tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30880540582180546292024-03-12T18:35:50.561-07:00Book SnatchA Search For My MindValette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.comBlogger226125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-38435057937017001202015-02-13T11:09:00.000-08:002015-02-13T11:09:08.002-08:00Interview & Excerpt: Anna Herlihy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TL0yMluZalzfGfa9LMzzKG4hsm8AdWbW54nc3Mn7Ks2IX7V-2zypqhPneJEDGTa90JkhE0G7sN6ulUMFMXpO7mxlcN2MjFCLknv47KTYZCxTIgSfRwyrwSgojjqCYrw604AqwtSuWs4/s1600/IMG_1578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TL0yMluZalzfGfa9LMzzKG4hsm8AdWbW54nc3Mn7Ks2IX7V-2zypqhPneJEDGTa90JkhE0G7sN6ulUMFMXpO7mxlcN2MjFCLknv47KTYZCxTIgSfRwyrwSgojjqCYrw604AqwtSuWs4/s1600/IMG_1578.jpg" height="320" width="318" /></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is there to know about me?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, my name is Anna Herlihy, and I’m an author.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m currently working on a science fiction series entitled Clarity. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Watch-Clarity-Volume-1/dp/1495929760/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1407270213&sr=8-2&keywords=anna+herlihy" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>The Watch (Clarity: Book One)</i></span></a> was published in January 2014. <i>Ice (Clarity: Book Two) </i>is coming in early 2015, as well as a spin-off series of Clarity and a fantasy epic. I’ve got my hands full with all the writing I want to do, but what’s life without goals, right?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Aside from writing and reading, I am a student. Not in the traditional sense, as I’m just now, at 21, finally gaining some traction in my college savings account, but in the sense that I dearly love to learn. Instead of waiting idly for the time when I can afford a degree, I teach myself, follow new research, and have made amazing friends in the scientific community. Cosmology and particle physics are my main focus; I also follow regular self-study courses in neuroscience (in support of my developing anthropic principle theory), quantum mechanics, philosophy of science, and the psychology of morality.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">What else is there to know about me?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I run two marathons a year as a rule. I put considerable effort into cultivating a reputable wine pallet. I spend an inordinate amount of time on Pinterest looking for new recipes, hairstyles, and tattoos. I miss my Blackberry.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Favorite reads?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The best way to see into a writer’s soul is to know what they read, so here’s my soul: Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters, George RR Martin and JRR Tolkien, <i>Harry Potter</i> and <i>The Awakening</i>, <i>Crime and Punishment </i>and <i>Dune</i>. I’ve marveled at the beauty of <i>L’Inferno,</i> <i>In Search of Lost Time, </i>and <i>Othello</i>. I live in my books, and my books have shaped the person I am today. I am Hermione, Arya, and Elizabeth all in one.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Inspirations for the book?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My biggest inspiration was not being able to find a book I wanted to read. I was incredibly bored and couldn’t find a single book that enticed me past thirty pages, so I decided to search through my notebook of ideas and write the book I wanted to read. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Did you know you wanted to be an author when you were little?</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a way, I suppose I did. I knew I liked to write little stories and never considered possibly stopping them, but my real dream profession was a fashion designer. It seems silly now, since I never was really into fashion and still don’t change out of pajamas unless I absolutely have to leave the house, but until the age of 10 I used to fancy myself a future designer, writer on the side. Then, I discovered science, but never strayed from writing. So, since 10 and until now, all I’ve ever wanted to be was a part-time professor and write during all the rest of my time. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Any Pet Peeves?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"> <span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pet peeves in writing or just general ones? </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t think I have any pet peeves in regards to writing, but I think my biggest pet peeve in the ENTIRE WORLD IS SPOILERS. I hate spoilers of any kind. Little hints of what’s going to happen in a movie, even mere suggestions that the ending of a book is good, throw me into a rage.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Chocolate or Peanut Butter?</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Peanut. Butter.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">The weirdest thing you've ever done?</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(Sorry, I’m a boring person, I don’t really have an answer for this one :/)</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Is there a soundtrack to the book/Favorite music?</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m not skilled enough to create a soundtrack to <i>The Watch. </i>Personally, I enjoy listening to a wide range of music. Classical (especially piano sonatas), alternative rock, and acoustic singer/songwriters are my particular favorites. I’m crazy for Iwan Rheon right now.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Do you need anything to write? </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nope, nothing at all. Besides the fact that I have to be well-fed, have a full glass of water next to me, be in comfortable clothes, be in a comfortable chair, have my hair pulled back and not in my face, be nice and warm, and have no one around to distract me. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">How long do you write on any average day?</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On the weekends, I make it a rule to write all day long. I may write for four hours and stop to study or run an errand, but I always come back and, in total, put in a good nine hours on a weekend day. During the week, when it’s necessary for me go to a day job, I try to squeeze in two or three hours a day. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Give us the number one reason to read your book.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s fast, adventurous, and the ending is going to eat you alive!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Author Info:</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><span class="im" style="background-color: white;"></span><span class="im" style="background-color: white;"></span><span class="im" style="background-color: white;"></span><span class="im" style="background-color: white;"></span><span class="im" style="background-color: white;"></span><span class="im" style="background-color: white;"></span><span class="im" style="background-color: white;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://annaherlihy.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">annaherlihy.com</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">@annaherlihy </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://aherlihyblog.wordpress.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">aherlihyblog.wordpress.com</span></a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Earth, 7026: Civilization has been crippled by the Blood Plague. There is no cure, no treatment, and no hope for the infected. Government has long been forgotten. An order of medics known as the Doctors rule over Earth and impose a harsh standard on what remains of human population to prevent further outbreaks. Orphan Ren Grant has been hunted by the Doctors since childhood under the false accusation of being a carrier of the Blood Plague. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ren’s hiding place is finally discovered, but not by the Doctors. Rian Sloan and his group of vigilantes discover and kidnap her. Instead of turning her in to the Doctors and receiving their ransom, Sloan and his group take Ren with them on their mysterious journey for one reason: the Watch Ren’s mother entrusted to her before dying, the Watch that is the only missing element in Sloan’s plan of escaping Earth.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What follows is an adventure full of Doctors and plagues, of flaying knives and space travel, of the consequences of heritage and blind trust, of hope restored and love sacrificed.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Excerpt</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ren left the ship on a day when the setting moon was barely a sliver in the sky. The Doctors made their rounds in the village only when the moon was full. Ren should be able to make it there and back without being discovered. Just in case, she slung a gauzy white scarf around her neck and pulled it over her head like a hood. It never did much against the heat of the day, but it hid her face and kept strands of her hair from flying away in the wind. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A great spear of rock drove through the center of her ship and kept it from tumbling down the cliff and into the sea. Ren thought it was an odd place for a ship to be, all alone and broken, closer to the coast than the sea, and liked to waste a lot of time daydreaming about how her ship could have been beached. The cliff almost completely surrounded her ship, except for a tiny sliver through which a view of the sea peeked. It was quiet place, like her own personal hole to hide in.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ren wouldn’t have found her ship at all if she hadn’t been climbing down the cliff, desperate to find a cave, and lost her footing on a loose rock. She had fallen off the cliff, eyes slammed shut with the certainty of death, and had landed right on the stern deck. Her back had ached for a full moon cycle after that, but that bit of pain was nothing compared with six years of refuge. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Climbing the cliff had not gotten easier with time. She was continually dislodging streams of crumbly brown stones to patter against the stern deck and echo through the barren air. The wind beating against the cliff face was determined to blow her away each time she began her clamber to the coast and had been the cause of some particularly bad falls during the first year on her ship. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pulling herself onto the coast was the hardest part of the climb. It required more faith in the strength of her arms than Ren possessed. There was this moment, when half her body was folded over the cliff edge and her feet dangled in open air, that Ren doubted whether she could pull herself the rest of the way up. The moment happened with every climb, and no matter how much Ren prepared herself for it, her stomach plummeted straight down below her feet each time without fail. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The coast was mostly barren, the ground a mix of gray rocks, tired brown dirt, and sad little clumps of white grass. The only break in the flat horizon was a small cluster of low hills to the north. Ren turned her attention to her left wrist where she wore a circlet of clean, black metal. Her mother’s Watch. Tapping it with her right index finger, the Watchface lit up and displayed a series of pulsating, squiggly symbols. Ren couldn’t read them, only knew to press the third one from the left in the top row to access the compass. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Following the northwest directions displayed on her wrist, Ren jogged towards the village. It was beyond foolish to be risking a trip to the village for something so trivial, but this desire had stewed into an obsession. She couldn’t reason it away any longer. She went to the village for food as often as she dared; this trip shouldn’t be any more dangerous than her regular visits. Six years without indulgence required a reward. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The village came into view just as the sun yawned over the horizon, its harsh light chasing away the calm night. Ren slowed to a walk as she approached the edge of the village and leveled her racing heart with long inhales of dusty air. The village was a single line of metal buildings bordering a beat up road that sprouted up from the dirt at one end of the village and disappeared at the other end. A few of the villagers were already up and milling about outside, enjoying the sun. Ren kept a wary distance from them all, making directly for the pub at the center of the village. The shopkeep looked at her expectantly as she passed him, and Ren nodded in greeting as if he was her friend. She often pretended that he was, when she was on her ship with nothing to do all day but think, and it somehow made her feel less lonely. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The pub didn’t have a front wall; the tablets and chairs spilled out onto the roadside and the roof was nothing more than an immense piece of brown fabric tied down to the side and back walls Her footsteps rumbled the metal sheet that acted as a floor and announced her entrance. She hurried to an empty table with her head down, overly aware of the wary faces turning to watch her. Her desire to be among people again had been intense enough to evidently make her forget that she would always be an outsider in this village. What good was being alone in a room full of people? Coming to the pub was so stupid, so unbelievably stupid, that Ren suppressed the urge to slap herself across the face. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leaving right away would be too suspicious. She had to order something first, to act casual and unhurried before someone decided to question who she was. A grizzled old barman was limping to her table with cautious eyes. He was frowning and Ren could imagine quite clearly what he saw. Filthy clothes, layers of dust settled into her very skin, and the sleek black Keeper’s Watch that shone out so differently from the rest of her haggard appearance. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“A glass of water, please,” Ren said calmly. The barman nodded and made his slow way back to the counter. The rest of the pub’s interest in her was starting to wane as everyone returned to their breakfasts and tall, luxurious glasses of water. Only low grumbles of suspicion remained from a table on the far side of the pub. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ren twisted her hands together under the table. The barman was taking much too long to get her a simple glass of water. What if he has reported her? She hadn’t touched anything yet, the Doctors wouldn’t be able to trace her fingerprints if she left. She was just rising from her chair to flee without her drink when a group of people entered the pub. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They were four in number, two men and two women. The rising sun illuminated a cloud of dust surrounding them as they entered. The man in front was haggard and stomped through the pub with a scowl. He wore cargo pants, a white shirt, a scruffy leather jacket, and a thick black belt off of which hung twin pistols and a short, jagged dagger. The woman on his right side had a massive rifle twice as tall as herself slung casually across her back. It was made of wood and brass, shone like diamond, and held an assortment of knobs and scopes poised atop the barrel. Something like that cost more than everything Ren had seen in her life combined, including a book. The barman stood up straighter and stepped behind the bar, knife in hand. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The group, talking quietly amongst themselves and indifferent to the stares of the villagers, chose to sit at the table next to Ren. Shaking, Ren kept her eyes fixed on her hands. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“How many more days?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Can’t be more than two, no?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Don’t get impatient, you were the ones who wanted to go out of our way to get a drink,” said the man in the leather jacket. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ren glanced at the table. The two women sat facing Ren, the two men with their backs to her. The barman, appearing at Ren’s other side with his knife still clutched firmly in his free hand, thrust a small glass of water under her nose. She thanked him, slid a triangular bronze coin across the table in payment, and brought the glass to her lips. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The water was like a breath of clean air. Her teeth sung at its chill and she swished it around her mouth with relish before swallowing. Compared to the silt-filled water she collected from a stream near her ship, the comfort of drinking clean water was enough to make this trip worthwhile. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the women from the next table pointed at Ren and said, “Sloan, look.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before Ren could put her glass down, the man in the leather jacket had spun around and seized her wrist. Startled, she let the glass slip from her grasp and shatter on the table, its precious contents wasted. Sloan had both of his rough hands around her left wrist. He nearly pulled her arm out of its socket as he yanked her towards him. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The entire pub had fallen silent, some of the smarter villagers hurrying outside. Terrified, Ren kicked the man in the chest as hard as she could and toppled backwards off her chair when he let go of her wrist. She scrambled to her feet and barreled through the empty tables of the pub, cradling her left wrist to her chest. She heard the scraping of heavy chairs against metal behind her as she flew onto the street, frantic to keep this last remnant of her mother’s memory from petty thieves.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instead of sprinting for the coast and the sanctuary of her ship, Ren skidded to a stop just outside the pub, her already tangled nerves screaming at the sight that awaited her. At the entrance of the village stood three disturbingly tall figures clothed in black. Their cloaks hung loosely around them and encircled their heads. Long lacquered masks in the shape of a beak covered their faces. They slunk into the village, shifting their beak masks back and forth, each one holding a bioprobe in their freakishly long, gloved hands. A small blue light blinked on the tip of the bioprobe as the Doctors swept the street for signs of infection. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Head spinning and stomach churning, Ren ducked into a lean alleyway between the pub and the house next to it. The Doctors had to know she was there, why else would they come to the village so early in the moon cycle? She fumbled to tighten the white scarf around her hair. The only fingerprints she had left behind were those on her glass of water. It had shattered, so the bioprobes shouldn’t be able to pick up her trail. But what if a strand of her hair had fallen out? They would find her…finally catch her…</span></span></div>
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Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-14654336084507653982015-01-14T06:04:00.000-08:002015-01-14T06:04:09.122-08:00Interview & Giveaway: Marc Feinstein<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYLb_5QPgTrUYsT5luvRIrh0ZKF3iM1jlWvB4Yaose6y_VdVw98Y86so9ZLoNK92gQ98d5ZEYVRbdV7nRjap1Fs4DZd9Tk5oW9eiXND3zP8qpJYyt6-OpUpskWs2ict3Grqy-t8ahqp0/s1600/MFeinsteinbk72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYLb_5QPgTrUYsT5luvRIrh0ZKF3iM1jlWvB4Yaose6y_VdVw98Y86so9ZLoNK92gQ98d5ZEYVRbdV7nRjap1Fs4DZd9Tk5oW9eiXND3zP8qpJYyt6-OpUpskWs2ict3Grqy-t8ahqp0/s1600/MFeinsteinbk72.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
Born in the Bronx and raised in Ridgefield, New Jersey, Marc Feinstein is a child of the 60's unbound with stories to tell. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
Feinstein is a graduate from the University of Pennsylvania where he received his Bachelor's in Economics. He went on to law school at the Mc George School of Law at University of the Pacific and then began long career in law as a Litigation Attorney and Mediator.<br />
He spent over 30 years of his life in Orange County, California with his wife and two children and now retired resides in Maui with his wife.<br />
He is an avid basketball enthusiast --from playing it, to coaching it, to the study of its history and evolution as a game.<br />
Feinstein is having the time of his life writing and creating stories that connect and resonate with a broad audience and hopes to one day crossover his books to film. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Favorite
reads?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Anything
by Richard Price, Philip Roth, Richard Ford and Pat Conroy—my go-to
guys. I recently discovered Ethan Canin’s <i>America
America </i>and
Mark Slouka’s <i>Brewster
</i>–both my
first reads of their work and proved once again that there’s no way
to keep up with all the great, albeit lesser-known, writers out
there.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Inspirations
for the book?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As
I say on my homepage, the 1960’s story set in a small North Jersey
town is taken from a corner of my heart. The music, the times, and a
hometown story that never leaves you all combined and aligned in a
way that helped frame what I would first write about.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Did
you know you wanted to be an author when you were growing up?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No.
I recall appearances of my inner story-teller first rearing his head
during my freshman year of college, but I did not then take him too
seriously. He didn’t completely go away and had a way of reminding
me for years that he was still hiding out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Any
Pet Peeves?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I
moved to Maui as a way to escape them (peeves, not people).
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Chocolate
or Peanut Butter?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Banana.
Not to be cute (I don’t like either chocolate or peanut butter),
but my answer reminds me of a scene from Barry Levinson’s great
movie, <i>Diner</i>,
where the boys are sitting around a diner, circa 1959, talking about
which pop crooner they’d rather make out to—Mathis or Sinatra?
One of them—Mickey Rourke’s character—smugly answers,
“Presley.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">The
weirdest thing you've ever done?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Give
up a lucrative legal career to write a freakin’ story.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Is
there a soundtrack to the book/Favorite music?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The
book is a soundtrack to the Sixties. The
rock and roll music of the 1960’s, starting for me in 1965
(beginning the surge of the most prolific five years of music in rock
history) bring you back in touch with a semblance of what it felt
like when the memory was born. I am sure it had a lot to do with the
period I chose to write about.
If you don’t
believe me, take a look at the Acknowledgements page—DC5’s “Catch
Us If You Can”, Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man”, Beatles’ “All
You Need is Love”, and CSNY’s “Woodstock”; or better yet,
read the whole book and see.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Do
you need anything to write?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bananas
(this time intending to be cute).
</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">How
long do you write on any average day?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Depends
on how you define “write”. To me, writing is a lot more than
sitting at the keyboard tapping away. If you add up all that goes
into “writing”—the thinking, the dreaming, the plotting, the
research and other preparation, the digressions, the revisions to
what’s already written before moving on—and you’re being
diligent about it, it easily takes up an 8-hour day (though for me,
in 2 or 3 shifts throughout the day and night).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Give
us the number one reason to read your book.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;"> </span><span style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">If
movies like <i>A
Bronx Tale</i> and
<i>Diner</i>,
or books like <i>The
Wanderers </i>and
<i>Sleepers (</i>also
made into movies)<i>,
</i>or a
television show like <i>The
Wonder Years</i>
resonated with you.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Author Info:
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Visit
him on his website at <a href="http://www.marcfeinstein.com/">www.marcfeinstein.com</a>
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Like
him on Facebook at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MarcFeinsteinAuthor">www.facebook.com/MarcFeinsteinAuthor</a>
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Follow
him on Goodreads <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscommarcfeinstein">www.goodreads.com/goodreadscommarcfeinstein</a>
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy
the Book on Amazon
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Catch-Us-If-You-Can/dp/0991515307/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418142369&sr=1-1&keywords=marc+feinstein">http://www.amazon.com/Catch-Us-If-You-Can/dp/0991515307/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418142369&sr=1-1&keywords=marc+feinstein</a></span>
</div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A
small town, a family, a tragedy and the saving power of Rock &
Roll…</span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It
is 1967. Gene Gennaro is sailing through his freshman year in
Oldbrook, blown along by the steady prevailing innocent winds of the
time—sports, girls and Rock & Roll. On the Ides of March, a
tragedy thrusts him into a new world forever rocked by that fateful
day.
</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The
next three frenetic years of high school are a lifeline for Gene as
unbreakable as the fidelity of his friendships with five basketball
teammates; most of all Reuben, his best friend since before
kindergarten, whose lifeline at times turns into the rope for a
tug-of-war between fate and will, testing their classically loyal
friendship.<i>
</i>
</span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>CATCH
US IF YOU CAN </i>is
a coming-of-age tale of small town but urban youth growing up in the
late 1960's trying to untangle the answer to life’s tragedies as
well as answer Bruce Springsteen’s haunting question: <i>Is
a dream a lie if it don’t come true or is it something worse?</i> </span></div>
</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1pX9ZY4AGiNrRRl_dn-wgJ0iU1csNqZ4iDcPrnR3h6j8/viewform?embedded=true" width="600">Loading...</iframe>Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-10241209794200355322015-01-03T00:00:00.000-08:002015-01-14T05:41:39.473-08:00Saturday Snatch & Giveaway: Tethered Worlds--Unwelcome Star by Gregory Faccone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Excerpt</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jordahk and his parents are racing away from the city which has erupted into chaos from the enemy's operatives and assassinations. They too are being targeted, have been wounded, and are attempting to evade small, long-range homing drones..</span></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Kord
stared at Jordahk with piercing eyes. He became uncharacteristically
solemn. “From where we are in space, son, the egress can only take
you backwards.”</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jordahk
sensed something in his father's tone and rare use of “son.” At
thirty-four standard years, he was still in the tail end of long
adolescence. And yet, an element was apparent in how his father spoke
to him, something that made him feel like a man.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jordahk
reached across his body and drew a pistol from his sling bag. For a
long time he'd been in subtle competition with his father. Now he
greatly desired his father to show him up.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">“<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Did
you bring what you need for that thing?” Kord asked.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">“<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yeah,
all the original stuff,” Jordahk answered, patting the bag.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As
far as pistols went, theirs could hardly be more different. Jordahk
held a long, heavy, metal piece. Its gray luster shone under the
growing light of the egress moon. The <i>mystic autobuss</i> didn't
just look like an anachronism next to Kord's latest in scientum
technology, it was one. The weapon dated back to the Sojourners'
Crusade. More than any other, it symbolized the Sojourners, the
masters of mystic technology, inasmuch as anyone ever was. Those
familiar with mystic knew it a technology as likely to master its
user, as be tamed.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
esoteric methods Sojourners used to create their mystic creations
were impossible to duplicate. With them gone, scientum was the only
conventional alternative. It could not perform unexplainable feats,
but it could be mass-produced. Of course, scientum had the added
benefit of not potentially destroying the user's brain.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
Sojourners were long gone, and out of their hands the autobuss wasn't
the most practical weapon. Modern makers of mystic technology,
imprimaturs, saved their brainpower for more profitable endeavors
than making the signature pistol. That was assuming they even could,
which was unlikely. The province now for the strange weapon resided
with collectors, enthusiasts, niche scientists, and those who
believed that they were, or would become, Sojourners.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jordahk
liked to categorize himself as a collector, but if that was the case,
what was he doing right now?</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">“<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm
such a </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>faux,”</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> he
mumbled to himself.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">“<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Break
out your fastest ammo,” Kord said. He reached behind to the
stor-all on his belt. “I need the hot stuff, Highearn.”</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
stor-all bulged, presenting a magazine by the time Kord's bloody hand
arrived. He placed it gingerly into the auxiliary magazine well in
front of the trigger studs. It auto-seated with a hum.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A
modern grister's magazine capacity was significant, and that was in
addition to the magazine in its grip. From what Jordahk saw, his
father was going to war.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A
pouch within Jordahk's sling bag held all the ammunition available.
