Yes, it's been forever

I just realized how long it's been since I've written a post. I guess I didn't have much to report regarding my writing because I've been in a bit of a slump. And so busy with work, there hasn't been time to breathe. Still busy with work but I do have news to share.

I finished a book! Seeing as how this particular story was started in 2008, I'm especially happy to have written "the end". I don't have a "set in stone" title for it but for now I'm calling it the Rose Hunter. This will be the sequel to The Keeper of Moon Haven. I've submitted the story and heard back from the editor. While I haven't signed the contract yet, I'm hopefully one will come soon. How can they not love a story involving an elfin witch and a straight-laced doctor?

So, if you haven't had a chance to check out the Keeper of Moon Haven, now's a good time to get involved with a fun fantasy world. For those that have read the Keeper of Moon Haven, the Rose Hunter is Lucian's story.

Welcome Guest Author, Deatri King-Bey

A warm welcome to Deatri King-Bey! Welcome to my small corner of the cyber world. Please tell us a little bit about you.

I started in the publishing industry as a developmental editor for an independent publishing house a little over a decade ago. Their focus was nonfiction, so soon I moved onto freelance editing for several publishing houses. I’m also an avid reader and author. The only genre I don’t like to read is horror. I just don’t find being scared enjoyable. I’m also a multi-published, award winning author with fifteen full length novels under my belt. I

write romance and women’s fiction under my name and dangerously-sexy suspense under the name L. L. Reaper. On a personal note, I have three fantastic daughters who have given me the three greatest grandchildren ever. I also married my hero over twenty-five years ago and look forward to when we can both retire and can be the annoying older couple in the grocery store fussing over which bottled water brand to purchase.

I understand you’ve written a fantasy romance book. Tell the readers why you chose to write in this genre? What inspired the story? 

I read everything, but my favorite genres are sci-fi and fantasy. Authors get to create worlds, but the worlds usually follow the rules of the world we live in. For example the sky is blue, there are twenty-four hours in the day, it takes a sperm and egg to produce a child, we have various government structures. No dragons… Even though a novel is fiction, thus not real, you still need to make it realistic. With fantasy, I get to make my own rules for the worlds my characters live on. I create what is realistic. Okay, you’ve got me. I’m a control freak. Seriously though, The Other Realm is my first time writing a fantasy. I don’t know what took me so long.

My inspiration for The Other Realm was a Canadian goose. One morning I was sitting in the courtyard outside of my office building when a Canadian goose decided he wanted to visit with me. It scared the heck out of me at first because these are not small birds and if they are nesting nearby, they will attack. I guess the goose decided I wasn’t a threat so hopped himself up on the opposite end of the bench. I jokingly said, “You’d better keep your feathered butt on that end of the bench or there will be a problem.”

That’s when the concept for a plot came to me. What if the goose answered? Next thing you know, I was writing The Other Realm.

What makes this book stand out from the other fantasy romance books? You’ll still get your romance, out of this world creatures and an adventure to remember, but the two realms this novel takes place in—our current realm and the other realm—feel completely different. I did my best to also have the reader feel this difference. I even used Limited Point of View in our realm and Unlimited Point of View in the other realm.  And the clashing of the realms… Well, you’ll need to read to find out.

Who was your favorite character in the book and why? Aurora, the heroine. She was raised in our realm and taught other realms don’t exist. Her transition to accepting the impossible, then accepting her destiny yet not settling for less was enjoyable to watch. And I’m not just saying that because it’s my book.

Do you think this character would prefer plain vanilla ice cream or chunky chocolate brownie ice cream and why? Aurora would prefer plain vanilla ice cream so she could add whatever ingredients she felt like having that particular day to make it into whatever she’d like.

When you’re in the midst of writing a story, do the characters let you sleep at night?  The characters always take over the story when I’m writing. I walk around with a notebook and write, write, write. Now I must admit, nothing keeps me from sleeping. I think the characters and I would have to fight if they kept me awake at night.

Please give us a sneak preview, a short excerpt: Here’s the first scene in the book where the heroine meets her hero (who is a goose in this realm and a warrior in the other realm).

Majestic bird should be reserved for eagles and hawks, thought Aurora. Eagles, hawks, and now geese.  She watched a goose soar across the courtyard, his wings fully expanded. In a few graceful strokes, he traveled two hundred yards and descended into an effortless landing.

