Guest Blog and Giveaway by J Bennett

Getting Creative On A Schedule

One Author Explains How, When It Comes To Writing, Routine Is Essential

I have a muse. Her name is Bridgette, and she and I get along, for the most part. Honestly though, she can be a real flake sometimes. I also suspect that she may unsuccessfully be trying to break a smoking habit, because there are days where Bridgette will duck out, leaving me to stare at the blank page on my laptop wondering where all my great ideas just went.

Even when Bridgette sneaks out for a smoke break or takes the entire day off (almost always without calling ahead), I still have to write. Muse or no, the words must go on the page.

Inspiration certainly has an honored place among all artists, but for most of us, inspiration cannot sustain us through the creation of an entire work, especially a months-long or years-long project like writing and polishing a novel. This blog post is about the decidedly unsexy way most authors – myself included – actually get that whole writing thing done: we turn writing into a routine.

Art and routine ; the two concepts seem to go together like oil and water, but actually routine is almost a necessity for most authors. Writing a novel is an endeavor that requires hour after hour, day after day of steady concentration to build, to polish, to tear down and rebuild.

Inspiration still has its place, of course, but inspiration rarely reaches fruition without a strong established work routine behind it. Take my experience for example:

The impetus for my debut novel Falling – Girl With Broken Wings was a scene that flashed across my mind in a sudden moment of inspiration. I saw a college-aged girl huddled at a table in a bland motel room, shivering, trying to hold herself back from doing something terrible. In the second bed behind her, a boy sleeps, completely unaware of the turmoil the girl is going through. His body is outlined in a beautiful swirl of incandescent energy. It’s this energy that draws the girl, that calls to her like a siren’s song. She stands, and as she walks toward the bed, the skin of her palms peels back, and veiny orbs lift out.

When this scene first came to me, I immediately flipped open my laptop and began to write what I saw. Those words became the prologue for my novel, but after it was down, I realized that the rest of the book wouldn’t come so easily. Completing my novel would take dedication, a harnessing of creative energy and a strong show of support from Bridgette the muse.

Over time, that single scene blossomed into a story. The girl in the motel room became Maya, my quirky narrator who is kidnapped and changed into something other than human. The sleeping boy turned into Gabe, her good-natured and too-trusting half-brother. As the scenes progressed, Bridgette and I settled into a routine. I found that it was easiest to write in the morning as soon as I woke up when my mind was fresh and unencumbered by the responsibilities of the day.

Soon enough, I started waking up naturally at 6 AM and automatically reaching for my laptop. Every day for two years, the hours between 6 and 8 AM each morning became scared writing time. It didn’t matter that the words weren’t perfect, that the plot was a little threadbare in certain places or that Bridgette was out sick for the day. The words came anyway, piling up, turning into something real.

This, in my mind, is what art looks like. It’s not a spark or a transcendent moment. It’s 6 to 8 AM every morning come rain or shine or a cranky muse. After two years of work, Falling was complete. That initial burst of inspiration was now swaddled in a complete story that was completed through routine bursts of creativity. Even after Falling was done, the routine continued, and I’m proud to announce that I just released a follow-up novella, Coping, this month. I’m also hard at work on Landing, book two in the Girl With Broken Wings series, which is slated for January, 2013.

If you want to accomplish something great, whether it’s a novel or some other endeavor, don’t wait on your muse to show up all cheery-eyed and rosy-cheeked. Trust me, that won’t happen too often. Instead, I suggest opening up a regular spot in your schedule which you dedicate to achieving that goal. Keep that time sacred. Don’t let worries, outside obligations or a muse with a smoking habit steal that time away, and you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish. I know I was.

***

Falling is J Bennett’s debut novel and the first book in the Girl With Broken Wings series. It is currently available as an ebook for $2.99 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. Learn more and read a free sample at www.GirlWithBrokenWings.com or visit her Facebook page for news and updates. Coping, a follow-up novella was released in July, 2012. J Bennett is a professional copywriter and copyeditor. She also writes the blog www.ShyWriter.com.

Maya knew something was wrong. The stranger’s glowing hands were a big tipoff.
When the stranger murders Maya’s boyfriend with a single touch, drags her to an abandoned storage unit, and injects her with a DNA-altering serum, Maya prays for a savior.
Instead, the college sophomore gets a double helping of knight-in-not-so-shining-armor when two young men claiming to be her half-brothers pull off a belated rescue. Now Maya is swiftly transforming into an “angel”, one of the scientifically-enhanced, energy-sucking creatures her brothers have spent their whole lives trying to destroy.
Maya’s senses sharpen, her body becomes strong and agile, and she develops the ability to visually see the emotions of those around her as colorful auras…beautiful auras…tempting auras.
One brother wants to save her. The other wants to kill her before she becomes too strong. Maya just wants to go home.
Struggling to control the murderous appetite that fuels her new abilities, Maya must find a way to accept her altered condition and learn to trust her brothers as she joins them in their battle against the secret network of powerful and destructive angels.
Oh, and she’d like a few words with the one who changed her. Words, then lots of stabbing.

I also have been given the opportunity to offer a few eBooks to my lucky readers.  So if you are eager to read the first in the series, just leave a comment for J Bennett here before 27 July 2012.

