tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28786137003337777842024-03-13T06:08:04.527-07:00The Roaring MouseRoss M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878613700333777784.post-79510941929123950072013-01-15T12:11:00.000-08:002013-01-15T12:11:35.969-08:00Emeline and The Mutants by Rachel Tsoumbakos<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">One of the great upshots of the surge in paranormal fiction during the last decade has undoubtedly been the re-emergence of the zombie genre. Emerging from the Romero classics have come a more 'realistic' swathe of books and comics and films mixing the post-apocalyptic vibes of I am Legend with a viral zombie survivalist mash-up. Even my ten year old lad is big into it--Charlie Higson's The Enemy series is on my TBR list for 2013, and the Walking Dead comics are not far after.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Rachel Tsoumbakos's book Emeline and the Mutants takes the genre and gives it a curious twist. We have a post-devastation storyline, with humans scraping together an existence following the outbreak of a virulent virus. The virus, however hasn't just created zombies, rather it has mutated most of the population into quasi-mythical creatures. So we now have a world populated by vampires, trolls, faeries, mermaids, and so forth--infective and deadly to the humans whose genetic code gave them some resistance to the initial strain.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qkuOYphwJ58/T8UdttRme7I/AAAAAAAAAds/HQiApV2uk7E/s1600/binary3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qkuOYphwJ58/T8UdttRme7I/AAAAAAAAAds/HQiApV2uk7E/s200/binary3.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Emeline is a great hero, and she appeals to the kick-ass Lara Croft/ Buffy/ Hit-girl fab-boy in me. She's a crack shot, tough as nails, but has a gentler and vulnerable side that is exploited at various stages in the book. Emeline is dragged into a conspiracy-murder mystery within her compound that ultimately leads to revelations and confessions about how the whole viral outbreak began. The action is full-on, and the setting of rural Australia perfect for the story. Rachel introduces some excellent characters, many of them female, and many of them memorable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">When it ended I was chomping for a sequel, although it is a stand-alone work at present. I pitched a few questions to Rachel....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Me: When did the idea for writing Emeline and the Mutants first come into your mind?</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_VV4967-RXc/UHhugMuADfI/AAAAAAAABOU/VEa8T7MRS7o/s1600/vampirediariesep18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_VV4967-RXc/UHhugMuADfI/AAAAAAAABOU/VEa8T7MRS7o/s200/vampirediariesep18.jpg" width="153" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">RT: Believe it or not, the idea started forming because of a block of units being built across the road from me! The block of land had been vacant for ages and is high and right next to a train line. The builder was attempting to cram as many little buildings into the block as possible and the whole effect was bleak. I wondered who might live there and the character of Emeline evolved from that one single thought.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Me: The world you've created in EATM lends itself to further adventures. Is this something you want to develop?</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">RT: I've been asked this a lot. Yes, there is the possibly of further development there. I certainly have a couple of ideas in the pipelines and purposely left little nooks and crannies in Emeline and the Mutants in which these ideas could grow. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to get anything down on paper yet.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o6dLAGLSdmQ/UHhupkvovUI/AAAAAAAABOc/g0Z533ErFK8/s1600/cruise_lestat_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o6dLAGLSdmQ/UHhupkvovUI/AAAAAAAABOc/g0Z533ErFK8/s200/cruise_lestat_2.jpg" width="195" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Me: Zombies and vampires always used to be purely the remit of pure horror films/books, albeit with occasional humour. Why do you think they've crossed into the mainstream so effectively?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">RT: Personally, I think it is because we now live in a constant Nanny-state. Everyone is expected to do and say the right things all the time. There is no room for the Benny Hill's and Porky's of yesteryear. Everything we say and do is watched closely by the PC police. Zombies and vampires (and now Fifty Shades of Grey) are a way to escape this and just think the way we want to without fear of reprimand (unless you're REALLY into Fifty Shades).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Me: I know you are a huge fan-girl of True Blood, and that you interviewed some of the stars recently. Tell us more about that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">RT: Oh golly! Have you got all day? Seriously though, I write for one of the major True Blood fan sites (TrueBloodNet.com). While my job there mostly entails writing articles, reviewing episodes and editing the articles for other writers on the site (I am also a senior editor there), occasionally there are perks. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Recently, I got to attend a True Blood Halloween party here in Australia. Thanks to TrueBloodNet, HBO and Seamus O'Tooles(who were running the event), I scored an exclusive interview with two of the cast members of the show. While there were originally plans for four cast members to attend, Hurricane Sandy stepped in at just the wrong time and two cast members were stuck in the States without a ride. But that was okay, since I've never interviewed anyone before, and I got a chance to speak to Tara Buck (Ginger the screamer) and Marshall Allman (Tommy Mickens) which turned out to be an absolute hoot. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">The funny thing was, I had to interview them the day before the event and I wore mostly normal clothes (ie. my non-bloody Merlotte's T-shirt). The next night, when I was chatting to them in the VIP area, they had no idea I was the same person because I was fully costumed up. And then Marshall kept freaking out at the people wearing masks and kept photo bombing people - it was truly the best night out I've had in AGES!</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">The whole interview can be viewed via this link: </span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://truebloodnet.com/true-blood-net-exclusive-club-fangtasia-interview-tara-buck-marshall-allman/" target="_blank">http://truebloodnet.com/<wbr></wbr>true-blood-net-exclusive-club-<wbr></wbr>fangtasia-interview-tara-buck-<wbr></wbr>marshall-allman/</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">and my recap on the Halloween party is here: </span><a href="http://truebloodnet.com/recap-true-blood-halloween-party-at-club-fangtasia/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://truebloodnet.com/<wbr></wbr>recap-true-blood-halloween-<wbr></wbr>party-at-club-fangtasia/</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">RT: Editing! This is because I don't plan my novels. Normally I start off with a character, a vague idea of a complication or plot and the genre. Then I write frantically for a month and see what happens. Mostly it turns out to be a novel filled with a pile of possible plot tangents. I then have to go back and erase all evidence of them (except for the winning plot line).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Me: Fun question- as an Australian, which do you think was the best Mad Max film?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">RT: You know what? I have never seen ANY of the Mad Max movies. Although the song Thunderdome by Tina Turner is one of my favourites. How un-Australian am I?! I will probably need to find a dark hole in which to hide after this interview goes live :P</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Me: Shameless plug time! Tell us about your current WIP and your literary plans for 2013.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>RT: Okay, I have just finished a complete rewrite of the very first novel I ever wrote. It was originally titled Indiana Meets A Vampire and I wrote it because I figured if a Mormon could write about a sparkly vampire, then so could I! Needless to say, the novel was horrible, but there were a few hidden gems in there and I have dragged it back out into the light of day in an attempt to make it better. It now goes by the title Unremembered Things and will eventually be a trilogy. The story follows Indiana Shamira who wakes up one morning with no recollection of her previous life and a vampire hanging upside down in her cellar. The only thing she knows for sure is that she must keep her memory loss a secret. It everything goes according to plan, this book should be ready for release later in the year.</strong></span><div style="font-family: Noteworthy; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px;">
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Thanks for the great interview, Rachel. If you want to check out Emeline and the Mutants then click below:</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Emeline-and-the-Mutants-ebook/dp/B004PGNBCO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358280368&sr=8-1&keywords=emeline+and+the+mutants" target="_blank">and in the US and Oz</a><br />
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<br />Ross M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878613700333777784.post-7486717296029849092012-11-29T12:32:00.002-08:002012-11-29T12:33:05.980-08:00A Dream of Storms by William Kenney<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lrOigsWltn4/ULfEcM1e4fI/AAAAAAAABVE/3mSkHjbs-No/s1600/WK2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lrOigsWltn4/ULfEcM1e4fI/AAAAAAAABVE/3mSkHjbs-No/s320/WK2.jpg" width="219" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shortly after I took up Jeremy Laszlo's invite to join the Skulldust Circle I decided the read what my fellow authors were writing. Gary's Ashenclaw work and Jeremy's Blood and Brotherhood debut were featured on the Roaring Mouse, and so now it's William Kenney's turn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">William is one of those astonishingly talented types that you meet very so often that thrives in his creativity. As well as his great writing he also excels at artwork and muisc. In fact it was through admiring his covers that I first connected with him on Twitter, well before the Skulldust Circle formed. His covers grace the books of Gary Vanucci, as well as his own work and they evoke the superb fantasy art of the sixties and seventies which adorned the fantasy and sci-fi novels most of us grew up with,</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--9zkx_gJt5c/ULfEZS7hZpI/AAAAAAAABU8/q23ahAS4XKk/s1600/WK1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--9zkx_gJt5c/ULfEZS7hZpI/AAAAAAAABU8/q23ahAS4XKk/s200/WK1.jpg" width="125" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dreams of Storms is the first book of the 'In the Shadow of the Black Sun' series. It's a high fantasy series with a distinctly dark edge to it, not perhaps to the degree of Martin or Abercrombie, but enough to tell you it ain't for the little ones. It tells the story of Hagan, a former hero, now trying to live a life of refuge away from the lands and city that made him famous. However crisis returns to the lands and an old comrade (the awesome stone troll, Gorin) is dispatched to convince him to return. The pair set off with Hagan's younger brother, D'Pharin, in tow. On the journey to the city of Harquinn, they meet Vasparian, an Elven veteran and Windenn, a