She’d never seen anything so magnificent. The goose took her mind back to her pet goose that flew away one day, never to return. She constantly worried about what became of him.

As if the goose knew of his audience, he took off again, skimmed the freshly mowed grounds, then stopped in front of her.

She quickly checked over her shoulders. A few people were walking along the path that circled the office courtyard, but none were within earshot. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were putting a show on for me,” she teased.

Aurora.

She jumped and clinched her pounding chest at the sound of a deep, husky voice calling her name. She couldn’t tell what direction it came from, but she’d never heard a more clear sound. After a quick visual scan of the area, she took out her imitation hearing aids to see if she’d actually heard speaking. She’d had the earplugs made in the shape of hearing aids to block out the distorted sounds she heard instead of clear voices.

Aurora.

Her heart lurched forward from an anxiety-laced adrenaline rush. One of her earplugs slipped out of her hand. She knelt to pick it up. The goose stepped forward and stood on the device.

Aurora.

She looked around again. There was no one around. Not even on the walking path. She and the goose were the only warm-blooded creatures in sight. “Please, mister goose,” she murmured. “I think I’m losing my mind and,” she pointed at his foot, “I need my earplug.” He didn’t move.

You’re not crazy. It’s me—Tahlan, the voice explained.

She sat on her haunches and fought to remain in control over her nerves. “Oh great. Now the voice in my head has a name.”

A hearty chuckle filled her head. I haven’t heard sarcasm in such a long time. Come to think of it, I haven’t heard spoken word in such a long time.

She slowly rose. “I’m hearing voices, a goose is standing on my earplug and I’m talking to myself.” She held out her hands. “What next?”

This goose is the voice in your head.

Her lips pursed and eyes scrunched. “Oh yeah, I’m crazy. Now the goose is talking to me.” She spotted a few people across the lawn walking onto the path. “Listen here, mister goose.

Geese do not talk,” she whispered with a touch of agitation.

I know this all sounds crazy, Aurora, but please listen to me. I’m the voice in your head.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “If you’re talking to me, why isn’t your mouth moving? And how can I understand you?” She held out her imitation hearing aid. External sounds were distorted for her. Therefore, she couldn’t understand spoken word. “I’m not happy about it, but I’m crazy. I’m either hearing voices that don’t exist, or I think a goose is talking to me. Either way, I need some serious psychological help.”

My mouth isn’t moving because geese don’t talk.

She laughed so hard she drew the attention of the people who walked along the path.

After she calmed, he continued, I don’t have lips in this form. We communicate to each other telepathically.

“Not only am I fighting with a goose, but I’m losing the argument. This isn’t right.” She walked away. “Keep it. I’ll have another made,” she said over her shoulder. Audiologist never found a medical reason why Aurora’s hearing was distorted. She wore the imitation hearing aids to block out the noise and to minimize questions from people. It was much easier just saying she was hard of hearing than explaining the truth.

Aurora.  The goose bent his long neck down, picked up her earplug, then gave chase.

Listen to me.

“I don’t argue with animals. I’m going through some sort of crazy, think–geese–speak psychosis thing.”

You have a clear mind and heart. You know you’re not crazy.

“Crazy people never believe they’re crazy.”

He stepped in front of her.

She stumbled over him onto the cement walking path. “Listen up you crazy goose.” She glared into his beady black eyes, and a jolt of recognition zipped through her. It took a bit, but she shook it off. “If you trip me one more gin, I’ll pluck your feathers and have you for dinner.”

He dropped the earplug onto her lap. I find your spoken word comforting, but you don’t have to open your mouth. Just think to me. Tell me to do a flying trick. You’ll see this is real.

She wiped her hearing aid off with her denim shirt. “Yuck. Goose slob.”

Please try. This is important. What do you have to lose?

“My mind. But I’ll try anyway.” She closed her eyes and imagined the goose sailing a few feet above ground. She opened her eyes and watched him glide a few feet above the ground.

She changed her thoughts to him circling the flagpole. He circled the flagpole.

Her whole body trembled. “Oh no. This can’t be.” She ran into the building and practically knocked over a few innocent bystanders who’d come out to enjoy the show.

~ * ~

Ciara, I’d like to thank you for allowing me to introduce myself and The Other Realm to your readers. It was truly a pleasure.