Guest post with James Mace

James Mace, author of Soldier of Rome: The Sacrovir Revolt joins us today and he tell us a little more background on his book.

The easiest way to examine the life of a Roman soldier is to look at the potential career of a legionary from day one.

In order to enlist in the legions, one had to be male, at least seventeen years of age, and a Roman citizen. Non-citizens could still serve, but they would serve in the auxiliary forces, which were less trained and equipped, often suffering far higher casualties as a result. However, an auxiliary who completed twenty-five years of service would be granted Roman citizenship upon his discharge and retirement.

Potential recruits were medically screened before being sent off to their units. A period of basic training would follow, which was very similar to what modern day Army soldiers and Marines are put through. Upon completion, the recruits would become legionaries and join their brethren in the ranks. Unlike modern armies where soldiers can elect to sign up for just a few years, when one joined the Roman Army, it was for twenty years.

Adrian Goldsworthy's The Complete Roman Army gives an in depth look into daily life of a Roman soldier. He has part of a duty roster for a unit stationed in Egypt. Soldiers would find their names on the roster and see what duties they had to perform throughout the month. This included simple tasks like guard duty, to less than enviable like having to clean out the backlogged sewage pipes. A legionary could get out of these types of duties if he possessed a specific skill that was in high demand, like blacksmithing or leather working. These soldiers would be placed on what was called immune status, and would work in their specialty while also drawing incentive pay.

The epic battles that made Rome famous only made up a miniscule portion of a legionary's career, if they came at all. It was not unheard of for a soldier to serve out his entire tenure without ever having to draw his sword in anger. When battles did happen, the legionary's discipline, ability to work as a cohesive team, and their vastly superior weapons and armor kept casualties very low. During most major battles, total casualty rates for a Roman Army were around two percent, of who maybe one in five were killed.

There were many advantages to joining the legions. Foremost, it was a steady profession with guaranteed pay. Soldiers' rations were also provided, as were the barracks they lived in. Constant training kept the legionary at a high state of physical fitness. The Romans were also obsessive about personal cleanliness, and a legionary was expected to bathe daily as well as maintain proper dental hygiene. The combination of steady pay, proper nutrition, high physical fitness, and sound personal hygiene gave the Roman soldier a much higher quality of life, as well as life expectancy, than many of their civilian counterparts.

Author BIO:
Since I can remember I have always had a passion for history. My love of Roman history started when I first watched the series “I, Claudius”. I then proceeded to read every Roman book I could get my hands on.

I got my start writing bodybuilding and physical fitness articles for Bodybuilding.com, as well as a lesser-know magazine, HardCore Muscle. I turned to writing historical novels when I was in Iraq. My intent was to write the stories that I wanted to read, but could not find. While we may hear stories about the Emperors and Generals of antiquity, we almost never hear the stories of the men who did the actual fighting under them. Sadly, most historical data is lost, the individual soldiers being long since forgotten by history. My attempt with The Artorian Chronicles is to tell the story of a common legionary and what could have happened throughout his career.

More recently I have turned to other periods in history and have started work on a pair of historical novels about the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. The working title for the first book is “Brutal Valour”. I’m tentatively planning for it to be released sometime in 2012, along with the fifth book in The Artorian Chronicles, “Soldier of Rome: Judea”.

You can visit James at http://legionarybooks.net

About Soldier of Rome: The Sacrovir Revolt 
It has been three years since the wars against Arminius and the Cherusci. Gaius Silius, Legate of the Twentieth Legion, is concerned that the barbarians-though shattered by the war-may be stirring once again. He also seeks to confirm the rumors regarding Arminius’ death. What Silius does not realize is that there is a new threat to the Empire, but it does not come from beyond the frontier; it is coming from within the Empire’s borders in Gaul. Legionary Artorius has greatly matured during his five years in the legions. He has become stronger in mind; his body growing even more powerful. Like the rest of the Legion, he is unaware of the shadow growing well within the Empire’s borders, where a disaffected nobleman is stirring rebellion to betray the Emperor Tiberius. A shadow looms; one that looks to envelope the province of Gaul as well as the Rhine legions. The year is 20 A.D.

