http://www.venessakimball.net/#!piercing-the-fold/cnec

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/VenessaKimball

 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Piercing-the-Fold/406064719458513?ref=hl

 

One Hell of a House: An interview with Debra Chapoton about her YA paranormal novel, Sheltered

1) Please tell us about your book.

Living together unsupervised, five troubled teens confront demonic forces and are compelled to deal with their problems in distinctly different ways.

High school junior, Ben, hacks into his step-father's real estate holdings and provides rooms in an old two-story house to various outcasts: the schizophrenic kid, the angry Goth girl, and the homeless girl who worships him. When Megan needs a place to live she comes to the rooming house with a different set of problems and the ability to confuse and attract Ben.

One by one strange and mysterious occurrences stretch the teens’ beliefs in the supernatural. How they deal with demons, real and imagined, has tragic as well as redeeming consequences.

2) Your book focuses om several different teens. Please tell us a bit about them.

Ben is cute, smart, industrious, and kind, but he lies a lot. He carries the burden of having an alcoholic mom and an oppressive step-father, but his heart is in the right place as he tries to help emancipated teens. Emily was living in a homeless shelter until Ben stepped in. She is very quiet, smart, and never seems to get that long hair out of her face as she tries to hide her troubles and her desire for Ben. Megan is polite, pretty, and vacillates between being strong-willed or caving to temptation. She harbors a secret that may ruin her chances with Ben. Cori is my favorite character because she was kicked out of her home for being incorrigible. Messy dyed black hair, lots of make-up, pierced ears and lip, and a tattoo on her back all hide the little girl inside. Cori uses foul language, exhibits a bad attitude and is a bitchy thief. She was as much fun to write about as Chuck and Adam, twins with a tragic past and future.

3) The haunted house is one of the oldest plots in horror, yet people keep coming back for more. What's the appeal in your opinion?

 Do I need to tell you how many times I’ve been alone at home and heard strange noises? I’ve walked around the house with various weapons, like a high heeled shoe or pair of scissors, checking behind doors and under beds. Aren’t we all afraid of the dark? Hmm?

4) Like I said, haunted houses aren't exactly a new idea. What distinguishes your story from others with a similar basic premise?

In Sheltered the house is not exactly “haunted” though there was a gruesome event in its history. There are no ghosts in this story, but worse than ghosts, there are demons, fallen angels who can posssess a person and make them exhibit great strength or manifest symptoms of epilepsy or bring them to the brink of suicide.

5) Your last novel, Edge of Escape, delved into the dark psychological corners of obsession, but there was nothing supernatural about it. Why did you choose to explore a different genre this time about?

I wanted to do something in the paranormal genre because it’s so popular and such fun to read. Despite the fact that an author can go absolutely as far as she wants, imaginatively speaking, I tried to keep the demon stuff within the parameters of actual Biblical accounts.

6) The YA commentariat has been abuzz in recent years with battles over the relative amount of dark material in YA books, including several very high profile editorials in the New York Times complaining about perceived excessive darkness in modern YA fiction. How do you feel about this entire controversy? Your book has more than a few dark themes and situations itself.

Give me a break, dark material has been around since Beowulf. That’s life – there’s good and evil. I’d be more concerned with books that go heavy on the evil and exclude redemption or triumph. All in all, though, I respect the debate and both sides have valid points, but there will always be disagreement on, well, on everything.

7) Please tell us briefly about your other projects.

Edge of Escape, my first YA novel, delves into obsession and fear. Emotionally impaired yet clever, Eddie obsesses over the most popular girl. He drugs her, abducts her and locks her away.
The Guardian’s Diary will probably be out next spring. It’s about a teen boy who was born with a gruesome deformity that causes him to drag his foot. He faces some tough challenges and dangerous decisions. The story is told through the eyes of his guardian angel.

Right now I am working on a young adult novel in which the teen characters maneuver through a supernatural world, yet there are neither angels nor demons in this story.

8) Do you have any links to any excerpts you'd like to share?

