Writing in Different Genres by Merrie Destefano - Guest Post

Today I have Merrie Destefano dropping by with a guest post.
Her newest book Lost Girls released on January 3rd, 2017


Writing in Different Genres
By Merrie Destefano

I love writing and I very rarely turn away from an idea once it's been fully sketched out. Both AFTERLIFE and FEAST were adult novels because at that time, that was what I was reading. Then a fellow writer in my writer's group, Rachel Mark (author of DARKNESS BRUTAL) kept talking about YA books. She'd give me books to read or suggest books. We'd spend hours wandering through bookstores looking at new books and it didn't take long before I saw the beauty in young adult fiction. It had this sparkle that adult fiction didn't have. If I had to define it, I'd say that YA allows a writer more opportunity to write a literary story, which is what I love. I also feel like YA books have a strong emotional core. What the characters are feeling is as important as what they are thinking. I may have over-simplified that, but it's why I connect with them.

I'm an extremely emotional person and, to be honest, I feel like I've never truly grown up. I feel like I can relate to sixteen and seventeen-year-old people because there's this part of me that will never forget what it was like to be that age. Junior high and high school were not easy for me. Not because of the subject matter, although I wish I could have taken more English and art classes. Rather because of the student socio-economic structure. My parents weren't as rich as the parents of most of my schoolmates. I came from a blue-collar background, but I was surrounded by white-collar kids. It took me a long time to find a place where I fit in and, not surprisingly, that was with a rather rebellious group. So there's a lot of 'me' in Lost Girls. I felt very lost as a teen.

As hard as that experience was, I think it gives me an understanding for what many teenagers go through. I know now that we all feel like we don't belong at one time or another. There are a thousand stories that can be written that deal with how someone might try to compensate for the feeling of being an outsider. Even though I've written a few YA novels (some of them not published at this point), I'm just beginning to explore the writing landscape of what it means to be a teenager. There are all the classic coming-of-age themes, but so many more besides that. The good girl who falls for the bad boy. The bad boy who no one thinks can be redeemed. The runaway, the drug addict, the girl who goes to Mars by accident. LOL. Okay, I'm not actually writing a book about a girl who went to Mars by accident. But it would be fun to try!


Lost Girls by Merrie Destefano
Publication Date: January 3, 2017
Publisher: Entangled Teen

Fight Club meets Black Swan—Rachel wakes up in a ditch to find she doesn’t remember the last year of her life, and that everything—including herself—is vastly different than she remembers.

Yesterday, Rachel went to sleep listening to Taylor Swift, curled up in her grammy’s quilt, worrying about geometry. Today, she woke up in a ditch, bloodied, bruised, and missing a year of her life.

She doesn’t recognize the person she’s become: she’s popular. She wears nothing but black.

Black to cover the blood.

And she can fight.

Tell no one.

She’s not the only girl to go missing within the last year…but she’s the only girl to come back. She desperately wants to unravel what happened to her, to try and recover the rest of the Lost Girls.

But the more she discovers, the more her memories return. And as much as her new life scares her, it calls to her. Seductively. The good girl gone bad, sex, drugs, and raves, and something darker…something she still craves—the rush of the fight, the thrill of the win—something she can’t resist, that might still get her killed…

The only rule is: There are no rules.

Buy from:

Amazon.com - B&N - iBooks - Kobo
Amazon.com.au - Amazon.com/uk - Amazon.ca


About the author:
CURRENTLY A FULL-TIME NOVELIST and magazine editor, Merrie Destefano’s next novel, LOST GIRLS, releases on January 3, 2017. Her other novels include AFTERLIFE and FEAST, both published by HarperCollins, and FATHOM, which was self-published. The editor of Victorian Homes magazine, she has also been the editor of American Farmhouse Style, Vintage Gardens, and Zombies magazine, and was the founding editor of Cottages & Bungalows magazine.

With 20 years experience in publishing, she worked for a variety of publishing/broadcasting companies that include Focus on the Family, The Word For Today, and PJS Publications (now Primedia). Besides editing and writing, her background includes print buying, writing/producing radio promos, directing photo shoots, developing new products, writing jacket copy for books, creating sales media packets and organizing direct mail campaigns.

Born in the Midwest, she currently lives in Southern California with her husband, two German shepherds, a Siamese cat and the occasional wandering possum. Her favorite hobbies are reading speculative fiction and watching old Star Trek episodes, and her incurable addiction is writing. She loves to camp in the mountains, walk on the beach, watch old movies, listen to alternative music—although rarely all at the same time.

Website - http://www.merriedestefano.com/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/MerrieDestefano
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/merrie.destefano
Tumblr - http://merriedestefano.tumblr.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/merriedestefano/
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/merriedestefano/
Blog - http://merriedestefanoauthor.blogspot.com/


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Mary Sue vs. Debbie Harry - Guestpost by Jennifer Harlow

Today a guestpost by Jennifer Harlow.


About Jennifer Harlow:

Jennifer Harlow spent her restless childhood fighting with her three brothers and scaring the heck out of herself with horror movies and books. She grew up to earn a degree at the University of Virginia which she put to use as a radio DJ, crisis hotline volunteer, bookseller, lab assistant, wedding coordinator, and government investigator. Currently she calls Northern Virginia home but that restless itch is ever present. In her free time, she continues to scare the beejepers out of herself watching scary movies and opening her credit card bills. She is the author of the Amazon best-selling F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad, Midnight Magic Mystery series and Justice, the first in the superhero thriller trilogy. For the soundtrack to her books and other goodies visit her at www.jenniferharlowbooks.com


Mary Sue vs. Debbie Harry - Jennifer Harlow

Urban Dictionary Definition of a Mary Sue:

A female character in FanFic or original stories who is so perfect, so superior to all other characters, so powerful,she's annoying. Often based on the author.

(See Ana Steele, Bella Swan, TV Sookie Stackhouse)

Jennifer Harlow Definition of a Debbie Harry:

A female character who is flawed in many ways but does her best to overcome and accept them, is mouthy or prickly, strong or finds her strength, and who has to work for all she has, especially love.  

(See Anita Blake, Kinsey Milhone, Lizbeth Salander)


I consider myself a tough broad. I have a mouth on me, dirty a lot of the times, I've walked through dangerous cities at night alone, I've seen someone assaulted and got my friends out of the situation while keeping a calm head, and I've kicked not one but three dudes in the balls when they wanted to play rough and I didn't. I can shoot a gun, change a tire, I kill spiders and open jars for my brothers, and I take shit from no one. I'm not ugly but it takes over an hour for me to become pretty. The only things I'm exceptional at are dispensing advice, storytelling, and keeping fish alive (Beta Larry lived 2! years). I'm stubborn, solitary, I have no sex appeal or mojo, and I live with my parents.  In other words, I am not a Mary Sue. I am a human being, flawed yet still fabulous. And so should your main character be.

I came across the term "Mary Sue" when I read an article on "Fifty Shades of Grey" (yes, I read the book. Got it from the library. Wasn't great, wasn't terrible, read it in about three hours.) Like most blockbuster books, there was some derision about it, especially from authors. So much was said but for the purpose of this blog I'll just focus on the main character Ana. She was definitely a Mary Sue: perfect, every male falling over her, had the supernatural gift of having mind blowing orgasms every time. The woman would not exist in the real world. 