Through his mystic link, Jordahk could sense much about mystic
technology by touch alone. He ran his fingers along the presented
cartridges and lifted the one that <i>felt</i> the fastest.
With a mental command and a subtle ping, the autobuss hinged open
near the center, revealing seven chambers.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Six
loaded cartridge chambers surrounded a larger, empty octagonal shell
chamber. A cartridge lifted, and Jordahk swapped it out. With a flick
of his hand the autobuss clicked shut like a piece of fine jewelry.
Two thirds of its metal body extended in front of the grip. The rest
protruded back over the hand. Its styling was a unique blend of
Combustion Age revolver, formfitting target pistol, and a
“retro-future space gun” one might see in an old science fiction
cineVAD.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">“<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Lead
your target; use your ret vectors,” Kord said, “and for God's
sake, get it early.” He scrutinized behind them. The road was a
blur receding into darkness.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">“<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Just
get me close, kid, and I'll take care of the rest,” a gruff voice
intoned.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">“<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Max,
nice of you to join us,” Jordahk said sarcastically. “I hope we
haven't taken you from some important ancient battle simulation.”</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Maximilian
v4 wasn't a popular AI. In fact, <i>4</i> was the last rev
ever made. Kord searched long and hard to find the most modern compy
that could even run it. The one he found was 50 years old; a
tarnished metal ring Jordahk wore on his right hand.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Modern
combat pistols had smart barrels, which performed a fractional
adjustment when a shot was fired. The calculations of a fast compy
combined with the judgment of a good AI could turn a near miss into a
hit. Jordahk's mystic autobuss was one of the first to implement such
a feature.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">“<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Don't
argue with your AI,” Kord said. An urgent triple tone sounded from
the retrofitted box. “Split them up. You know the drill. Here they
come!”</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">They
extended their pistols, scrutinizing everything in their wake. Flex
metal autostocks unfolded from pistol to shoulder to brace their aim.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">“<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Watch
for an eight o'clock final approach,” Max said privately
into Jordahk's link. “If I know this type, it'll be eight
o'clock high.”</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jordahk
could sense the inner workings of the autobuss. He focused his
thoughts into it.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Ready
the fast ammo.</i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
weapon hummed, lining that cartridge up to fire. Two fist-sized
objects hovered around the bend 100 meters behind them. The devices
visually acquired their targets and abruptly switched from fans to
rockets.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
AIs coordinated, circling designated targets in different shades of
red on Jordahk and Kord's rets. It was a task well suited to the
eyeball lenses, the strength of which was displaying simple lines and
text. The circles rocketed upward. Seeker drones were wily little
killing machines, not likely to dive straight in and let themselves
be intercepted. The pair etched three-dimensional exhaust trails at
crazy angles suspended in the darkening air.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Seeker
drones often settled for getting close and detonating a directed cone
of deadly shrapnel. Closer than that risked being fried by the
lightning arc of a bracer. Soldiers and security personnel always
wore bracers, the bane of a seeker drone's existence. No one in the
fanicle was wearing a bracer though, and the seeker drones' tiny
crystal brains knew it. Tonight, going all the way in was their
preferred objective.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jordahk's
racing mind stretched the seconds. His chest vibrated from the pulsed
throb of his father's grister. He was surprised his father had a shot
so quickly. Five ammo nuts, super accelerated out of Kord's pistol,
burned the air. The line of pointy pellets passed harmlessly
underneath the first seeker drone, leaving a wispy black trail.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Kord
rarely missed. “Drak!”</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jordahk
followed the wildly dancing red circle in his vision. He kept his aim
on the averaged vector line Max drew as well as the possibility cone
sprouting off it. He mentally unlocked the old pistol and fired it
with slight, intuitive pressure on the trigger studs. The autobuss
emitted its unique hollow thunk. A triangle of three perfectly round
ammo nuts cut a blurry distortion through the air. The fading effect
completely missed. Jordahk fired twice more. The blurs were closer
but didn't hit.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">His
chest vibrated wildly. Jordahk didn't know whether his heart was
going to burst or Kord was firing full auto. He heard a staccato
tinkling sound followed by a blossom of light. The high-pitched hiss
of mini rockets halved.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
other seeker drone closed on the fanicle. It veered to the side,
angling in at eight o'clock. Jordahk knew this was it. Final
approach. Time for only one more shot. When a strange spike of
resonance between his mystic link and autobuss peaked, he fired. One
corner of his triangular shot nicked the drone, knocking it sideways.
It sprayed propellant wildly, trying to reorient for detonation. It
was suddenly a much easier target for his father. A tinny sound
accompanied a line of sparks that stitched across the seeker drone
before it exploded.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jordahk
shielded his face from the blast with a trembling hand. The fanicle
jolted as the explosion illuminated two receding, zigzagged exhaust
trails. Debris clinked around them.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Kord's
concerned expression was covered with a smile. “Thanks for leaving
the coup de grace for me.” Their autostocks folded back into the
pistols.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Vittora
glanced back, pleased the men she loved were still in one piece. “You
made that dramatic.” Her tone made it sound like they shot seeker
drones every day, and now it was time to head home for dinner. Just
then, the whine of the fanicle turned to a warble. Vittora wrestled
with the controls as their speed stuttered and slowed. “Something
hit us.”</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Vittora's
driving the fanicle way past specs was strain enough. Now a new
grinding sound joined the mix. On cue a few more parts scattered on
the earthpack behind them. Jordahk's heart sank with the same feeling
he suspected generations of drivers felt when their vehicles
threatened to strand them.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">“<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Now
that they're onto us,” Kord said, “things are going to get
serious.”</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">“<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Going
to get?</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">”
Jordahk exclaimed.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy55uemI-sDYLKd_Y-NEF8rRoJ6oHJJc2H77nPmxKvJh7swVvxUNsK1zOI4i9jojFZgJPUfKFfQkg-FG2u6qz8VR2RzrdXmhmM-Lm5qmX_4W6j3bLr4Bq3AqeDb7hGtzTVWa6HTMz-xb0/s1600/Author_Gregory_Faccone_500X468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy55uemI-sDYLKd_Y-NEF8rRoJ6oHJJc2H77nPmxKvJh7swVvxUNsK1zOI4i9jojFZgJPUfKFfQkg-FG2u6qz8VR2RzrdXmhmM-Lm5qmX_4W6j3bLr4Bq3AqeDb7hGtzTVWa6HTMz-xb0/s1600/Author_Gregory_Faccone_500X468.jpg" height="315" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0.48in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You might think part-time mystery man Gregory Faccone has lived ten lifetimes. He's experienced the ocean's cool dawn, and baked in 130° deserts. He's worked amidst the concrete canyons of major cities, and on a dark, rainy night, driven a remote road carpeted with frogs (true story, really).</span></div>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Classically trained in creative arts, he performed a long tenure developing electronic entertainment with both independent companies and the biggest names like Electronic Arts and Sony. He collaborated with Universal Studios, Warner Bros., and Paramount, adding content to popular franchises from science fiction, with Star Trek, to comics, to even medical dramas like ER.<br /><br />However, Gregory desired to share his creations beyond fleeting game system technology. The written word has stood for centuries, and although reading mediums evolve, novels continue unimpeded. A reader's bond with a quality literary work is unlike any other. When Gregory starting creating a unique science fiction universe, he knew the medium for which it was destined. The fantastic framework for his science fiction series, "Tethered Worlds," took two years to create before he jumped into writing the first entry.<br /><br />Gregory is influenced by Arthur C. Clarke's axiom: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." So jump into Tethered Worlds and go on an adventure based in the centuries to come. While the technology is advanced, the nature of mankind is unchanged. It continues to wrestle with flaws, and is preserved through selflessness and nobility.</span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1cLezet8hdJk0nKiJBSmBuX2sbpz1IOq3u2RPo2DNFB8/viewform?embedded=true" width="600">Loading...</iframe>Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-39009731408949135822015-01-01T10:09:00.001-08:002015-01-01T10:09:58.748-08:00Interview & Giveaway: Dan Wright<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlthXUAsVGYX85dNEYWY_5qWswXvtCsyIiWoeEFEI1yLhaVOZAMYoLGgmJubfjrDBO1-InZMtMdLnsklBnR9v02NgIBuL0jzctJcHPirHleIo4mIodhTEZ-sWwCI2EkYH3AYCuapL_wps/s1600/Dan+Author+Pic+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlthXUAsVGYX85dNEYWY_5qWswXvtCsyIiWoeEFEI1yLhaVOZAMYoLGgmJubfjrDBO1-InZMtMdLnsklBnR9v02NgIBuL0jzctJcHPirHleIo4mIodhTEZ-sWwCI2EkYH3AYCuapL_wps/s1600/Dan+Author+Pic+2.jpg" height="297" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> My name is Dan and I live in Canterbury, United Kingdom. From an early age I was heavily inspired by medieval fantasy and greek mythology. In fact, creating fantasy worlds and characters is one of my pastimes.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I write my own Fantasy/Manga series called the Draconica series – which also contains Manga style artwork (drawn by some really talented artists). My series has been praised by online reviewers for its humour and action and has had some pretty positive feedback. Currently I have three books in that series – </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trapped on Draconica, Legacy of the Dragonkin</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Final Ragnarok: She Returns.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I also have a Disney inspired Fantasy series called </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amanda Moonstone</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> – which is due to be published through Paper Crane Books in 2014 and I write and voice a fan parody series called </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Totalitarian Warlords and Termination Squadron</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on Youtube. I’ve also had a short story published in the comic anthology </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lightning Strike Presents...</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; white-space: pre-wrap;"> When not writing, I play guitar in a band called Rage of Silence and I’m also a slave to my cat – who takes up a lot of my time when I’m not writing.</span><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Favorite reads?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is my favourite book of all time. I also love </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Lord of the Rings</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> A Song of Ice and Fire</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> series. I’m also a huge fan of the comic </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Watchmen</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and I’m also trying to catch up with the Manga </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Full Metal Alchemist </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">where I can.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Inspirations for the book?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 24.0240230560303px;"> </span>The </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Draconica </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">series as a whole is inspired by many fantasy novels and video games – with a few bits of Manga and ancient history thrown in. However my major inspiration for this series, which I call the </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Final Ragnarok Arc</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is based on the concept of the myth of Ragnarok. I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of a great cataclysmic event that would destroy all life as we know it – but also the build up to that event as well. It makes you wonder how the heroes can prevent it – if at all – and it really ups the stakes story wise. It’s also loosely based on themes brought up by </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Empire Strikes Back...</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> where the villains seem to have the upper hand most of the book. In all, this is probably my darkest story I’ve written so far.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Did you know you wanted to be an author when you were little?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 24.0240230560303px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; white-space: pre-wrap;">I would say so. I used to make up my own stories all the time when I was a kid, so it makes sense that I would become an author. Writing seems to be the only thing that I’m any good at so if I couldn’t do that – well there wasn’t much else I could do.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Any Pet Peeves?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 24.0240230560303px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; white-space: pre-wrap;">Procrastination is my biggest one. There are too many moments where I should be writing and then spend hours on the internet instead. I really need to make a rule that there is no internet whilst writing!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Chocolate or Peanut Butter?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 24.0240230560303px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chocolate for sure.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">The weirdest thing you've ever done?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 24.0240230560303px;"> </span>I’m gonna plead the 5</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">th</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on that question! XD</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Is there a soundtrack to the book/Favorite music?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 24.0240230560303px;"> </span>I often like composing my own soundtracks to my series and putting together my own little playlist. Right now I’d say the main music to my </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Draconica</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> series would be mostly rock/metal music – but with some ballads in there. If I could get anyone to do the music for my series it would be Celldweller – that guy does some awesome music.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Do you need anything to write?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 24.0240230560303px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; white-space: pre-wrap;">I sometimes listen to music, depending on the mood I’m in. But sometimes I find myself getting distracted by the music, so I try to limit this where possible. Oh, and Pepsi – LOTS of Pepsi! Many authors state coffee as their drink of choice – I tend to go for something a little stronger. And if I need something really strong, I reach for the Jagermeister!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">How long do you write on any average day?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 24.0240230560303px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; white-space: pre-wrap;">I try to do at least 6 hours where I can – but sometimes, if I’m feeling REALLY energetic I can pretty much write from the moment I wake up till I go to bed. Though six hours I find is pretty productive for me on average. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Give us the number one reason to read your book.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 24.0240230560303px;"> </span>This is part one of my </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Final Ragnarok</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> story arc – something that has been foreshadowed in previous books. It’s essentially a huge event that the heroes have to stop if they plan to save Draconica. But to do so, some may have to die – and others may lose their sanity. It’s the first of a two parter – and the ending will leave you wanting more.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Author Info:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Web site and blog: </span><a href="http://www.pandragondan.co.uk/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">www.pandragondan.co.uk</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/PandragonDanWright" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PandragonDanWright</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TrappedonDraconica" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TrappedonDraconica</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/PandaDanWright" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">@PandaDanWright</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://twitter.com/DraconicaSeries" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">@DraconicaSeries</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wiki: </span><a href="http://trappedondraconica.wikia.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://trappedondraconica.wikia.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgwXyZ5HtXO7aR46_L459gPVZAEIL9G1Z2l_zd3WbF2aNrdDqj6cstFTYAyzTWWnxJ3KCUUvDfgVnLEgrTbtx4q95V6wP6a3DnY3RqC_ft1IMY-LGwgoboyj9TBzM8eGic6DaB-HnoQg/s1600/FRSR+Cover+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgwXyZ5HtXO7aR46_L459gPVZAEIL9G1Z2l_zd3WbF2aNrdDqj6cstFTYAyzTWWnxJ3KCUUvDfgVnLEgrTbtx4q95V6wP6a3DnY3RqC_ft1IMY-LGwgoboyj9TBzM8eGic6DaB-HnoQg/s1600/FRSR+Cover+1.jpg" height="640" width="451" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; text-align: start;">She is coming... </span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; text-align: start;">When Daniar Dragonkin heard those words, she had no idea of the full horror that would follow. Now, enemies converge to bring to life a monstrous plan that will spell the end of Draconica. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; text-align: start;">With her family threatened, old enemies returning to torment her - and a civil war in Baalaria thatprevents any help from her sister, Daniar faces the darkness moment of her entire life. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.3333339691162px; text-align: start;">Heroes will die, evil will rise - and Daniar’s sanity will be pushed to breaking point.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Ebooks of </span><span style="background-color: white;">all three of the Draconica series novels</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-5ad68a37-a6a9-df68-bfdc-f90b459fa9b2"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trapped on Draconica, Legacy of the Dragonkin, </span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Final Ragnarok: She Returns</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-S66rdt7LI3UoWI6WjeVemezxNKubhojrUBajVjQWQ0/viewform?embedded=true" width="600">Loading...</iframe>Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-49652990804446001582014-12-22T00:00:00.000-08:002014-12-22T00:00:18.920-08:00Interview: Greg Spry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Greg Spry has immersed himself in science fiction since he was old enough to obliterate Lego star ships with Lincoln Log photon torpedoes. He writes fast-paced yet thought-provoking science fiction with thoughtful, tortured characters caught up in ethical dilemmas where the fate of the universe hangs in the balance. He's a forward-thinking person who always has an eye on the future, although he yearns for the good old days when there were nine planets in the Solar System (props to you, Pluto).<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Since graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2001, Greg has worked in the IT and computer programming industry. During that time, he's learned web design, search engine marketing, entrepreneurship, and other skills which help aid him in developing his author platform. He's also participated in multiple writing and critique groups, honing his craft while helping others to do the same. An M.S. Space Systems degree from the Florida Institute of Technology helps him craft sci-fi that's as realistic as possible.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Favorite reads?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">My favorite authors include Arthur C. Clarke, Peter Hamilton, Alastair Reynolds, Orson Scott Card, and Jack McKinney (I read the Robotech book series from start to finish at least three times in middle school and high school). I also think books by Dan Brown and Suzanne Collins's live up to the hype. As you might've guessed from my list of authors, I tend to read books that fall into the genres in which I write: hard sci-fi, space opera, and other science fiction.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Inspirations for the book?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">My chief inspirations for Beyond Cloud Nine (BC9) came from the Anime I watched growing up: Robotech, SDF Macross, Macross II, and Macross Plus. Thanks to Star Trek: TNG and Captain Picard, my main protagonists will always face a moral conundrum. I've also pulled plot and character elements from the books/authors I've read (see above) and video games. There was a game I used to play as a kid for the Sega Genesis called Target Earth. I started with the plot of that game and twisted the overdone alien invasion angle to my advantage in order to create the story for BC9.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I've written many more details about the background behind the creation of BC9 at</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="https://www.beyondcloudnine.com/Background.aspx" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">https://www.beyondcloudnine.<wbr></wbr>com/Background.aspx</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Did you know you wanted to be an author when you were little?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Yes, I wrote my first novel, Crystalia, in late elementary/early middle school. The book filled two five-subject notebooks, if you remember those thick beasts from back in the day. My novel Destalis, which remains a work in progress, is loosely based on Crystalia. I also wrote the first couple chapters of the first draft of BC9 in high school, so I've been going strong since I was fairly young.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I've written a little more about this at</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="https://www.beyondcloudnine.com/Background.aspx" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">https://www.beyondcloudnine.<wbr></wbr>com/Background.aspx</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">and</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="https://www.gregspry.com/earlyworks.php" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">https://www.gregspry.com/<wbr></wbr>earlyworks.php</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Any Pet Peeves?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Too many to list. Let's stay positive.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chocolate or Peanut Butter?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Both! Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are delicious, although I don't eat candy very often.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The weirdest thing you've ever done?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">I once shook and thanked someone I didn't know very well when a random thing they said gave me a great plot idea. There's also a scene from the Simpsons where Homer runs/twirls in a circle yelling "woohoo" while on the floor. I reenacted this scene upon publishing my first novel.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Is there a soundtrack to the book/Favorite music?<u></u><u></u></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Ha, this is an awesome question. BC9 doesn't have an official soundtrack and probably won't until JJ Abrams, James Cameron, or Steven Spielberg produce the movie. While my musical bread and butter has always been alternative (most poetic/abstract lyrics), I often listen to techno/trance, electronic, and sci-fi scores when writing. From those genres, I've compiled a play list of songs that I think would work well in the background of the movie.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">There's a song I randomly stumbled across on SoundCloud titled "Twisted (Mac & Taylor </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Remix) by Amy Rose." To me, the song feels very dystopian, sets the mood of the main character and story, and would work perfectly when zooming in on the planet Jupiter to open the movie. I also tend to imagine the song "Distant Worlds (Carl B Remix) by Amex and Saint Rush" playing at the end of BC9 as the main protagonist realizes where she is and into the end credits.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall, if I had the opportunity to produce or direct the movie, the score would consist of electronic and modern classical elements blended together. The straightforward classical scores found in Star Wars and Star Trek movies are kind of "been there, done that" (as much as I love them). Personally, I believe the most sci-fi sounding music can be found in 80's flicks like Terminator. Synthesizers sound more futuristic. I'm also a huge fan of the musical composition done by Yoko Kanno in Anime works like Macross Plus and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. She manages to seamlessly blend classical and electronic in cool and unique ways.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you need anything to write? </span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Just my desktop computer and large chunks of time. I'm most comfortable on a desktop PC with a full keyword and monitor. I can't work as fast on a laptop. It also takes me a little while to get into writing mode, and I'm a slow writer, so unless I have an hour or more available at once, it's hard to get much done. Getting "in the zone" is huge for me. If I'm focused and "in the zone," the words flow and hours can pass without my noticing it. When I'm not "in the zone," it might take me hours just to write a page.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I sometimes listen to music and sometimes need to turn it off to get focused. It depends on my mood at the time.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">How long do you write on any average day?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">I tend to write in spurts. I can't say I've ever been able to stick to the whole "write X words a day" advice we've all heard. Typically, I reserve one day a week as my writing day and try to get in a full afternoon, evening, and night's worth, which allows me to bust out the better part of a chapter. I'll write throughout the rest of the week as time permits.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">It's also worth defining the terms "write" or "writing" in this context. When people think of writing, I think most of us envision typing the prose of the chapters in Word. However, I would also classify brainstorming and outlining as writing, too. On any given day, I may not add to my chapter word count, but I might still come up with a great plot idea in my head or work out what's going to happen in what order in an outline in OneNote.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Give us the number one reason to read your book.<u></u><u></u></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> <u></u></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">I'd like to think there are dozens of good reasons to read Beyond Cloud Nine: a real main protagonist with a compelling goal, a plot that's not your typical alien invasion, page-turning action, etc. Choosing one is tough, but the top reason would have to be because of my definition of what separates good from great. Good books entertain, but you don’t just enjoy great books. Great books make you think and reflect on your own life. I'd like to think the main theme of Beyond Cloud Nine--would you rather be miserable knowing the truth or happy living a lie--leaves readers considering that question for themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><u>Author Info:</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Book Website: <a href="https://www.beyondcloudnine.com/" target="_blank">https://www.beyondcloudnine.<wbr></wbr>com</a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Book Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NOFZ16Q" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/dp/<wbr></wbr>B00NOFZ16Q</a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Book Blog: <a href="https://www.beyondcloudnine.com/Blog.aspx" target="_blank">https://www.beyondcloudnine.<wbr></wbr>com/Blog.aspx</a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Book Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23272077-beyond-cloud-nine" target="_blank">https://www.goodreads.com/<wbr></wbr>book/show/23272077-beyond-<wbr></wbr>cloud-nine</a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Book Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beyond-Cloud-Nine/774728699265306" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>pages/Beyond-Cloud-Nine/<wbr></wbr>774728699265306</a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Author Website: <a href="https://www.gregspry.com/" target="_blank">https://www.gregspry.com</a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Author Blog: <a href="https://www.gregspry.com/blog.php" target="_blank">https://www.gregspry.com/blog.<wbr></wbr>php</a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Author Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/gregspry" target="_blank">https://www.goodreads.com/<wbr></wbr>gregspry</a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Author Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/GregSpryAuthor" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/<wbr></wbr>GregSpryAuthor</a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Author Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gregspryauthor" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>gregspryauthor</a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">All Social Media Links: <a href="https://www.beyondcloudnine.com/SocialMedia.aspx" target="_blank">https://www.beyondcloudnine.<wbr></wbr>com/SocialMedia.aspx</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGcLnYNt5mSOzIGCOosZESLNlRTdeO49lium5jH_DdLeaNrERH3WZ1A7Uok5QA5t5FJrXHLWJ3mXn49Gbeh-kVT8IJsgVA6KzZXUXG_1LVaaxLeN7V-8jyXnv827y9Ze5BMSPExavSxa4/s1600/image002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGcLnYNt5mSOzIGCOosZESLNlRTdeO49lium5jH_DdLeaNrERH3WZ1A7Uok5QA5t5FJrXHLWJ3mXn49Gbeh-kVT8IJsgVA6KzZXUXG_1LVaaxLeN7V-8jyXnv827y9Ze5BMSPExavSxa4/s1600/image002.jpg" height="640" width="423" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ace star fighter pilot Brooke Davis lives for pushing hundreds of gees in orbital combat, but she’d give it all up in a moment to become the first human to fly faster than light. When Brooke stumbles upon a conspiracy involving terrorists, aliens, and the highest levels of government, she finds their goals seductive but their methods abhorrent. With the moral core of human civilization hanging in the balance, she must risk her shot at history, her family, and her life to prevent the schemers from forcing their nefarious brand of salvation upon the solar system.</span></div>
Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-23828368601524337542014-12-20T00:00:00.000-08:002014-12-20T00:00:11.620-08:00Interview & Giveaway: J. R. Boles<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 0.16in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: -0.01in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QKmzmtgfBMeALze2zFAzjq0CPV4VbZmYi-c0C4IijyNeqHJUDJSa0tzAL1r1Qj3p7JDJwSahIyzffP84_A-0KgTMHybqHLMK6PNcmwA9nYIQShRG49B0VeKlUa8oqTZOK1q_vdwZK5k/s1600/IMG_3545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QKmzmtgfBMeALze2zFAzjq0CPV4VbZmYi-c0C4IijyNeqHJUDJSa0tzAL1r1Qj3p7JDJwSahIyzffP84_A-0KgTMHybqHLMK6PNcmwA9nYIQShRG49B0VeKlUa8oqTZOK1q_vdwZK5k/s1600/IMG_3545.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">J.R. Boles is a fantasy and fiction writer currently hanging her hat
in the Heartland with </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">her husband where they spend their free time chasing after their
fearless daughter. She </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a degree
in English and </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">American University Washington College of Law.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Favorite reads?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;"> I am a fantasy genre junkie. I've read Lord of the Rings more times
than I care to admit. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;">Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, Mercedes Lackey's By the Sword,
and Brandon</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;">Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy are a few of my favorites. I love
stories that leave me </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;">daydreaming about the characters and the worlds in which they exist.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Inspirations for the book?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I dreamed one of the main scenes in Bringer of Light. I watched a
warrior woman</span></div>
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scream out blinding white light, heard her enemies hit the ground,
and saw the eyes of</span></div>
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her fellow warriors on her before her light faded out. The rest of
the novel was sort of </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;">built around that moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;"><span style="color: purple;">Did you know you wanted to be an author when you were little?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;"> No, when I was little was going to be a veterinarian or She Ra,
Princess of Power. It </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;">wasn't until high school that I discovered my love of writing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Any Pet Peeves?</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-indent: -0.959999978542328px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-indent: -0.959999978542328px;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;">I would have to say weak female characters, improper comma usage, and
people who </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;">can't get "to" and "too" straight.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Chocolate or Peanut Butter?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;"> Reese's peanut butter cups?</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">The weirdest thing you've ever done?</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-indent: -0.959999978542328px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-indent: -0.959999978542328px;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I married my high school debate partner.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Is there a soundtrack to the book/Favorite music?</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-indent: -0.959999978542328px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-indent: -0.959999978542328px;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I listened to the Lord of the Rings soundtracks a fair amount and
this song called First </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;">Cup by the Three Dollar Band.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Do you need anything to write? </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-indent: -0.959999978542328px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-indent: -0.959999978542328px;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Coffee.
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">How long do you write on any average day?</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-indent: -0.959999978542328px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-indent: -0.959999978542328px;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">As long as a toddler nap lasts, I can usually get one to two hours of
writing done if I’m </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;">not procrastinating. I just finished my second year of NaNoWriMo, so
that average was </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;">a little higher this past month.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Give us the number one reason to read your book.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-indent: -0.959999978542328px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-indent: -0.959999978542328px;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;">Bringer of Light will leave you daydreaming at the end. It’s a
lovely place to disappear </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;">into for a while. I vacation there quite often.</span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 0.16in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: -0.01in;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;"><span style="color: purple;">Author Info:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">
www.jrboles.com
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;">www.facebook.com/jrboles</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.16in; text-indent: -0.01in;">www.twitter.com/writingjen</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px;">For generations, the kingdom of Arten has stood alone against the ancient dark mage Mercer, a man no longer bound by time. But when King Wern is kidnapped, Queen Arin will risk everything to get him back.</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Lynden Trenadin is chosen to join the ranks of the elite Queen's Champions both for her prowess as a warrior and her remarkable resemblance to the queen. She has spent her life battling at Arten's borders, but now she must defend the queen with her life as they journey to their enemy's castle. When the tide of battle goes against them, Lynden unleashes a magical power she didn't know she possessed. Even though she saved hundreds of warriors, Lynden is forced to flee in shame for her use of forbidden magic.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Now on the run, Lynden must raise a rebellion to free her country from the tyranny of the enemy she thought she'd destroyed. A band of loyalists and an enclave of ancient mages aid her in her efforts, but with a dark mage bent on her destruction, Lynden must discover a way to harness her new magic before it is too late.<br />
<br /></div>
</span></span>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Cl8uzwq8AKCEg3oMkGS9eYjbmUA4RSEZ-zbUyKaj9G0/viewform?embedded=true" width="600">Loading...</iframe>Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-43197443625841506712014-12-17T13:42:00.003-08:002014-12-17T14:17:00.059-08:00Interview & Giveaway: Erec Stebbins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAgX3Zqg2PHCfHv0Lh5SCMGArxO8TDSiaKDvLAyic6wyvUcsXb1Ds4yzVsZPqv2dsslP6e8ezNbIh_DlVJ3_A9R_qaAEbCarekzNhi_pDUcbsvbPJdbmbBXWnbO_XQb2c5crey8f1-oI/s1600/ru_face_3D.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAgX3Zqg2PHCfHv0Lh5SCMGArxO8TDSiaKDvLAyic6wyvUcsXb1Ds4yzVsZPqv2dsslP6e8ezNbIh_DlVJ3_A9R_qaAEbCarekzNhi_pDUcbsvbPJdbmbBXWnbO_XQb2c5crey8f1-oI/s1600/ru_face_3D.png" height="223" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">I am a biomedical researcher who writes political and international thrillers, science fiction, narrated storybooks, and more. I was born in the Midwest. My mother worked as a clinical psychologist, and my father was a professor of romance languages at the University Nebraska in Lincoln. In fact, his specialty, old romance languages and their literature, is the source of the strange spelling of my middle name: "Erec". It is an Old French spelling, taken from an Arthurian romance by Chrétien de Troyes written around 1170: Érec et Énide. Had my brother been a girl, he would have been named Enide. Instead, he's Michael! I have pursued diverse interests over the course of my life, including science, music, drama, and writing. My academic path focused on science, and I received a degree in physics from Oberlin College in 1992, and a PhD in biochemistry from Cornell University in 1999.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.71in; margin-right: 0.86in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Favorite
reads?</span></span></strong></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-left: 0.31in; margin-right: 0.47in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> Tolkien’s
LOTRs & The Silmarillion, Hyperion/Endymion series, Dune series,
Starmaker, several (real) Ludlum novels, Gödel, Escher, Bach: An
Eternal Golden Braid, Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty, From a
Buick 8, Illusions, The Gitanjali, Cosmos (Sagan)</span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.71in; margin-right: 0.86in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Inspirations
for the book?</span></span></strong></blockquote>
<div style="border: none; margin-left: 0.31in; margin-right: 0.47in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> This
is a hard one to answer, due to the somewhat meta-recursive nature of
the narrative. A conceit of the books is that a being of the future
is writing her story through me, so that, in this sense, SHE is the
inspiration. Assuming that this is just a figment of my imagination,
then I would say that the story grew on the sands of Greece when I
wanted to write a “super heroine” novel for my (then) middle
school-aged daughters. By the time I had finished book 1 (READER),
they were much older, had outgrown the original novel (which
necessitated several major rewrites), and the book took a somewhat
darker turn as it was remodeled. I had never intended any sort of a
series for the first book, but the strong reactions to the first
novel convinced me that there was a group of people who wanted to
hear more about this story.</span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-left: 0.31in; margin-right: 0.47in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-left: 0.31in; margin-right: 0.47in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> My
inspirations included a host of science fiction stories I had loved
as a young man, strongly influenced by ideas in Olaf Stapledon’s
“Starmaker” and Frank Herbert’s “Dune” books, as well as
some ideas in modern physics and cosmology, as filtered through the
lens of a biophysicist. The next two novels extended some of those
ideas and then ran in transcendental/tangential directions with them,
while then tying in my own idiosyncratic ideas of how we might
conceptualize “creation” given our modern scientific mythology.
My love of thrillers led me to try and take these often esoteric
ideas and ground them in a narrative structure that would still be
exciting and interesting, and thereby avoid drowning in metaphysics.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-left: 0.31in; margin-right: 0.47in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.71in; margin-right: 0.86in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Did
you know you wanted to be an author when you were little?</span></span></strong></blockquote>
<div style="border: none; margin-left: 0.31in; margin-right: 0.47in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> I
never thought of it as a vocation. I knew I wanted to create. As I
matured, that took on a spectrum of meanings from building protein
models as a scientist, writing stories, and even making musical
instruments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.71in; margin-right: 0.86in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Any
Pet Peeves?</span></span></strong></blockquote>
<div style="border: none; margin-left: 0.31in; margin-right: 0.47in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> Metaphysical
certainty. In fact, certainty of any kind. Cruelty. Indifference. Ice
in whiskey.</span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.71in; margin-right: 0.86in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Chocolate
or Peanut Butter?</span></span></strong></blockquote>
<div style="border: none; margin-left: 0.31in; margin-right: 0.47in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> Reeces.</span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-left: 0.31in; margin-right: 0.47in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.71in; margin-right: 0.86in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
weirdest thing you've ever done?</span></span></strong></blockquote>
<div style="border: none; margin-left: 0.31in; margin-right: 0.47in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> I
don’t understand the question.</span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-left: 0.31in; margin-right: 0.47in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<blockquote style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.71in; margin-right: 0.86in; margin-top: 0.05in; padding: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Is
there a soundtrack to the book/Favorite music?</span></span></strong></blockquote>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> For me, reading and listening to music are orthogonal activities. Music is all consuming for me, nearly like a psychotropic drug, so that I cannot imagine doing anything else meaningful, anything that required any other significant cognitive input, when experiencing music. More power to those that find these activities compatible! If I were to pick music that I thought matched the emotions and ideas I had while writing the novels, I would point to the book video trailers I made where I tried to find (affordable) music that reflected what I felt was the essence of the novels.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">READER trailer: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2Vag28zTcg" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.<wbr></wbr>com/watch?v=t2Vag28zTcg</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">WRITER trailer: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CE3UQ7AtJ4" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.<wbr></wbr>com/watch?v=7CE3UQ7AtJ4</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">MAKER trailer: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_o-1Stnt7U" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.<wbr></wbr>com/watch?v=q_o-1Stnt7U</a></span></div>
<span class="im" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<span class="im" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="color: purple;">Do you need anything to write? </span></strong></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<span class="im" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span>
<br />
<div style="color: #500050;">
<span class="im" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> Chunks of uninterrupted (by events or thoughts) time. Emotional involvement in the narrative.</span></span></span></div>
<span class="im" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><span class="im" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<span class="im" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="color: purple;">How long do you write on any average day?</span></strong></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<span class="im" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<div style="color: #500050;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> I have two modes: writing a book mode and not writing. The latter is obviously nothing. When writing a book, I tend to churn out 1-2K words a day.</span></div>
</span></span><span class="im" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<strong><span style="color: purple;">Give us the number one reason to read your book.</span></strong></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="color: #500050;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> Speculative fiction with time travel, alien armageddon, metaphysical mysteries, action, adventure, cosmology, cybernetics, religion, and romance!</span></div>
</span></span><span class="im" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="color: #500050;">
<span class="im" style="background-color: white; color: #500050;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="color: purple;">Author Info:</span></span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Website: <a href="http://www.erecstebbins.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.erecstebbins.com</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5990247.Erec_Stebbins" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>goodreads.com/author/show/<wbr></wbr>5990247.Erec_Stebbins</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Amazon page: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Erec-Stebbins/e/B0088CQQ4G" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/<wbr></wbr>Erec-Stebbins/e/B0088CQQ4G</a></span><br />
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<span id="goog_1982354948"></span><span id="goog_1982354949"></span><br /></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">
READER</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">
<i style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>From the future, a final plea. Out of the past, a last hope.</b></i><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A young girl, born to die in freakish disregard. A doomed world, enslaved to forces unseen. A final hope beyond imagining. Become a Reader, because in the end, the most unbelievable step in the adventure - </span><i style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">will be your own</i><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">
WRITER</div>
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<i style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>From hatred, Love. From many, One.</b></i><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Book 2 in the </span><i style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Daughter of Time</i><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> trilogy: A love story and sci-fi epic about the beautiful and terrible destiny of profoundly star-crossed lovers with a galaxy's fate in their hands.</span><br />
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MAKER</div>
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<i style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Until all is lost, nothing is found.</b></i><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Conclude the epic story of Ambra Dawn in the final installment of the trilogy. A story in which the one that was lost will be found. Where a thief will guide through chaos and time. Where all that was held dear will perish. And in that final and utter destruction</span>—<span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">there will be a <i>Creation</i>.</span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sDXuahJZx-x0lz7c5gV0-wod3pdeLPp-T005ax3Fjys/viewform?embedded=true" width="600">Loading...</iframe>Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-58321699686286970982014-12-08T11:23:00.000-08:002014-12-08T11:23:29.142-08:00Interview & Giveaway: Sarah Daltry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdOKlvEE81O3PaMNwzGMl2RxDJFSfNZlEZ6n9-he79w6CjgL9eqDxgFYoT-dpv1O_wwIAamqOV30EGfRid7L_PKEQ73habVNGwkBtOna8d1SCpPHC10ln5UYD9L6CHjW22nXu6d56zvo/s1600/GOOGLEPIC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdOKlvEE81O3PaMNwzGMl2RxDJFSfNZlEZ6n9-he79w6CjgL9eqDxgFYoT-dpv1O_wwIAamqOV30EGfRid7L_PKEQ73habVNGwkBtOna8d1SCpPHC10ln5UYD9L6CHjW22nXu6d56zvo/s1600/GOOGLEPIC.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> Sarah Daltry is an extreme introvert who writes a variety of fiction, all character-driven and blending lyrical imagery with philosophical questions about belonging and defining yourself. She lives in New England. </span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Favorite reads?</span></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></i><i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">The Book Thief, The Catcher in the Rye, The Lovely Bones, The Sun Also Rises, Nineteen Minutes.</i><br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Inspirations for the book?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Nothing really - it just came to me one morning</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Did you know you wanted to be an author when you were little?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> Yes and no. I always wrote because books were the only place I felt okay, but I didn't know what authors were to be honest. I'm not sure I do now, either, because I'm still more interested in giving readers a place to feel safe and comfortable with characters like themselves than I am about marketing. </span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Any Pet Peeves?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I try not to be negative, but I don't like the way the world is in many ways. </span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Chocolate or Peanut Butter?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Peanut Butter</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">The weirdest thing you've ever done?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> I have done many weird things, since I can't remember ever being "normal."</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Is there a soundtrack to the book/Favorite music?</span></strong></div>
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<a href="http://hypster.com/playlists/user/sarahdaltry?6953930" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">http://hypster.com/playlists/<wbr></wbr>user/sarahdaltry?6953930</a></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Do you need anything to write? </span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Quiet</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">How long do you write on any average day?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> It depends - I go many days when I don't write at all and others when I write for 10 hours. </span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Give us the number one reason to read your book.</span></strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> It's a blend of philosophy and traditional epic fantasy and the story could really take place in our contemporary world as much as in a magical land. It's about accepting even the darkest parts of yourself as strength.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Author Info:</span></b></div>
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<a href="http://sarahdaltry.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://sarahdaltry.com</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZwFtV6VfEc5PmLD8eMb4gg" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/<wbr></wbr>channel/<wbr></wbr>UCZwFtV6VfEc5PmLD8eMb4gg</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Google+: <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/115737335379285219531/posts" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://plus.google.com/u/0/<wbr></wbr>115737335379285219531/posts</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=366527678&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/<wbr></wbr>profile/view?id=366527678&trk=<wbr></wbr>nav_responsive_tab_profile</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/SarahDaltry" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/<wbr></wbr>SarahDaltry</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Instagram: <a href="http://instagram.com/sarahdaltrybooks" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://instagram.com/<wbr></wbr>sarahdaltrybooks</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ello: <a href="https://ello.co/sarahdaltry" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://ello.co/sarahdaltry</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">tumblr: <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sarahdaltrybooks" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.tumblr.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>sarahdaltrybooks</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pinterest: <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/sarahdaltrybook/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.pinterest.com/<wbr></wbr>sarahdaltrybook/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wattpad: <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/user/sarahdaltrybooks" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.wattpad.com/user/<wbr></wbr>sarahdaltrybooks</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a world ravaged by war and oppressive forces of evil, a princess must fight to claim her bloodright and save her people.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 27.3600006103516px;">When the princess, Alondra, falls for the beautiful, blue eyes of a hooded stranger, it awakens in her a taste for freedom and an escape from her duty.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: #fafaf9; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 27.3600006103516px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But her parents have other plans; they have a Kingdom to protect and Alondra must marry to ensure the peace between nations. Only what happens when your parents choose a cold-hearted assassin as your betrothed?</span></div>
<div style="background-color: #fafaf9; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 27.3600006103516px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As lies, illusions and long hidden vendettas surface, the princess has to confront a very secret history. One that makes her realize that she not only risks losing her liberty, but also everything she has known and loved.</span></div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1jcyx6kQQjIPcZ0hYbCodZk5M2e9_dThxKlWOIaN0M6g/viewform?embedded=true" width="600">Loading...</iframe>Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-44530640199869969472014-12-06T00:00:00.000-08:002014-12-06T00:00:00.887-08:00Saturday Snatch & Giveaway: A Fistful of Evil by Rebecca Chastain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Madison Fox just learned that her
ability to see souls is more than a sight: It’s a weapon for
fighting evil. The only problem is she doesn’t have a clue what
she’s doing. On the positive side, her money problems are over,
she’s possibly discovered her purpose in life, and her coworker is
smoking hot. On the negative side, evil creatures now actively hunt
her, and deadly experiences are becoming the norm. </span></span></div>
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When
she thinks it couldn’t get worse, a powerful evil sets up shop at a
local hotel’s video game convention, and it’s got its eye on more
than the gaming geeks: it is hungry for Madison’s soul. Madison
needs to become an expert illuminant enforcer overnight to save her
job, her region . . . and her life.</div>
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<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><i><b>Chapter 1</b></i></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><i><b>Don’t Follow Me: I’m
Lost, Too</b></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1_Dont_Follow"></a>
<span style="font-size: 13pt;">The interview was a catastrophe.