Here’s a link to a short excerpt from chapter 1 of Sheltered, which I posted on my blog: http://edgeofescape.blogspot.com/2012/10/sheltered-excerpt-from-chapter-1.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EdgeOfEscape+%28Edge+of+Escape%29
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Thanks, Debra.

If you'd like to see more from Debra or purchase Sheltered, please check out the following links:

http://edgeofescape.blogspot.com/

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008TQ0PB6
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sheltered-debra-chapoton/1112412513?ean=2940014940177
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15827913-sheltered

Deceitful and Bloodthirsty Gothic Vampires: An interview with J.A. Lynch

Today I'm talking with J.A. Lynch about her Gothic-inspired novel of a woman and brutal not-so-sparkly vampires, Within the Shadows.

1) Tell us about your book.

My book tells the story of Giselle Bergman, an eighteen year old who embarks on the darkest of journeys. Through betrayals, heartbreak, harsh realizations, Giselle learns quickly that she has to count on herself if she is to survive the multitude of creatures out to hunt, torture and kill her. She is on the run of her life, and her allies are few and far between, and the only one she can truly count on is Antoine, a vampire who has a taste for the grander things in life, but can she really trust him?

If you like your books full of Gothic elements: suppression, submission, highly sentimental, and where the characters are often overcome by anger, sorrow, surprise, and especially, terror; suffering from raw nerves and a feeling of impending doom,then Within the Shadows is the book for you.

2) What inspired you to write this particular story?

Vampires, the paranormal, horror and my love for all things Gothic inspired my first novel, Within the Shadows (something started nearly 3 years ago). It is no secret that I am a crazy, hardcore fan of vampire literature, and I suppose you could say that I wanted to put my own stamp on the genre. I wanted to create something completely different to anything out there, and I achieved that with my book. It is fast paced, edgy and something you won’t forget in a hurry.

3) Tell us about your lead, Giselle.

Giselle is a normal girl, with normal aspirations in life. In her head she has it all figured out, until things unravel before her eyes in a very bad way. She was brought up to trust in people and care for everyone around her. She of course lays to much trust and dependence on Alex, her 'best-friend', for him to tear it all apart. Giselle is too trusting, and this lets her down on many occasions, but each time she falls, something begins to grow inside her, and unbeknownst to her, this growth will be a valuable asset in her future. She can at times be frustrating in the decisions that she makes, but being a naive young woman, she doesn't have the experience or balls to say no. This is something that also grows, and we will see Giselle grow into a very powerful lead in the future.

4) Please give us a little insight into some of he men Giselle deals wih in this book.

Firstly, we have Alex. The best-friend all girls want to date. He is a chameleon. He runs hot and cold more often than not, and is poisonous. Of course, I can't give too much away, but all is not what it seems with Alex, and although you will learn to loathe him, there will be a glimmer of hope about his 'humanity'.

Then we have, Marc. The guy that throws it all away for a quick fumble with the school harlot, or is that the case? Marc has been Giselle's steady boyfriend for quite sometime, and they seem like the 'perfect' couple, but Alex and Marc walk in different circles and there is a genuine hate going on between these two. There is certainly no chance of a 'bromance' here.

Hmm, Leonid (Alex's dad) - well, Leonid is old school vampire hard, but there is something very different in him. Something that glows, and although he is responsible for a lot of the hurt in Giselle's life, he is also the reason she survives. He's really not the beast he comes across as.

Oooh, Antoine....Antoine. The 'one' who will be there for the long run. He's a savior where Giselle's concerned, he's the light at the end of the tunnel. He's the one to watch for.

Xavier, the dark one who has the creepiest agenda for Giselle. but there is more to his story than just wanting her as his Shadow Queen.

5) There are a lot of books featuring vampires in them out there. What sets your book apart from others?

My book is completely different. There is no whirlwind love affair, there isn't much of a happy ending (yet) and my vampires are blood thirsty, they thrive on lies, betrayal and deceit. I've created them in a different manner. There are two breeds, the classical and the inheritors, and then there is Giselle.
The whole world is new and unique and is edgy.

6) This is the first Shadow World novel. How many are planned for this series?

So far, there are three books planned, Within the Shadows, Escaping Shadows, and Fighting Shadows.