In this article (which I'm sorry I can't remember the name of, sorry) the author also mentioned that this type of character a "Mary Sue" was prevalent in Fan Fiction, which is how Fifty got its start. The term came into existence when Paula Smith wrote a short story about the type of female character prevalent in Star Trek FanFic. Mary Sue was only fifteen, a genius, the youngest lieutenant, with unprecedented skill in everything both mental and physical, and is beloved by all characters in this case especially Spock and Kirk. Mary Sue has no flaws, she struggles at nothing, and everyone fawns over her. In other words, she's boring. Unbelievable. Those are the worst words any writer can face.

If Mary Sue kept herself contained in the pages of FanFic I'd really have no problem with her. Full disclosure, I don't read or write FanFic. My roommate was obsessed with it, especially Wincest (EWWWW) and Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy parings. I understand the desire to write them. These are characters you love, and in writing the Fic you get to tinker with those characters however you see fit. You put yourself into this fantasy world. You're in control. But before Fifty no one was really making money on it. Now publishers are checking the sites for the next Fifty. Besides the copyright issues, my main concern is that more characters like Ana (a copy of Bella Swan) are going to be the norm. The only acceptable female lead will be demure, gorgeous, subservient, basically a feminist like me's worst nightmare. Ana let a man tie her up and spank her just to please him. Bella literally became a teenage bride, got knocked up, then DIED in childbirth. This is what has captured the minds of American women. It gives me chills.

When it came time to write my latest book, Justice, I made the conscious decision not to let my main character Joanna be anything close to a Mary Sue. In fact, what makes her special is that she is not special. She is a normal police officer who lives among superheroes and villains. She cusses like a sailor, drinks too much, makes tons of bad decisions, and nothing comes easy for her. Yet she’s also excellent at her job, owns up to her flaws, and loves with everything she has. When my agent was shopping the book around one of the reasons editors gave for not publishing it was Jo was too tough. She wasn’t “feminine” enough, whatever that meant. She was the kind of woman who if someone punches her in the face, instead of crying and shutting up, she spits blood right back in his. In other words, she's wasn’t perfect, and there's a reason for that. Perfection is boring. Who would you rather hang out with, spend money on? Little Miss Perfect Mary Sue or flawed, funny, tough Debbie Harry? Me, I'd rather spend an hour with an interesting shit than a whole day with a super nice person. You get more from Debbie than Mary Sue.

What about all of you? Do you prefer Mary Sue or Debbie Harry? Why? Am I being too hard on poor Mary Sue? Can you think of any other examples of either?



About Justice:

It’s hard being a regular police officer in Galilee Falls, a city with the highest concentration of superheroes and villains in the country. It’s even harder watching your best friend, the man you’re secretly in love with your whole life, planning to marry another woman. Detective Joanna Fallon has to contend with both. When the vilest supervillain in the city’s history, Alkaline, the former crime boss who can shoot acid from his wrists, escapes from the maximum security prison, the whole city is gripped by panic. Leading the pursuit is Captain Harry O’Hara, Joanna’s boss and secret lover, and the city’s champion superhero Justice, who caught the villain last time, much to Joanna’s chagrin. Before her father was murdered in a mugging twenty years earlier, Joanna worshiped the hero, but when he disappeared and failed to save her father, that adoration turned to contempt for all supers. After Alkaline attacks too close to home and targets Joanna as his next victim, tough-as-nail Joanna has to contend with her increasing fear while struggling to choose between her life-long crush and her new-found love.

At turns vulnerable and fierce, equally mordant and winsome, Joanna is an earnest yet emotionally damaged heroine, who despite the tough breaks of her childhood sees the good in people and vow to protect her beloved city at all costs. An ass-kicking petite firecracker with no superpowers of her own, she charges after supervillains unflinchingly, never losing her wit even when facing her toughest fight. With a coy blend of whimsy and vivid imagination, she delivers both humor and thrills in an action-packed and edgy blend of comic book cool, fantasy-noir, and bitter-sweet romance.

Buy Justice from Amazon here

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Giveaway:

Jennifer kindly offered a digital copy of Justice to one reader of my blog.

The winner is Texas Book Lover

A winner will be picked at random on October 23th.
Open internationally to everyone who's legally allowed to enter this giveaway.

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Don't forget to leave a comment:
I decided to have an event wide giveaway on my blog for commenters.

At the end of this event I'll pick one commenter on any author post of this event at random and that person will win a book of his/her choice as long as bookdepository ships to where you live, you're legally allowed to enter, and the book costs no more than 10$

And drop by Between Dreams and Reality as well for more great author posts.

Find Your Paranormal Pet - Guest Post and Giveaway by Sherry Soule

Today’s guest post is provided by author Sherry Soule, who is celebrating the release of her first new adult novel, IMMORTAL ECLIPSE—due to be published April 30, 2013. If you like supernatural suspense mingled with a dash of chick-lit and a healthy dose of paranormal romance, then this is the book for you!
Take this super fun quiz to discover which paranormal pet you’re fated to own, and score an eBook version of IMMORTAL ECLIPSE.
This giveaway is open internationally! So let’s tell the blogging world!

Must heroes need a sidekick, and if fate smiles upon you, then you’ll have a paranormal pet watching your back. But which one best suits YOU?

Take this quiz and be sure to check the bottom of the post for the details regarding this random giveaway.

What size pet would you prefer?
a) Small
b) Medium
c) Large
d) Gigantic

Do you mind a pet that might shed?
a) Loose fur? I’m cool with that
b) Rough scales are acceptable
c) Transparent coat? No biggie
d) Shedding pelt—ain’t a problem

How would you like your pet to greet people at the door?
a) Rub their ankles and purr
b) Spitting and growling
c) Bark and sniff hand
d) Snarling and howling

How much protection would you like to have?
a) Minimum – docile and fluffy
b) Moderate – Vicious yet cuddly
c) Extreme - Invisible but deadly
d) Tremendous - Bite anyone who messes with me

What would you like to feed your new pet?
a) Tuna and bowl of milk
b) Human emotions—fear, anger, lust, vengeance
c) Nothing
d) Chew on skeleton bones—they make a tasty snack

Where will your pet sleep?
a) On my lap
b) Hiding in the shadows
c) Never sleeps
d) Curled up in a cozy cave

What type of toys would your pet like most?
a) Mice and squeaky toys
b) Stuffed dinosaurs or dragons
c) Chase balls and fetch newspapers
d) None. Does not play well with others

If you answered...

Mostly a's: Your pet is a cat! Witch’s has used familiars for years to help increase the power of their spells. Cute and helpful!
Mostly b's: Your pet would be a Shade! These affectionate creatures are a cross between a puppy and a dragon. Small but fierce!
Mostly c's: Your supernatural pet is a ghost dog! These creatures are often dubbed hellhounds, too, and they are vicious animals. Muscular and opaque!
Mostly d's: Your pet is a ferocious lycan! These were-creatures make impressive guard dogs. Clever and scary!

Places you can cyberstalk Sherry Soule:
Official Blog: http://www.sherrysoule.blogspot.com
Twitter @WriterSherry: http://twitter.com/writersherry
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/tdro6f
goodreads: http://bit.ly/uzohif

BUY IMMORTAL ECLIPSE:
http://amzn.to/1074dUY
Hope you enjoyed this post. If you haven’t seized your copy of IMMORTAL ECLIPSE yet, please do so. Chilling and steamy escapades await you!
IE eBook Giveaway:
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Mortality: Designing My Zombies - Guest Post by Kellie Sheridan

Today I have a guest:
Kellie Sheridan, author of Mortality (book one of The Hitchhiker Strain) as well as End Dayz (a prequel to Mortality).