Historical Fiction (and a giveaway) with Darik Brooks

Tapping the Inner Alchemist: An Author’s Perspective on Historical Fiction
What is historical fiction? Historical fiction, or HF, is the creative marriage of its two individual components, history and fiction. HF authors take an event, some characters, a setting, a theme, or all of them collectively, cut them from their original context, and create a fictional retelling of a particular known point in history. We all know from reading historical fiction that readers process HF in a different way than they do ordinary fiction. Some elements of an historical fiction novel may align with a given account of history, while other details clearly diverge down the path cleared by the author’s creative license. This is what I call the threshold of accuracy. Whether you enjoy reading Harry Turtledove, Philippa Gregory, or JR Tomlin, each author has worked to establish his/her own threshold over time. How true a story is to its history depends on many factors. More conservative historical fiction walks a straighter line in relation to historical accounts, while liberal novelists may only borrow characters or settings or ignore conventionally accepted themes in order to tell their version of a story. Regardless, as historical fiction writers and readers, we are all essentially searching for the story beneath the story and we are willing to set aside some personal beliefs in order to enjoy a good read.   
    Throughout the process of writing Trinity of the Sun: Book I, I constantly challenged myself to discover my own threshold of accuracy. I had been studying the Gnostic gospels and other derivative and related works when the idea struck me. I asked myself, what would a fictional retelling of the early lives of Jesus Christ, John Baptist, and Mary Magdalene look like based on these sources, instead of the Bible? This spawned a period of intensive research resulting in numerous notes and the discovery of many new possible scenarios regarding the lives of Jesus, Mary, and John. Having blown away any likelihood for a decisive threshold of accuracy for this story, I found myself alone with a computer screen and a bucket full of creative license. I grinned ever so cynically and began to type.
     Within the process of creating historical fiction, reading and researching the subject matter can take exponentially longer than writing. While initial research may occur over a period of several months to many years, it never really ends until the book goes to the publisher. At some point in the process, HF authors have to put down their favorite books and write. However, even when deeply absorbed in writing, I am constantly stopping to search for information tidbits to complete the picture, information that makes the story more real, more believable. I want the story to be tangible, so I collect and weigh multiple details and choose what works for the story I am telling. In the instance of the Trinity of the Sun series, one morsel of nonfiction led to another and before I could stop it, I saw the story emerging. I traced threads of truth through many sources, including hours of image searches, until I found every piece I needed, but I still lacked the magical formula for putting it all together. That was until my initiation into the alchemists’ club.
    The mystical battery that makes all HF writers tick is that all are privy to a secret club, or cadre. Historical fiction authors are true alchemists of prose. HF authors digest literally thousands upon thousands of facts, both mundane and sublime, allow those minutia to gestate and ferment for a period of time – the span of which is dependent on the individual, and then spit out lines of fiction, magically tying together many otherwise loose ends. (I am not saying that other authors don’t do research, but rather, that HF authors’ works will always be partly judged on their relation to the history they are revisiting, and so, fidelity to some vestige of accuracy is often a factor.) The facts and details are pressed into raw grape juice and after all the ingredients are added, the components work away in the author’s mental crocks, eventually fermenting into the wine of a storyline and then, decanted into digital containers. A further analogy clearly highlighting the alchemical function of HF authorship is reflected in the way honeybees take in nectar from blossoms, store it in their bodies, and transmute that raw substance into precious honey when they return to the hive. Admittedly, not all historic fiction turns into honey, but all HF authors, regardless of their skillfulness, experience some glint of alchemy as they put words onto the page.
    Improvising is the finishing step in this alchemical process. Somewhere in time, events occurred which led to a history that we can or have accessed. Oftentimes, these histories are dry and curtly erudite, lacking in flare, having removed some of the most human elements. Writing HF is the process of restoring some or all of those human elements, filling-in, between the details. Some of this improvisation draws from existing facts, some of it doesn’t; it is really up to the particular author’s threshold of accuracy. In many instances, readers already know details about the story they are reading. What the author provides is a context for those characters or events to become real. The successful HF author waves an ink-laden wand, creating voices, actions, volitions, and justifications for their characters, animating them from their previously cardboard reality to occupy space within their readers’ minds. Coupled with descriptive imagery, HF novels paint pictures of history in full color and context – a feat that simply isn’t possible within conventional history books. Since some authors improvise beyond readers’ comfortable limits, HF readers are challenged to keep their minds sharpened so they can distinguish for themselves what is reality and what is not. In Trinity of the Sun, I endeavored to include as many real-time facts as possible to stay within my threshold, while stretching the settings and characters’ roles beyond most traditionally conceived limits. I didn’t intend for the book to be a comfort read, but one that keeps readers on the edge.
    Writing historical fiction is a multi-faceted enterprise. I sometimes dream of a day when I can sit and let profuse, un-researched fiction drip from my fingertips onto the page without needing to maintain the faintest modicum of honesty. Then I stop myself and wonder if I could even write pure fiction, after dabbling in HF. With no tethers to some accepted reality I could give my characters heroic names like Hathor and Bumblegrid and have whimsical settings named Xandiam, Christleford, and Wakeworthy, but can I really do that? No, not yet, I think to myself. There is something about writing historical fiction that undeniably clicks for me. Maybe it is my penchant for reading nonfiction books or, perhaps it comes from my suspended belief in history, as it is recorded by the victors. So far, I do not understand all the whys of writing historical fiction, but as I slowly become intricately familiar with the hows of the whole process, I am repeatedly awestruck by the magical transformations that occur when writing in this genre.

Darik Brooks is the author of Trinity of the Sun: Book I, the first in a series of thought-provoking novels depicting an alternative history of the formation of Christianity and its biggest players. Darik was raised in a middle-class environment in a small, mid-western town. After graduating from college with a degree in philosophy, he attended another private university and earned a master's degree in Buddhist Studies. He has held many quirky jobs, mostly in the transportation industry, and is now a licensed teacher with no class(es).  He enjoys homesteading, hunting, fishing, hiking, sailing, tending his beehive, and doing research (reading). He and his partner live in an off-grid house in a secluded canyon somewhere in the western United States.