Woodwarden (kind of like a ranger-druid). But things are not quite as they expect- the evil Malhain is at large and has dispatched his sinister Inquiti after the companions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are all the hallmarks of good heroic fantasy in here--the quest, the interplay between human and non-human races, excellent world-building. In many ways William draws on the traditions of Tolkien, Brooks and Eddings, with the multi-skilled group and their dialogue. But what made the book for me were the more original touches-- the hostile and decaying city of Overbrook; the mystery of the seer, the Wisp; the guilt and ruminations of the troubled hero, Hagan; and the Inquitis, probably the scariest opponents since the Nazgul got drowned by Elrond's daughter. The dark atmosphere is there but it never overpowers, rather it bolsters the authenticity of the work, and makes you nervier as you're never sure that all the comapnions are going to be all right or not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I took the chance to throw a few questions at William the other day:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Noteworthy;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Me: I was (pleasantly) surprised by how much 'dark' fantasy mixed with your traditional high fantasy story. Are you a fan of the darker end of the genre? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Noteworthy;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">WK: Absolutely. I've always felt that the evil element in the story should be as dark and nasty as possible. The reader should fear them, loathe them and want them defeated. The reader is walking in the characters shoes and should feel the ultimate desperation of facing the bad guys. The good guys will only truly shine in the presence of absolute darkness, right?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Noteworthy;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Me: There's a definite feel of DnD in your work. I know our friend Gary is a big gamer, is it something you've done/do and does it influence you? </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DxAxxYuGyzw/ULfEjXLkXbI/AAAAAAAABVc/Q3bUcTRDZOg/s1600/WK5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DxAxxYuGyzw/ULfEjXLkXbI/AAAAAAAABVc/Q3bUcTRDZOg/s1600/WK5.png" /></a><span style="font-family: Noteworthy;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">WK: I played quite a bit when I was a teenager. We had a group of guys that would play all-day marathons, sometimes getting so involved that we would forget to eat. I'm sure my mother remembers us taking over the dining table with maps and hardcover rulebooks. Eventually, a friend and I built a custom DnD table to play on. It was divided into four sections with a built-in box at the center with a lid. We kept dice and figurines in there. DnD and role-playing games in general really spark the imagination. I use to be the DM (GM now) back then and really had to think quickly while taking the others through the adventures. The DM is essentially a storyteller after all.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Noteworthy;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Me: Your covers are simply astounding. If you had to choose which one you enjoyed more- writing or painting/design- what would it be and why?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Noteworthy;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">WK: Thank you very much for the compliment, Ross. That would be a difficult decision. I've done both since I was a boy and both feel very much like a piece of the same thing. To me, they are both art. I'm also a musician and treat it in the same fashion. I start with a small idea and continue to add pieces until I have a cohesive finished product that hopefully creates some sort of emotional response in people. Of course, painting is more immediate than writing, but they are both rewarding to me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Noteworthy;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Me: I'd just noticed you also write a YA series. Tell us a little about that.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nAPjiQ09HBw/ULfEeCzxenI/AAAAAAAABVM/Fqe61d_k4vU/s1600/WK3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nAPjiQ09HBw/ULfEeCzxenI/AAAAAAAABVM/Fqe61d_k4vU/s1600/WK3.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Noteworthy;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">WK: I created the Tales of Embremere series as a break from the In the Shadow of the Black Sun series. I was writing such a complex dark fantasy story, that I wanted to create something more relaxed for a change. I wanted shorter stories that could be read in one sitting and I plan to do more in the future. The characters in the story are teenagers living in the Under. Beneath the city of Embremere, which is constructed on an immense platform above the surface of a lake, the less fortunate have built their own city from the discarded refuse tossed away by the city-folk above. The main character, Grivvin is the last of the Wychan, the wizards of the world. During the opening of the first book, he is cast out and into the dark world of the Under.