Kellie is here to talk about the zombies in her books so sit back and read all about them.

Don't forget to check out the description of Mortality at the end of this post and visit the buy links. Starting today there's a 40% sale on the Mortality ebook on Amazon and Smashwords, to celebrate this weekends season finale of The Walking Dead so don't miss out!



Designing My Zombies by Kellie Sheridan

When I first decided to write a book set after the zombie-apocalypse, I was faced with the age-old question. Fast zombies or slow zombies? It’s a question that’s been plaguing (heh) the genre almost since its inception.

Slow zombies make a bit more sense (as much as any of this does) in that they’re decaying and sometimes half-eaten—those things can’t run! They also have a better chance of sneaking up on their intended victims, if they can manage to keep the moaning to a minimum. My problem, is that I never really believed that these creatures who are physically inferior and driven by instinct could really decimate the entire planets population.

That’s where fast zombies come in. If you’re not careful, a swarm of these guys can overwhelm you in a matter of seconds. Just look at trailers for the upcoming zombie movie World War Z (although really, you should just read the book on this one) to get an idea of what these guys can do. There’s no question that if fast zombies ever became a thing, we’d be pretty much toast. The problem is that these zombies are usually faster than they ever were when alive. Dying robs you of your intellect but gives you super human strength? That’s hard to believe, even for genre fans. It comes off as a convenient way to ramp up the threat. I need science in my science fiction!


So what’s the answer? Well, there isn’t just one. Every incarnation of zombies has to tackle this in its own way. I decided to find a way to incorporate both. In Mortality, you get to see the aftermath of the zombie infection as well as those first days of terror when the dead began to walk. And at first, that’s what I did. My first zombies were slow and flesh-hungry, so those were Mortality’s first zombies as well.

But because they weren’t terribly quick and the infection started in one central area, we were able to get them (mostly) under control. The American government even managed to come up with a vaccine in record time. Great! Not so great. Due to some poor planning that I won’t get into here for fear of spoilers, things go all kinds of wrong and a second generation of the infected is created. The vaccine isn’t able to stop the zombie-infection, only slow it down long enough to stop it from killing the bitten. Now there are two kinds of Z on the prowl, one who is slow and decaying and another that possess all our physical strengths but is driven only by hunger—uber Zs. Ack!

So, how do these two types of zombies manage to co-exist? Well I wouldn’t call it peaceful, but I’ll leave you to read Mortality to get all the gory details!



Mortality (The Hitchhiker Strain #1)
by Kellie Sheridan

After surviving a deadly plague outbreak, sixteen-year-old Savannah thought she had lived through the very worst of human history. There was no way to know that the miracle vaccine would put everyone at risk for a fate worse than un-death.

Now, two very different kinds of infected walk the Earth, intent on nothing but feeding and destroying what little remains of civilization. When the inoculated are bitten, infection means watching on in silent horror as self-control disappears and the idea of feasting on loved ones becomes increasingly hard to ignore.

Starving and forced to live inside of the abandoned high school, all Savannah wants is the chance to fight back. When a strange boy arrives with a plan to set everything right, she gets her chance. Meeting Cole changes everything. Mere survival will never be enough


Check out Kellie's website for more tour stops

Buy links:
Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk
Barnes&Noble Kobo
iTunes Smashwords

Find Kellie Sheridan:
Website
Twitter
Goodreads

Dream Penguins and the Connectedness of All Things - Guestpost by Kerry Schafer

Today I have a special guest:
Kerry Schafer, author of the upcoming Urban Fantasy novel Between.
(More info about Between can be found at the end of this post)

Kerry is a wonderful person who doesn't mind me stalking her on Twitter and giving her unasked for zombie advice. She also posts the most amazing Random Penguin pictures and I borrowed one of those pictures for this post so you can all enjoy the awesomeness that is the Random Penguin.

After hearing about the Random Penguin it might not come as a surprise that Kerry's guestpost is about: penguins!

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Dream Penguins and the Connectedness of All Things

"Um, Kerry?"
"Yes?"
"Why is there a penguin in this book?"
"Well, because he wanted to be."
"Seriously – "

"Well, this one day at the office Jamie and I had some interesting encounters with reality. So we were discussing MC Escher, and then this penguin showed up…"

You think I jest, so let me explain.

I was working as a mental health crisis response worker at the time I started writing BETWEEN. You get called for all sorts of situations in that job – from elderly ladies with shotguns, to suicidal folks, to those who are outright psychotic. It's the sort of job that leads you into odd pockets of reality. You pinch yourself a lot to see if you're dreaming, but you know you're not because you could never, ever, have possibly imagined that thing that just happened.

My office mate, Jamie, was an aficionado of the bizarre and of all sorts of far flung philosophical and metaphysical concepts. He was also smarter than I. We had long and complicated conversations over a vast array of topics. I loved it, but I nodded a lot and pretended to know about things I really didn't. Like the day he said our job was like living in an Escher painting, and then I had to go home and look up MC Escher, with whom I promptly fell in love.


"But what about the penguin?" you ask.

I'm getting to that. One of Jamie's finds was a delightful internet site devoted to a small group of male Adélie penguins who had been rescued from an oil slick. Researchers cleaned them up, fitted them with location transmitters, and released them. It was expected that they would swim south to their breeding grounds. Every day a map was displayed with the relative positions of the penguins, and we took great delight in checking in to see what they were up to, mostly on account of Vivian.

Yep, Vivian was a penguin, and a male penguin at that. And yes, the main character in BETWEEN, who is not male, is named after him.

Anyway. Vivian swam in circles for several days, while Jamie made jokes about ADHD penguins and shiny fish. One morning he struck out unexpectedly north. Days later, when his transmitter stopped working, he was still swimming indomitably north. For Jamie and me, Vivian had become a living symbol of non-conformity. We considered ourselves as people who "swim north" and, in fact, the working title of the book was Swimming North for a long, long time.

Hopefully this all explains why it was necessary for a penguin to show up in BETWEEN. Of course, said penguin couldn't be a normal and ordinary sort of penguin, and thus Poe the dream penguin was brought forth in the world of the Between and followed Vivian home.

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About Between:
”Vivian’s life is finally on track. She has a job she loves as an ER doctor and has just met – literally – the man of her dreams. But when her eccentric grandfather is murdered and designates her as his next of kin, she discovers that she is the last of a race of beings known as dreamshifters. It is her task to guard the doorways between waking and dreaming, which have already begun to unravel, spilling dangerous creatures from dream into the waking world. When she sets out to close the open doors and protect her town and the people she loves, Vivian confronts dragons, intrigue, and the dark secrets of her own family history. In the end, she comes face to face with a sorceress seeking eternal life and ultimate power. Vivian must find a way to stop her, or reality will be forever altered.”

pre-order your copy of between today:

Releasing from Ace Books January 29, 2013

About Kerry Schafer:
Kerry Schafer lives in Colville, Washington, with her family, which includes two cats, a rescue fish, and a preternaturally large black dog. A self-styled perpetual student, she earned an RN from Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta; a BA in English (Honours) from York University in Toronto, Ontario; and an M.Ed. in counseling psychology from Washington State University.

Website
Twitter

For the Love of Lovecraft - Necropolis Enforcement Blog Tour 2012 Guestpost by Gini Koch

Today I have a special guest:
Gini Koch

She's one of my favorite authors and today she will tell you something about one of my other favorite authors.

Welcome Gini!