Deatri King-Bey

My first attempt at a video trailer

So I did all the images myself except the bookcover. And I found the music at the neatest site. Jon Sayles is a very talented guitarist who wants to preserve the sounds of the Renaissance by recording short tunes. I hope my inclusion of his music will help him spread the word a little more. I've listened to all that he has on his site and they're all quite good.

Welcome Eve Langlais

In Celebration of my own fantasy coming out in December, I invited Eve Langlais to answer a few questions about her fantasy/paranormal stories. I also want to apologize to Eve for getting it on my blog late today. No excuses except - life got in the way? A huge welcome to Eve. 

ME: First of all, I took a look at your site. Wow. You have some really hot book covers and we all know how a great book cover can help sales. How much input do you have in regards to the cover art? Which cover is your favorite and why?

EVE: I’ve been really lucky that I’ve gotten to work with some rally talented artists. Initially, when the book is contracted, I have a chance to fill in a form and describe my vision of the perfect cover. The artists then turn that vision into reality with fantastic results. Making me choose a favorite one is cruel though. LOL. My Alien Mate covers with the smoking hot blue abs have probably gotten the most attention, but Jimmy Thomas straddling the motorcycle on the cover of Apocalypse Cowboy is probably the hottest one for me. J

ME: You write fantasy/paranormal romance with a bit of humor thrown in? What draws you to the genre?

EVE: I love paranormal and fantasy because I get to make the rules. In Lucifer’s Daughter, I remade Heaven and Hell with provoking and hilarious results. In Wickedest Witch, coming soon with Liquid Silver, I was able to use magic to spice up a love scene. The possibilities when you throw in magic are endless.

ME: Tell us about your first book?  How long did it take you to write with your busy schedule?

EVE: My very first book that I wrote and was lucky enough to have contracted was Take A Chance, now out with Champagne Books. It took me three months all told to write, then revise at the suggestion of an editor at Champagne. A full length novel, it was daunting to write, but the euphoria when it got contracted was unbelievable. It gave me the courage and drive to keep on typing.

ME: A lot of writers are “people watchers”.  Where do you do your best people watching?

EVE: At home lol. While I can be social if forced to, I am truly happiest at home. I live vicariously through books and television. I also find Facebook a neat way to see how other people live.

ME: Of the books you have out so far, which has a hero most like your husband?

EVE: LOL, according to my husband they are all patterned after him which is funny considering most of my heroes are either shifters, aliens or magically imbued. I think hubby is probably a mix of Hunter from The Hunter and Brody from Apocalypse Cowboy. One thing for sure, shifter or not, he’s all alpha.

ME: You write both erotic and sweet romance, so which of the two is easier to write?

EVE: I found sweet romance to be stifling when I wrote as I was too conscious of what I could and couldn’t say or do in heated moments. I prefer to use the big words and let the attraction between my main characters steam up the page.

ME: Many authors set lifetime goals for themselves.  What ultimate goal do you hope to achieve with your writing?

EVE: Why to be number one on Amazon of course?! LOL. My goal when I started was to get published, having done that several times over, now I just write because I can’t help myself. I do hope eventually though I’ll make enough from it that we can pay off our debt and put in a hot tub.

ME: Tell us about your latest project.

EVE: Alien Mate 3 is in the planning stages. People love the big blue guys. This one is going to be more of a galaxy trek with geeky earthling falls in lust, er love, with a new hunky blue alien who has no intention of setting down. Cleopatra is also clamoring to get her story out and a few of my series need sequels.

To find out more about me, check out some covers and excerpts, or even better buy some books, please visit me @ http://www.evelanglais.com

Thank you for the interview! J

My new cover is a keeper!!!

I don't think I have to tell you how excited I am about thsi cover. WOW!

Blurb: On the southern fringes of the Mendip Hills sits the Castle Hamingjur, an abandoned structure most fear haunted. Yet, on the rare occasions when the Hunter’s Blue Moon occurs, the Keeper occupies this mysterious castle where he guards the bridge to Alfheim Haven.

Noreen Willshire discovers more than fairytales hidden between the pages of Beletania’s diary. She opens the ancient book and finds a bridge to a Faery Realm where all manner of mythical creatures reside. In her naïveté, she summons the Keeper before his scheduled time in the human realm. In that brief moment, the mysterious wizard touches her soul with more than magick. She promises to return the diary during Mefylleth, a time when the barriers between the two realms melt away, but danger stalks her path. Torn between her desire to make a new life for herself in America and her growing love for the Keeper, she must bridge the gap between magick and time to follow her heart.