It started out fine—better than fine. Kyle, the sales manager for
the bumper sticker company, Illumination Studios, met me in the warm
confines of a nearby Starbucks, purchased me a grande green tea, and
selected a table in the corner, away from the door and the cold blast
of November air every customer brought in with them. Soft music,
cappuccino-machine clacks and whirs, and the murmur of conversation
created a cocoon of privacy. </span>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> I handed Kyle a copy of my
resume, determined to prove myself the mandatory employee for the
boring junior sales associate position. I wasn’t particularly
qualified and I would normally have rather peeled hangnails than
perform cold calls—which is what I strongly suspected the position
was—but four weeks of unemployment, seven failed interviews, and
escalating credit card bills proved very strong motivators.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> Strong enough for me to ignore
the desperate reason I’d applied for the job in the first place.
</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><i>Never trust your
soul-sight,</i></span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> I told
myself for the thousandth time. But my imminent eviction trumped
mistrust of my bizarre, mutant vision.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> Kyle dropped my resume to the
table without glancing at it. He scrutinized me over the top of his
dry cappuccino. Kyle exuded salesman, from his maroon button-up shirt
and khaki trousers to his thinning brown hair with its frosted tips.
His face was pinched, as if someone had pressed his baby flesh
between their hands and pulled, extending his nose and pulling his
lips and eyes in tight. He couldn’t have been much older than me,
despite the sullen brackets around his mouth and deep grooves between
his eyebrows. Maybe his expression fell into disapproving lines
naturally. </span>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “How many years’ experience
do you have, Madison?” Kyle asked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “Specifically in the bumper
sticker business, none, but I believe my time at Catchall Advertising
will—”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “I don’t care about the
bumper sticker crap. I care about your experience in the field.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> My weirdo radar, dulled by the
overpowering mix of desperation and determination, flickered to life
now. </span>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “I honed my sales skills
while working as a saleswoman at Sundage Cars. My experience there
taught me how to connect with people from all walks of life.”
Though it hadn’t taught me how to sell a car. In the six months of
my employment as a used-car saleswoman, I sold a grand total of zero
cars, which is why David Sundage, my cousin-in-law and owner of
Sundage Cars, had fired me at the beginning of September. But I
wasn’t going to concern Kyle with that minor detail. </span>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> Kyle set his cappuccino down on
the table and leaned back in his chair. “How old are you?” he
asked.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “I’m not sure I understand
the relevance—”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “What regions have you worked
in before this?” </span>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><i>Regions?</i></span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">
“I’ve worked mainly in Roseville since I—”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “With who? Not with Brad or
Isabel.” Kyle leaned forward, his dark eyes intense.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><i>Who?
</i></span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">I eased my tea to the
table and ran my palms down the sides of my black knee-length skirt,
telling myself it was only nerves that were making Kyle seem so
volatile.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “Um, most recently with David
Sundage,” I said.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “Where are his headquarters?”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"><i> Headquarters? What is this,
the FBI? </i></span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Hadn’t he
bothered to read my resume? </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “Down Douglas,” I answered,
pointing vaguely west toward Douglas Boulevard and the car lot.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “Before that?”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “Also in Roseville, at
Catchall—”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “Look, we can both stop
playing this game. I don’t care about what jobs you’ve had to
take between IE positions.” Kyle deflated into his chair with a
gusty sigh. “To be honest, you’re the only qualified person to
apply for the job—my job. I’ve been ready to transfer for months
now, so I’m not going to make this interview hard on you. I want
you to take this job as much as you want it. I just need to make this
interview look good so Brad signs my walking papers, okay?”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> I nodded and tried to look like
I understood more than the English words he used. I didn’t know
what he meant by “IE positions” and I knew I wasn’t qualified
for his sales manager position. I wasn’t even qualified to be a
junior sales associate, but who was I to argue? Managers probably
didn’t have to make cold calls, which automatically made the job
more appealing. Plus, a management position would pay better, and I
was pretty sure I could fake it until I got caught up on my bills. By
then, I could find a more suitable job. Something more Indiana Jones
and less Bridget Jones. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “Okay, let me make this
perfectly clear,” Kyle continued. “Which wardens have you worked
with?”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “Wardens?” As in prison?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> Kyle leaned forward, placing
his hands on the table. “What’s the largest evil you’ve ever
tackled? A wraith? A pissed-off dryad?”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> I cast a quick glance around
for a candid camera, noting the nearest exit in case I needed to make
a run for it. I’d been nervous on interviews before, but never
because of a mentally unstable interviewer. Was that why Kyle had
insisted we meet away from the company office? Did he even work for
Illumination Studios?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> I eased my hand through the
strap of my purse and slid it onto my shoulder, careful not to make
any sudden movements that might spook the deranged man. “I don’t
think I’m the right person for the job, after all,” I said, and
pushed away from the table. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> This is why I never used my
soul-sight, never followed its false leads. I shouldn’t have made
an exception for this job. To the marrow of my bones, I knew
soul-sight was untrustworthy. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “Hang on, Madison,” Kyle
said, grabbing my arm as I started to stand. I froze. “You’re
definitely the right person for the job. You’re the first enforcer
to walk through that door in nearly two weeks.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “I don’t even know what
that means. I’m going to save us both some time and leave now.” I
tugged to free my arm.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> “Holy
crap! You’re a rogue.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13pt;">```````</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Check out these links for more info!
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Website:
<a href="http://www.rebeccachastain.com/"><span style="color: blue;"><u>http://www.rebeccachastain.com/</u></span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Facebook:
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/rebeccachastainnovels"><span style="color: blue;"><u>https://www.facebook.com/rebeccachastainnovels</u></span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Twitter:
<a href="https://twitter.com/Author_Rebecca"><span style="color: blue;"><u>https://twitter.com/Author_Rebecca</u></span></a></div>
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</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Goodreads:
<span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5660379.Rebecca_Chastain">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5660379.Rebecca_Chastain</a></u></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
Rebecca Chastain is the author the fantasy novella MAGIC OF THE GARGOYLES and the urban fantasy A FISTFUL OF EVIL, an Amazon Fantasy Top 100 bestseller in the United States, Canada, and Australia. She has found seven four-leaf clovers to date, won a purebred Arabian horse in a drawing, and once tamed a blackbird for a day. She has been employed as a VHS sales clerk, bookshelf straightener, government pseudo-employee, professional finder of lost sporting goods, and strategy guide wrangler in the video game industry. Dreaming up the absurd and writing stories designed to amuse and entertain has been her passion since she was eleven years old. She lives in northern California with her wonderful husband and two bossy cats.</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SrhE0yAHjwxhZ5Li9wxGb_KCSwB_8AHlV2UiPV7h0IY/viewform?embedded=true" width="600">Loading...</iframe>Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-25355817632926982432014-12-04T00:00:00.000-08:002014-12-04T00:00:05.563-08:00Interview & Giveaway: K. Ferrin<div style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; border: 0px; line-height: 21.4632015228272px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7a98mQmo9jYjCCoHURZoahxp7utJVxp7_TbZbzHpcw4CA8qRMbHBSDiDw2k4s6LgQ4sJ9vmgPacEctfN8njn_m6J1EI0CqQKhTtr2xEc3nK0_GQ93yJHvsGKeo547c8FgqMH97jelC2I/s1600/Head+Shot+Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7a98mQmo9jYjCCoHURZoahxp7utJVxp7_TbZbzHpcw4CA8qRMbHBSDiDw2k4s6LgQ4sJ9vmgPacEctfN8njn_m6J1EI0CqQKhTtr2xEc3nK0_GQ93yJHvsGKeo547c8FgqMH97jelC2I/s1600/Head+Shot+Web.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;"> </span> During the daylight hours K. Ferrin lives in a world filled with satellites, windowless buildings filled with humming machinery and robust HVAC systems, and networks spanning half the globe. <span style="line-height: 21.4632015228272px;">When the working-day ends magic, myth and adventure come out to play. Her heart lives here, along with her blog and writing. She lives at the foot of the Rockies with her husband and two pooches.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 21.4632015228272px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: purple;">Favorite reads?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: purple;"> </span></b><span style="color: #222222;"> I love the Mad Ship books from Robin Hobb. Of course Lord of the Rings is on the list, as are the Song of Ice and Fire books. More recently I really enjoyed The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: purple;">Inspirations for the book?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"> Magicless started live a very long time ago as a character sketch of a small but square whisky swilling chain smoking Irishman who investigated the paranormal. Of course he himself had no magic, so things were a bit hard on him. This character was shelved in favor of other books but when my nephew started having trouble with bullies in his neighborhood Magicless reappeared.</span></span><br />
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Bullying is often about punishing those who are somewhat different than others. For reasons I don’t understand humans seem to seek out uniformity, but our real strength lies in diversity. I started thinking about a story that explored these ideas, where differences were not only interesting and fun but essential. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Magicless himself changed quite a bit in this process I’m sure you can imagine! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="im"><b><span style="color: purple;">Did you know you wanted to be an author when you were little?</span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"> I have always written stories. In fact I recently stumbled on a story I wrote when I was in second grade called Goast (actually about a ghost). Fortunately my spelling has improved over time!</span></span><br />
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> While I’ve always written stories I didn’t really think seriously about being an author until High School. Like many others, I shelved my passion for words and began working on a more acceptable career in technology, but I always wrote. Then last year something just clicked and I decided no more waiting. Since then I’ve published two books and am finishing up on a third. I’ve got ideas for future stories coming out my ears and I can’t write them fast enough!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: purple;">Any Pet Peeves?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"> I have a strong distaste for close mindedness and uniformity. I really do believe our greatest asset is diversity. I try to embody this in my writing and in my life.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: purple;">Chocolate or Peanut Butter?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"> No no... you are mistaken. It’s chocolate AND peanut butter. :)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="im"><b><span style="color: purple;">The weirdest thing you've ever done?</span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"> Hmm... Well, I love to travel and I’ve had many amazing adventures over the years. Perhaps one of the most uncommon things I’ve done is spending six weeks living in a tent working on an archaeological excavation. That was so much fun! I also took a two month solo backpacking trip to Europe in my twenties. I camped my way around France and Spain. I loved every minute of it. My mother, however, was not so enthused about it!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="im"><b><span style="color: purple;">Is there a soundtrack to the book/Favorite music?</span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"> I am sometimes inspired by a certain song, album or artist in my writing. While writing my second book I listed to one specific song over and over again as I wrote - it really inspired the story. Magicless was driven more by my nephew and his experiences, there really wasn’t any musical inspiration that went along with it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="im"><b><span style="color: purple;">Do you need anything to write?</span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"> I need at least a couple of hours in order to write. I’m not someone who can sit down for ten minutes at a stretch and hammer out words. I’m also far more productive in the morning than I am in the evenings.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="im"><b><span style="color: purple;">How long do you write on any average day?</span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"> I write for three or four hours on average. My all time record was eight hours and just over 8,000 words - my muse was on fire that day!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="im"><b><span style="color: purple;">Give us the number one reason to read your book.</span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"> Because it is awesome, of course! ;) </span></span><br />
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> If you enjoy fantasy and love an adventure I think you’ll enjoy Magicless. My readers seem to really love the characters in the book and love that it is a character driven adventure, rather than just a series of plot points strung together. When you read it please leave a review or shoot me an email and let me know what <i>you</i> thought, I’d love to hear the feedback!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="im"><b><span style="color: purple;">Author Info: </span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;">You can find me at </span><a href="http://www.kferrin.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.kferrin.com</a><span style="color: #222222;">, I’m very active on Twitter: @ScrivK, and I pop onto Facebook pretty regularly as well:</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ScrivK" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>ScrivK</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5I7kXaLf9UIe_iD2u6WhrJ2gJD7dP9ptEzht9UJeAyMxIuwYDRfICwMhkzNdR6kdwhHtcLC7iNGzdY1RqL9DVC7kqvEz7F3RE_bV91lRDgosctfE9Vxh7Vn_X2e9XHycTeH1KMEJ8uk/s1600/magicless_ebook_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5I7kXaLf9UIe_iD2u6WhrJ2gJD7dP9ptEzht9UJeAyMxIuwYDRfICwMhkzNdR6kdwhHtcLC7iNGzdY1RqL9DVC7kqvEz7F3RE_bV91lRDgosctfE9Vxh7Vn_X2e9XHycTeH1KMEJ8uk/s1600/magicless_ebook_cover.jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Deep in the Oakwood, a boy is born without magic. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a land where powers flow through one’s veins as naturally as water down a mountain stream, Micah is an aberration detested by everyone—everyone except Alekka, a gifted but solitary mage who understands the price of isolation. Her sensitivity to the thoughts of others drives her to seek solace in the forests surrounding Aclay, a small village that has been living under a malevolent shadow for hundreds of years. </span></div>
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As fear and loss ravage the countryside, the two outcasts form an unlikely bond forged in loneliness and surrounded by the flickering silhouettes of destiny. When their home is destroyed, the outcasts must join a volatile group of their peers on a journey that threatens to strip them of everything they cherish, imperil everything they’ve ever known, even force them to question the nature of reality itself. Can they find the key to stemming the tide of darkness without losing themselves along the way?</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1jIT4F4KOvUxaphnlMi_f-86qL2xCSDyIlVtn32xOY3o/viewform?embedded=true" width="600">Loading...</iframe>Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-59275488299497955162014-12-02T00:00:00.000-08:002014-12-02T00:00:12.046-08:00Interview & Giveaway: Geoffrey Saign<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSM18IOsgqbxasfBC6pSaAqzCeQuF2BmI5yctNrVEm9M0MPEg3phOz2Qa9BrxzZDfzsN8sJ7WQoqbrhCDU25g6aVDC0Ss-J5BSkdBXHUs2pJWsyuS08nAe13NY189UlvdcHEjh3dWaq8/s1600/G+2+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSM18IOsgqbxasfBC6pSaAqzCeQuF2BmI5yctNrVEm9M0MPEg3phOz2Qa9BrxzZDfzsN8sJ7WQoqbrhCDU25g6aVDC0Ss-J5BSkdBXHUs2pJWsyuS08nAe13NY189UlvdcHEjh3dWaq8/s1600/G+2+crop.jpg" height="270" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Geoffrey Saign can often be found looking for interesting critters, and magic, while swimming, snorkeling, sailing, or hiking in the woods. His passion for nature and wildlife inspired his novel, <i>WhipEye</i>, and led to his <span lang="EN">nationally endorsed book, <i>Green Essentials: What You Need to Know About the Environment, </i>as well as <i>African Cats</i> and <i>Great Apes</i>. He </span>has a background in biology, assisted in field research with hummingbirds and humpback whales, and sailed as far away as Australia. With more than twenty years of experience working in special education, he has taught adults and children everything from sailing to self-awareness and novel writing. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Favorite reads?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Sabriel by Garth Nix, Fablehaven by Brandon Mull, The Hobbit by Tolkein, the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen Donaldson..and many more…<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Inspirations for the book? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> My love for nature and wildlife inspired WhipEye, along with the desire to create a great, unique fantasy thriller that explained the presence of all magical creatures in all mythologies and fairy tales worldwide.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Did you know you wanted to be an author when you were little?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I came home from the library every week with an armful of books in grade school, and thought about writing. But it wasn’t until my teacher in a creative writing class in high school, Mrs. Stifter, said one day, “I’m going to read a piece of writing from a writer that comes around once in seventeen years,” that I got inspired to be a writer. She shocked me when she read my piece.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Any Pet Peeves? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Not really, but crazy drivers in a hurry to get somewhere make me wonder why they would risk lives to do it.<u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Chocolate or Peanut Butter? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I always loved Reeses cups! But peanut butter would have to win out. Almond butter is actually my favorite.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">The weirdest thing you've ever done? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I took $500 and went to the South Pacific and told people that I had no idea if I was coming back. I didn’t return until a year and a half later.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Is there a soundtrack to the book/Favorite music? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Yes, it’s in the WhipEye book trailer on You Tube!<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> No, but PJs are great when I’m writing.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">How long do you write on any average day? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I try for 3 hours. In summer I don’t teach, and then that can go to 6 or 8. But last summer I was marketing WhipEye and writing went in spurts.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Give us the number one reason to read your book. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> A great fantasy thriller with heart and substance. (Oops! That might be more than 1!)<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Teacher resources for writing on my website:<a href="http://www.geoffreysaign.net/" target="_blank">http://www.geoffreysaign.net</a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My book trailer on You Tube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQQt4_0PIO0" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?<wbr></wbr>v=MQQt4_0PIO0</a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/geoffreysaign" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/<wbr></wbr>geoffreysaign</a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This debut thriller novel from St. Paul author Geoffrey Saign portrays twelve-year-old </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Samantha, who is in love with wildlife, suffering from loss, and trying to find her way </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">again in an unsteady world. Samantha must overcome huge obstacles and challenges, </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">while repairing her relationship with her father and finding her way back to her mother’s </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">love. Her guide is a thousand-year-old parrot who imparts his wisdom with wisecracks. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Her friend Jake is also missing his absentee father. The two children and parrot have </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">twenty-four hours to save two worlds, by figuring out how to use a supernatural staff, </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WhipEye, while facing their greatest fears.</span></div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ROtyj3fio9DH80htQpbcOVoeEckoVC_cuRyqOoilhEo/viewform?embedded=true" width="600">Loading...</iframe>Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-17711412054614304562014-12-01T12:30:00.000-08:002014-12-02T05:43:28.895-08:00Giveaway: Sceaudu by Prashant Pinge (Ebooks and Gift Cards)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KWYZBJGAv_zliMH7lVFS7xTx-Cs1L2WFhqDZ7gaazqI3Q126EGehJhJFC_iB_1TaBog0lLlh0QoED7qkon1FJ_JoOHTQR19cohOge1NA7TY0GFTsf4NLspsCj6w9gVKSu1V3VyTYCiM/s1600/Sceadu_Prashant+Pinge_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KWYZBJGAv_zliMH7lVFS7xTx-Cs1L2WFhqDZ7gaazqI3Q126EGehJhJFC_iB_1TaBog0lLlh0QoED7qkon1FJ_JoOHTQR19cohOge1NA7TY0GFTsf4NLspsCj6w9gVKSu1V3VyTYCiM/s1600/Sceadu_Prashant+Pinge_Cover.jpg" height="640" width="427" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>All this while, Matilda’s shadow had been growing larger and larger. Suddenly, it lunged out of the ground and swallowed her, like a python does its unsuspecting prey.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nine year old Matilda ends up with a century old book through a series of strange coincidences. And disappears. Her brother and cousins are forced to suspend their hostilities and pursue her to Sceadu, a land inside the human shadow. Once there, the reluctant visitors find themselves chased by the vicious Hefigans, creatures of Sceadu. However, everything changes with the revelation of an ancient prophecy that foretells the doom of the world they left behind.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the stakes suddenly raised, the children must now navigate the dangerous terrain, overcome grave challenges, and unlock the secrets of the shadow. But can they do it in time to thwart the plans of the treacherous Hefigans? Or will they succumb to the guile of a ruthless enemy who is equally determined to destroy mankind?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sceadu is a fast-paced adventure which blurs the boundary between the physical and the psychological, the real and the mythical.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">lders relaxed; he was in control, at least for the time being. There would be challenges ahead, grave ones. The boy had probably complicated things. But he could deal with all that later.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLgAgK9ZBY5CrAiJ2bMTC7ucdEUpa79WDmzxe0jMRql5G3pf78VnGg5DP0RoBE70KejT3EbdjpBSJNYoQSG7EiSojogJFE5vKqdup-UroDcyjnPhueoZb1FO5d-T593EE93-PlOH6KMQ/s1600/Sceadu_Giveaway_Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLgAgK9ZBY5CrAiJ2bMTC7ucdEUpa79WDmzxe0jMRql5G3pf78VnGg5DP0RoBE70KejT3EbdjpBSJNYoQSG7EiSojogJFE5vKqdup-UroDcyjnPhueoZb1FO5d-T593EE93-PlOH6KMQ/s1600/Sceadu_Giveaway_Banner.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzF45NmVxP9EjDR7FY6qOFgHJlABXiU5xhZejzrQbPq2I7MRq4MKrNV38-v1BrsVpPFpxSIxHTjvVmMMEJu2O6o082hBxAcqg4EPrE71LI7QwNyAxHQnutryxhIJgYrXiJu0lduFfK-Xo/s1600/Prashant+Pinge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzF45NmVxP9EjDR7FY6qOFgHJlABXiU5xhZejzrQbPq2I7MRq4MKrNV38-v1BrsVpPFpxSIxHTjvVmMMEJu2O6o082hBxAcqg4EPrE71LI7QwNyAxHQnutryxhIJgYrXiJu0lduFfK-Xo/s1600/Prashant+Pinge.jpg" height="320" width="172" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Prashant Pinge is a published author of short stories and books in the genres of children’s fiction and young adult fantasy fiction. He also writes historical fiction and romantic comedies. His book, Raja & the Giant Donut, was shortlisted for the Economist Crossword Book Awards in the Children’s Writing category in 2011.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Prashant lives in Mumbai, India, with his wife, Avantika, and son, Arjun.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Author Info:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Book website – <a href="http://sceadu.net/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://sceadu.net</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Author website - <a href="http://prashantpinge.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://prashantpinge.