Thanks for stopping by on the Necropolis Enforcement Blog Tour of 2012! If you haven’t read the first chapter of The Night Beat, hit Deathless Prose over at my website and check it out. Then, hit each stop along the way to get more of the story. Missed a stop? Check the website for the Tour Page and get caught up.

And don’t forget to get entered to win a copy of The Night Beat at EVERY blog tour stop along the way! Plus, follow the Tour ‘til the end and get entered for a mega-prize! So, grab your badge -- it’s time to join Necropolis Enforcement!

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For the Love of Lovecraft
By Gini Koch

H.P. Lovecraft didn’t invent modern horror -- really, that honor goes to Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker, and, after them, Edgar Allan Poe (though Shelley also gets to have invented science fiction -- sisters been doin’ it for themselves for a long time) -- but if he’s not the Father, Mother, or Eccentric Uncle of Horror, he’s certainly the Godfather.

Lovecraft’s style can be hard to take if you’re only used to reading modern authors. He’s very descriptive, and really does spend a lot of time on “tell” instead of “show”. But you know what? It doesn’t matter. Because Lovecraft came up with some of the scariest stuff imaginable.

He was also a very inclusive author, encouraging others to play in the sandbox he’d built. As J.C. Koch, I write horror, much of it Lovecraftian, and I’m always grateful that Lovecraft built this amazing world he encouraged the rest of us to play with.

But The Night Beat isn’t horror, it’s paranormal/urban fantasy. And it’s not written by J.C. but by Gini Koch. So why the Lovecraft fangirl love letter?

Well, if you’ve been following the Necropolis Blog Tour, you know by now that what my gang of Prosaic City policemen and Necropolis Enforcement operatives are fighting is something that sounds like it stepped straight out of a Lovecraft story.

The Night Beat was a fun book for me to write. I love the characters, and I loved bringing what I consider the “guest star” or “cameo” characters into the world as well. The book is chock full of “is this who I think it is?” moments. As you journey on this particular blog tour, you’ll meet one of them. And after this, who it is won’t be a total surprise.

That’s right. Lovecraft allowed everyone to play in his sandbox, so I brought him over to play in mine. Hey, it’s kind of an homage. He’s a fun guest star, and I think you’ll enjoy him as much as I do.

And if not, don’t blame me if Cthulu shakes a tentacle at you in dismay.

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Blurb:
The majority of Prosaic City’s residents don’t know that their town exists on top of another place -- Necropolis, City of the Undead. For the most part, the two planes of existence manage to remain separate. And when they don’t, Necropolis Enforcement has beings in place to ensure the general human population remains blithely clueless.

Victoria Wolfe is more than just a policewoman. She’s an undercover werewolf assigned by Necropolis Enforcement to work Prosaic City Police’s Night Beat. Victoria’s comfortable working the shift where all the weird comes out to play, especially since her partner is also her perfect man. Or would be, if Victoria could ever work up the nerve to tell him she isn’t like other girls.

It’s hard enough being a werewolf in disguise, but when a creature from the Depths of Hell shows up in an alley preferred by junkies, bums, and hookers, it’s going to take more than just Victoria’s special gun and werewolf skills to subdue the ancient Sumerian demon. Especially when the demon is merely the start of what appears to be a major takeover attempt by the Prince of Darkness.

Soon all of Necropolis Enforcement’s Undead Brigade is involved in the fight to stop the Prince’s Major Minions from taking over Prosaic City and the rest of the human plane. But it’s Victoria who has to face the Adversary and figure out what intricate plan Lucifer has up his wings before everyone she cares about is destroyed.
In other words, it’s just another day on the Night Beat.


Small excerpt:

Maurice got into the act. He hated going into what was politely called the Ancient Vampire Form, but he wasn’t an idiot. If we didn’t stop this thing, we were going to be dinner or minions. We were at the top of the food chain and refused to leave that spot without a fight, and if we’d wanted to be minions we would have already committed our souls to the Prince.

From the little I could see as I chomped on a big face tentacle and got flipped around, Maurice was attacking the stomach area, normally considered somewhat vulnerable. This thing had three top level, professionally trained, Enforcement personnel on it and all we were doing was causing it to stagger a little. I got flipped around even more and realized we weren’t causing the stagger -- the thing’s foot was sort of caught on the lip of the hole the Dirt Corps had created.



Author Bio:
Gini Koch lives in Hell’s Orientation Area (aka Phoenix, AZ), works her butt off (sadly, not literally) by day, and writes by night with the rest of the beautiful people. She writes the fast, fresh and funny Alien/Katherine “Kitty” Katt series for DAW Books, the Necropolis Enforcement Files series, and the Martian Alliance Chronicles series for Musa Publishing. As G.J. Koch she writes the Alexander Outland series for Night Shade Books. She also writes under a variety of other pen names (including Anita Ensal, Jemma Chase, A.E. Stanton, and J.C. Koch), listens to rock music 24/7, and is a proud comics geek-girl willing to discuss at any time why Wolverine is the best superhero ever (even if Deadpool does get all the best lines). She speaks frequently on what it takes to become a successful author and other aspects of writing and the publishing business. She can be reached through her website at www.ginikoch.com

Buy Links:
Amazon

Amazon Paperback

Smashwords

Barnes and Nobles

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Giveaway:
Gini has kindly offered an electronic copy of The Night Beat to one lucky winner, open internationally.

rules:
- Leave a comment for Gini on this post
- Leave a way for me to contact you
- Do so before September 29st

Influences - Guest Post by Christi Goddard and Giveaway

Today I have a guest: Christi Goddard, author of Four In The Morning will tell you about her greatest influences.

Four In The Morning by Christi Goddard
Kathleen Hayson thinks her biggest problem is her mother. The only runner up—her mouth. With a wit sharper than her mother's perfectly manicured nails, her clever remarks create more problems than they solve. But it's not her clever remarks landing her knee-deep in trouble. This time, Josh Colby is to blame. Kathleen's former childhood friend has become the school's most stuck up jerk. Before, she'd have told him to piss off and write his own stupid letter to the town slut/minister's daughter. Now Kathleen's escalating problems at home force her to reevaluate how flexible her principles are. She agrees to write the controversial letter Josh has requested. Enter Rigel, a smartass magical creature who invades her room one night, promises he has come to help her. When a boy Kathleen hates turns up dead and her mother goes missing, the letter becomes a key piece of police evidence – implicating Kathleen. As she fights her way out of a web of lies, the trust she has in those closest to her shatters. In the end, she's pushed to a terrible choice: who lives, and who else dies.

Where to purchase Four In The Morning

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Infuences

I have two teenage daughters. As I watch them go about their lives in their own little universes, it inevitably leads to flashbacks of my own teenage years. My high school career was at the very end of the 80s and very beginning of the 90s, so I have two of our most warped decades to thank for my personality. I also blame a lot of it on my dad.



When I get an idea for a story I want to tell, I write it down. But as I read back through it once it’s done, I can see the influences from my teenage years. It’s all there, glaringly obvious to me. I think it might come as no surprise to my readers to discover who my major media influences were (and in many cases, still are).



The Far Side – I have six books of Gary Larson’s collections, and they are left out and read through daily when I have a few minutes of ‘me’ time. This current sentence was going to be TMI, but I removed it. You’re welcome.



Pictured: How I Plot My Character's Life, Part I.









Sci-Fi – I was going to list out specifics, but really it needs to be lumped into one. X-Files, Star Wars, Star Trek, the Terminator, Sliders, X-Men comics, etc.