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Noteworthy;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">WK: I would have to say Tolkien. Reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings when I was young changed my life without a doubt. From there, I devoured as much fantasy as I could find. My literary diet consisted of Terry Brooks, Michael Moorcock, Stephen R. Donaldson, Robert E. Howard, etc. Fantasy created such a magical atmosphere for me that I immediately wanted to tell my own stories. I still have pieces of novels that I started when I was roughly 15 years of age. No one will ever see them, of course. Very crude, but still some interesting ideas.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Noteworthy;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Me: What are your feelings about the increasing popularity of the fantasy genre with the success of Game of Thrones and Peter Jackson's Tolkien adaptations?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Noteworthy;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">WK: I love seeing so much fantasy on television and in the theaters. When I was young, it was so hard to find anything like that. Any new fantasy-related film or series was a godsend to my friends and I. I didn't care how cheesy or ridiculous it was, I would watch and re-watch it. The Sword and the Sorcerer, Krull, Hawk the Slayer, Dragonslayer, Conan the Barbarian. I loved them all. We can only hope that with the added exposure, people that have never been exposed to it, will give fantasy novels a try.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GYHDdv0SSFQ/ULfEgeULovI/AAAAAAAABVU/0_FC12es-50/s1600/WK4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GYHDdv0SSFQ/ULfEgeULovI/AAAAAAAABVU/0_FC12es-50/s200/WK4.jpg" width="136" /></a><span style="font-family: Noteworthy;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Me: How excited are you about the Hobbit? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Noteworthy;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">WK: Well, I can't wait to see it. What Peter Jackson did with the trilogy was truly mind-blowing. Those are some of my favorite movies without a doubt. So much detail, it's insane. I'm hoping the magical feeling of The Hobbit, which definitely has a different atmosphere than the Lord of the Rings books, translates to the screen. I keep waiting for someone to bring a decent Elric movie to the screen or the Shannara stories.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Noteworthy;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Me: And, finally, what's the current work in progress?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Noteworthy;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">WK: Currently I am writing the third book of my In the Shadow of the Black Sun series. I've just scratched the surface with it and am feeling a certain amount of pressure. I feel that the first two books in the series are great fantasy tales. I am my biggest critic and hold my stories up to a pretty high standard. I spend a lot of time thinking through different possibilities for the storyline. What if I took the story this way or that? So many ways for the tale to go. Which works best? I've got so many stories to tell, some fantasy and some not. There is simply not enough time to get them all written.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Noteworthy;">Check out William's amazing work and excerpts from stories at <a href="http://authorwilliamkenney.blogspot.co.uk/">http://authorwilliamkenney.blogspot.co.uk/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Noteworthy;">If you wanted to check out A Dream of Storms then click <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dream-Storms-Shadow-Black-ebook/dp/B005D24SN0" target="_blank">here for Amazon UK</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dream-Storms-Shadow-Black-ebook/dp/B005D24SN0" target="_blank">here for Amazon US</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Noteworthy;">Next time on the Roaring Mouse we're going 'down under' for a date with True Blood devotee and Mistress of Mutants, Rachel Tsoumbakos. </span></div>
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Ross M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878613700333777784.post-75809387059710257482012-10-31T14:28:00.001-07:002012-10-31T16:21:42.235-07:00Crown Phoenix: The Night Watchman Express and The Devil's Kitchen by Alison DeLucaAmongst the avalanche of books that came my way when I first started dabbling in social media, self-publishing and overloading my kindle there were a few that stood head and shoulders above the rest. For me the mark of a truly excellent book, like a truly excellent record, is something that afterwards I think ‘Nah, I couldn’t have written that!’ If you are an author, you’ll know what I mean.<br /><br /><img border="0" cover.jpg="cover.jpg" height="200" itchen="itchen" s="s" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fZlkNG5EKlI/UJGXFxmOEpI/AAAAAAAABRo/bX91kilU_bw/s200/Devil" width="129" /><br />
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Alison DeLuca’s ‘Crown Phoenix: The Night Watchman Express’ is one of those books. I loved it when I first read it, and when I found that Alison was re-formatting and re-issuing it on a new label I was thrilled. So thrilled that I offered to draw the maps for the book! I suppose I should also declare that Allie is the editor of my YA book, The Infinity Bridge too, and her steam-punk touch on it has been invaluable.<br />
