Good morning everyone! Or afternoon depending on where you are when you read this.
I am the most recent victim, umm...guest...at the Red Pencil Thursday blog. RPT blog is done by Mia Marlow. As an author, you send her your first 500 words, she critiques it, and then posts it on her blog. I sent her the first 500 words of my novel, An English Summer. She gave some great feedback and I look forward to using it when I edit again.
I have heard that once you finish your novel you should leave it alone for 2-4 weeks. So I'm taking that advice and working on something else. When I can go back to it with fresh eyes, I will also be taking Mia's eyes and several beta readers.
So stop by, read, and if you want, leave a message.
Thank you for your time Mia.
http://miamarlowe.com/blog/2013/06/a-day-late-a-dollar-short/
Friday, June 28, 2013
Author Interview with Sarah England
 |
| Sarah England, Author |
Sarah England: bio
Sarah
originally trained as a nurse in Sheffield (UK) and then went on to work as a
medical representative for nearly 20 years, specialising in mental health.
She
had always wanted to write fiction, but did not begin until around 8 years ago,
prompted by a house move and relocation to the South coast. Since then she has
had around 140 short stories published, mostly in national magazines and
various anthologies; and most recently a 3 part detective serial in Woman’s
Weekly.
‘3am
and Wide Awake’ was released in May 2013 by Alfie Dog Fiction - a collection of
25 thrillers, many supernatural or medically based - two of her predominant
themes.
‘Expected’
is Sarah’s first novel - a comedy launched by Crooked Cat Publishing on 28th
June, 2013.
She
lives in Dorset with her husband, Don, and spaniel, Harry.
Book Blurb for ‘Expected’ by
Sarah England
Sam Sweet is a failed
psychiatric nurse from a sink estate in Weston Super mare. Her mother, whose
husband ran off with another woman 20 years ago - although you'd think it
happened only yesterday - has only one ambition and that is to be a
grandmother.
But Sam is terrified of
giving birth. She is easily traumatised and has no ambition to return to the
sink estate and have dozens of children. She just wants a chance to do
something with her life first, to fall in love, to see a bit of the world.
Alas, in a drunken stupor she meets Simon - the psychopathic surgeon, who
promises her a wonderful life and she believes him - because she is a dingbat
and has a lot to learn.
Her latest job is
injecting facial fillers and clients are suing because it’s going lumpy. And
her best friend, also her boss, is sexually jealous to the point of blind rage
because her boyfriend fancies Sam and does little to hide it.
Sam is coping - by
shopping and over eating chocolate. But soon piles on weight and sinks deeply
into debt, at which point Simon the surgeon starts playing serious mind games;
and by the time it dawns on Sam just what a horrific mess she's in - well might
as well pass her the JCB because she keeps on digging.
Then as the company
spirals downwards and all knives are out for survival - a new MD is brought in
from the states – Joel – WOWEE - Madison! Sam and he instantly fall for each
other but...her mother is now going bonkers - has booked the wedding....with
the psychopathic surgeon....oh it's getting worse.......fireworks? You
bet....but that would be telling......
- I noticed in your book blurb you say Sam
is over eating chocolate? How is
that possible? I know of no way
someone can overeat chocolate.
Ha ha – she does her best, Brenda! Sam is overeating because she is
putting on weight and it is mostly with calorie-dense chocolate. Yummy. Just a
pity she can’t get into her clothes anymore….
- Where do you get most of your inspiration
from for your stories? Life?
Yes, most definitely. And the lives of others, and the stories I’ve
picked up over the years. Sometimes inspiration comes when I’m in the middle of
watching a film or reading a book. Ah, I
see I have jumped into your next question…yes just a flicker of a character or
an idea I can see to develop. But mostly, with a medical background, my short
stories in ‘3am and Wide Awake’ for example – are hugely influenced by
experience. With Expected – again, I used to inject facial fillers myself and
worked in a team of sales reps….
- Others’ books? TV shows? Movies?
- Since you are writing fiction, and your
book is in the medical field, have you ever used real life experiences in
any of your writing?
There is a scene in ‘Expected’ where Sam is injecting a facial filler
and it won’t come out of the syringe. The product is too hard. Yes – that
happened to me and I was pressing the plunger down so hard I broke a sweat.
Awful experience. Happily my client was luckier than Sam’s.