7) Please tell us about some of your other non-Shadow World projects.

I'm also working on a new series, WitchBlade: The Hunters Saga, which is planned for release late 2013, and also planned for 2013 is Ice Goddess and Heatstroke.

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If you'd like to learn more about her and her books, please check at her webpage at http://www.julieannelynch.co.uk/ or check out additional stops on her blog tour at   ttp://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1009032-18---julieanne-lynch---within-the-shadows.

A Blood Doctor and Futuristic Blood Drinkers: An interview with Arshad Ahsanuddin

Today I'm talking with Arshad Ahsanuddin, author of, in his own words, "futuristic-sword-and-sorcery-gay-vampire-soap-opera-supernatural-thrillers."

1) Tell us about your books.

My books, for the most part, might be described as futuristic-sword-and-sorcery-gay-vampire-soap-opera-supernatural-thrillers, crossing genres between soft science fiction, urban fantasy, and non-explicit gay paranormal romance. Though that’s not strictly true, given that the main characters of Moonlight and Radiant Burn are straight.

The major premise of the books is that Nightwalkers (vampires) and Sentinels (vampire slayers) are the remnants of a technologically and mystically advanced civilization that collapsed about 10,000 years ago due to internal wars. Each side has been trying to destroy the other ever since, though the advances in human society of the present era have forced them to operate in secret.

The everything changed approximately twenty years prior to the start of Book One, when a cure for vampirism was created, which allowed the Nightwalkers to reclaim their souls and become Daywalkers, once again able to walk in the sunlight. The supernatural peoples of North America have declared a separate peace throughout the continent, mystically fortifying the borders to wall out the Nightwalkers and Sentinels that still war upon each other in the rest of the world.

Everything changes again, in 2040, when the Daywalker Nick Jameson spectacularly exposes them all to humanity on national television, when he intervenes to stop a terrorist nuclear plot. This is the point where the story begins.

2) You're a hematopathologist. You specialize in examining blood all day. Did that at all influence your desire to write about vampires?

Honestly, it didn’t even occur to me until after I finished, and I mentioned the project to some of my colleagues, who were greatly amused at the irony which had escaped my notice.

3) Most people aren't blood doctors, yet there's a persistent fascination with vampires, why do you think that is?

Immortality to start with, followed by the lure of violence and evil, even with the possibility of redemption. That was the basis of the vampire mythology at the beginning, and the shift to a social/sexual predator came in later times. They have become a symbol of knowledge, power, strength, and sexuality, wrapped up in a humanoid package that walks silently among us until they strike.

The question then becomes, what can we possibly offer them? I think the genre of paranormal romance developed as a way to humanize these archetypal figures into something that was both greater than us, yet still accessible. A more modern variant is the vampire romance paired with alternate supernatural beings, such as witches, werewolves, or in some cases, vampire slayers. It’s just another way in which the vampire is made more human as we, in the person of the hero/heroine, become less so to meet them on a even playing field.

4) Sci-fi/paranormal romance mixed-genre vampire books centered on gay protagonists are, and this is being charitable, rare. What inspired that combination of elements?

It was a much more conventional storyline at first, when it was just a hobby storyline in my head, inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer in its heyday. Then, as it continued to develop in my mind, I incorporated other elements of fictional worlds I enjoyed, and philosophical concepts and articles of faith that inspired me. It grew organically in my head for over a decade before I wrote it down on a whim.

5) What went into the creation of your protagonist?

He’s a flawed character, unlimited power at his command, but running from his demons, afraid of commitment and love. Part of his journey is learning to grow from his rather shallow beginnings to explore the depths of his heart and find peace and companionship. In the meantime, he’s a catalyst, causing major transformational events in his world and the people around him, inspiring others to love him while he remains both inaccessible and oblivious. Discovering the truth of those relationships is part of the lessons he has to learn, and their resolution is half of the narrative throughout the entire series. The other half, of course, is the action and adventure that seems to follow in his wake.

6) Do you have any authors who have influence your writing?