Goodreads blurb:

Did master Renaissance artists imbed a secret code into their finest works? What were artists like Da Vinci, Poussin, and Raphael whispering to us through their enigmatic symbols? Trinity of the Sun is a fictional reflection on these and many other questions. It is the first book in a scintillating and thought-provoking series of creative novels by author Darik Brooks. It is an inspired retelling of the traditional story of Jesus the Christ, John the Baptist, and Mary Magdalene, uncovered through the eyes, ears, and imaginations of Sophie and Carmen Leon. Carmen leads us down a path of discovery, systematically unraveling the mysterious foundations of belief-systems that have dominated European and other western cultures for two millennia. Through the eyes of these amateur art history connoisseurs, readers will discover a hidden code of symbols within High Renaissance artworks hinting at an entirely alternative story about the formation of Christianity.
Join Carmen and Sophie as they shed light on the mysterious obelisks of Rome, explore hidden catacombs under the Vatican, and decode unsolved secrets left by the greatest artists of all time, all while illuminating the formative lives of Jesus, John, and Mary. Decorated with stunning and illustrative images, this novel is a must have for art and religious history enthusiasts, open-minded skeptics, and conspiracy theorists, alike. Inspired by a survey of modern scholarly works concerning the origins of Christianity, Trinity of the Sun skillfully assimilates many erudite facts within a crafty, seamless, two-fold tale of intrigue.

 

** Giveaway**

 

Darik is giving two lucky commenters the chance to win an eCopy of Trinity of the Sun.  Just leave a message with your contact details and I will draw two random winners on 04 November 2011.  Good Luck!

Thank you so much for visiting with us today, Darik.  We wish you only success in future.

Link to Amazon.uk:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trinity-Sun-Book-I-ebook/dp/B005BE0PHS/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311360850&sr=1-3

Link to Amazon.us:

http://www.amazon.com/Trinity-Sun-Book-I-ebook/dp/B005BE0PHS/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1311009687&sr=1-2

Link to B&N:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trinity-of-the-sun-darik-brooks/1104172284?ean=2940012855886&itm=2&usri=trinity%2bof%2bthe%2bsun

Guest post by Rebeka Harrington

“Leave behind your preconceived ideas, forget the horror stories and disregard everything you think you know about vampires.
For centuries the debate has raged; are vampires real?  There has been plenty of myth and superstition regarding vampires but not a lot of truth or answers.  In a unique piece of work, Bektamun a 3000 year old vampire, puts to rest all the myth and finally reveals the truth about the legendary creatures known across the globe as vampires.
Vampires Revealed is a journey of discovery. Never before have humans had and an opportunity such as this.  To know the unadulterated truth, for every question you may have ever had about vampires to be answered”

Rebeka visited us earlier in the week and today we get a little more behind the scenes info.  So over to Rebeka.

Recently I did an interview with Chrizette and she, like many others, asked what inspired me to write Vampires Revealed. The short answer is; to rather self-indulgently answer my own questions. Given that is the brief response, when Chriz asked me to return and do a guest post, I decided I wanted to talk more about how Vampires Revealed came to be written.

Don’t ask me when it started, but for as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with vampires. I remember when I first discovered Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, I was in Heaven. Lestat, so good at being bad. Louis desperately trying to come to grips with the ‘dark gift’. Claudia, Armand, Marius, Pandora, Akasha and more… a host of vampires came flying at me from the pages and embraced me in their world. There was something enigmatic and intriguing about vampires and I loved them.

Then when I got my first taste of vampire movies I fell in love with them all over again. To see the danger, brutality, charm and intelligence was almost magical. To witness vampires come to life, right before my eyes on the big screen… Wow!

As you can imagine I’ve consumed my fair share of vampire fiction after since I first discovered them.
While often now vampires are portrayed with a more ‘human’ quality, it wasn’t always the case. Mostly vampires were the monsters of nightmares, superstars of horror. Forever cast in the role of evil demons. I adamantly believed there had to be more to these creatures of intelligence besides being killers.
Some time ago, I found myself with an unusual amount of free time on my hands and was obsessing over every little detail I could think of about vampires. The most critical was ‘where did vampires come from? ’ Generally they are accepted as supernatural creatures, but where exactly did they come, How did it all start? Who was the first?

Was it some sort of religious ceremony gone wrong? Did someone summon the wrong God and vampires were sent as a plague on mankind? Or was it the product of a God/human coupling gone wrong? Or something else entirely?

Once I got started asking questions I couldn’t stop.


They drink A LOT of blood. Do they ever need to use the toilet?


If they’re capable of physical intimacy with human beings (think True Blood) then do their bodies perform and function in the same way as humans? If not, then how the heck does that work?


Are vampires heterosexual, homosexual, cross-dressing transvestites? Do they even think about these things?


Are they single-minded killers or are they a nation of complex individuals all with different personalities?


Do vampires live in harmony with each other? Do they fight among themselves over stupid stuff like humans?


Seriously I just couldn’t stop. For every question I was able to answer another three would spring to mind. This is where Bektamun stepped in to save me.


Having lived for more than 3000 years, Bektamun is supremely confident of her own abilities. One might say she is downright arrogant, even a bossy-boots at times. But her knowledge and experience is unquestionable.


Some people might think I’m crazy, because I ‘talk’ to my characters. Tucked away in my home office I sit and talk at length with my characters. In particular Bektamun while I was writing Vampires Revealed. Here’s a sample of a conversation between myself and Bektamun.


Bektamun: “Vampires cannot feed from a human suffering leukemia?”


Rebeka: “Why?”