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Author Facebook page - <a href="http://facebook.com/PrashantPingeAuthor" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>PrashantPingeAuthor</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sceadu Facebook page - <a href="http://facebook.com/SceaduTheBook" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>SceaduTheBook</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Twitter page - <a href="http://twitter.com/prashantpinge" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/<wbr></wbr>prashantpinge</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">LinkedIn page - <a href="http://in.linkedin.com/in/prashantpinge" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://in.linkedin.com/in/<wbr></wbr>prashantpinge</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Google+ page - <a href="http://plus.google.com/+PrashantPinge" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://plus.google.com/+<wbr></wbr>PrashantPinge</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Goodreads page - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8393378.Prashant_Pinge" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.goodreads.com/<wbr></wbr>author/show/8393378.Prashant_<wbr></wbr>Pinge</a></span></div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/933f10c11/" id="rc-933f10c11" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget.rafflecopter.com/load.js"></script>Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-79365452858321672192014-12-01T00:00:00.000-08:002014-12-01T00:00:07.100-08:00Interview & Giveaway: Agostino Scafidi<div style="background-color: white; word-wrap: break-word;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH9LXtGpR4DzawH2LoiDIdh1x6mn_fUrgpliFvru_q955ReaTRT2EYJLr4ovXxKJaJ41i7dIsnEZGwBoEr1WAIawQFadYUIWCyxp7Hf0mmYh-7VBuOWOiShiHS7ugk0rwmSOO1bMsTQ-w/s1600/DSCN0076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH9LXtGpR4DzawH2LoiDIdh1x6mn_fUrgpliFvru_q955ReaTRT2EYJLr4ovXxKJaJ41i7dIsnEZGwBoEr1WAIawQFadYUIWCyxp7Hf0mmYh-7VBuOWOiShiHS7ugk0rwmSOO1bMsTQ-w/s1600/DSCN0076.JPG" height="320" width="250" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Agostino Scafidi is an author from Montreal, QC, Canada. He's also a guitar player. Always been friends with creativity and exploration. Writes fiction of varying kinds.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Favorite reads?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Millennium series by Stieg Larsson, Tales of Power by Carlos Castaneda, Justine by Marquis de Sade</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Inspirations for the book?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Simply wondering what to write about next, I was inspired one night by a particularly intense dream. It reminded me about my experiments with dream journaling years ago and I thought of the idea to pick it up again but also to use each dream as the basis for a fiction short story.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Did you know you wanted to be an author when you were little?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Funny question to me because I did enjoy writing stories as a child. I never thought about being an author though. From my teenage years to my mid-twenties I was pursuing my dream of being a guitar player in a rock band.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Pet Peeves?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Noisy eaters, and communism.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Peanut Butter or Chocolate?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Chocolate!</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">The weirdest thing you've ever done?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I don't know, I've done lots of weird things in life, haha! Maybe one thing just came to mind, but if I shared it here, it'd be pretty embarrassing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Is their a soundtrack to the book/Favorite music?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I listened to a lot of metal when writing this. I listen to metal usually anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Do you need anything to write?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I need absolutely nothing to write, but my writing tools (laptop or pen/paper).</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">How much do you write on any average day?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> When I'm working on something I'll spend anywhere from up to an hour to more than 2 hours writing. It's not always done in one sitting either, sometimes I prefer spreading it out. When I'm not working on something, I maybe write for a few minutes. However, I do use my computer a lot during a day and I like to look at everything I write, no matter how simple or functional, to be writing practice.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Give us the number on reason to read your book?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> My reason for you to read my book is because I am pleading with you to! Haha, no, but a real reason I guess is because I feel like I'm offering something unique, insightful, entertaining, and stimulating.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Author Info:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My online store is at <a href="http://agostinoscafidi.bigcartel.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://agostinoscafidi.<wbr></wbr>bigcartel.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On twitter I'm @AgostinoScafidi</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have a FB page too</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Agostino-Scafidi-Writer/782518638479494" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>pages/Agostino-Scafidi-Writer/<wbr></wbr>782518638479494</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I also occasionally blog on</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://thehermitrant.blogspot.ca/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">http://thehermitrant.blogspot.<wbr></wbr>ca</a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A collection of short stories based entirely on dreams the author recorded in his journal. Over a period of almost three months he used techniques learned from various sources (Castaneda, Thelema, Occultism) to record his dreams. The author goes into detail about this process in the Introduction. Mixing fiction with the journal entries, intent on entertaining the reader as well as heightening awareness of the role of dreams in our lives, here is Dreams, Fiction and Me.</span></span></div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/13OkRa-P0NwnHP2XpyXYMYvhHJxwxfU3Y9UG-sz_rKm0/viewform?embedded=true" width="600">Loading...</iframe>Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-17139983910242323642014-11-15T09:07:00.000-08:002014-11-15T09:07:09.050-08:00Review: Lockwood & Co. --The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud<br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">In the six months since Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in England, Lockwood & Co. hasn't made much progress. Quill Kipps and his team of Fittes agents keep swooping in on Lockwood's investigations. Finally, in a fit of anger, Anthony challenges his rival to a contest: the next time the two agencies compete on a job, the losing side will have to admit defeat in the </span><em style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Times</em><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"> newspaper.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Things look up when a new client, Mr. Saunders, hires Lockwood & Co. to be present at the excavation of Edmund Bickerstaff, a Victorian doctor who reportedly tried to communicate with the dead. Saunders needs the coffin sealed with silver to prevent any supernatural trouble. All goes well-until George's curiosity attracts a horrible phantom.</span><span style="line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Back home at Portland Row, Lockwood accuses George of making too many careless mistakes. Lucy is distracted by urgent whispers coming from the skull in the ghost jar. Then the team is summoned to DEPRAC headquarters. Kipps is there too, much to Lockwood's annoyance. Bickerstaff's coffin was raided and a strange glass object buried with the corpse has vanished. Inspector Barnes believes the relic to be highly dangerous, and he wants it found.</span><span style="line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The author of the blockbuster Bartimaeus series delivers another amusing, chilling, and ingeniously plotted entry in the critically acclaimed Lockwood & Co. series.</span></span></div>
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A snappy sequel to The Screaming Staircase, featuring our favorite crew of tough, yet refined, psychic agents who continue with enough zest to balance out the darker aspects of the story. Lucy, determined and utterly loyal to her ghost-hunting agency, is blissfully free of the pitt-falls action-inclined females typically trip over. And she works so smoothly with George and Lockwood it's an equal pleasure to see them fighting a ghost or drinking cocoa in their kitchen. We see their metals tested, literally, and watch their dynamic trio evolve. No stale characters here, just heroes with enough flair to survive a world like theirs.<br />
<span style="color: purple;">Characters: 5 Stars</span><br />
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After the climax of The Screaming Staircase, I was interested to see what the Whispering Skull had in mind: it's hard to top what happened there. After all, I thought, there's only so much you can do with ghosts before they lose their chill. I was wrong. This is a ghostish story set not to paralyze the reader but to send a pleasant shiver up the spine. And it certainly does, with the haunting of a vicious new specter set against the backdrop of an abandoned sanitarium. Don't read this book in the dark, and the grisly ghosts we meet ensure it's a bad choice while eating too. Mr. Stroud has excellently plotted an entirely new adventure with plenty of ghosts, enough sword-play and perfectly human villains to run your nails raw, and just enough glimpse of the great underlying mystery that ties the series together to set your teeth on edge.<br />
<span style="color: purple;">Plot: 5 Stars</span><br />
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Set in an alternate history, Stroud's world rings disturbingly true to our own. The Problem (ghosts only started appearing 50 years ago) and its affects on society are so masterfully incorporated into the story the fact that restless spirits do appear feels completely natural. Looking for a series with depth to snag your interest? Well this is it! In short, this book was no less enjoyable than the first, and I can safely say Lockwood & Co. has earned it's place next to Stroud's also wonderful series, The Bartimeaus Trilogy.<br />
<span style="color: purple;">Style: 5 Stars</span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red;">Rating: 5 Stars</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">Length: 424 Pages</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">Source: Library</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">Genre: Paranormal Fantasy</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">YA Fiction</span><br />
<br />
Check out my review of <a href="http://booksnatch.blogspot.com/2014/02/review-lockwood-co-screaming-staircase.html">Lockwood & Co. -- The Screaming Staircase</a> and be sure to catch the sample on Amazon!<br />
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<br />Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-24434464897666030902014-10-09T00:30:00.000-07:002014-10-09T00:30:03.635-07:00Interview & Giveaway: Martha Reynolds #BestsellerTour<blockquote style="line-height: 0.23in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;">
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Martha
Reynolds ended an accomplished career as a fraud investigator and
began writing full time in 2011. She is the author of five novels,
including the award-winning Chocolate for Breakfast (her debut
novel), Chocolate Fondue, Bittersweet Chocolate, and the Amazon #1
bestseller Bits of Broken Glass. Best Seller is her latest release.
Her essays have appeared in Magnificat magazine.<br /> She and her
husband live in Rhode Island, never far from the ocean.</span></span></blockquote>
<strong style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.23in;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Favorite
reads?</span></span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.23in;"> Favorite
books? Or authors? Anything by Anna Quindlen, Wally Lamb. Books? </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.23in;"><i>The
Color Purple</i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.23in;">, </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.23in;"><i>The</i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.23in;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.23in;"><i>Great
Gatsby</i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.23in;">, </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.23in;"><i>To
Kill a Mockingbird</i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 0.23in;">.
Almost anything - no paranormal, horror, or erotica for me.</span><br />
<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.01in; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Inspirations
for the book? </span></span></strong></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> My
first novel and what I learned about self-publishing and promotion.
It's really every aspiring author's dream to be discovered, or to
have one special well-known writer decide that your work is good
enough to promote.</span><br />
<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.01in; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Did
you know you wanted to be an author when you were little? </span></span></strong></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> No.
I didn't know it until I was a teenager. I wanted to be a teacher
when I was little, because girls could be either teachers or nurses.
Or wives and mommies.</span><br />
<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.01in; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Any
Pet Peeves? </span></span></strong></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> Oh
yes! I'm appalled at the lack of manners and civility today. </span><br />
<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.01in; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Chocolate
or Peanut Butter? </span></span></strong></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> Chocolate,
without a doubt (hey, I wrote a Chocolate Trilogy!) The darker the
better.</span><br />
<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.01in; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
weirdest thing you've ever done? </span></span></strong></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> Oh,
I have no idea! My friends could probably make a long list, though.
And there's nothing wrong with weird - we should all embrace our
weirdness :-)</span><br />
<blockquote style="margin-left: 0.01in; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Is
there a soundtrack to the book/Favorite music? </span></strong></span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="margin-left: 0.01in; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> There
is a soundtrack! I compiled a playlist on Spotify. You want to know
what it is? Okay, here's the soundtrack:</span></blockquote>
<ul>
<li><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fame
by David Bowie</span></span></blockquote>
</li>
<li><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Afternoon
Delight by the Starland Vocal Band</span></span></blockquote>
</li>
<li><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Don't
Go Breakin' My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee</span></span></blockquote>
</li>
<li><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kiss
and Say Goodbye by The Manhattans</span></span></blockquote>
</li>
<li><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Love
Hurts by Nazareth</span></span></blockquote>
</li>
<li><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do
You Know Where You're Going To by Diana Ross</span></span></blockquote>
</li>
<li><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let
Your Love Flow by The Bellamy Brothers</span></span></blockquote>
</li>
<li><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Evil
Woman by ELO</span></span></blockquote>
</li>
<li><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Get
Closer by Seals and Crofts</span></span></blockquote>
</li>
<li><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Love
is Alive by Gary Wright</span></span></blockquote>
</li>
<li><blockquote style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fly
Robin Fly by Silver Convention</span></span></blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: -0.01in; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Do
you need anything to write?</span></span></strong></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> I
need peace. It's hard for me to write on my laptop in a Starbucks
(I've tried, and sometimes it's my only option). I'd rather be
upstairs in my little alcove, typing away on my regular old keyboard
at my desktop computer.</span><br />
<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: -0.01in; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">How
long do you write on any average day? </span></span></strong></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> On
a good day, I'll get three hours in. On a bad day, lucky to write for
an hour.</span><br />
<blockquote style="margin-left: 0.01in; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Give
us the number one reason to read your book. </span></span></strong></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> Because
we've all been where Robin Fortune is.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: purple;">Author Info:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://marthareynoldswrites.com/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Times; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Website</a><span style="font-family: Times; text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarthaReynoldsWriter" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Times; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span style="font-family: Times; text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="https://twitter.com/AuthorMReynolds" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Times; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Twitter</a><span style="font-family: Times; text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6464090.Martha_Reynolds?from_search=true" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Times; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><span style="font-family: Times; text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/marthari/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Times; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #666666;">Set in New England at the time of the American Bicentennial, BEST SELLER is the poignant story of a displaced young woman struggling to figure out who she is within the context of her hometown and the carefully masked dysfunction of her family.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Everything can be fixed by writing a check." Words to live by for Robin Fortune's wealthy father, until he can't buy her way back into college after she's expelled for dealing pot. Now he chooses not to speak to her anymore, but that's just one of the out-of-whack situations Robin's facing. At nineteen, she feels rudderless, working in a diner by day and sleeping with a buddy from high school by night - all so strange for her because she was always the one with the plan. While her college friends plotted how to ensnare husbands, she plotted a novel, which she scratched out into a series of spiral-bound notebooks she hides in the closet. But now, there's nothing. No vision, no future, no point. In fact, the only thing she feels she has to look forward to is that her favorite author, Maryana Capture, is paying a visit to the local Thousand Words bookstore. Robin surmises that if she can convince Maryana to help her get her novel published, she'll finally get herself back on track. Except that life never takes a straight path in this intensely satisfying coming-of-age novel.</span></div>
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<br />Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-73010924155666311452014-10-06T15:59:00.000-07:002014-10-06T15:59:05.278-07:00Review: Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dive into a world of enchantment and romance in this lush fantasy, which Stephanie Perkins, international bestselling author of <em>Anna and the French Kiss</em>, called "an absolute delight—a magical, sparkling, dangerous world with witty repartee and a romance that will light your heart on fire." Fans of Libba Bray and Cassandra Clare will fall in love with this captivating stand-alone novel from Kiersten White,<em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of the Paranormalcy trilogy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets the gorgeous, enigmatic Finn, who introduces her to the secret world of Albion's nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn't—power, money, status . . . and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, and the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess them. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits, can stop him.</span></div>
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Illusions of Fate is as delicious and delicately woven as its cover.</div>
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Like all of Kiersten White's books, it features a strong female lead: Jessamine, a young islander now living on the continent that 'civilized' her homeland. (Think the British empire and colonization.) In a land where she is a second class citizen, Jessamine has to fight for every advantage she can get. I love how confident she is: proud and tall in the darkest circumstances. And boy does she go through some doozies! From being tortured to losing those close to her, she puts up a stiff lip and presses forward. She has a particularly snappy take on life. And Finn! Where do I even begin? Jessamine is so well-rounded there are points he seems underdeveloped by contrast. But still he epitomizes the dashing, mysterious, perfect gentleman magician with card tricks, charm spells, and a deep dark back story. I enjoy his flair immensely, but I approve of his utter adoration of Jessamine even more. He gives her his shadow, guys. HIS SHADOW. And it's all so sweet and desperately romantic I haven't been able to stop smiling all day.</div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Characters: 4 Stars</span></div>
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Along with the heart-pounding romance comes all manner of political intrigue. Jessamine is suddenly thrown into life on the upper crust and finds it far more disturbing than she imagined. From one intricate thread to the next, the reader is led along a path that delves into the darker motives for expansion and the darker uses for magic, exploring exactly what it means to have a fate. With mystery upon mystery, we get to see Finn's metal tested and Jessamine's courage tried. The story moves fluidly through revelations faster and faster until culminating with a beautiful, shattering finale. I just wish there were more chapters after the climax! It's probably for the best it ended so quickly, or I might have passed out from not breathing.</div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Plot: 4.5 Stars</span></div>
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I have always appreciated Kiersten White's respect for the reader. There are no shortcuts and no dumbing down. She doesn't write just to have more words to her name. Each story piece is tastefully crafted for its own place: no bigger or smaller than it merits. Illusions of Fate is exhilarating, swoon-worthy, and elegant.</div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Style: 5 Stars</span></div>
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<span style="color: red;">Rating: 4.5 Stars</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">Source: Library</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">Genre: Historical Fantasy</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">Length: 275 Pages</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">YA Fiction</span><br />
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Read the sampler on Amazon! You'll be hooked!</div>
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</span>Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-38094818927749814692014-10-06T15:31:00.002-07:002014-10-06T15:31:42.477-07:00Interview & Giveaway: Daniel Costa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQN9l9mLx_w3WivX7roZvc7V0dfqbcTfq9Xaa7z7DgaP8sDamWEzwvvEMR-iU1wfKpjn0X5zxfGTfkoeNmVv785ujP9Syguga96xiveeg_EBr3AOp8RDKJgWDWYQIlfzVP9Ss51Os2dG0/s1600/20140806_164440+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQN9l9mLx_w3WivX7roZvc7V0dfqbcTfq9Xaa7z7DgaP8sDamWEzwvvEMR-iU1wfKpjn0X5zxfGTfkoeNmVv785ujP9Syguga96xiveeg_EBr3AOp8RDKJgWDWYQIlfzVP9Ss51Os2dG0/s1600/20140806_164440+(1).jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am 24 years old, I have lived in Rhode island for my entire life. I hope to visit some other continents in my life. I have a corgi dog. I have worked at Cumberland Farms for over two years now. I enjoy working out and playing video games like RPG's and MMO's</div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Favorite reads? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> My favorite reads would be The Stormlight Archive: The Way of Kings, and Words of Radiance. The Mistborn Trilogy. The Broken Empire: Prince of Thorns, King of Thorns, and Emperor of Thorns.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Inspirations for the book? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Inspirations would be the work of Brandon Sanderson. If not for reading his books, I probably would have never begun writing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Did you know you wanted to be an author when you were little? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I had no idea what I sought to be when I was little. I only recently desired to write last year.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Any Pet Peeves?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I am currently working as an assistant at a Cumberland Farms, So a few pet peeves have originated from there. I hate it when people don't use Please and Thank you, and it annoys me to no end when someone ignores your hand and put the money on the counter instead. Other than that, nothing else.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Chocolate or Peanut Butter?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Why not both? Reeses are my favorite treat! If eating them were actually healthy I would relocate to a Reeses factory and live on them. </span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">The weirdest thing you've ever done?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Uhm, I couldn't accurately tell you the weirdest thing I have done before, since a lot of it was when I was young, and my memory tries to block out those things. But one time I did get my head stuck in a fence.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Is there a soundtrack to the book/Favorite music?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> There is no soundtrack for the book. I'm not well versed enough in music pairing with scenes. My favorite music would have to be Rock though, Anywhere from 70's to 00's. </span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Do you need anything to write? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I listen to epic and battle music on Youtube while I write. It lets me submerge myself into the fight scenes as I write them. </span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">How long do you write on any average day?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Somedays I am unable to even get to writing due to work and taking care of my dog and her endless amount of energy. On average when I do write, I could get around a little over 2k words down. </span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Give us the number one reason to read your book.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Because you fall into a new world filled with lots of action, and magic, and a few funny parts which I hope are enjoyable for the reader.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: purple;">Author Info: </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flamesreborntrilogy.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">WWW.FlamesRebornTrilogy.com</a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nine Eons ago, the World of Atmotis was forged by The Originators. Following the Great Betrayal the World has been guarded by the Mystical Phoenix. Atmotis now has an unknown evil stirring. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Here a paranoid Emperor strives to protect his realm from a mad deity; a few grief stricken sages learn ancient secrets lost to the world; an assassin sworn to a dark power undertakes his most arduous mission yet; and a retired mercenary pursuing vengeance come together in ways to support and thwart a young girl named Phae who realizes that her life has a greater purpose than cataloging books. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">This is a tale of Magick, weapons and martial arts; happiness, anguish and revenge; faiths shattered, loyalties questioned, and secret schemes. Can our hero save the world or will the blight consume it?</span></div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1KPqfMu1v4yn6IloyU3Y73_XwBwgdN31KJncTXc_kk3s/viewform?embedded=true" width="600">Loading...</iframe>Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-58218570769888301942014-10-06T15:01:00.000-07:002014-10-06T15:01:26.047-07:00Review: Chasing Power by Sarah Beth Durst<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">Sixteen-year-old Kayla was born with the ability to move things with her mind—things like credit cards and buttons on cash registers—and she has become a master shoplifter. She steals to build up enough money for her and her mom to be able to flee if her dad finds them again . . . which would mean grave danger for them both. </span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">When she’s caught stealing by a boy named Daniel—a boy with the ability to teleport—he needs her help and is willing to blackmail her to get it. Together, they embark on a quest to find and steal an ancient incantation, written on three indestructible stones and hidden millennia ago, all to rescue Daniel’s kidnapped mother. But Kayla has no idea that this rescue mission will lead back to her own family—and to betrayals that she may not be able to forgive . . . or survive.</span></span></div>