The authors I would swoon to meet include Neil Gaiman and Guy Gavriel Kay, two of the most innovative authors in modern fantasy. I can’t hold a candle to them, but someday I hope to gain enough skill to make a decent homage to their work.

7) Can you tell us about some of your other works?

SUNRISE, the second book, tells the story of most the major characters and how they got to the point where the first book begins. MOONLIGHT, the third book, is the continuation of SUNSET, told from an alternate perspective. STARLIGHT, the final book, is the conclusion of the series. Two short stories, "Radiant Burn" and "The Best of Times" fill in some of the gaps in between. I am currently working on two others, which will expand on the stories of some of the secondary characters. A distant future plan is to write a prequel series of novels, which will tell the story of the First Age, and the start of the war between vampires and Sentinels.

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Thanks, Arshad.

For more information about Arshad, or for more information about the series, check out his website at http://pactarcanum.com and leave him some feedback.

The first book in hi series, SUNSET, is free for download for the Amazon kindle today (5/28/2012).

Hidden Worlds and Fantasy Destiny: An interview with Alecia Stone

Today I'm talking with Alecia Stone about her young adult contemporary fantasy, TALISMAN OF EL.


Tell us about your book.


TALISMAN OF EL is a story about acceptance, about accepting one's destiny no matter the consequences. Charlie Blake is a young boy, who, in a bid to find out about himself, discovers a reality he knew nothing about, but that he is so much a part of.

What inspired this book?


To be honest, my curiosity about the mysteries of the world inspired this book. The planet we live on is so fascinating and full of history that I just had to explore its secrets. The great thing about writing a fantasy story is that anything goes. You can write a story about aliens, alternate dimensions ... anything. The topic of people who vanished without a trace came up and I decided to take it one step further. The story just took on a life of its own.

What fundamental themes does your book explore?


The book explores many themes including, but not limited to, things are not always what they seem, self discovery, the importance of relationships and fear of failure. I think many people will be able to relate to the themes of the book as we've all experienced them in some way.

What's the appeal, you think, in fantasy stories that initially ground themselves in the real world and then pull in a character from that world into a fantasy world? In urban fantasy, there's still an overlap, but in contemporary stories where characters end up in a more discrete separate world, the relative link to the real world seems less important on first brush.


Personally, I think it's the adventure and the idea that there is more out there than what we see that is the appeal of fantasy stories. We often hear about the universe being of vast proportions, so, naturally, anyone would want to explore more than the eyes can see. It is also a means of escaping one's own reality for a certain period of time. Sometimes, our own reality can seem somewhat limited and restricted, so when I pick up a fantasy book, it's almost as if I'm breaking the rules by stepping out of the ordinary.

World building is a big part of any fantasy book, but you went so far as to even create a language. Can you tell us a little bit about that and why you chose to do that?


When the story first popped into my mind, I hadn't set out to create another world much less a language. When I created the world and saw how fascinating the characters of this world were, I knew they would have to have their own language. The people of Arcadia are mystical beings who can do things we can only imagine, so they needed a form of communication that they alone could interpret. They are, after all, from another world.

Besides your lead, do you have a favorite character in the story?


This is a hard one as I have many favourite characters. If I really had to choose one, besides the main protagonist, Charlie, I would have to choose Alex. I had such fun with her character. There is so much to her. She's smart, witty, feisty, a bit crazy and so much more.

People tend to want more of what they like. Do you plan to write a sequel?


Yes, I do. I'm currently writing the sequel. There's definitely more to come, as I've planned this as a trilogy.

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Thanks, Alecia.

Author Bio:


Alecia Stone has been in love with anything and everything paranormal for many years. She grad­uated with a BA in Film & TV and has worked in tele­vi­sion for a short period of time before branch­ing out into storytelling. When she isn't writ­ing, she enjoys going to the movies, lis­ten­ing to music, and travelling. Talisman Of El is her first novel. She currently lives in England, UK.

Links:

Website: http://www.aleciastone.com
Official Book Website: http://www.talismanofel.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AleciaStoneFan
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Alecia_Stone
Amazon: http://amzn.to/tNbFaD
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/tMa9E5