Bektamun: “It reacts with metabolic chemicals.”


Rebeka: “What happens then?”


Bektamun: “The infected vampire goes crazy.”


Rebeka: “Really? What sort of behavior do they display?”


Almost without fail my opening to question to Bektamun regarding anything is ‘why’. It's like trying to explain to a three year old why the sky is blue…”Why?”, “Because it is.”, “Why?”, “Just because.”


The combination of applied logic, research, character questioning and input helped me to create my very own vampire mythology. My vampires remain familiar enough to be recognized by fans of the genre, however strike out on their own in a unique way.


Writing Vampires Revealed was at times headache inducing, but overall it was extremely fun. And who wouldn’t want to hang out with Bektamun? She’s a pretty groovy chick, even for a vampire.





Author bio:
Raised in country Victoria, Rebeka started her writing career working for the local newspaper as a teenager. While she decided not to pursue this as a career, she has always enjoyed writing and being creative


With so many varied interests and eccletic taste in most things, Rebeka enjoys incorporating all of them in her writing. She particularly enjoys writing about vampires.


Rebeka seeks to define and explain vampires in a way not done before. This has been achieved with her debut title "Vampires Revealed". Following titles will revolve around exploring the world and characters created in her first release.


Currently Rebeka lives in Melbourne with her “demented” but lovable cat, dividing her time between writing and managing a small boutique entertainment agency.

Guest post and Give-Away by author Amanda McNeil

Ever notice how a lot of paranormal romance tends to take place in the American South?  I’m a huge fan of the genre, so when I decided to write my own novella series, making the main character a northerner born and raised was a no-brainer.

Tova Gallagher embodies the best and worst of northern women.  She’s fiercely independent, brassy, and some would say tactless.  Attempts at being fashionable sometimes fall to the wayside in order to stay warm and/or dry in fierce Boston winters.  Bourbon is always on hand, and she gives men a bit of a run for their money when it comes to drinking at the pubs.  But she’s also loyal to a fault and has a soft heart under the tough exterior.  Her stress levels running an independent bookstore with her best friend and being perpetually boyfriendless may be high, but her biting Yankee sense of humor helps her keep a positive outlook.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a paranormal romance if Tova was just a typical northern woman, would it?  She’s also half-demon.  The result of the supe world attempting to determine of humans or demons will win in the endtimes.  Whichever half Tova and other halvesies allow to control their lives is supposed to help predict this future.  Personally, Tova thinks this whole issue has more to do with demons being unable to keep it in their pants around humans, but her demon cousin Bartleby always shoots down this theory.  You’d think choosing sides would be easy, but demon magic can be really tempting to use.  Even more so when a mysterious stranger shows up that makes her tingle in more ways than one.

The Tova Gallagher series will consist entirely of bite-sized novellas for the busy paranormal romance fan.  New entries will release every two to three months. 

The first entry, Ecstatic Evil, was released on July 7th.

Amanda has generously offered an eCopy of her book to a lucky commenter.  So go ahead and leave you details with a message to Amanda and I will draw a lucky winner on 15 September 2011.

Author Bio:
Amanda is an energetic, masters degree educated, 20-something happily living in an attic apartment in Boston with her shelter-adopted cat.  She writes horror, dystopian scifi, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy.

You may find her online at her blog http://opinionsofawolf.wordpress.com or request to follow her on twitter http://twitter.com/amandamcneil. You may also contact her at opinionsofawolf@gmail.com.

Thank you for visiting, Amanda!

Guest author post (and giveaway) with Sondra Allan Carr

Thanks, Chrizette, for this opportunity to share a little bit about myself and my new book on your blog. My name is Sondra Allan Carr. I'm a writer from Lexington, Kentucky, an area that's famous for its horse farms, bourbon, and--I might as well say it, because a lot of people out there are thinking it--fried chicken.
This is an exciting time to be a writer, because the publishing industry is changing with breathtaking speed. More and more authors are turning down contracts from the big traditional publishing houses in order to publish online through venues such as Amazon.com and Smashwords.com. This gives writers more control over their work and, just as important, it gives readers more choice, because thousands of good writers have been rejected by the big publishers. Too often they're told it's because their work didn't "fit the mould."
Well, I'm willing to bet there are plenty of readers out there who don't fit the mould either. This is where the book bloggers come in. I like to think of them as online dating sites for books, people who have found their match and want to help their readers do the same. "Do you like fantasy? Science fiction? Teen vampires? Historical romances?" they ask. "There's someone I want you to meet..."

Speaking of historical romances, let me introduce you to my new book, A Bed of Thorns and Roses.

The story takes place during America's Gilded Age, in 1895 to be precise, and is my take on the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast. I chose that particular era because it was a time when women who fell outside the boundaries of the rigid morality of the day were ostracized by society. It didn't matter whether they jumped or were pushed past the limits, these women were often blamed for the crimes committed against them as if they had chosen to be victims. That was the case with my heroine, Isabelle, and explains the extreme shame she felt for what happened to her.