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Unfortunately, I have to say this book was a disappointment. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if the bar hadn't been set so high with her previous works. But this book just didn't feel like one of Sarah Beth Durst's.</div>
We meet Kayla as a punk, almost goth, girl blessed with Telekinesis who uses her power to steal things (definitely a non-mainstream character, but one that adds a unique twist to the story). She lives with her new-age hippie Mom (who she affectionately refers to as Moonbeam). And they throw themselves into their strange life, because it's all an act. And if they drop the act, Kayla's murderer of a father will find them. Kayla's frustration is very understandable, and I appreciated that instead of taking out her frustrations on Moonbeam, she sees it as her duty to protect her. Their relationship is very sweet and refreshing in a YA world wrought with parent-teen conflict. However, Kayla never thinks of her stealing as wrong. I understand this isn't the point of the story and not everything can be tied up neatly in a bow, but nobody tells her to stop. Even at the end of the book when she is stealing for both her best-friend and her boyfriend it is held up as completely normal that she should use her powers to take whatever she wants. The book justifies this by showing she steals from a rich area, but Kayla causes a lot of trouble for the employees of the locations she hits and never spends a thought on it. I also had issue with her eventual boyfriend, Daniel, who's loquacious declarations of love consist of, "You're amazing.", 'You are Amazing', 'You are an amazing girl', 'I think you're the most amazing girl I've ever met', etc. But I did like Selena (the smart, sassy, rich best-friend with parent issues). She went through a smooth evolution from beginning to end, and it was nice to see her growth.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Characters: 2.7 Stars</span></div>
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On a more positive note, the teleporting (Daniel's power) providing a constantly shifting setting rife with possibility. We get to see everywhere from the rain forest to lava lakes to the pyramids of Egypt: the changing scenery added a new urgency to the plot. I felt like each plot point was followed by an exhaustive amount of exposition that somewhat deflated the excitement. But it was a straightforward story and the characters kept their focus. It was fairly melodramatic at times, but, other than the exposition, there wasn't a lot of waiting around. The plot got to the point.</div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Plot: 3 Stars</span></div>
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I feel like a lot of Chasing Power <i>told </i>instead of <i>showed.</i> To be completely honest, at some points I considered putting down the book entirely. However, that's not to say there were no saving graces. Sarah Beth Durst is very good at cohesion. Though, for me, this book was just okay, I loved and have always loved the purpose Sarah Beth Durst puts into her writing. there was no goofing off. Each scene had it's reason for existence and stuck to it till the end. If a sequel for Chasing Power appears, I won't pick it up. But I will absolutely be picking up the rest of Sarah Beth Durst's books, and you should too.</div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Style: 3 Stars</span></div>
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<span style="color: red;">Rating: 2.9 Stars</span></div>
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<span style="color: red;">Source: ARC for Review</span></div>
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<span style="color: red;">Genre: Urban Fantasy</span></div>
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Check out Sarah Beth Durst's other books @ <a href="http://sarahbethdurst.com/">sarahbethdurst.com</a>!Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-33487239927605984032014-09-23T15:54:00.000-07:002014-09-23T15:54:09.666-07:00Interview: Christine Sherborne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Favorite reads? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I love Barbara Erskine, and Stephen King.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Inspirations for the book? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I wanted use my wide knowledge of paranormal and religious conflict.</span> </div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Did you know you wanted to be an author when you were little?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I've always enjoyed writing and still have a notebook of stories from age eleven.</span> </div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Any Pet Peeves? </span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Prejudice in all it's forms.</span> </div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Chocolate or Peanut Butter? </span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Chocolate!</span> </div>
</div>
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<blockquote type="cite">
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<div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">The weirdest thing you've ever done? </span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Tried to get an exchange with a student in Siberia. Luckily I didn't succeed. The follies of youth!</span> </div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Is there a soundtrack to the book/Favorite music? </span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> No. Love classical pop!</span> </div>
</div>
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<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Do you need anything to write? </span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Silence.</span> </div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">How long do you write on any average day? </span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I take a bike ride to get my brain moving then write from <span class="" data-term="goog_856447880" tabindex="0"><span class="">9.00am - 3.00pm</span></span></span> </div>
</div>
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<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Give us the number one reason to read your book. </span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> It has a message the world needs, but is put over in the form of a fast-paced exciting read.</span></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">Author Info:</span><br />
Website: <a href="http://colourstory.com/">http://colourstory.com/</a><br />
Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Colourstory">https://twitter.com/Colourstory</a><br />
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/colourstory">https://www.facebook.com/colourstory</a><br />
Amazon Book Page: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Imogenes-Message-Paranormal-Don-McNair-ebook/dp/B00K91UC2Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1399856734&sr=1-1&keywords=Imogenes+Message">http://www.amazon.com/Imogenes-Message-Paranormal-Don-McNair-ebook/dp/B00K91UC2Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1399856734&sr=1-1&keywords=Imogenes+Message</a><br />
You tube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=913tfn50dW8&feature=youtu.be&a">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=913tfn50dW8&feature=youtu.be&a</a><br />
Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=Imogene%27s+Message">https://www.goodreads.com/search?tf8=%E2%9C%93&query=Imogene%27s+Message</a><br />
<br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When extreme religious fundamentalists known as the Phineas Priesthood led by Ezekiel Yates and his three cousins, target Xantara Pembroke because they believe she is a witch, they launch a major conflict between unworldly disciples of good and evil. This 60,000-word, action-packed thriller shows the twists and turns of both sides as they try to destroy or save the souls of earth.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Imogene is the daughter of Xantara, a Guardian of Avebury Circle, an ancient monument near Stonehenge. For over three thousand years, wives of eight village families have performed ceremonies to heal local people, with power handed down from first daughter to first daughter. The Pembroke family encounter extreme prejudice from the Priesthood.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Braedon the village doctor is drawn into a world he didn't know existed to protect his daughter. His wife Xantara keeps her secrets and causes conflict in the marriage. All that is forgotten when Imogene levitates in Avebury Circle. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Will the world believe Imogene’s incredible message?</span></div>
Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-63784309590031157602014-09-15T00:00:00.000-07:002014-09-15T00:00:04.495-07:00Spotlight: The Last Breath by Kimberly Belle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fdARabqzBUQ/U-fXDtEnW8I/AAAAAAAAGvo/_ZD4obtEEMY/s1600/the%2Blast%2Bbreath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fdARabqzBUQ/U-fXDtEnW8I/AAAAAAAAGvo/_ZD4obtEEMY/s1600/the%2Blast%2Bbreath.jpg" height="640" width="418" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: start;">Humanitarian aid worker Gia Andrews chases disasters around the globe for a living. It's the perfect lifestyle to keep her far away from her own personal ground zero. Sixteen years ago, Gia's father was imprisoned for brutally killing her stepmother. Now he's come home to die of cancer, and she's responsible for his care—and coming to terms with his guilt. </span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.790000915527344px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: start;">Gia reluctantly resumes the role of daughter to the town's most infamous murderer, a part complete with protesters on the lawn and death threats that are turning tragedy into front-page news. Returning to life in small-town Tennessee involves rebuilding relationships that distance and turmoil have strained, though finding an emotional anchor in the attractive hometown bartender is certainly helping Gia cope. </span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.790000915527344px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: start;">As the past unravels before her, Gia will find herself torn between the stories that her family, their friends and neighbors, and even her long-departed stepmother have believed to be real all these years. But in the end, the truth—and all the lies that came before—may have deadlier consequences than she could have ever anticipated…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"<i>The Last Breath</i> will leave you breathless. This edgy and emotional thriller will keep you guessing until the very end."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <i>---New York Times</i> bestselling author HEATHER GUDENKAUF</span></div>
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<i>The Last Breath </i>releases September 30th, 2014. Check out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0778317226/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0778317226&linkCode=as2&tag=boosna-20&linkId=X6WP37SLKGRLDLRS">Amazon</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=boosna-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0778317226" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> for an excerpt and to pre-order.</div>
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<br />Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-24692915899006827472014-09-06T00:00:00.000-07:002014-09-06T00:00:03.416-07:00Saturday Snatch: Prudence Pursued by Shirley Raye Redmond<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Check out Shirley Raye Redmond on her <a href="http://www.shirleyrayeredmond.com/">website </a>and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shirley-Raye-Redmond-Author/533496973399344">facebook</a>!</div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">Despite Prudence Pentyre’s best efforts, her cousin Margaret proves </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">reluctant to accept Sir James Brownell’s marriage proposal, and fears </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">being “bovinised” if she undergoes the controversial cowpox vaccination he </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">recommends. And the dashing baronet seems more concerned about the plight </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">of headhunters in Borneo than Margaret’s refusal. Then Prudence suddenly </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">finds herself smitten with the man. What to do? What to do?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Excerpt</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Chapter 1</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“You should not wear <i>that</i> to the pox party,” Prudence
Pentyre said, indicating her younger cousin’s dress of light green
Italian silk. “I recommend something with short sleeves which
allows you to expose your forearm to the lancet.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Margaret
shuddered. Her plain face, pale and lightly freckled, appeared
downcast. “Oh, Pru, I wish I didn’t have to go.” She stood,
slender shoulders drooping, in front of her open wardrobe.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Truly,
Meg, there’s nothing to worry about,” Prudence assured her,
slipping a comforting arm around her cousin’s slim waist. “Papa
had all of us vaccinated with the cow pox when we were still in the
school room—and the servants too. I’m quite surprised my Uncle
Giles didn’t do the same,” Prudence replied.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
A
glint of disapproval flashed in her soft brown eyes. Silently, she
fumed. Uncle Giles had held too many old-fashioned notions. Such an
old stick! He was dead now, having suffered an apoplexy two years
ago. Her mother, if she knew of Prudence’s unspoken condemnation,
would have reminded her not to speak ill of the dead. This dictate
had never made sense to Prudence. Why were some of life’s most
unsavory characters deemed to be saints after their deaths? Not that
Uncle Giles was unsavory, but he had been shamefully old-fashioned.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Look,
Meg, there’s not even a scar.” Prudence held out a white arm for
her cousin’s perusal. “Mr. Jenner’s procedure is almost
painless and quite safe, much safer than buying the smallpox and
enduring the dreaded disease.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Papa
didn’t believe in it. He said it was God’s will some people
should die of the small pox,” Margaret said, turning away from her
to examine an array of dresses hanging in the wardrobe.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“God
is not so cruel,” Prudence insisted.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Some
say the vaccination will cause one’s facial features to resemble
those of a cow,” Margaret ventured, her forehead creasing with
anxious wrinkles.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Prudence
laughed. “Neither John or Patience have any cowlike features, and
you can see for yourself I do not.” Slightly unsettled by her
cousin’s close examination, Prudence shrugged.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Yes,
look at me, Meg! Do I resemble a cow? I can assure you I don’t have
a cow tail hidden beneath my skirts either. None of us have
bovinized, as you fear. I believe Mr. Jenner’s procedure to have
been God-inspired. Truly. Papa has preached this same opinion from
the pulpit. Mr. Jenner took notice how milkmaids and dairy farmers
did not succumb to the deadly small pox plague when there was an
outbreak in their village. It was because of their exposure to the
harmless cowpox. It was an amazing observation which will benefit us
all.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Like
her parents, Prudence was an ardent admirer of Edward Jenner. In
fact, her father the Reverend Henry Pentyre was a member of the Royal
Jennerian Society and helped to raise money to give free vaccination
to throughout England. Prudence enjoyed accompanying her father when
he rode out to the rural areas to administer the vaccine himself to
those members of his parish willing to undergo the procedure.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“But
what if you should marry and have children?” Margaret hinted,
unconvinced. She clutched her hands at her waist. Prudence, noting
the slight tremor, realized her cousin was trying not to reveal her
agitation.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Both
John and Patience are married with children and none of my nieces and
nephews look like heifers, I assure you!” Prudence insisted. She
gave Margaret a reassuring pat on the shoulder “You’re making a
great fuss for nothing.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
With
a sigh, Margaret retrieved a short-sleeved muslin gown from the
wardrobe and held it up before her. As she considered her image in
the mirror, Prudence stepped up behind her, peering over her cousin’s
shoulder. Smiling at Margaret’s reflection, she noted the
similarity of their features. They were much the same height—too
tall and thin to be in fashion. They had dark brown hair, pert noses,
and generous mouths, much too wide to be considered beautiful. But
each had soulful brown eyes, heavily fringed with thick, dark lashes.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Prudence
considered her eyes her best physical feature. They were large and
expressive. When she had been much younger, an infatuated suitor had
once written a poem for her, referring to the subject of his
adoration as the, <i>“lovely, ox-eyed Prudent Athena.” </i>Smiling,
she recalled this bit of poetic nonsense, but decided not to mention
the particular compliment to Margaret. At least not until after the
girl had been vaccinated with cowpox and quite recovered from her
current state of anxious misery.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Addressing
her cousin’s image in the mirror, Margaret asked, “What are you
smiling about?”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Nothing,”
Prudence answered as she prinked her dusky curls before stepping away
from the mirror. Her mother had raised her and her older sister
Patience not to think overmuch of their appearance.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“<i>Pretty
is as pretty does,”</i> Mrs. Pentyre had reminded them many a time.
In all honesty, Prudence wasn’t pretty, and she knew it. Neither
was her sister Patience. But their friendly smiles and easy manners
had afforded them some modest popularity in society. Patience had wed
several years ago and was the proud mother of three vivacious
youngsters. At the age of twenty-seven, Prudence remained unmarried,
and did not blush to acknowledge it.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Pru,
have you ever wanted to?” Margaret asked, as though reading her
mind.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Wanted
to what?” Prudence replied with a slight hesitation.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Don’t
you want to marry and have children?” Margaret asked with an
unsteady smile. “Have you never received an offer of marriage from
an eligible gentleman?” She twirled away from the mirror to lay the
newly selected dress across her bed.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Two
offers actually, but quite long ago. Mamma considered them eligible;
I did not,” Prudence admitted. “Neither one of them was handsome
or dashing. One lolled about. He never seemed to sit or stand up
straight. He positively drooped upon the furniture, the mantle, even
his horse. He smoked foul-smelling cigars and his jackets reeked of
smoke.” Prudence rolled her eyes. “The other one could barely
string two coherent sentences together to make an interesting
conversation. He was socially backward—sadly so.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Even
so, have you never regretted rejecting their proposals?” Margaret
pursued.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Indeed I have
not,” Prudence insisted. “Being unmarried has allowed me to
become involved with Mr. Wilberforce’s Abolition Society—and I’ve
found the work to be fulfilling and meaningful.” Then noting her
cousin’s perplexed frown, she added, “Please don’t think I
nurse a broken heart in my bosom. I do not. I’ve also been blessed
with a modest inheritance left to me by my fraternal grandmother, so
I’m under no pressure to marry for security.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I
wish I had a rich grandmother,” Margaret commented with a gloomy
frown.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Just
because <i>my </i>emotions have been unmoved by men’s romantic
attention, it is no reason for <i>you</i> not to marry,” Prudence
went on, ignoring her cousin’s comment. “Your mother has informed
us you are about to make an advantageous match.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I’ve
not yet accepted him,” Margaret said with a sigh. She sat down on
the edge of the bed with a dejected air.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“So
my Aunt Judith has told me,” Prudence replied, claiming the small
chair in front of Margaret’s dressing table.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
She
did not tell her younger cousin she’d been invited by her aunt to
visit them in Bath for the express purpose of coaxing Margaret into
accepting Sir James Brownell’s offer. Aunt Judith had resolved her
daughter should make a suitable match. The girl was twenty, some
seven years Prudence’s junior. Just because she’d not contracted
an eligible match for herself did not mean Prudence was unwilling to
see her younger cousin happily wed.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“So
tell me all about your young sprig of fashion,” Prudence urged,
smoothing her skirt and watching Margaret’s face with keen eyes.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Margaret
fixed her with a glare and then snorted in a most unladylike fashion.
“Sir James is neither young nor fashionable—mores the pity,”
she replied petulantly.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“How
old is Sir James?” Prudence queried.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Old!” Margaret
replied with glum reluctance. “At least thirty-five or even older.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Prudence’s
mouth twitched with secret amusement. “I must say it all happened
rather suddenly, didn’t it?” she went on. “In your letters,
there had been no mention of Sir James Brownell and then recently, it
is all Aunt Judith has written about.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“His
mother, Lady Eliza Brownell, and mine put their heads together and
planned it all. Such an ill-conceived idea!” Margaret replied,
pouting. “I was not consulted. And Sir James, who is marrying to
oblige his mama, had the audacity to tell me so. He mentioned it made
no difference to him whom he wed, as he knew no eligible young ladies
and was therefore, trusting Lady Brownell to select someone suitable
for him.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Prudence
frowned. “How poor spirited! But I believe he has been ill, is that
not so? Perhaps he is not quite himself.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Margaret
nodded. “Yes, he came to Bath to recover his health. Lady Eliza
keeps a house here. Sir James owns property in the country. Stalwood
is in the north somewhere. He told me as soon as he has fully
recovered, he will return to his estate to repair the leaking roof,
stop up the drafts, and clear the drains. Then we shall marry.” A
becoming flush heightened her complexion.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Prudence
said dryly, “How romantic! At least he’s taking his future
bride’s health into consideration. Best to prepare the leaking roof
and stop up the drafts first so you don’t fall ill with lung
disease immediately following the wedding.” On a softer note, she
asked, “Is there no affection between you at all?”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“He
says he admires me, and he always treats me with the greatest
courtesy,” Margaret told her, with a tremulous smile. “Mama
thinks it is wonderful he is so solicitous. But when we are together,
his speech is not in the least like a lover. Instead, he quite
pesters me with questions about the oddest matters—like my views on
slavery and the cowpox vaccine.” Lowering her voice, she
complained, “He talks too of the most dreadful things he has
encountered on his travels—as though I would care to hear of them.”
She gave a slight shudder.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Quirking
an eyebrow, Prudence asked, “What sort of dreadful things?”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Margaret
straightened with indignation. “Heathen headhunters!” This time,
her face flushed a deep, ugly red. “He never says pleasant,
complimentary things to me or talks with animation about anything a
lady would be interested in hearing about, not like…” Margaret
bit off the last words. Heaving a sigh, she finally added, “He’s
bold and brash and says just what he’s thinking.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“A
rare bird indeed, your Sir James Brownell!” Prudence declared,
intrigued.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“He’s <i>not</i>
my Sir James,” Margaret retorted.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Couldn’t
you find it in your heart to like him a little?” Prudence asked.
“Many marriages begin with little more than mutual consent. Later,
they grow into friendship and then love. Or so I’m told.” When
her cousin merely shrugged, Pru went on. “In her letters, Aunt
Judith described Sir James as a handsome man.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Handsome!”