- Who is your favorite author? What makes that author stand out from
all of the other authors you read?
Well actually I love Stephen King, because he is a genuinely gifted
raconteur – the stories pour from him. He’s the kind of storyteller who has you
riveted with idea after idea – and with horror often juxtaposed with comedy
too. I write comedy and at the opposite end of the literary scale – thrillers
and horror – so I’d have to say Stephen King. But there are many others I
admire too – like Ian McEwan, who I really feel is the master of literary prose
– superb.
- What is your favorite reading genre?
I enjoy classic literature, historical fiction such as ‘The White
Queen,’ comedy, the supernatural and a really good thriller. I couldn’t choose.
Not too keen on sci-fi, that’s all.
- How many books do you read each month?
I used to read around 3-4, but I’ve been so busy lately, that has
probably dropped to around 2.
- Do you believe the adage that in order to
write well you must read a lot?
Yes – definitely!
- Would you give this advice to anyone else who
wants to write?
Yes there is no way round it – it’s essential. It’s a learning tool. An
education. A pleasure. However, if you are serious about your work then I’d
read in your chosen genre.
- How many edits did you have to do on your
novel, Expected?
‘Expected’ was probably written about 4 times. It then
went on to be accepted by an online company and I edited it again with their
in-house editor. That company then disbanded, and I was left trying to find another
home for ‘Expected’ after 6 months of um…expectation…..Happily Crooked Cat
liked it immediately and I was asked to edit it again. I then did it again once
the kindle version was formatted…. So a fair few times! And every time I picked
up more typos…
- How long did it take you to write your
novel?
Around 3 months or so – but the editing would add another month on to it
each time!
- Is your family supportive of your writing?
I didn’t get to be a writer for a very long time. I had to earn a living
and pay the bills. So I came to my dream quite late in life. As I started
writing magazine stories and earned quite well my husband was happy, but
recently – with the novel – he is not so happy as I’m not earning. He’s
supportive in that he believes I can do it, but I’m not sure he thinks I will
be successful…..
- Are they as excited as you are for your
debut novel?
No! But my mum and dad are buying the book and telling their friends now
– so maybe…. I think with my brother being a professor, you know, I’m not sure
they know how hard this has been and how much of a passion it is.
- Do you have a special place at home where
you write?
I usually jot everything down in my notebook and then type up later in
my/our office. I have to be totally quiet. No music. No interference. Just the
space inside my head. But at the ideas stage I can be anywhere – as long as my
notepad is handy!
- Do you write the same time every day, or
just when you get the chance?
I am totally erratic – sometimes 4-5 hours will fly by and others I
can’t get started.
- Does living on the South coast keep you
from writing? Are you near the
beach?
No – we are well inland near a little saxon town called Shaftesbury. I
am surrounded by farmland and there are no distractions. It’s so boring – even
the cows are bored.
- What distracts you from writing? If anything.
Everything. I have to be totally quiet, which is why living in the back
of beyond suits me!
- What else would you like my readers to
know about your writing and your new book?
Well ‘Expected’ deals with many contentious issues. It’s a comedy in
that Sam Sweet, the main character, spars with her dreadful fiancé, biding her
time while she plans her escape – but she also injects facial fillers, is
terrified of childbirth, and has a background from which she wants to escape.
She feels fat, has low self-esteem, and copes badly – with shopping to debt
level and trying to pretend she can live the life expected of her without
falling apart inside. But she can’t – the serious message – if you like, in a
comedy – is that she must find her voice. And it takes her quite a while…..Yes
there is a bit of my heart in this book! However, I am also fascinated by the
dark side – tarot and the supernatural – so that’s another dimension I work on,
hence the collection of horrors and thrillers in ‘3am and Wide Awake.’ Many of
those are straight from my 20 years working in mental health. But overall I
have to say that my primary goal is to entertain the reader… And I hope that I
have achieved that, and will go on doing so.
Here
are Sarah England’s links.
Website: http://www.sarahengland.yolasite.com
Twitter:
@sarahengland16
Amazon author
page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sarah-England/e/B005P0GDYW/
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/489204.Sarah_E_England
Smashwords: free
download of short comedy: coupon = SP93M https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/328849
***
Links to books:
‘3am and Wide Awake’ – http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CLFRFHS
‘Expected’ – http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DHKI2GY
U-tube video: http://youtu.be/rsvi9yI5S-g
Monday, June 24, 2013
Semi-colons: Poor, Misunderstood Punctuation Marks
Good morning, this is a repost from iWriteNetwork. It is a post by Tristi Pinkston and has given me permission to repost it. Thanks Tristi!!