Pictured: OMG Heaven.









Monty Python’s Flying Circus – They used to show re-runs late at night on MTV, as well as Britain’s The Young Ones. These were happy, happy times for me, my friend. The offbeat and unexpected plots have heavily influenced my own plotting.



Pictured: How I Plot My Character's Life, Part II. You might notice a running theme...









Dean Koontz – Yes, I mention him on occasion. I read my first Koontz book when I was 12. Lightning. It was about time travel, fighting Nazis, redemption, and being a writer. It’s been a huge influence on me, and most likely why my first three series I wrote dealt with time travel, and why I suck up all things time travel like a sponge. A lot of people dismiss Koontz as a horror writer and never try him, but he’s written some of the most amazing characters I’ve ever read.



Pictured: OMG Heaven cubed. Aka: Dean Koontz AT a comic convention.







Darlene Conner – Played by Sara Gilbert on Roseanne. I was (and in many ways still am) a version of this character, so much so my dad called me ‘Darlene’ half the time. I think it reflects in my narrative voice when I write.



Pictured: Me and my nerdy boyfriend. Funny how I look more like Roseanne now. OMG. WE DO TURN INTO OUR MOTHERS.









So, there’s my list of greatest influences. What’s yours?



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Christi was born in Arlington, Texas in the early seventies. Her earliest memories are of seeing Jaws and Star Trek: The Motion Picture in the theater. The first was a bit much for a pre-K kid to take, and the second has much to do with what has inspired her imagination. Her father is a bit of nomad, and they moved a lot when she was a kid. She inherited this trait, and has lived many places and been just about everywhere in America. She hit puberty in Colorado, got married in Las Vegas, had her first child in Kansas, her second in Illinois. She returned to Texas just shy of turning thirty and has been there ever since. Books are Christi's first love, followed closely by movies. She loves to be told stories, and for most of her literate life, she's been a storyteller as well. Christi is in her thirties, a mother of two awesome teenage girls, and a geek on many levels. Comic books, Victorian manga, science fiction, fantasy, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Star Wars, and renaissance festivals are her greatest loves. She lives in Waco, Texas (keep Waco Whacko) with her family and lovable dog, Nelly. She has a cat named Snape who is black, full of bad attitude, and thinks he runs the place. He was deftly named.

Where to find Christi:
website
twitter

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And now for a giveaway!
Christi was kind enough to offer one e-copy of Four In The Morning to a commenter.
So if you want a chance to win this book:
- Leave a comment for Christi
- Make sure to leave a way to contact you
- Last day to enter is August 3rd
- open internationally and you don't have to be a follower to enter

Be sure to check out the other stops on this tour. And if you live in the US, don't forget to enter the giveaway for a signed printed copy of Four In The Morning.

Stalking The Others Blog Tour - The H&W Gang Discuss Zombies

Today we have a very special guest post!
Shiarra from The H&W Investigations series is here to discuss my favorite topic!

So say hello to Shiarra and the gang and to their creator Jess Haines:

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STALKING THE OTHERS BLOG TOUR
Guest Post Stop 19: The H&W Gang Discuss Zombies
 
By Jess Haines
 
Hello there!  Jess Haines here.  I’m the author of the urban fantasy H&W Investigations series (HUNTED BY THE OTHERS, TAKEN BY THE OTHERS, DECEIVED BY THE OTHERS, and STALKING THE OTHERS). 
 
Shiarra has been having a pretty bad time of things lately. She’s here with some of her friends (and otherwise) to tell you about it. In honor of my host’s love of all things zombie, that’s what the gang is going to discuss—even though Shia hasn’t encountered any in the books just yet. Over to you, Shia!
 
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Shiarra: Um… what? Why are we talking about zombies? It’s not like I know anything about them.

Chaz: I get the feeling that’s going to change.

Arnold: Are we sure there are going to be zombies? ‘Cause that’s really bad news.

Royce: Where there are zombies, there is a necromancer. If there is a necromancer in my territory, I want to know about it now so that I can dispose of it properly.

Arnold: Hold your horses, dead man. That’s The Circle’s purview, not yours.

Royce: My city. My territory. My rules.

Shiarra: Somebody is grumpy tonight.

Royce: Consider my condition, Ms. Waynest. What do necromancers do?

Shiarra: I dunno. I thought they were a type of mage.

Arnold: I don’t want to be classified with necros.

Sara: No one said you were, dear.

Shiarra: Wait, don’t they do magic, too? What’s the difference?

Arnold: Necros deal with the dead. They use the energy from living things to animate dead flesh. That usually means sacrifices, blood, guts, and other unpleasant things.

Chaz: They smell funny, too.

Everyone Else: …

Chaz: What? They do.

Shiarra: I’m afraid to ask, but how do you know that?

Chaz: Ran across one, once. He was pretty strange. Smelled like formaldehyde and blood. Thought he was a vamp until I realized he had a pulse.

Royce: I take exception to that.

Chaz: Like I care.

Arnold: I’m not surprised the vamp doesn’t like them. Most of us don’t. They give magery a bad name.

Sara: No one here thinks any less of you.

Arnold: Maybe not now, but if anyone knew there were necromancers actively practicing in the U.S., all of the magi would be in trouble. All of those bad movies you see with magic and devil worship? Summoning ghosts and demons and zombies? That’s the sort of stuff necros are into.

Shiarra: Lovely. What makes you—regular magi—different, then?

Royce: Regular magi don’t have the power or know-how to control the dead.

Arnold: Or the undead.

Royce: Precisely. And it better stay that way.

Sara: You leave my boyfriend alone! He hasn’t done anything to you.

Shiarra: I’m sure Arnold can take care of himself.

Arnold: I can, but I’m not really interested in going toe-to-toe with a vampire as old and powerful as he is. Aside from that, I’m not walking down the dark path anytime soon. Even if they do have cookies.

Chaz: Vampires aren’t so tough.

Royce: You’d best pray I never get the urge to prove you wrong, dog.

Chaz: Just try me, leech.

Shiarra: For God’s sake, will you two knock it off? We’re right at the tail end of this blog tour thing, I don’t want to scare everyone away!

Sara: Others. You can’t take them anywhere.

Arnold: I behaved myself.

Sara: Yeah, but you don’t have a vampire or a werewolf’s bad temper.

Shiarra: What about zombies? Are they like in the movies? All “braaaaains” and bite-y and stuff?

Royce: Somewhat. They are automatons driven to follow the directions of their maker. They have no sense of self, as a vampire does, and no drive for survival.

Arnold: Except to feed if their maker is destroyed. They can keep going for a while without direction, but after a short time they start acting like zombies in the movies. When their maker stops feeding them energy from his blood spells, they start looking for it elsewhere.

Shiarra: That is super creepy.

Sara: I’m afraid to ask how you found all that out.

Arnold: All magi have to study up on our potential enemies, and all forms of magic—including the types we don’t use.

Chaz: So you can counter it?

Arnold: Exactly.

Chaz: Sounds boring. I’d like to see them try to cast something with their throat ripped out.

Arnold: That might work with a regular mage, but I wouldn’t try it on a necromancer.

Royce: Indeed. Considering their occupation, they might not stay dead. They are best avoided altogether.

Shiarra: Great. I’ll keep that in mind. Just like I do with all the other kinds of Others, for all the good it’s done me.

Sara: For someone who seems to hate them so much, you sure seem to do a good job of surrounding yourself by them.

Shiarra: Gee, thanks.
 