Margaret gasped out the word. “How can she say so? There’s
nothing handsome about him at all—not even his manners. His skin is
burned brown by the wind and the sun. He dresses with indifference,
sometimes quite like a rustic. He walks with a pronounced limp, so he
cannot stand up to dance with me, although Lady Eliza assures me the
wound will heal. Worst of all, he wears an eye patch! Another injury,
and one, I fear, must be permanent.” She shuddered with loathing.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Good
gracious! An eye patch? Meg, truly, I cannot wait to meet the
gentleman!” Prudence announced.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Meet
him and marry him, for all I care!” Margaret exclaimed.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Prudence chuckled,
smoothing a wrinkle in her dress. “Your mother would never forgive
me.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Margaret’s
shoulders slumped. “She’ll never forgive me either should I
refuse to marry the odious man. Oh, Pru! What am I to do? Did I
mention Sir James first dangled after the vicar’s daughter? She
refused his offer and sent him on his way, and I can hardly blame
her. But Lady Brownell insists he must marry, so she and Mama put
their heads together and decided <i>we</i> would make a good match
between us. How they can think it, I do not know.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Do
you despise him so much?” Prudence asked kindly.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Margaret shrugged.
“I do not despise him, but nor do I have any affection for him
whatsoever. I am not certain I even <i>like</i> him,” she
confessed. “He admitted quite frankly to me one bride is as good as
another, as long as she is young, healthy, and God-fearing.” She
shook her head and added feelingly, “As though he’d find heathen
women here in Bath like those he lived among in Borneo!”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Convinced
now Sir James must be somewhat addlebrained, Prudence asked
curiously, “Was he living there when he became ill? In Borneo?
Aunt Judith mentioned only that he had traveled extensively in the
Far East.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Yes,
he has been there for some years. Recently, he was injured while
fighting Malay pirates and then fell ill with malaria.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Quite
the adventurer, is he not?” Noting her cousin’s gloomy
countenance, Prudence rose from the chair and moved to sit beside her
on the bed. “Margaret, in all fairness, you must admit Sir James
would not have asked you to marry him, if he did not desire to marry
<i>you</i>. He’s a man grown. Lady Brownell cannot force him to
marry the bride of her choice, no more than your own mother would
force you to accept him—if you indeed find him so repugnant.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Margaret
tilted her head to one side and considered for a moment. “I feel
indifference only. Occasionally, I do feel anger and resentment when
he insists I attend some insufferable function or another—like this
afternoon’s cowpox party at Lady Oldenfield’s.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“He
is coming for you?” Prudence asked.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“No,
we shall meet him there. Mama insists I should go, as I’ve not yet
had the disease. Sir James has convinced her the Jenner vaccine is
much safer than buying the small pox in London in the usual way.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“It is,”
Prudence assured her. “You have nothing to fear. We shall go
together. I will hold your hand, and you may introduce me to Sir
James.” She rose from the bed.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Margaret
shrugged. “All right then, if we must. In truth, I am interested to
know your opinion of him.” She rose from the bed with a sigh.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Will
Sir James perform the vaccination procedure himself do you think?”
Prudence asked.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I
do not believe so,” Margaret replied with a skeptical frown.
“Surely, there will be a physician? I wish I knew how Sir James
convinced Lady Oldenfield to host the affair in the first place,”
she said. “I am dreading it.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Meg, you are
fretting a good deal over nothing, I assure you,” Prudence tried to
cheer her. “My own father performed nearly all the vaccinations
upon the members of his congregation with my help and that of his
curate. It is quite a simple procedure and so effective. Papa hopes
one day in the near future, the christening and vaccination of small
children will be performed on the same day.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Margaret appeared
so aghast at this hopeful suggestion Prudence could not help
laughing. Then she gave her cousin a heartfelt hug. “While you
change your gown, I will look in on Aunt Judith and tell her we will
be leaving soon. I shall ask her to have the carriage brought around
too.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
As
Prudence made her way down the drafty corridor to her aunt’s room,
she glanced outside the window. Such a bleak and dreary July day!
This summer had been unseasonable chilly. Prudence, who reveled in
the warmest weather, did not approve. Noting the gooseflesh on her
arms, she wished she had first stopped by her own room for a shawl.
She suspected her aunt would not have a fire in her room. Aunt Judith
lived as though she were penny pinched—much to the inconvenience of
her guests. Prudence considered her to be thoughtlessly stingy,
although her mother insisted her widowed sister-in-law was merely
frugal.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
She
tapped on the door to her aunt’s room and opened it when she heard
her call, “Enter.” Prudence found her aunt sprawled upon her
chaise, indisposed. She was built upon thick and sturdy lines, which
belied her frail health. Her thinning dark hair appeared heavily
streaked with silver strands. Her long, plain face sadly resembled
that of a horse, Prudence thought. Two small tables were within her
aunt’s reach—one with a lovely Wedgwood tea service, the other
littered with bottles containing various elixirs for one ailment or
another.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“My
dear Prudence, it is so good to see you!” her aunt declared,
holding out a tremulous hand to her. “I do beg pardon for not
greeting you upon your arrival yesterday. I am positively burnt to
the bone socket. My headaches are quite debilitating, as you know. I
trust your dear mother and father are in good health?”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“They
are fine indeed,” Prudence assured her.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Oh,
Prudence, I am so grateful you have come. I do so need your help,”
her aunt told her with a lachrymose expression.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I
am always pleased to be of assistance to you, Aunt Judith,”
Prudence replied, squeezing her aunt’s hand as she bent to kiss her
pale cheek. As she did so, Prudence glanced sidelong toward the
hearth. No fire, as she feared. Then noting the purple bruises
beneath her aunt’s eyes and her sallow skin, Prudence felt a stab
of guilt for having assumed Mrs. Leyes had merely been indulging
herself with another imagined illness, a common habit with her. But
no, the woman did indeed look haggard.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“If
anyone can talk Margaret into seeing reason, it would be you. She has
always admired you—you have been more like an elder sister than a
cousin. I am so grateful.” Mrs. Leyes sniffed into her
handkerchief.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I
am quite as fond of Margaret as she is of me,” Prudence assured
her, sitting down upon a small chintz-covered settee.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Margaret
cannot afford to pass up this opportunity. In truth, it is like manna
from Heaven. You must make her see it, Pru.” With a sigh, her aunt
sank back against the chaise. “How could I bear it if I should die,
leaving my only child a spinster?” she wailed. “Margaret, an old
maid!”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Prudence
lowered her gaze, focusing her attention upon the ornate garnet ring
her grandmother had given to her upon her sixteenth birthday, more
than a decade ago. Her distraught aunt, realizing what she had said,
quickly begged pardon and gulped a swallow of tea from a dainty cup.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I’m
sorry, Prudence,” she sputtered, her pale face flushing. “I did
not think. Oh, my wicked tongue! I do rattle on. Giles always said
so, and it is lamentably true.”
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Clearing
her throat, Prudence replied, “It is also true I am—as you say—an
old maid. I’m nearer thirty than not and still unmarried. I am
resigned to my fate and contentedly so.”
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
She
forced a smile and admitted on most days, this was indeed true.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Love and marriage
were not part of God’s plan for her life. She had come to accept
it—most of the time. She felt blessed to have the loving support of
her parents, well as the modest inheritance left to her by her
grandmother, which became Prudence’s to manage when she had reached
the age of twenty-one. And although Mrs. Pentyre often hinted how
delighted she would be to see her youngest daughter happily married,
as were her other children, Patience and John, neither she nor the
vicar persisted in this and seemed pleased to have Prudence remain
with them to help with the church work.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Fixing
her niece with a tender gaze, Judith added, “I do hope you will not
think me impertinent, Prudence, but I cannot help wishing you were
credibly established—like your sister Patience, married to a kind
and generous husband.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I
have not yet met the right gentleman, Aunt Judith, nor am I likely to
do so—at my age,” she replied with a quick shrug. “Thankfully,
my parents have allowed me to make my own matrimonial decisions.”
Prudence winced then as she realizing how condemning the comment must
sound to her aunt who, indeed, wanted to force her own daughter into
a marriage of convenience.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
But
her aunt had not noted the condemnation in her tone, and Prudence,
eager to change the subject, said, “I must confess, I am surprised
to learn Margaret is not yet officially betrothed. In your letters to
Mama, you intimated the match had been made. We expected to see the
announcement in the <i>Times</i> before I left for Bath.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“No,
it is not official yet,” her aunt replied with a tragic sniff. “And
through no fault of Brownell’s, I assure you. <i>He’s</i> come up
to scratch. Margaret is the one balking at the fences,” she went on
with a lamentable mix of metaphors. “ I don’t know what to do. I
am at my wit’s end. She says she wants to carefully consider the
offer. But there is nothing to consider, as far as I am concerned. I
have never known Margaret to be so stubborn. She has always been such
a good, biddable girl. But now…” Judith’s shoulders slumped
with despair.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Perhaps
Meg’s affections are engaged elsewhere?” Prudence suggested.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I
do not believe so,” she replied, her forehead creasing with
perplexed wrinkles.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Recalling
her cousin’s less than enthusiastic comments about the gentleman,
Prudence added, “Perhaps she finds Sir James repugnant in some
way.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“How
can that be?” her aunt queried. “The man is rich, attractive, and
personable, even though his manner may be considered,…” she
paused to find the right word.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Brusque?”
Prudence prompted.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Her
aunt frowned. “Perhaps, but his lineage is impeccable. He came to
Bath for the express purpose of recovering his health and securing a
wife. He fixed his attention on Margaret almost at once.”
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“After
first being rejected by the vicar’s daughter, I understand,”
Prudence pointed out. She regarded her aunt with arched brows.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Not
<i>our</i> vicar’s daughter,” Judith replied, as though this made
all the difference in the world. “Margaret has never had an offer
before, you know. To be quite honest, she is not likely to have
another. Although I love my daughter dearly, I must admit the child
is lamentably plain.” Mrs. Leyes shook her head. “Even if
Margaret should receive another offer, which is doubtful as I have
said, it would surely not be as advantageous as this one. It is why I
have sent for you, Prudence. You must convince Margaret to marry Sir
James!” She raised a languid hand to indicate the teapot.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Prudence
shook her head, declining the offer of tea. “I’ll try to be
helpful to you, Aunt Judith,” she replied. “I wish Margaret all
the happiness in the world, but I will not urge her to marry someone
she finds repulsive.” She fixed a candid gaze upon her aunt’s
pale face.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Then
you must convince her Sir James is <i>not</i> repulsive,” Judith
said stiffly. “He is an excellent man with a superior mind. He has
many fine…er…qualities besides his fortune. For Margaret, this
will be a most splendid match.” After a moment’s pause, she
frowned and asked with quiet hesitation, “Did Margaret <i>say</i>
she is repulsed by him?”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“She
complains he is rather an odd fish,” Prudence replied frankly.
Licking her dry lips, she added, “Margaret also thinks he is old
and unattractive.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Old?
Bah! He is not yet thirty-five years of age,” Judith insisted. “I
will admit, he is not handsome in the conventional way, but he has a
rugged, manly appearance. And he is rich. I believe I mentioned it,
did I not? His father invested heavily in the East India Company.
Sir James himself has done considerable business in the East as well,
importing antimony, I believe. It is my opinion he should be
commended for increasing the wealth of the estate left to him by his
late father.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“And
yet Margaret doesn’t seem impressed. I’m not sure she even likes
the man,” Prudence pointed out.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“What’s
not to like?” her aunt protested. “Sir James has wealth. He’s
generally admired and has none of the usual vices—like gambling and
excessive drink. Truly, Prudence, he has quite turned everyone’s
head with his tales of dining in foreign palaces with sultans and
Oriental princes. He brought back with him many curious mementos of
his journey to the East. It is true he is not debonair. But he cuts
quite a romantic figure nonetheless. Bath society has embraced him.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Yes,
but Margaret mentioned he walks with a limp and wears an eye patch.”
Suppressing a smile, Prudence tried to conjure an image of the
adventurous Sir James Brownell. The image portrayed by her aunt and
the one provided by her young cousin merged into something of a
comical figure.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Poor
man! He was injured while fighting with Malay pirates. Why, he was
actually shot in the battle! Lady Brownell saved the bullet and keeps
it under glass, like some prize specimen to show to everyone who
calls.” Judith shook her head, tugging impatiently at her gown.
“But to his credit, Sir James is determined to take a missionary
back with him the next time he journeys East. As you are a vicar’s
daughter, you must approve.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“You
are close friends with his mother, I believe?” Prudence asked,
ignoring the comment.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Yes, Eliza and I
were at school together. Bosom chums,” she added with a reminiscent
smile. “We shared an infatuation for our dashing art instructor,
<i>Signore</i> Angelo Roscetti—such a handsome man with black
moustaches and flashing dark eyes.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Prudence gently led
her aunt back on course. “Before I do what I can to convince
Margaret to accept Sir James’s offer, are you quite sure she has
not formed a secret passion for another?”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Her
aunt seemed bewildered by the suggestion. “No,” she insisted. She
then quickly amended this declaration with, “I don’t know.
Margaret has not shown a partiality to any young man I am aware of.
Nor has any gentleman singled her out.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Could
she be meeting someone in a clandestine manner?”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Prudence,
no!” Judith declared. One frail hand fluttered to her throat.
“I’ve not heard of it. Someone would surely have noticed and
informed me of it, don’t you suppose?”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Prudence
thought much went on in Bath her reclusive aunt would not know about.
She could tell by Judith’s flushed face and agitated manner the
notion of Margaret meeting someone clandestinely had never occurred
to her. Prudence wished she had not mentioned it. Aunt Judith would,
she feared, fret about it.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Poor
Margaret has been suffering with megrims of late. Some days, her
appetite is poorly," Judith stammered. “And yet on other
days, she fairly blooms with good health and high spirits. It <i>is</i>
puzzling, but of course, but I believe it is often so with the young.
They can be emotionally intemperate.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Don’t
worry, Aunt Judith. If Margaret does have a have a secret <i>tendre</i>
for some other gentleman, I will ferret it out,” Prudence promised.
She felt no qualms about doing so as Margaret had not given the
slightest indication she nursed a secret passion for Another. “Who
knows? He may even be in attendance at Lady Oldenfield’s gathering
this afternoon. I shall look sharp.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Her aunt’s eyes
widened with apprehension. She blinked. “Did she mention…?”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“No, Aunt Judith,
I do not mean to tease you,” Prudence hastened to assure her. “Meg
did not confess any such secret passion to me. She is merely
indifferent to Sir James—so she told me. She cannot bring herself
to accept him as her husband.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Do what you can
to see she warms to him,” her aunt pressed. “If there <i>is</i>
someone else, Clarissa Paige may possibly know who it might be.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“I remember Miss
Paige,” Prudence said, immediately recalling the pretty, dark
haired young woman, who was Margaret’s true and closest friend. If
her cousin had indeed revealed any secret passion to her bosom chum,
Prudence would find it no easy task to pry the secret from Clarissa’s
loyal lips.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Be clever,
Prudence,” her aunt cajoled, as though reading her thoughts. “You
must persuade Clarissa to speak with you regarding Margaret’s
confidences—if indeed she has shared such.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“I fear you
overestimate my abilities, Aunt Judith, but I will try.” In a
teasing manner, she tilted her head to one side. “I may have to
take up a flirtation with Clarissa’s brother, Harry. He might be
more forthcoming, under the right circumstances, if he knows anything
at all about a secret <i>amour</i>.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Judith appeared
mildly astonished. Then realizing it was only a jest, the woman gave
her a complacent smile and shook her head. “This is not a laughing
matter, Prudence. Nothing must prevent Margaret from marrying Sir
James.” Then squeezing her eyes shut and pinching the bridge of her
nose, she exclaimed with sudden warmth, “The child vexes me so! She
gives Sir James no encouragement at all.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“I am frankly
surprised this indifference has not cooled the gentleman’s ardor,”
Prudence admitted, smoothing her skirt with one hand. She felt even
more intrigued about Sir James Brownell than before. Her cousin was
not a beauty or an heiress. Why should Sir James be so insistent upon
marrying Margaret when surely there were young females who would be
more willing? Why did he not give her up, as he did the vicar’s
discriminating daughter and move on to more fertile ground?</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“To oblige his
mama, Sir James is determined to take Margaret to wife, and I thank
God for it,” her aunt said feelingly.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Because you
don’t want her to remain an old maid, like me,” Prudence replied
in an offhand manner, hoping to lighten her aunt’s mood.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
After
a brief but pregnant pause, Judith confided in low, tragic tones,
“Because there is the most abominable debt to pay.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Bewildered,
Prudence asked, “What debt?”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Giles’s
gambling debts.” This in a lower tone still.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Prudence gasped
softly. She had not known her Uncle Giles had gambled or that he’d
left his widow saddled with gambling debts. “Is it so steep then?”
she asked, leaning forward. “Does Margaret know?” She wondered
too if her own mother knew her elder brother had been a gamester?</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“No,
Margaret does not know, and Prudence, I beg you will not tell her,”
her aunt pleaded, sitting up slightly on the chaise. “You would not
be so unfeeling? She idolized her father and knows nothing of his
gambling habit. Giles loved Margaret too—called her his Little
Button. He never once complained I did not bear him a son.” With a
sniff, Judith carried her crumbled handkerchief to her nose. Her eyes
filled with sentimental tears. “I cannot help but think had I been
able to produce more children, perhaps he wouldn’t have taken to
gaming as he did,” she added in a tremulous voice.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I’m
sorry, Aunt Judith, I had no idea,” Prudence admitted, dismayed.
“Does my mother know about the debt? Does my father know?”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Oh,
yes, Henry, God bless him, has helped when he could,” Judith told
her. “Your dear mother has been quite understanding too. But your
father is not a rich man either, although he is a landed gentleman
and fortunately need not rely solely on his living from the church
for an income. But I do not want to be a burden upon your
parents—upon <i>anyone</i>. I’ve sold most of the Leyes family
jewels, which came to Giles when we married—all except the pearls,
which I gave to Margaret upon her coming out. I still hold the
sapphires too, which I planned to give her upon the occasion of her
marriage.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Prudence,
surprised by the revelation of her late uncle’s vices, felt a surge
of bitter resentment toward him for placing her aunt and cousin in
this awkward predicament. Excessive gambling was one of the many sins
the popular reformer Mr. William Wilberforce so strongly denounced.
More than once he had declared theirs a decadent generation of
excesses. Her father couldn’t have agreed more and preached the
same from his pulpit on more than one occasion.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
When
Prudence remained silent, her aunt went on. “I have been trying to
quietly pay back what I could over the years. It has not been easy.
Other widows in my predicament often have sons or brothers to pay off
these so-called debts of honor, but I refuse to be completely
dependent upon Henry. Why, it would send him to the poorhouse! And I
can hardly allow Giles’s debts to follow Margaret and me to the
grave, can I?”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“This
is dreadful,” Prudence exclaimed, shaking her head as she tried to
digest her aunt’s shocking news. “I would never have guessed
Uncle Giles gambled so excessively—and how you, his widow, would be
held responsible for his debts.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“It
is hardly something one talks about it, even within the family,”
her aunt acknowledged with an embarrassed blush. “You must promise
me you will not mention this to Margaret.” She blinked several
times.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I
promise,” Prudence replied. She meant it.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Her
aunt hung her head. “Oh, Pru, it is so humiliating. You see, Giles
owed money to many close friends and acquaintances. It is imperative
that Margaret marry Sir James, so we might settle your uncle’s
debts honorably.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I
have no desire to pry too closely, but does Sir James know the extent
of the debts?” Prudence asked.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Yes,
I’ve taken Sir James into my confidence. He has assured me he will
pay off the debts in full once he and Margaret are married. He is all
that is kind and good, I assure you. I look forward to living out the
rest of my years with peace of mind and a modicum of comfort.”
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Judith,
reaching for a clear bottle of lavender-colored pills, peered at her
niece and said, “Come now, let’s not talk of it any more. Go to
Lady Oldenfield’s and see Margaret safely vaccinated. Meet Sir
James and take the measure of the man. You will not find him wanting.
Then see if you cannot persuade your headstrong cousin to look upon
him more favorably.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“I will do my
best,” Prudence assured her, rising. “Will you send for the
carriage?”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Her
aunt nodded and reached out a hand toward her. Fixing Prudence with a
look of earnest appeal, she said, “So you quite understand now,
don’t you, Pru? If Margaret does not marry Sir James, her future
will be as uncertain and precarious as my own.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Prudence,
holding her aunt’s cool and trembling hand, nodded and swallowed
hard. She could indeed understand how, from her aunt’s perspective,
it was important to both her future happiness and security—as well
as Margaret’s own—the marriage to Sir James come off
successfully. “I do understand, Aunt Judith. You may rely on me.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
But
as she took her leave, Prudence was still puzzled by the gentleman’s
persistence. Why should he be so intent upon marrying Margaret when
she seemed less than eager? Prudence loved Meg, certainly, but her
cousin had no beauty, position, or wealth to recommend her. Not only
was she indifferent to his suit, but also her family was encumbered
heavily with so-called “debts of honor.”
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
And
if Margaret had spoken truthfully, Sir James’s affections were not
strongly engaged either. This was not a love match on either side. It
didn’t make sense. Could not a man with Sir James’s wealth and
position find another Bath miss to propose marriage to—one without
an embarrassment of gambling debts to pay off in her father’s name?