A semi-colon is used to hook together two complete sentences that are closely related. For example:
Today I'm going to sleep in; playing video games all night wasn't a good idea.
Notice that we have a complete sentence before the semi-colon and another complete sentence after the semi-colon. Then notice that they are related. I played video games all night and so I'm going to sleep in - there's a cause and effect here, a definite connection.
Authors get into trouble with the semi-colon in two ways.
First, they try to stick an incomplete sentence there.
Today I'm going to sleep in; dumb video games.
"Dumb video games" isn't a complete sentence. You'd want to use an em-dash here rather than the semi-colon.
The second way to get in trouble is to hook sentences together that really aren't related.
Mark says we need to buy a new car; the kids will be home from school soon.
Okay, that was a super over-the-top example, but you get what I'm saying. If the first sentence and the second sentence aren't directly related, like a cause-and-effect thing or if the second sentence doesn't clarify or enrich the first, etc., they shouldn't be stuck together with a semi-colon.
Semi-colons were used more frequently fifty and a hundred years ago than they are now, but that doesn't mean we should never use them at all. We should use them; they're awesome. (See - like that.) But we should know how to do it correctly so we can be awesome too.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Kickstarter project ends in 10 days
Hello everyone. Just a reminder about my kickstarter project. I am trying to get as much information out there as possible. I would love for some of you to come along for the ride. Please go to my kickstarter page for my project and donate. There are cool prizes for those who donate.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/23075038/an-english-summer-needs-a-professional-review
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/23075038/an-english-summer-needs-a-professional-review
3rd Edit done
I am so excited. I finally just finished my third edit of my novel, An English Summer. It has taken quite awhile as I needed to add conflict to my story. Conflict is always required for a good romance novel [and most other stories].
My next step is to get into the hands of several beta-readers. They will go over the story and find mistakes I can't because I'm the one who wrote it. They will also tell me if the story flows well or if something else needs to be added or subtracted.
I ended up with 77,145 words. Not bad, not bad at all.
My next step is to get into the hands of several beta-readers. They will go over the story and find mistakes I can't because I'm the one who wrote it. They will also tell me if the story flows well or if something else needs to be added or subtracted.
I ended up with 77,145 words. Not bad, not bad at all.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
So Close but So Tired
Hello, I have worked the last several hours cleaning up my novel and adding words, plot lines and just general information that I am now tired. That's the good part. The second part is, I have only 5 pages left to edit and I am too tired to do so. My brain has functioned all it's going to for today. I may get lucky and have a second wind this evening, but for now I'm finished. Therefore I am close to finishing my third edit but too tired to do so now.
Today I added 1,364 words for a total of 76,045 words. I think I may hit the 80,000 mark before this is completely done. The next step is the beta reader. Oh boy, I'm getting this to come along. I just hope a publisher is interested.
A romance novel is not easy to write. You need to know if your characters are good or bad, or just ordinary. Then, you need to make your readers want to continue to turn the pages. That is where the conflict comes in. Without conflict is there really a great love story?
Thanks for reading my blog and hopefully soon you will be reading my books.
Today I added 1,364 words for a total of 76,045 words. I think I may hit the 80,000 mark before this is completely done. The next step is the beta reader. Oh boy, I'm getting this to come along. I just hope a publisher is interested.
A romance novel is not easy to write. You need to know if your characters are good or bad, or just ordinary. Then, you need to make your readers want to continue to turn the pages. That is where the conflict comes in. Without conflict is there really a great love story?
Thanks for reading my blog and hopefully soon you will be reading my books.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Today's Editing
I have been fleshing out scenes and adding news scenes to make my story read smoother. I am still in that process. Right now I am on page 147 out of 167. By the time I finish editing today there will be more pages and more words added. I just don't know how many. that is always the hard part, never know what will happen when editing. But it is a necessary evil. If one writes a book and sends it off to a publisher or agent it is very likely going to be declined. It has happened and will continue to happen in the future. I don't want my novel rejected therefore I edit. I will work for several hours and see where my story takes me. Have a great day.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Author E.M. Tippetts Someone Else's Fairytale is on sale for 99 Cents
Hello Readers:
My friend author E.M. Tippetts, has her book Someone Else's Fairytale on sale for 99 Cents until June 18, 2013. It's a great read and a great buy so stop by and get your copy.