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You can learn more about Shiarra and the rest of her friends in HUNTED BY THE OTHERS (link: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=16761). And keep an eye out for some creepy-crawlies to make an appearance in the next book, FORSAKEN BY THE OTHERS…  

This is the last stop on the blog tour, but you can visit the official STALKING THE OTHERS blog tour calendar (link: http://jesshaines.com/blog/2012/05/07/stalking-the-others-official-blog-tour-calendar) to see where to find the other guest posts, interviews, and get in an extra entry for the giveaway! 

You can also visit me on the web:

www.JessHaines.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JessHainesAuthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#%21/Jess_Haines
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/jesshaines

Thanks again for having me and the gang over, Sullie and Voodoo Bride!

Thanks for dropping by and for letting the gang talk about zombies! You're always welcome at Pearls Cast Before a McPig.

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Don't forget to enter Jess' amazing giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Where Do I Get My Ideas? - Guest Post by Eric Griffith

Today I have a guest:
Eric Griffith

First I'll tell you about his book Beta Test
(Don't you just love that cover?!)
Then Eric Griffith will tell you about where he gets his story ideas and he even has an excerpt from Beta Test for us.

Thanks for dropping by Eric!

Beta Test
by Eric Griffith

Sam Terra is having a bad week. He lost Molly, the woman he secretly loves, when she vanished before his eyes at the exact same time that ten percent of the inhabitants of Earth disappeared.

Naturally upset, Sam follows clues about the global vanishing with questionable help from his friends including a misanthropic co-worker and a childhood pal. When Molly reappears in the body of a man during a night of monster-laden devastation, Sam finally learns the truth. Not just about her, but about the planet Earth and the entire cosmos surrounding it.

What we consider mundane reality, others consider a game...and not a very good one. The whole thing is about to be shut down.

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Where Do I Get My Ideas?

I'll answer this now, because apparently all fiction writers get asked this.

(Secretly I'm dying to be asked so I'll know I'm a real writer. So feel free. Please.)

The answers I've heard range from "Pougkeepsie" (Harlan Ellison) to "out of my head" (Neil Gaiman) to "from the skulls of small children." (I don't know who said that last one, maybe I dreamed it, but I like it.) My answer is, like most writers, "I have no idea." It's an answer Gaiman says people hate, and I know why they do: people want the magic bullet. They want to know how you can do something they admire, like tell a cool story, when really writing just looks so damn easy except for the ideas part. That's where they stumble.

The thing is, ideas are the easy part. The people who worry about their ideas being "stolen" and how do they copyright things immediately, they are the ones who probably won't write anything. They have a high opinion of themselves that hampers even the best idea. What you copyright and protect is the execution of the idea. And that is the story. If you don't write it down, you've got f&$k-all to worry about.

Ideas come any time, anywhere, sometimes you just need room to think. For example, not long ago, in the shower, I had almost an entire sequel proposal for my novel BETA TEST pop almost fully formed into my head. All I had going in was the term "multi-verse" stuck in my head. I walked out having nixed most of the "multi-verse" stuff when my brain gave me a different word to work with. All I had to do was get on the road in my think-meat and travel down it while I absently rubbed a bar of Irish Spring on my chest until it was little more than a bluish-green nub.

Now I just have to figure out what to do with it.

Write it? That sounds like MADNESS.

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Excerpt from BETA TEST
By Eric Griffith


Sam didn’t bother calling her. He sprinted down the stairs, taking some two at a time, occasionally by accident, carefully gripping the inside railing at each landing to spin his large body to the next set of stairs. He concentrated on the steady rhythm of his sneakers slapping each step, preparing for the next spin, knowing one miscalculated stride, or worse, a trip, might prevent him from ever seeing Molly again. He knew that was true, deep in his deep gut.

It was a surprise when he almost ran right into her on the landing between the second and third floor.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Molly stood, arms crossed over her chest.

“I. . .” Sam had to huff a couple of times to catch his breath. “Worried . . . about you.”

She didn’t say anything for a moment, let her arms drop. “I know, big guy. Thanks.”

“Are you . . . quitting? Cuz if you are. . .” He wanted to say, I’ll go with you, but settled for, “Then I quit, too.”

“Oh, Sam.” She reached up and put a hand on his hairy jowl.

“This place wouldn’t be . . . right without you.”

“What’s right about it now?” Molly grinned.

“I mean it.”

“I know you mean it. That’s part of what makes it all so hard.”

“What’s hard? Quitting? Seemed pretty easy when you mushed Melvin’s face.”

“That part was just plain fun.” Her smile dropped and her face darkened. “I’m leaving, Sam.”

“The company?”

“Not only the company.”

“The industry?”

“Stop being dense,” Molly said.

Sam put a hand self-consciously on his abdomen.

“I’m leaving . . . the city. California. The country.”

“Why? How? When?”

“All great questions, Sammer. I’ll answer the last one and say, ‘soon.’” Molly looked again at the vintage Mickey Mouse watch on her wrist.

“You’re leaving for good?”

She didn’t say anything.

“Is someone coming to pick you up?” A boyfriend? She’d never mentioned one before. “Are you moving away with someone?” Sam didn’t even know he’d backed up, staggered really, until his back hit the wall of the grey stairwell, next to a coiled fire hose in a glassed-in cabinet.

“Sam.” She went to him, put her hand on his chest. “It’s nothing like that.”

Sam clasped her hand, his fingers swallowing hers whole. He leaned down and she stood on her tip toes. Their lips met in the middle. It was a kiss Sam wanted to last the rest of his lifetime.

It didn’t. Molly took back her hand and said, “I’m all out of time.”

“What are you talking about? Are you sick? I can help. I mean . . . I can take care of you.”

Molly bit her lip in a way he found utterly adorable. She wiped at her eye with a sleeve. “That, right there, is why I don’t want to go. But it’s out of my hands.” Another glance at the watch. “As it is, I’m breaking the biggest rule there is, letting you see this. But you know what? Fuck it. I don’t care.”

“What are you talking about? See what? You make it sound like you’re being forced out.”

Molly tapped the side of her nose a couple of times, and pointed at him, Charades-speak for, You got it, big guy.

She did something that really scared him—for a moment her eyes rolled into the back of her head. He thought she was having some kind of pre-predicted stroke. A moment later, she was fine. She said, “I left you something.”

“Left me what?”

She took another look at her watch. Perfect woman or not, that was starting to annoy him. But it was contagious. He looked at his own: 9:45am.

“Good-bye, Sam. Take care of yourself.” Molly turned away.

Sam moved to grab her arm, to hold her and not let her go. He touched her shirt for a split second and then—nothing.

She didn’t step. She didn’t jump. She never moved. There was no sound.

Molly flickered like a bad TV screen and ceased to exist.

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Click here for the tour schedule.

Buy Beta Test in hardcover here
Buy the ebook here

The Earth Painter - Guestpost and Excerpt

Today I have a guest:
Melissa Lee, author of The Earth Painter.
She will tell you something about her book and there's an excerpt as well

I always love anything completely original. I think that’s why I’m a fan of Doctor Who. He’s a Time Lord. The Doctor, travels in his TARADIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) which is a little blue box that is bigger on the inside. In it he can go anywhere in time and space. And he takes a lovely lady companion with him as he goes. How cool is that?

Anyway, it’s my love of anything original that led me to write The Earth Painter. There are no vampires, angels, or werewolves. In my story world, the earth was created by artists full of pure creativity but governed by beings called sciences who are pure order and logic. The painters are like the designers of earth and the sciences are the engineers who give the ideas function. But in that process, the painters’ ideas get tweaked. Artists don’t like their work tinkered with. But there’s not much they can do about it. One painter in particular is not happy with how things have turned out. His name is Fritz. He’s the water painter.