The following is a brief summary of A Bed of Thorns and Roses:

Heir to a wealthy robber baron, Jonathan Nashe had every advantage money could buy until a tragic fire left him horribly disfigured. Now he lives secluded in his isolated country mansion, finding what solace he can in his scientific research. Declining health eventually threatens to rob him of even this small comfort. Forced to choose between his work and his privacy, Jonathan reluctantly hires a secretary.
Victim of a brutal rape as well as her alcoholic father's emotional and physical abuse, Isabelle Tate long ago abandoned any hope of personal happiness. Instead, she focuses all her dreams for the future on her younger sister Jenny. When a handsome doctor unexpectedly offers her a position as secretary to his reclusive and wealthy patient, Isabelle sees the opportunity to make a better life for Jenny. She signs a contract binding her to employment for one year and, after a tearful farewell, leaves Jenny for her new home at Jonathan Nashe's country estate.
When he sees Isabelle alight from the carriage, Jonathan curses his friend Dr. Garrick. It had never occurred to him the doctor would hire a woman for the position. What would she do when she saw his mask? Probably run from the room screaming. At the very least, he will have to endure her revulsion.
Their first meeting is disastrous, to put it mildly. Even worse, Jonathan soon realizes that sacrificing his privacy is the least of his concerns; he never expected to sacrifice his heart as well.
Afraid of losing Isabelle, Jonathan proposes marriage, phrasing his offer as a business transaction, asking nothing more than her companionship. But Isabelle refuses. She guards the secrets of her past as vigilantly as Jonathan hides the scars beneath his mask. Will they confess their growing love for one another knowing that to bare their deepest feelings, they must also bare their deepest shame?

You can find Jonathan and Isabelle's story at Amazon.com and Smashwords.com. 

You can connect with me online at http://www.facebook.com/sondraallancarr or http://twitter.com/SondraCarr. 
I would love to hear from you.
Let me leave you with a parting question. Do you have a favorite book based on Beauty and the Beast?

Guys, Sondra has generously offered us a free coupon for her book on Smashwords -http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/63137 – just type in YX49B. 
All we ask is that you leave a comment here saying that you will be reading A Bed of Thorns and Roses and then consider leaving a review on Smashwords and off course everywhere else too!  :)

Thank you so much Sondra!  I can’t wait to read A Bed of Thorns and Roses!  Beauty and the Beast type stories are a secret addiction with me!  I just love the romance of it!

 

Guest Author Post and Giveaway–Michelle Franklin

Welcome, Michelle!!

Michelle Franklin is a small woman of moderate consequence who writes many, many books about giants, romance, and chocolate. The sole author of the Haanta Series. She’s been kind enough to write a little short story to wet our appetites about the world of her series.

Coconut 
After the commander and Den Asaan used their repose from the Lucentian courts to visit the afamed cafe district, they sat at the grand fountain at the centre of the capital to enjoy the cooling mists bushing against the stone basin where the commander was content to be immobile in the dry, festering heat and where the Den Asaan was equally pleased to take inventory of the numerous deserts he had collected. It was too warm for custard, not cold enough for the sugared creams, but chocolate would do very well for him in such an acrid air. The climate had gained little power over the Den Asaan’s stomach, he being used to the excessive warmth of the northern atmosphere, but where he was gleeful in his allotment of cakes and treats, the commander was merely gratified to be shaded and silent.

Rautu reveled in his task, separating those wrapped articles he would be taking back to the guild and those partially packaged that he would eat now. He was fortunate to have done well in thinking that there could be nothing deleterious in choosing chocolate, but when he lifted the first item to examine it, there was something on the top that he had never before seen: white shavings of a waxy substance curled and sprinkled as a garnishing. He examined them thoroughly, determined they must be edible, but had little idea what they were. The mysterious, glinting fragments had no detectable scent, had little tasted when licked, and upon the whole the Den Asaan was confounded by them.

He held his pastry toward his mate and pointed to the shavings. “What are these?” he demanded in a wary tone.

The commander opened her eyes and exhaled as she wiped the pearls of sweat from beneath her fringe. “That is coconut,” she said after a pause.

Rautu was further bemused by the name of the object, as it seemed to be neither nut nor chocolate. He studied it again, rubbing the waxen curls between his fingers. “Is it a fruit?”

“Many people believe it is,” the commander half-smiled. “If I told you that it was, would you relinquish your treat?”

The Den Asaan regarded the pastry with chariness. He could not decide what should be worse, the devouring of a fruit and perhaps the added horror of liking it or being forced to give his prize away to save himself the dread of being subject to its consumption. He agonized over his internal query until he could endure the site of the coconut shavings no longer and said, “You will explain what this is, woman,” with decided inflection.

“Coconut is the seed of a fruit,” the commander simpered. “The fruit is the hard and brown inedible part, but when chipped away it leaves that lovely white seed behind.”

Rautu had frowned at the coconut during his mate’s explication and held it away from his features, eyeing it with grave concern. “This is from a tree?” he asked in profound uncertainty.

“From a palm, yes.”

“Then, it is a fruit.”

“The seed of one, Iimon Ghaala,” the commander laughed behind a raised hand.

The giant was engrossed in deliberation over the confounding article. By definition, if it was from a tree, then seed or not, it was by all means a fruit, and here was all his apprehension. To openly taste and perhaps enjoy that which he had sworn as his enemy was unconscionable to him. He considered having his mate pick off the shavings but there was no telling if there was more of them on the inside or even if the inside were of a more objectionable matter. This was deception for which the giant was ill prepared, and the commander cackled at his internal confliction as he stood debating the fate of his pastry.