One Writer's Life

The following guest speaks close to my heart as I'm also a teacher. Please welcome Allison Knight as my guest blogger. I hope you enjoy her story as much as I did.

Have you ever wondered about the life of the author of the book you are reading? What kind of a person writes about space aliens, or who envisions tales of a mass murderer? How about the author of a spicy romance? Exactly what kind of a person are they - in real life? Because, lets face it, a fiction writer is involved in a world of pretend. More often than not, they're nothing like the characters who people their books.


I never gave the 'real' life of an author a thought, until some interesting things happened in me that were directly related to my writing romances and the way people perceive me.


Let me start at the beginning of my fiction writing career. Here I was, a forty something, I been teaching Home Economics for years, I was mother of four, plump, and viewed as a grandmotherly type. In fact, more than once in a classroom, I got called grandma. So, you get the idea. Picture what you would imagine the typical Home Economics teacher of forty years ago to be.

Then try and imagine the shock of the other teachers who had no idea you were writing anything, when, at a teachers' meeting, your principal pulls your first romance from his briefcase and asks you to autograph it. Of course, in those days, the covers always featured the heroine and the hero leaving nothing to the imagination as to what kind of book it was. And at the time, romance novels were considered little more than trash. Quite a few people insisted they had little value and there was nothing worthwhile about them.

But it didn't end at the meeting. My principal insisted, before our assembled teachers that I had to include him in my next book. At the time my thought was, "Yea! I'll make you a villain." Of course I didn't say it.
I even made radio in those days. Paul Harvey, on his midday show, commented there was a Michigan teacher telling her students about family living during the day and writing romance novels at night. That raised a few eyebrows at school. I didn't hear the program. I was busy teaching and telling my students to put my book away because they couldn't read during class. But, believe me, I heard about Mr. Harvey's comments.

There was one shining moment in my early career as an author and I'd like to share that because it gives purpose to what I do. One afternoon, as I hurried to the workroom for something, (I don't remember what) one of my male students stopped me in the hall. He wanted to know if he could talk to me. He wanted to talk about my novel. By this time, I got a bit defensive if anyone said they wanted to talk about MY book.

He indicated he wished to have his say someplace private, not in the hallway, so we went to a corner of the library. I assured him we would talk, and I figured, oh boy, here it comes again! Another - shame on you, or how could you, or my parents.... I'd heard it all before.

Imagine my shock when he said he'd read my book and then sheepishly, admitted he'd never read a whole book before. I was stunned. He was a junior in high school. I don't know why, but I asked him if he like it. He said, yes, he did. But the story doesn't end there.

Two years later, in the fall, I was shopping in our local mall and stopped at the book store. Here came my student from the back of the store, his arms full of books. He had a stack of five or six hardback novels, and not small ones, by any means. He greeted me and said, "See what you've done to me. Now I spent all my spare money on books." At that moment I knew why I wrote fiction. If nothing else, I had inspired one young man to read a book and once he discovered how wonderful the experience was, he had to have more of it.

Now, when I get a bit discouraged, and wonder why I keep plugging away at the computer, I remember my student. It's worth my hard work if through my books another young person can experience the joy of immersing themselves in the world of make believe.

So, the next time you read a book, you might give a thought to the life of the author. Just what are they like, what kind of life do they live and why are they writing fiction. I'll bet they are much like you and me and I can tell you now, they write because it's in their blood; they have to write. And like me, they have probably experienced something that gives them the incentive to keep writing.

Allison Knight writes "Heart-warming Romance with a Sensual Touch"
Her books can be found at http://www.champagnebooks.com/

Victorian Fantasy contracted!

It's been too long since I posted, but I wanted to share good news. My Victorian fantasy was contracted about 2 weeks ago. Yeah, I know, I should have shouted from the roof tops but it's been crazy busy at my place.

Anyway, if ever there was a book of the heart, this was it. I wrote her five years ago and have been polishing ever since. It features the Keeper of a mystical world and a very prim and proper Victorian Nanny. As a fantasy, the story comes complete with trolls, fairies and gnomes.

I'll post more about it later, but I wanted to share here first.