In the middle of all this, there is a love story. Holly is a lonely, insecure girl, beaten down by her perfectionist mother. She meets Theo, the earth painter in her drama class and her eyes are opened to many things. She discovers her world is more complex than she ever knew. But Holly also discovers her own beauty and talents on her journey.

So if you enjoy a lite but original read, I hope you will try The Earth Painter. There’s not another book in the young adult market like it.


What is it about:
The Sculptor was alone. The world was gray, as it always had been.
And then the Sculptor said, “It is time…
Time for color,
Time for more,
The beginning.”

With a word, three sculptures became aware. And they needed to paint.

There was Ocean, Sky, Land, and Life all painted into place.
Then it ended, just as quickly as it started. Then the painters were no longer needed.
But they were still…AWARE.

And it was in this awareness that the battle began. And continues.

When a self-conscious young woman discovers the boy in drama class is actually the immortal who painted the world into being, she becomes the target of another painter who could shatter not only her new sense of hope, but her world, as well.

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Excerpt:

I got to drama a little late because my AP history class ran over. Ms. Jones walked to the middle of the stage. Paint splattered overalls replaced her normal dressy style “Listen up everyone. Our scripts still aren’t here so we are going to get busy painting scenery. We have canvases ready for painting. If you are talented in art, you can work on the forest backdrop. If you are not good with a paint brush, you are not excluded from helping. You will work on the stones walls for the castle. All you do with those is paint the whole canvas gray. Then later someone from the art department will go over it to make the stone outlines.”
She was about to walk off when she remembered something. “Oh and because of her excellent performance, Holly Scruggs will be performing her monologue for the parent teacher night scheduled next week.”
I stood there for a second while people half clapped and half chanted they were glad I’d done a good job instead of them as they got busy putting on paint smocks and heading to different painting stations.
I trudged up the steps to the stage and looked at the canvas destined to be stonewalls. I sighed grateful they had something simple I could work on. Surely, I could manage painting the whole thing gray. It was bad enough when my mom yelled at me at home. I didn’t want that here in front of everyone.
I grabbed a painting smock and snapped it up before grabbing a brush to dip in the bucket of gray paint.
“Why are you painting a gray wall when you could be painting a forest?” Theo asked from behind me.
I turned around so he could see me roll my eyes. “Um…because not everyone can paint like you.”
“Tsk…sure you can. All you need is a little guidance.” Theo took my hand and dragged me to the larger canvas no one had started on. I followed without protest. I didn’t mind Theo showing off to impress me. It was kind of flattering. My heart skipped a beat.

But instead of me standing back to watch him, he stood behind me, and took hold of my right hand while nuzzling his face by my ear.
“First, let’s start with green. The forest is made of different shades of green. Green means growth and life,” he whispered. His breath tickled my earlobe. Goose bumps pimpled down that side of my body in response. He guided my brush into the paint and then across the canvas with soft gentle strokes. My eyes fluttered when he tucked strands of my hair behind my ear. I’d never been held by a boy before. The feelings and thoughts were more than I could comprehend.
“If we mix the green with a touch of black, mix white for gray, we can create shadows.” He mixed the colors on a piece of cardboard box he held for a pallet.
We moved from side to side, up and down, covering the blank canvas with gentle strokes. His words still tickling each time he spoke. My heartbeat quickened and my breathing became a little more labored. I watched in amazement as my brush changed the canvas from white to shapeless shades of green and then into a forest thick with vegetation.
As the brush glided along the canvas, I breathed in deeply, the scent of pine trees rushed up my nose. I shook my head and tried to focus on the trees we were painting. The flat painted trees suddenly became three-dimensional. A brown and white bunny hopped into a bush and stirred the leaves, causing me to turn my head towards the motion just before a squirrel scurried up an oak tree carrying a nut in its mouth.
I swallowed and my breath caught as the trees began to surround me. For a second I was sure I was in a real forest. I could smell it. I could hear the leaves rustle while at the same time I could feel Theo still holding me guiding my brush across the canvas. My knowledge of what was true and my senses were in conflict.
Was the room spinning? My stomach was moving with it, or at least it felt like it. My mind couldn’t process what I saw or thought I saw while painting. I was sure the paint fumes were making me high. I had to get away from them. I stepped back from the canvas to get a grip on myself.
The dizziness continued and my stomached tightened. My breathing became quick and shallow. The room grew dim while stars sparkled over me. I was afraid I might faint or throw up. I pulled out of Theo’s grasp and bent over to catch my breath. Ms. Jones and some of the other students looked up to see what was wrong with me. It was bad enough to feel sick, but it would be too embarrassing to throw up or faint in front of the class.
“Holly, did you paint that?” asked Ms. Jones—her eyes wide with wonder.
I looked up at the painting. The forest was immaculate, but just a flat painting, not the real one I was sure I’d just been in with Theo.

****

The Inspiration behind the Vigilare series – Guestpost by Brooklyn James

Today I have another guest over at my blog:
Brooklyn James, the author of Vigilare.
Be sure to check my review of Vigilare which I posted earlier today.

Brooklyn: welcome to Pearls Cast Before A McPig.
It's great to have you here.

Hi. Brooklyn James here, author/singer/songwriter. Yep, still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. Thank you Sullivan for hosting me!

My latest novel, Vigilare: Hell Hound, is book #2 in the paranormal thriller trilogy, Vigilare. Released May 1 in ebook & June 1 in paperback.

Upon release of the first book in the trilogy...Vigilare, inquiring readers asked, “What is a Vigilare?” Now, with the release of the second book in the series...Vigilare: Hell Hound, they say, “What is a Hell Hound?”

Vigilare—Italian derivative of Latin, meaning to watch out, to guard, to protect, to keep an eye on.

As far as its pronunciation, technically, it is pronounced vi-gi-la-re. In its conception, I wanted a word that was similar to vigilante, yet unique. I keep it simple, pronouncing it vigil-are (like vigil-air).

To me, in the context of my novels, my Vigilare is a vigilant guardian, with intent to serve retribution style—an eye for an eye. Much like Batman, Vigilare is chosen for her position, a divine assignment. Vigilare does not willingly choose her role. Which allows me to play with the notion of good and evil, and how good can be and commit evil, even when it may seem justified. There's a fine line between right and wrong. It all depends on perspective. I love toying with that idea, and propelling readers to do the same, hopefully invoking internal questions: What would YOU do and how would YOU feel if bestowed such a power? Would you consider it a blessing or a curse?

Hell Hound—is actually a character in book #2 of the series, a rival Vigilare, so to speak. I capitalize it, as it is the title of the character. However, it's derived from Hellhound—a supernatural dog, most commonly associated with folklore, specifically Greek Mythology.

In the words of my manic Hematologist from the novels, Dr. Godfrey, "In Greek mythology, Hades is the god of the underworld. The devil, one may conclude. A Hell Hound is a hound of Hades, or a dog of Hell in the literal translation. They are the guards to the underworld, relegating who is sucked in and who is declined access. As described in legends, Hell Hounds have glowing red eyes and supernatural abilities. They’re rarely seen, very phantom-like. They may appear as if out of nowhere and vanish with the blink of an eye. An elusive creature. Hell Hounds are associated with fire and often have fire or heat-based abilities.”