My friend author E.M. Tippetts, has her book Someone Else's Fairytale on sale for 99 Cents until June 18, 2013. It's a great read and a great buy so stop by and get your copy.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Author Interview with Marcia Mickelson
Author
Bio:
Marcia
Mickelson was born in Guatemala and moved to the U.S. as an infant. She began
writing her first novel her senior year of high school and finished it more
than ten years later. Marcia graduated from Brigham Young University with a
Bachelors Degree in American Studies. She is the author of Star Shining
Brightly, Reasonable Doubt, and Pickup Games. Marcia's YA novel, The Huaca, was
released in May 2013. Marcia currently resides in Texas with her husband and
three sons.
Today,
my author interview is with Marcia Mickelson whose new book The Huaca, a YA
novel, was just released last month.
Thank you for stopping by my blog today and let’s get you introduced to
my readers.
Book
Info:
Seventeen-year-old
Ellie Cummings just wants to be a regular teenager, but after her mother’s
mysterious murder, she isn’t sure if she’ll ever be normal again. Her mother’s
death has left Ellie and her father worlds apart. And when her best friend
abandons her, Ellie has no one else to turn to—except for the strange boy who
says he can help.
1.
First, being someone who has their name screwed up 99% of the time, could you
please tell us how to pronounce your first name? Is it mar-cee-uh or is it mar-sha?
Ha,
ha. It’s pronounced Mar-sha. It’s always mispronounced and misspelled. I’m used
to it by now. I do take some pride in knowing that Marcia Brady spelled it the
same way as I do!
2.
Now that everyone can pronounce your name, thank you for agreeing to talk with
me. I am sure that my readers and your
fans will love learning more about you.
Are you ready to get started?
Yes,
I’m all ready. Thanks so much for having me on your blog.
3.
Your new book The Huaca is a YA book.
Why did you change to a YA audience?
I
hadn’t been interested in YA since I was a teenager, and I had only been
interested in reading and writing adult fiction. About four years ago, I began
reading more and more YA, and I fell in love with it. They didn’t have YA like
this when I was a teenager. For the past few years, I have read only YA. Now,
it is very rare that I pick up a book that is not YA. It’s all I want to write
now. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, and this is my way of holding onto
youth. Ha, ha. I don’t know!
4.
Where did you get your inspiration for your story?
I was
watching the trailer for the movie, The Lovely Bones, and I was really taken
with the idea of depicting a character that had passed away, but could observe
her family as they lived next door to the man who killed her. Immediately, I
began thinking what if… What if a character that had passed away could somehow
communicate with her family to let them know? If only there was a way. This
line of thinking coincided with a comment my mother said to me shortly after.
She said, “why don’t you write something about Mayan myths?” Her comment
collided with my ‘what if’s’ from The Lovely Bones, and then idea of The Huaca
came to me.
5. Do
you always find your inspiration from the same source?
I
find inspiration from many different sources—books, movies, news stories,
people I meet, strangers I see in public, songs. Inspiration can come from
anywhere. In fact, here is a blog post where I talk about inspiration coming
from anywhere. http://marciamickelson.blogspot.com/2012/11/inspiration-can-come-from-anywhere-or.html
6. I
see you went to BYU and earned a BA in American Studies. Have those studies helped you in your
writing? Has it helped with time,
history, inventions, or in any other way?
I
love American history and literature. I don’t write historical fiction, but
only contemporary fiction, so it hasn’t necessarily helped me in that sense.
Having studied the American experience has helped shape my current work in
progress. The search for the American Dream has always been a point of interest
for me. My current work in progress, tentatively titled “You Don’t Belong
Here,” explores one young girl’s search for that dream that draws people to the
U.S. every day.
7.
Did you meet your husband at BYU?
Yes,
I did! We saw each other at a men’s volleyball game at BYU. He kept looking at
me; I kept looking at him. My friend and I had met his friend the night before.