“Do not mock me, woman,” the giant roared in distress.

“Iimon Ghaala,” she exclaimed, wiping the mirthful tears from her eyes. “Honestly. You have eaten other seeds from fruits before.”

“No, I have not.”

“Yes, you have. You have eaten pumpkin seeds.”

Rautu opened his mouth to contend such a statement but was silenced when his mate reminded him of when he had performed such an evil.

“The chocolate butter biscuits from Diras Delights that you adore so well have pumpkins seeds. You make no quarrel about those.”

“I did not know those were from fruits.”

“Of course they are. Where else does one find a seed but in a fruit?”

“Why did you not tell me?” he roared.

“I thought you knew. I was surprised you were eating them. You eat almonds and those are fruits.

“They are not fruits.”

“Of course they are. Almonds are drupes, Iimon Ghaala, just as berries are.”

The terror of the idea struck him. Rautu dropped his hands at his side and glared at his mate with circumspection. She was too assured of her conviction to be attempting deception yet it could not be true. That something as almonds, which he enjoyed tolerably well, should be akin to berries, the most hateful fruit in the world, was deplorable. It must not be. It ought not. It was every way impossible, and yet the indemnity of his mate and her artless smile told him of its being so. Almonds as fruits: this was a grievous notion. Now he would be forced to forbid himself anything with the treacherous nut and would be equally compelled to have it removed from every item in his bakery. He had been used to believe that nuts were a certain safety, but now that nuts were not as they seemed, he must harden himself against every seed, every capsule, and every article in disguise that could be a fruit.

“There are many things people consider to be nuts that are actually something else entirely,” the commander said, adding to her mate’s disenchantment. “Peanuts are legumes, which are still safe for you, pecans and walnuts are drupes just like your friends the almonds, pistachios and pine nuts are seeds.”

Here, the giant must protest. Pistachios and peanuts must be safe. He would not allow her to take them from repertoire of harmless fare. “You are lying to me,” he growled, asserting his point with the coconut pastry in his hand.

“I am not,” she snickered. “If you won’t believe the once-farmer now -commander, you may ask the twins when return to Frewyn. If it’s one thing they know besides ale, eating and corporal pleasures, it’s produce.”

Rautu groaned and writhed in agony. He looked at his trove of Lucentian treasures and noted that most of them contained the very items his mate pronounced. Certainly if pistachios were now seeds, cashews must be a vegetable, and he now considered whether it were advisable to give every treat he had assembled to his mate and begin anew. He pouted, grumbled to himself, and offered the pastry in his hand to the commander with a dejected countenance.

“This is a torment for you, I’m certain,” she crooned, taking the item from his hand. “Alas you have found a whole new set of horrors to worry you.”

Rautu sat on the ground, rested his chin on his hand and sulked in resignation and despair. He could do little else but watch his mate devour the chocolate treat filled with coconut cream. The white substance gleaming in the sun and his mate’s apparent delight from it offended him, and as he turned away from the disheartening seen, he was forced to consider reneging his war on fruits if only to eat almonds in peace, salvage peanuts and defeat the mysterious coconut when he should find the courage to do so.

And here is the first book in the series:

Blurb from Goodreads:
"The Kingdom of Frewyn is being invaded by the Galleisian infantry and at the forefront of the battle is Boudicca MacDaede, a First Captain in the Frewyn armed forces. Her regiment is charged with defending the borders between the two nations, but when Frewyn’s last line of defense falls, Captain MacDaede enlists the assistance of a Haanta, one of giants from the islands to the far north. Promising to free him from his imprisonment in exchange for his help, she gains his trust long enough for them to win the battle and save the Frewyn border from being breached. The giant’s freedom is granted, but Rautu cannot return home unless he redeems himself in the eyes of his people for past his transgressions. He is offered a place by the captain’s side, and together, they defeat the Galleisian forces and become the saviors of Frewyn.

One year later, King Alasdair Brennin takes the Frewyn throne, Boudicca is made commander, Gallei and Frewyn reach an accord, and Rautu is granted an invitation home. He is eager to return and see his brothers but finds it difficult to leave Frewyn without Boudicca at his side. He has become accustomed to her company and the idea of being made to live without her begins to distress him. Rautu invites the commander to the islands in hopes of finding a way for them to remain together, but when they arrive at the white shores of Sanhedhran, not everything goes as planned: one of the dangerous Haanta magi is freed, Rautu’s three brothers are strangely missing, and the neighboring nation of Thellis leads an attack on the islands.

Together, the commander and the Den Asaan Rautu must find a way to unite their two nations and defend against the Thellisian fleets, but can they do so successfully when outside forces are attempting to keep them apart?"

Here are some links:
Haanta Series site: http://thehaanta.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @MrsDenAsaan
Tales from Frewyn book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052O4ZQE/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=redwillow07-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B0052O4ZQE&adid=17FB3APKP3Y57152GENA&

Michelle has generously offered an eBook copy of her book to a lucky reader.  So if you are eager to read more, leave a comment and I will draw a name on Sunday, 04 September 2011 and give your details to Michelle.

Thank you Michelle!

Guest post by Jeff Bryan

HOW TO CALL A GHOST.