Surely his mother had other friends with eligible but more willing
daughters?
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
It
was a perplexing riddle. Prudence made up her mind to resolve it.</div>
<div style="background: #ffffff; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div style="background: #ffffff; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /><br />
</div>
Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-64105287279608394482014-09-05T12:25:00.003-07:002014-09-22T06:52:13.125-07:00Interview & Giveaway: Darren Simon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Wo8uBiESqNCHgZSEJ3JFTvBbCwvoyu8ESFNU_rGFEK0vtBSls84Vl2bN7IvdCuU4B1eC6F0D4_OI9_dx9tvboEqnBelqemL6CJOj2HPm_5LRbfpkVd6LTdZINdsQqUPsscTr-VfykQs/s1600/IMG-20140417-00462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Wo8uBiESqNCHgZSEJ3JFTvBbCwvoyu8ESFNU_rGFEK0vtBSls84Vl2bN7IvdCuU4B1eC6F0D4_OI9_dx9tvboEqnBelqemL6CJOj2HPm_5LRbfpkVd6LTdZINdsQqUPsscTr-VfykQs/s1600/IMG-20140417-00462.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 100%;"> I
am a former longtime newspaper journalist who now works in government
affairs on California water issues. I also teach College English at a
California Community College in Southern California. In my spare
time, I do freelance writing for a regional human interest magazine.
Guardian’s Nightmare is my first novel. The second book in the
series, Hero’s Way, is due out in early 2015. Along with that
series, I have completed two other books, one a pirate story and the
other a story of a young man whose genetic disorder might just make
him a superhero. I reside in California’s desert Southwest with my
wife, two sons and two crazy dogs.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><b>Favorite
reads?</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I
am a big fan, like so many other fantasy writers, of J.R.R. Tolkien,
so all of his books from The Hobbit, to the Lord of the Rings trilogy
to Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin are all on my list of
favorite books. I am also a big fan of the Star Wars literature that
expands on the universe created by George Lucas.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><b>Inspirations
for the book?</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Like
all the books I write, the inspiration tends to come from my own
experiences in my youth. For this particular book, the inspiration
came from a time when my family moved to a new home, and I had to
attend a new school. It was really tough fitting in and that brought
some new challenges and struggles into my life. Keep in mind when I
started the book, the lead character was a boy, but somewhere along
the line I decided the character might work better as a girl. I guess
the strange part, one I still am not so clear on, is how I took the
struggles of being in a new school and turned it into a fantasy story
involving magic and dimensional portals.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><b>Did
you know you wanted to be an author when you were little?</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I
always enjoyed writing, even as a kid, but I think I knew I wanted to
be a writer the summer before my freshman year of high school. That
was the year Ghostbusters came out, and when I saw it, for some
reason I was amazed at the kind of writing that could make these
actors so funny and make audiences react with such laughter. I knew
then I wanted to make people react a certain way with the written
word. I went home immediately and wrote my version of Ghostbusters II
(nothing like the movie that actually came out). But from that point
on I knew that someday I would write books.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><b>Any
Pet Peeves?</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> My
own lack of time to write.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><b>Chocolate
or Peanut Butter?</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"> Peanut
butter straight out of the jar on a spoon. No bread. No jelly</span><span style="color: black;"><b>.</b></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><b>The
weirdest thing you've ever done?</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Not
sure this is the weirdest, but my friends and I did dare each other
one summer to jump off the pier in Redondo Beach, California. I was
the only one to jump.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><b>Is
there a soundtrack to the book/Favorite music?</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"> I
don’t really have a soundtrack, but music plays a critical role in
my writing. I usually listen to my iPod as I think of scenes, and
music by Rush, Genesis, Journey, AC/DC, Ozzy, The Police and so many
more really help me to get into the scenes. </span>
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><b>Do
you need anything to write? </b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Just
time and quiet (although music helps me to focus as long as it’s
not too loud).</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><b>How
long do you write on any average day?</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I
don’t measure my writing quite like that. I tell myself if I can
write ten good pages a week, than I am moving in the right direction.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;"><b>Give
us the number one reason to read your book.</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Keep
in mind, it’s for middle grade and young adult readers (though I
think adults will enjoy it, too). But the number one reason to read
my book is that it is pure escapism fun. It’s the kind of book that
will take you on an adventure, one you could complete in one weekend
of reading.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: purple;">Author Info:</span></b></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"> My
author website is </span><a href="http://www.darren-simon.com/">www.darren-simon.com</a><span style="color: black;">.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"> My
author facebook page is </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/DarrenSimonAuthor">https://www.facebook.com/DarrenSimonAuthor</a></span><br />
And <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Guardians-Nightmare-Last-Princess-Latara/dp/1938888065/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400862085&sr=1-1&keywords=Guardian%27s+Nightmare+by+Darren+Simon">Amazon</a>.<br />
<a href="http://divertirpublishing.com/"> Divertirpublishing.com</a></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdgmq-mnDCO0EbmJSuqAVYnFlexoCa_4kG2w4qpMMCkjEGdUAtsIHy9swyN42mvmNriS9pmjGWf1i5qWC8G55YrxFdsuTx8-6pZXN0Y9EJtxvjn_xUHHp9TofHuMjoItfmwLzix7bJ7A/s1600/Cover1.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdgmq-mnDCO0EbmJSuqAVYnFlexoCa_4kG2w4qpMMCkjEGdUAtsIHy9swyN42mvmNriS9pmjGWf1i5qWC8G55YrxFdsuTx8-6pZXN0Y9EJtxvjn_xUHHp9TofHuMjoItfmwLzix7bJ7A/s1600/Cover1.tif" height="400" width="262" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Charlee Smelton is a thirteen-year-old girl adjusting to her new life in San Francisco. Bullied at school, friendless, she is having trouble just trying to figure out where she belongs. Then, she receives a gift of the most hideous bike she’s ever seen. Despite all efforts, she cannot seem to ditch the heap of scrap metal on two wheels, as if the bike might be something more than it seems. Next come the strange dreams about a princess and a giant knight in some far off mystical land. She soon realizes she has bigger problems than fitting in at school. Ultimately, she will have to discover the truth about who she really is to save herself, her family—the world—from an evil only she can defeat. But will she discover the truth too late?</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1wxuVzcPLN5qmw9DT2H0ZgfGS_n9A9duzf8klfQy_RWQ/viewform?embedded=true" width="600">Loading...</iframe>Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-29046834757997233902014-09-01T00:00:00.001-07:002014-09-01T00:00:13.334-07:00Interview & Giveaway: Heather Beck<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-87085ry15z8Wu5pvoDOPznjsf0R6R_3xpiMt-v2oU5QYuSIqPnY-9E-bQuNGlrlgwIOGw2oKPC-AG6wmeuIYWRf52-5PJoYRUgMrMNQ5CXqpEiSTV9lJpizg94BhwPWsBTbxRWS3xQ/s1600/Promo3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-87085ry15z8Wu5pvoDOPznjsf0R6R_3xpiMt-v2oU5QYuSIqPnY-9E-bQuNGlrlgwIOGw2oKPC-AG6wmeuIYWRf52-5PJoYRUgMrMNQ5CXqpEiSTV9lJpizg94BhwPWsBTbxRWS3xQ/s1600/Promo3.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Heather Beck is a Canadian Author and Screenwriter who began writing professionally at the age of sixteen. Her first book was published when she was only nineteen years old. Since then she has written eleven well-reviewed books which have sold in six continents.<span style="line-height: 15.6pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
Heather received an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree from university where she specialized in English and studied an array of disciplines. Currently, she is working on two young adult novels and has three middle grade anthologies slated for publication. As a screenwriter, Heather has multiple television shows and movies in development. Her short films include <i>Young Eyes</i>, <i>The Rarity</i>, <i>Too Sensible For Love</i>, and <i>Circular</i>.<span style="line-height: 15.6pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
Besides writing, Heather’s greatest passion is the outdoors. She is an award-winning fisherwoman and a regular hiker. Her hobbies include swimming, playing badminton and volunteering with non-profit organizations.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Favorite reads? </span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> It’s really sad, but I rarely have a chance to read due to work/life commitments. There are so many books being published that I’d love to read, and I can’t think of anything better than lying in a hammock with a great paranormal romance book. The last book I read was maybe a couple of years ago; it was <i>Ali’s Pretty Little Lies</i> by Sara Shepard. As a fan of the TV show, I just had to read the book, and I absolutely loved it!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Inspirations for Frostbitten? </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> For the longest time, I wanted to write a young adult paranormal romance novel featuring werewolves.<i>Frostbitten</i> actually began as a screenplay back in 2007; however, I decided it would work better as a novel since the movie would require a lot of special effects. The inspiration for the book started with my interest in werewolves and the mythology surrounding them. I wanted to stay true to their original mythology (silver bullets, etc.) while also adding my own touches. I just wanted to make this fast-paced love story with relatable characters and a plot that’s filled with twists and turns. Setting it in a small town in the dead of winter was another inspiration because, like werewolves, winter is stunningly beautiful and magical.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Did you know you wanted to be an author when you were little? </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> I definitely always knew that I wanted to be a writer. When I was young, I loved reading a variety of books and I would often write short stories. Then in high school, I literally took all of the English courses available. My love of the written word continued into university, where I obtained an Honours Bachelor of Arts, with a specialist in English. I feel like I was born to write because it’s something that comes so easily to me. New plots, characters and settings are constantly entering my mind, making it hard for me to stop writing!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Any Pet Peeves? </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> My biggest pet peeves are cruel people and unchivalrous men. I know that may seem random, but I believe we should be kind to one another and that all women deserve to be treated well.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Chocolate or Peanut Butter? </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Natural peanut butter; the kind that isn’t filled with lots of preservatives.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">The weirdest thing you've ever done? </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> I have a fondness for training wild animals. Okay, I’m only referring to chipmunks, squirrels and cottontail rabbits, but still, it’s rewarding to see your patience and effort result in a cute little animal eating from your hand or allowing you to pet it.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Is there a soundtrack for Frostbitten? </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Absolutely. It’s great when you find a song that really epitomizes your work, like it was written just for your book! Here’s my playlist:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Imagine Dragons - Demons</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">David Guetta/Sia - Titanium</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Zedd ft. Foxes – Clarity</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">One Republic – Secrets</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Olly Murs/Flo Rida - Troublemaker</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">The Fray - You Found Me</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Armin van Buuren/Trevor Guthrie - This Is What It Feels Like</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Daniel Powter - Crazy All My Life</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Sixpence None The Richer </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">– </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Kiss Me</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Do you need anything to write? </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> No, I can seriously write anywhere, whether it be in my backyard, at my cottage or even in my pool! I prefer to write when it’s quiet, but since that’s not always possible, I’ve learned to write in any situation. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">How long do you write on any average day? </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> It varies quite a bit. If I’m writing a book or have been contracted for a project, it’s not uncommon for me to spend 14 hours a day working. If I’m editing my scary stories series, <i>The Horror Diaries</i>, I would work roughly eight hours. Marketing also takes up a lot of time, and even things some people might not think of (such as bookkeeping) adds on to that. Additionally, I truly believe a writer is always working because we take life experiences and incorporate it into our work.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Give us the number one reason to read your book. </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Filled with great beauty and forbidden love, <i>Frostbitten</i> is the beginning of an epic romance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Website: <a href="http://heatherashbeck.wix.com/writer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://heatherashbeck.wix.com/<wbr></wbr>writer</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">GoodReads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/326066.Heather_Beck" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>goodreads.com/author/show/<wbr></wbr>326066.Heather_Beck</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIy6O_qNdndkvr78eT81vKtQamy9O7DcWFDh-gVTAlcgWTjSX_htGzRytdCFSoWD3c3pIkO-iBjYP0j3CqgVslylg16fKvUchyuqsvPTA6F4ekD2pOBizGls7vKXTrnzW1jD8ZjkSKw8/s1600/Frostbitten+Cover+Art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIy6O_qNdndkvr78eT81vKtQamy9O7DcWFDh-gVTAlcgWTjSX_htGzRytdCFSoWD3c3pIkO-iBjYP0j3CqgVslylg16fKvUchyuqsvPTA6F4ekD2pOBizGls7vKXTrnzW1jD8ZjkSKw8/s1600/Frostbitten+Cover+Art.jpg" height="400" width="256" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">Great beauty hides dark secrets...</span><br style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px; text-align: start;" /><br style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px; text-align: start;" /><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">Seventeen-year-old Anastasia Lockhart has never led an easy life, but when she starts getting into serious trouble, she’s sent to live with her grandparents in Cedar Falls. The small, picturesque town hasn’t changed since she visited four years ago, with one exception – the presence of a handsome, mysterious boy named Frost. Despite warnings from her grandparents and friends to stay away from Frost, Anastasia can’t deny their attraction, and the more time they spend together, the deeper in love they fall. Unfortunately, Frost has a secret that is beyond Anastasia’s wildest imagination, and she soon finds herself in the midst of a supernatural legend that has haunted Cedar Falls for years.</span><br style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px; text-align: start;" /><br style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px; text-align: start;" /><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px; text-align: start;">Can Anastasia and Frost’s love really overcome anything, or are their fates much darker? </span></span></div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XM4Ukf139Ch7gPSgYyRwCuzIa0t0j1eT8VaZzFW-Bfo/viewform?embedded=true" width="600">Loading...</iframe>Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-70574038073189933562014-09-01T00:00:00.000-07:002014-09-02T19:28:53.748-07:00Trailer & Giveawy: Dierdra Eden<div>
<i>The Watchers Book 1: Knight of Light</i></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> In England, 1270 A.D., Auriella (pronounced yurr-ee-ella) flees her village after being accused of witchcraft. Pursued by nightmarish creatures, she struggles to accept the truth about her humanity.
Filled with fairies, dwarves, pixies, dragons, demons, and monsters, <i>Knight of Light</i> is an enthralling tale that will capture the imaginations of readers young and old.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9D3avkdbKYUOQEKrH4rsDtQfHKdbJS5H0g0EhuSKnapW7PARBemY8MRdnnQWqBJvHf3Buc7qWK6O7B3T09C9tNa_p3WMa-njvasFxeMIq5QyDTjSfwng9z3QZJm8B9IBpoEUYWK5ZVVPu/s1600/Copy+of+knightoflight-animation+%25281%2529.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9D3avkdbKYUOQEKrH4rsDtQfHKdbJS5H0g0EhuSKnapW7PARBemY8MRdnnQWqBJvHf3Buc7qWK6O7B3T09C9tNa_p3WMa-njvasFxeMIq5QyDTjSfwng9z3QZJm8B9IBpoEUYWK5ZVVPu/s1600/Copy+of+knightoflight-animation+%25281%2529.gif" height="400" width="281" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The Watchers Series</i> has been described as <i>Braveheart</i> meets <i>Supernatural</i>.
The mythology for the series is based on many theological texts from dozens of sects with correlating themes. Ancient writings include <i>The Dead Sea Scrolls</i>, <i>The Traditional Apocrypha</i>, <i>The Pearl of Great Price</i>, and <i>The Kabbalah</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The Watchers” are supernatural beings in human form whose duty it is to protect and guard mankind from the armies of darkness.
Unfortunately, as the <i>Book of Enoch</i> mentions, some of these Watchers go bad. Although the mythology is based on these texts, Deirdra Eden’s <i>The Watcher’s Series </i>is written in a traditional fairytale style with a young girl’s discovery of incredible, but dangerous powers within herself, a cast of humorous side-kicks, a quest for greater self-discovery and purpose, and villains of epic proportions.</span></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.com/0996015809" target="_blank">Amazon</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheWatchersSeries" target="_blank">Facebook</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KnightessHope" target="_blank">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/DeirdraEden/" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/story/17650871-the-watchers-book-1-knight-of-light" target="_blank">Wattpad</a> <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/deirdraeden" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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<b>About the Author</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JIiUzvPV6MDCDac5Cu-orJxlOwEMOKiTdlgpQn7pa-wjK8DAhGH_H-mvCsJUlgbAzDE1dyKGorkHOXNBgnBQUitCtzEq1Ae16cNJrviYkpEVxCQ-WhSReG1SAd_GHzcFRx6DFza6egRP/s1600/1001739_10151582772737807_1061010053_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JIiUzvPV6MDCDac5Cu-orJxlOwEMOKiTdlgpQn7pa-wjK8DAhGH_H-mvCsJUlgbAzDE1dyKGorkHOXNBgnBQUitCtzEq1Ae16cNJrviYkpEVxCQ-WhSReG1SAd_GHzcFRx6DFza6egRP/s1600/1001739_10151582772737807_1061010053_n.jpg" height="320" width="292" /></a></div>
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<i>"My goal in writing is to saturate my books with intrigue, mystery, romance, and plot twists that will keep my readers in suspense. I want to see fingerprints on the front and back covers where readers have gripped the novel with white knuckles!
Aside from writing, I enjoy jousting in arenas, planning invasions, horseback riding through open meadows, swimming in the ocean, hiking up mountains, camping in cool shady woods, climbing trees barefoot, and going on adventures."</i><br />
<i>-Deirdra Eden</i><br />
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Find Deirdra Eden and <i>The Watchers Series</i> online on <a href="http://amzn.com/0996015809" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://knightess.com/" target="_blank">Deirdra's website</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheWatchersSeries" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/KnightessHope" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/DeirdraEden/" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>, <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/story/17650871-the-watchers-book-1-knight-of-light" target="_blank">Wattpad</a>, and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/deirdraeden" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>.<br />
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<script src="//widget.rafflecopter.com/load.js"></script>Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3088054058218054629.post-27995833041572113392014-08-30T09:43:00.001-07:002014-08-30T09:43:21.879-07:00Interview: Kate O'Connor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHvqO_M9__kMTal7M58GlgqmaO15959PySJQWkTfUFE7ptkIgE37nLzehBg-Hy23a8sEsgD5aVbRMy6SukJ_ygoQ04fY7GsbKih20QlcVH-vx69n6FvDzLpRIsIjdpz5ZT01C5VIVWMU/s1600/Sailing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHvqO_M9__kMTal7M58GlgqmaO15959PySJQWkTfUFE7ptkIgE37nLzehBg-Hy23a8sEsgD5aVbRMy6SukJ_ygoQ04fY7GsbKih20QlcVH-vx69n6FvDzLpRIsIjdpz5ZT01C5VIVWMU/s1600/Sailing.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
I was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, but mostly grew up in Indiana. I have a degree in Aeronautics. At the moment, I’m living in the New York area working on my writing in between archaeology digs and managing a dog kennel. I started writing fiction in 2011.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Favorite reads?</span><br />
Anything by Patricia Briggs, Ursula Le Guin, or Neil Gaiman.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Inspirations for the book?</span><br />
I love old folk- and fairy- tales. This story started with Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" which has always been one of my favorites. I wanted to put a futuristic spin on it to see how the old fairytale structures stood up to the test of time.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Did you know you wanted to be an author when you were little?</span><br />
Nope. I wanted to be a paleontologist. Then an astronaut. I've had to settle for flying airplanes and archaeology. Telling stories has been a side benefit.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Any Pet Peeves?</span><br />
Mornings. I'm a major night owl. Anything that happens before 10am is a pet peeve.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Chocolate or Peanut Butter?</span><br />
Chocolate!<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">The weirdest thing you've ever done?</span><br />
Judged a slug-licking contest. Seriously.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Is there a soundtrack to the book/Favorite music?</span><br />
I wouldn’t exactly say there is a soundtrack. I listened to a lot of Nightwish and Flogging Molly while I was writing it, though. Currently, my favorite band is First Aid Kit.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Do you need anything to write? </span><br />
Coffee. I’m lost without it.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">How long do you write on any average day?</span><br />
It really depends on the day. Twice a week, I lock myself up in the library for three or four hours and dump words. Sometimes that’s it for the week. When life is more writing friendly, I try to get in at least half an hour a day.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Give us the number one reason to read your book.</span><br />
True love conquers all... Except for what it doesn’t.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Author Info:</span><br />
Twitter: @kateoconnor03<br />
Website/Blog: <a href="http://kateoconnor3.wordpress.com/">http://kateoconnor3.wordpress.com</a><br />
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/katie.oconnor.54390">https://www.facebook.com/katie.oconnor.54390</a><br />
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<i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How far would you go for freedom?</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When genetically engineered sea drone Coral saved two drowning humans, she didn’t expect to end up questioning the foundations of her world… but humans don’t seem as different as she’s always been told. With nothing ahead of her but mindless days of harvesting seaweed for World Food Co., she has to know why humans are free to choose and drones aren’t. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coral’s only hope of transforming her future lies in taking on a battle her people gave up a century ago. However, each step nearer to drone freedom brings her closer to falling in love with Rob, the man she saved and heir to the company she is fighting to change.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Struggling to unravel politics and passion, Coral begins to realize that she stands to lose more than just a chance at being human. Both her life and Rob’s may just balance on whether or not they can create a world where drones can be free.</span></div>
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<br />Valette M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06636442713682043608noreply@blogger.com0