Well, they didn’t come to talk to us at the end of the game, but we saw them at
a dance on campus later that night. During the final song, they finally came to
talk to us. We hit it off right away!
8. Is
he supportive of your writing career?
He is
absolutely supportive of my writing! He carries my business cards around with
him and gives them to anyone who will take one. He talks to people about my
books all of the time.
9.
Are your children old enough to understand what you do?
My
boys are 13, 11, and 7. They are old enough to understand that I write books.
They’re very excited about my writing and wanted to come to my last book
signing. They wanted to be there the whole time. They also like to tell others
about my books.
10.
Does your husband help you with editing or plotting or anything else with your
writing?
He
doesn’t do too much of that. I’m a very closed person when I write which means
that I do not talk to anyone about my books until they are almost complete. I
don’t like to let anyone read any of my manuscript until it’s way over halfway
done. I’m very afraid that talking about it will ruin the process for me. If I
talk about it too early, I fear that I will not finish writing it. He is,
however, excellent at answering questions. So, I can ask him specific questions
about things I’m not sure about, such as changing tires or golf.
11.
Where do you like to write? What is your
special spot?
I
don’t have a specific writing spot. I write on the couch, at the kitchen table,
at a desk, in the car—wherever I get a chance!
12.
Where can my readers and your fans find your books for sale?
My
books can be purchased here:
13.
Where can my readers and your fans find you on the internet?
You
can find me here:
14.
Will you be having a launch party for your book? If so; when and where?
I had a book signing in Corpus Christi, Texas last month. I have another one coming up in July in San Antonio, TX, and I’m hoping to schedule one for Utah in July.
15.
Is there anything else you would like to tell my readers?
I
hope you enjoy The Huaca. I loved writing it, and I hope readers will like
reading it. Thanks so much for having me
on your blog, Brenda.
Thank
you for stopping by and good look with your new novel.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Author Interview with C. David Belt
 |
| Author C. David Belt |
Today’s author
interview is with C. David Belt. Usually
I do interviews with romance writers, but it’s not a fast and hard rule. So here is something different for everyone. I hope you enjoy.
The Children of Lilith
is the story of the world’s first and only unwilling vampire. Set in present-day
Utah, it’s the story of Carl Morgan, a decent LDS man who loses his wife and
children in an automobile accident. Then he witnesses the murder of his
wayward sister at the hands of the beautiful and mysterious Rebecca. When
the police can’t find the killer, he goes searching for her. He finds Rebecca,
but she takes away everything. She transforms him into the world’s FIRST
and ONLY unwilling vampire. Vampirism is a choice, and you’re choosing to
become a serial killer, because you can only survive on HUMAN blood, not animal
blood. Carl is unwilling to murder to survive and he really doesn’t
understand what has happened to him. He’s found and mentored by Moira
MacDonald, a two-hundred and seventy year-old Penitent (repentant
vampire). She teaches him how to survive without killing, how to stay
true to his temple covenants (in spite of his condition), and how to get
justice for his murdered sister. But to Moira? Carl’s very
existence as an unwilling vampire turns her world upside-down, because Carl is an
impossibility. In the 6,000 years that the Children of Lilith have walked
the earth, there has never been an unwilling vampire, because eternal damnation
cannot be forced on someone: they must choose it, just as Moira did. And
yet, there’s Carl. If he can exist somehow, there must be something about
Moira’s condition that she doesn’t know. Is it possible that, after two and
a half centuries of searching for redemption and repentance with no hope,
perhaps there might somehow be a way back? Meanwhile, Rebecca’s vampire
Master, Michael, plans to unleash a wave of new vampires on the city.
Carl and Moira must stop him before countless innocents are slaughtered.
1.
From your blog
everyone will know you are LDS. How does
being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints coincide with
writing about vampires?
Great question! I first read Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” when I
was nine and have reread it many times since (the latest being this year). While I have always enjoyed a GOOD vampire
story, there is one aspect of the popular vampire mythos that bothers me
intensely: involuntary eternal damnation.