Want to get in touch with a ghost?  Maybe there's a departed friend or family member you want to call, or a dead rock star, or maybe some ancient emperor with whom you'd like a chat.  Whatever your motivation, you're not alone.  Numerous ways have been devised for contacting the dead.  While we can't speak to the effectiveness of any particular technique, here are a few of the methods people have cooked up over the centuries for reaching those on the Other Side.

1. A medium.  This is the classic approach, used at least since Biblical times.  Find yourself a witch/sorcerer/necromancer who claims the ability to speak with the dead.  Be wary when picking your medium, because this is a relatively easy thing to fake.  Anyone can claim to receive messages from the souls of the no-longer-incarnate.  Fakers will start with vague comments that could apply to anyone: “Do you know a male who has died?  No?  I meant female, female.  Someone with the letter 'a' in their name?  No, wait, I meant 'e.'”

Be sure to get references for your prospective medium, and ask those other clients about their experiences.  If you hear something like “It was great!  He knew I had a male relative with the letter 'a' in his name!” then it might be time to move on.  Also check your medium's credentials with the Better Psychics Bureau, and read their reviews on Yelp, Google, Craigslist or wherever you found this person. 

A bad medium will make everything up.  An excellent medium may come up with more information than you're ready to handle.  What you really want is to go between these extremes—find a medium medium.

2. A Ouija board.  Invented centuries ago in (mumbledy-mumble), the Ouija board remains one of the most popular ways to contact the dead, especially if you're at a middle school slumber party. Several people put their fingers on a planchette, which picks out letters and numbers one by one to spell out messages from beyond.  Simple answers like “Yes,” “No,” and “Goodbye” can also be selected, which really speeds things along.  One good thing about the Ouija board is that it's kind of a fun party game.  One negative thing is that you can contact demons who possess you and your friends and make you do horrific and violent things, before finally slaughtering you.  So it's a little bit of a mixed bag.

If you decide that a plastic-coated sheet of cardboard from Parker Brothers just doesn't scream “magical and mystical,” you can make your own Ouija board at home.  Consider using posterboard, or even write out all the letters and numbers on individual pieces of paper, in spooky calligraphy if possible.  A simple wineglass or small juice glass, turned upside down, can be your pointer.  Homemade Ouija boards are cheaper, but may increase your risk of violent demonic possession.  Consider whether you'd prefer to save a few bucks or save your soul from being eaten by a horde of fallen angels.

3.  Electronic devices and such.  Some people claim that a tape recorder is one good way to pick up messages from the dead.  Set up overnight inside a haunted house, or next to the grave of the person you wish to contact.  Ask your questions several times.  When the sun rises, stop recording.  Spend weeks sifting through the static on your tape (or digital audio file) listening for hints of a voice answering your question.  This is great fun and doesn't get old fast.  For a little variety, try a video camera instead, so at least you'll have something to watch while you sift.  If you're lucky, you'll catch an image of a ghost, and everyone will accuse you of faking it.

4. Afterlife Calling Card – Sometimes you can find people selling these on the street or at the flea market.  Allegedly, they allow you to make phone calls to people on The Other Side.  A plus: you can call from the convenience of your cell phone.  A minus: roaming charges.  These calling cards tend to be extremely expensive and are not known to actually work.

5. DIY.  Make up your own way of contacting the dead.  You might consider laying out wet paint to see if the ghost steps in it and leaves tracks.  Note: if the tracks are small, round and paw-shaped, it was probably just your cat.  Bathe your cat's feet immediately before he licks the paint.

In the comments below, you might let us know how you might contact the dead, if you were so inclined.  Commenting within seven days enters you for The Haunted E-book Tour Grand Prizes, including The Haunted Library and a Kindle (or two!). 
   
Your comment also enters you to win a pair of ebooks from Chrizette—The Haunted E-book and Dark Tomorrows.

Thanks for following the tour!

J.L. Bryan studied English literature at the University of Georgia and at Oxford, with a focus on the English Renaissance and the Romantic period.  He also studied screenwriting at UCLA.  He is the author of five novels and one short-story collection.  His new novel is The Haunted E-book. 

The sequel to his novel Jenny Pox will be available by summer 2011.

Guest post by Graham Parke - author of NO HELP FOR GOMEZ

“It's the age-old tale:      Boy meets girl.      Boy stalks girl.      Girl already has a stalker.      Boy becomes her stalker-stalker.”

It's hard to believe, but it's been a year since I handed in the final proofs for my weird little book ‘No Hope for Gomez!’ To celebrate this, and the fact that it just became a finalist in 2010's Best Book Awards, I decided to throw an international party. As I’ve had a debilitating fear of throwing parties and no-one showing up since early childhood, I’d be more than delighted if you’d come!

Of course, with every cool, international party comes a gift bag. Here's just some of the stuff attendants will get:

• Exclusive short story collection
• No Hope for Gomez: The Lost Chapters
• Making of Gomez: behind the scenes eBook
• Signed hi-res poster + bookplate

(These are all exclusive items and will not be available again)

Additionally, several lucky attendants will win a Kindle or an iPod!

Oh yeah, you can bring as many friends as you like, just don't bring your crazy uncle who drinks too much and then tries to get me to go to the attic with him to see something wonderful. I've fallen for that before and I don't mind telling you, I came away very disappointed!

Find out how to attend HERE.