So, you see, Vigilare: Hell Hound is a play on Greek Mythology's Cerberus...the most notorious three-headed Hellhound. I found the premise fascinating, and it plays so well into the plot, I had no other choice but to make it the title of book #2. And it made for a menacingly delicious cover. Besides, who doesn't like a good fireball slinging?

Couple that concept with the new character, Maxim Kiesel-the blue-eyed prodigy with an icy touch, and you have a good climactic scene. Do you fight fire with ice? Or do you fight fire with fire? Read Vigilare: Hell Hound, and you'll surely find out! The colors alone provided an interesting education for me. Steel blue, violent red, emerald green...who knew so much could be attributed to color? Think maybe we've found our new eye color for the cover of book #3...


The Vigilare series is an adaptation from a short narrative student film. Inspired by a hodge-podge of comic books and movies, such as The Punisher and Boondock Saints, I started a feature-length screenplay, playing off the idea of vigilantism. Later using that screenplay to storyboard a student short for a film class I curiously enrolled in. The short turned out pretty good and received a gracious reception at our end of semester screening. At that particular time I was drafting my first novel, The Boots My Mother Gave Me, An Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter Finalist. This particular book is a coming of age/women’s fiction, the genre I figured most suitable for me. At the time, promotion for and the buzz around the Amazon honor, that novel kind of took off. Needless to say, I put Vigilare on the back burner.

Once the hoopla over the first novel wound down, I started thinking about the next book, and Vigilare kept coming back to me. I resisted, seeing how I thought I should stick to one genre. Until one day, I gave in and started drafting Vigilare. I knew I wanted it to be a darker read, and my Vigilare had to have some sort of superhuman power.

Vigilare is set in the town of Vanguard, where Detectives Gina DeLuca and Tony Gronkowski investigate a string of murders among the city’s most loathsome population, convicted rapists and pedophiles. With fed up citizens, Vanguard is on the verge of a vigilante uprising in support of their seemingly superhuman Vigilare with the sparkling emerald green eyes. It’s a race to finish between Detectives DeLuca and Gronkowski, and the Vigilare to figure out who she is and why she exists.

“Vigilare walks the line between a thriller and a supernatural adventure while safely anchored in a scientific discourse around blood that James put together so well that it's reminiscent of a Douglas Preston or Michael Crichton novel. With action, romance, a strong female hero and a likeable group of characters, Vigilare reads like a good action movie.” –Gabino Iglesias, Austin Post

As an Intensive Care RN, I knew a little bit about blood, and thought that would be the key to Vigilare’s superpower. After some intriguing research, I knew a lot about blood. There are so many theories about Rh-negative blood factor. It is this factor that feeds her transformation. Some hypothesize that Rh-negative blood was the ‘blood of the gods,’ the ‘ancient astronauts.’ There are reports that the blood found at the Shroud of Turin, of one Jesus Christ, was AB-negative…the rarest blood type in the world, representing only one-percent of the population. Scientists postulate Rh-positive factor links us to primates, the Rhesus Monkey. However, Rh-negative blood is of unknown origin. Not one scientist can give a single reason for its existence, other than to speculate it is a mutation that occurred tens of thousands of years ago. Rh-negative factor is found nowhere in nature, except in humans. Consider the fact that Rh-positive blood types can be cloned while Rh-negative blood types cannot…a true original. O-negative blood is the purest blood in the world, the universal donor. A person with O-negative blood can donate to any other blood type, but they cannot receive blood from anyone other than their own type. It’s incompatible with life. If all mankind evolved from the same ancestor, their blood would be compatible. Where did Rh-negative factor come from?

When Vigilare’s O-negative blood is exposed to external oxygen, her transformation from mortal to immortal is engaged. What better defense than a natural inclination to offend when made to bleed?

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The blood released from her lip feels cool and tingly, the same sensation surging through her entire body. From the tips of her fingers to the ends of her toes her form quivers, electrified and powerful. She lies still, confused, her heart pounding with renewed force, aware of every surge of lifeblood pumped through her. With each beat, she is sure the life-sustaining organ will explode from her chest.

What the hell is going on? What’s happening to me?

Her eyes are wide and searching with intent, as if designed specifically to do so. She breathes deeply through her nose, unsure if she could ever acquire enough air to fill her seemingly super-sized lungs. Every sound amplified times ten, her ears flood with stimulation.

“Look at her eyes, bro!” the man at her head challenges.

The leader, forcefully hunched between her thighs, does as instructed, leaning forward, unimpressed at first, until his eyes stare into hers. Hers, once complacent, now sparkle like emeralds. She tries to blink, closing her eyes from his. She cannot. They remain wide and steadily searching, as if someone willed them unable to close. The leader tries to look away, move, shut his eyes—something, anything to break the stare. He cannot. Propelled by a far greater force, he remains there, his eyes giving into hers. Images flash in her mind, reflections of the man and the things he has done. The eyes are the windows to the soul. His soul is evil.

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In Vigilare, the reader, the detectives and the Vigilare find out who she is and why she exists. Once reluctantly accepting of her position, we progress into Vigilare: Hell Hound.


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A red hue emerges, where once it was only emerald green!

Now accepting of her position, Vigilare is propelled into a twist on Greek Mythology's Cerberus―Hell Hound―a rival Vigilare with fire capabilities. ETNA harbored her blood. Have they created a monster they cannot control? Along with her motley crew, the dashing Detective Tony Gronkowski, wily hematologist Dr. Godfrey and suspicious Emily Truly, Vigilare comes face to face with her past in the form of the hellish one.

As the city of New Orleans and its Gambini mafia family are under siege with Vigilare drones, the power hungry Emily wastes no time in solidifying her place in the ranks when she exposes Vigilare to the menacing Hell Hound. Newcomer, Maxim Kiesel, the steel blue-eyed prodigy graced with icy powers may very well be the antidote, or the ultimate traitor.

Will Vigilare give up her role, sacrificing her immortality to stop Hell Hound? The second in a trilogy, Vigilare: Hell Hound―when power is given, the true testament of one's character will rise.

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“Now that Vigilare has assumed and accepted her position, here comes Hell Hound. I'm not well versed in Greek Myth, but I enjoyed the spin. And the paranormal aspect was vibrant and colorful. Very well crafted by the author, yet not too flamboyant to turn me off. As usual, James plays with contrasts. You have the Hell Hound with fire capabilities, whose favorite weapons are fireballs. And then, you have newcomer, Maxim Kiesel. He has "steel blue eyes" and an icy touch. Fire and ice! And of couse, Dr. Godfrey (the manic hematologist) is there to help the reader make sense of all the science and myth behind the Vigilare pedigree. It's fascinating really, the whole Rh-negative blood factor James weaves into the story. It is this factor that makes the Vigilare super human. It makes so much sense, it leaves me wondering just exactly how unique is Rh-negative blood? Brooklyn James has done a fine job of tightly knitting a storyline and a cast of characters to peek and keep any reader's interest. With the combination of action, suspense, intrigue, romance (this is a very SEXY series), science and heart—Vigilare: Hell Hound is a fast, entertaining read.” –Amazon Review

Again, thank you Sullivan for hosting me! And thank you readers for your time and consideration. Please feel free to comment. Below is a list of places you can find and follow me. All the best to each and everyone.



Vigilare (book #1) - $2.99 Kindle; $12.99 paperback
Vigilare: Hell Hound (book #2) - $6.99 Kindle; $15 paperback [NEW RELEASE]

Website: www.brooklyn-james.com
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