(OK, well, THAT and the fact that so many contemporary storytellers make
vampires all about sex.) The whole
concept that simply being bitten by a vampire forces you to become one, i.e., the
idea that you have NO CHOICE in the matter, never sat well with me. However, we ARE affected by the choices of
others. You could walk down the sidewalk
and get hit by a drunk driver. The
driver’s rotten choices have now changed your life. Does that mean that it was God’s will that
you be crippled? Of course not. Does that mean that God has abandoned
you? He will NEVER abandon you. Perhaps you receive a priesthood blessing and
are healed. If so, wonderful! However, that isn’t always the case. The person who chose to drive under the
influence of alcohol has taken away choices from you. Does that mean that you have NO choices
anymore? Of course not. You simply have different choices. What is important is what you choose out of
the options that you have. Do you become
bitter? Do you curse God? Or do you choose to do the best you can in
whatever circumstances you are?
In my mythos, vampirism is
a CHOICE. And whatever your reason for choosing it (e.g., love, lust for power,
immortality, etc.), it is a deliberate decision to become a serial murderer,
because you can only survive on human blood (not that animal blood copout that
we see in so many books and movies). It has never been forced on anyone, not in
6,000 years. Well, not until now…
2.
Your main character,
Carl, is LDS; do you write exclusively for the LDS market?
In most vampire fiction,
the imagery is Catholic (or some distorted version of Catholicism): vampires
fear the cross, the host renders their coffin unusable, holy water burns them,
etc. I’m simply framing my story in an
LDS setting, with LDS imagery. I tried
very hard to keep my mythos in conformance with the scriptures and LDS
doctrine. However, I have a number of
fans who are not LDS. As I say in my
author’s note for the first book, “The doctrines of my faith figure prominently
in this novel. I make no apology for writing from the premise that what I
believe to be true is, in fact, true. If you are not of my faith, I hope that
you can enjoy this work with the understanding that it is set in a world where
the doctrines of my faith are the truth. I believe them to be true. You are
free to believe that such a world is fantasy.”
3.
Will your novel appeal
to a wide range of people?
In The Children of Lilith,
you will find action, mystery, romance, drama, fantasy, pathos, heartbreak,
tragedy, and triumph. And, yes, vampires. There is something for the military and
aviation buff. There is something for
the history fan. There is something for
the theologian. (Imagine being able to
talk to someone who has been around since the days of Adam…)
4.
There are a lot of
vampire stories/love stories on the market.
How does yours differ from everyone else’s?
As far as vampire stories
go, I went back to the original Hebrew vampire myths. Using the premise that Lilith and her
Children have been around for six millennia, they would not necessarily conform
to the notions that have grown up around vampires in the last couple of centuries. For one thing, anciently, vampires are
depicted as having feathered wings (centuries before anyone thought of putting
wings on angels). I abandoned all the
silly stuff that made no sense scientifically, logically, or scripturally: my
vampires do not fear the cross, CAN cross running water, CAN enter your home
without permission, CAN be seen in a mirror, CANNOT change shape (i.e., cannot
become a wolf, a bat, or a rat, or turn into mist), The biggest concession I
made to modern vampire-lore is the fangs: their canine teeth do extend and
retract to become fangs when feeding.
They do burst into flames in direct sunlight. But the biggest difference is that they must
choose to become a vampire of their own freewill (except for Carl, that is) and
that they must consume HUMAN blood to survive.
One unique aspect to my mythos: vampires are driven to corrupt and
seduce the innocent, while at the same time, they are compelled to murder the
truly evil before they might have a chance to repent. The urge to kill the wicked is almost
overwhelming…
On the romance front, this
would be considered a wartime romance.
Carl and Moira are thrown together under horrific circumstances. Time is very short. Death is imminent. In fact, death is PROPHESIED. But rest assured: Carl is determined to keep
temple covenants and remain chaste no matter what happens. And as for Moira? She’s been alone for 250 years, but she is
also determined to live the principles she believes to be right.
5.
What is the age group
for this book? Thirteen and up? Sixteen and up? In other words, who is your
audience?
Thirteen and up. The story is written for adults (and I mean
that only in a good sense). However,
some of my fans are teenagers. Carl is
in his thirties. Moira? Her BIOLOGICAL
age is seventeen, but in her time, that was nigh being an old maid. I never get graphic, but the vampires (other
than Carl and Moira) are EVIL people who do EVIL things. (If you are willing to murder to gain
immortality, what moral restraints would you have?) You know what happens; you just don’t need to
know the details.
6.
Is there a love story
between Moira and Carl?
Yes. Like I said, it’s a wartime romance. The characters may be immortal, but they
expect to die very soon. However, you
may rest assured that it is a CLEAN romance, suitable and interesting for teenagers
and married couples alike.
7.
Is it possible for a
270 year old vampire to fall in love?
Oh, most definitely. Moira was engaged to be married when her
fiancé followed Bonnie Prince Charlie and marched to the Battle of Culloden in
1746. He was captured and executed by
the British. His death and the reprisals
that the British took against her and her family are the reasons she chose to
become a vampire. But she soon
discovered that her revenge came at too dear a price. She soon discovered that she had given up
everything. Moira desires to be a mother
more than anything. While a male vampire
can sire a child with a mortal woman (the child would be mortal), a female
vampire is incapable of bearing a child.
Moira has spent most of her long life as a mid-wife, a nurse, or a
physician. She’s currently a trauma
surgeon, but the vast majority of her medical career has been in
obstetrics. In other words, she can’t
have a family of her own, so shares in the miracle of birth in the only way she
can: delivering babies. Since the
beginning of her repentance (i.e., for 250 years), she has been alone, living
among mortals and avoiding her own kind.
When she discovers Carl and finds that, not only is he a Penitent like
herself (i.e., a vampire who refuses to murder), her heart opens to the
possibility of an end to her loneliness.
8.
Where did you get the
inspiration to write about vampires?
Like I said, I love a good
vampire story. However, the motivation
for this particular story is more rooted in agency, choices, consequences,
repentance, and forgiveness. One of my
inspirations for this story, believe it or not, is the story of Job. Vampirism is merely the framework I used to
tell a story about good man forced into a horrific situation. Another inspiration though was an image I got
in my head of an assemblage of vampires “ordaining” a new vampire, except I
KNEW vampiric conversion must be voluntary and yet the new vampire was being
converted against his will. A paradox, I know, but it wouldn’t let me go until
I could figure out how that could work.
9.
During your travels,
did you hear different stories about vampires?
Yes. Korean and Philippino, but for the most part,
I learned about vampire myths simply by doing research. I read a fascinating book called, “The Vampire
in Europe”. It’s written by a monk, and
it is supposed to a scholarly history of vampirism in Europe. I’m convinced the author believed every word
he wrote. I also researched the myths
about Lilith and the Lilitu extensively.
10.
What makes vampires so
interesting that you would use them as a focus in your writing?
What fascinates me most
about vampirism is that, while they have such fantastic abilities, they are
also limited. They can fly, live forever
(in theory), regenerate, etc., but a female vampire cannot bear a child. They cannot enjoy (or consume) regular
food! They cannot survive direct
sunlight. Carl tries to keep his job in
spite of his condition. That presents
him with unique challenges. He cannot go
where he wishes. Moira desires to enter
the temple, but she cannot so much as touch the outer walls. (Actually, she did touch the wall once, but
she has never been able to repeat it…)
Carl wants to be reunited with his dead wife and children, but he’s
trapped here on earth, unable to die unless he takes his own life (which would
prevent him from being reunited with his family) or dies a violent death at the
hands of another. Besides, he is
convinced that he is damned—through no fault of his own. The Children of Lilith trilogy is the only
vampire fiction I have ever written.
That story is told now, so I don’t think I will be revisiting that theme
again. A sequel is not possible. A prequel, perhaps… I miss Moira and would
love to tell more of her story. My
current project is a standalone science-fiction novel with no horror elements.
11.
Is your book out, and if
not when will it be published?
Volume 1, The Unwilling,
is available now as a paperback and ebook.
Links are on my website: http://www.unwillingchild.com Volume 2,
The Penitent, is available as an ebook, but the paperback should be out in a
few weeks. Volume 3, The Prophecy, is
available as an ebook. The paperback is
due out next May. The publisher is
planning hardcover editions of both volumes 1 and 2 to be published sometime
this year.
12.
Where can my readers
and your fans find you book for purchase?
Amazon, Barnes &
Noble, iTunes, Smashwords, or directly from the publisher. All those links are on http://www.unwillingchild.com
13.
Is there anything else
you want to tell us about your book?
It’s been a fun ride
telling the tale or Carl and Moira. I
miss them. I wanted to tell a good
story. I hope readers enjoy it!
Thank you for your
time. Good look with your writing.
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