Oh, steampunk! Yes, had to mention that early on! The Night Watchman Express is an Edwardian fantasy, the first of a series of books collectively called The Crown Phoenix, after a mysterious typewriter. The book oozes style—from the richly described settings, to the marvellous characters that inhabit it. There is a real traditional adventure feel to the book—you can almost see the BBC Sunday tea-time series now. There is an underlying mystique to the plot, capturing the macabre air of Victorian sci-fi perfectly, without becoming too sinister or dark.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r3497MozWc8/UJGXSrdv70I/AAAAAAAABR4/wy2Pz53txlQ/s1600/The++Night+Watchman+Express+cover.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r3497MozWc8/UJGXSrdv70I/AAAAAAAABR4/wy2Pz53txlQ/s200/The++Night+Watchman+Express+cover.jpg" /></a>The first book introduces us to our key characters. Miriam is an orphan, who falls under the guardianship of the Marchpanes, former partners of her deceased father. It’s clear that they are bad ‘uns from the onset, struggling with the wilful Miriam. Then a mysterious governess arrives, Mana, who helps Miriam in many ways and also facilitates her friendship with two boys, Simon and Neil. Simon is the son of the Marchpanes, and initially clashes with Miriam. Neil is a friend from school, staying at the mansion over the holidays. The plot thickens when the sinister Cantwells arrive at the house, and it’s clear they are looking for something hidden there.<br />
Book two, The Devil's Kitchen, follows directly on from the conclusion of TNWE and features all three of the children as they tackle the Cantwells and the fearful Devil's Kitchen. The second book has a real pace to it, extending some of the mysteries of the first book (such as the Crown Phoenix typewriter) and wrapping up story arcs from book one. It has a very stylish feel to it, and wonderfully drawn characters, especially the ones who inhabit the workhouse of the Kitchen.<br />
So with book three now out, I took the opportunity to interview Alison about her books:<br /><br /><strong>Me: Easy one to begin with- tell us briefly about your trilogy.</strong><br />Alison: Hello, and thanks for having me on the blog!<br />
My trilogy is The Crown Phoenix, named after a quantum typewriter that can bend time and space. Some very nasty villains are after it, and it’s up to Miriam and Simon to stop them. Unfortunately, they don’t like each other very much at first, so that complicates things. Plus, their character flaws get in the way – Miriam is very angry at her situation (she’s an orphan) and Simon falls for Barbara, one of the villains, since she is breathtakingly beautiful.<br />
<strong>Me: Which of your characters do you empathise most with?</strong><br />Alison: All of my characters have a little bit of me in them. I started by liking my main character, Miriam, the most. As I continued with the books, I really began to sympathise with Simon. Mana, Miriam’s magical governess, appeals to me as a former teacher, and even Barbara, the beautiful villainess, has a softer side. It’s hidden deep beneath the surface, but it’s there.<br />
In The Lamplighter’s Special, the third book of the series, the main character is Lizzie. She is very near-sighted and can’t afford glasses, so she has to negotiate a world that is out of focus. I’m a four-eyes myself, so I can really relate to that plight.<br /><br /><strong>Me: I've read your first book, The Nightwatchman Express, and especially loved the atmosphere of the novel. What attracted you into writing in the 'Steampunk' genre?</strong><br />Alison: I loved books by Conan Doyle, Wells, and Verne when I was young. Adventure driven by technology that depends on clockworks and gears is very exciting to me, and it leaves loads of scope for the imagination.<br /><br />My technology depends on quantum physics and some impossible things that create adventures for my characters. I love magic, but I think that the fantasy must have a reason for existing, and the magical powers must come from somewhere. In my books, both are caused by the Crown Phoenix Typewriter.<br /><br /><strong>Me: With the success of movies like Hugo, and books like Clockwork Prince, do you see the genre taking off a bit more? Or is it still a bit eclectic?<br /></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gkmWaX4KHzY/UJGT-erkOpI/AAAAAAAABRU/LjtUvbQc_2o/s1600/imagesCAY4ZRNE.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gkmWaX4KHzY/UJGT-erkOpI/AAAAAAAABRU/LjtUvbQc_2o/s1600/imagesCAY4ZRNE.jpg" /></a>Alison: I think we’ll have lots more steampunk in all types of media, as long as the genre doesn’t get bogged down in the usual airships and automatons. I love both, but an airship can’t rescue a book that doesn’t have a killer plot.<br /><br />I’m fascinated by the rise of ethnic steampunk – Brazilian authors, in particular, are doing some very interesting things – as well as different “punks” such as dieselpunk.<br /><br /><strong>Me: Do you find being an editor impairs your writing or augments it? Namely can you flip easily from one to the other?</strong><br />Alison: Great question! Yes, it really is easy for me to switch hats. The funny thing is that errors that leap out at me when I’m editing run and hide when I write. Like all authors, when I’m in the middle of the story, typing out the movie that I see playing in my head, I don’t see the words. Since I’m too close to the story, I have to rely on my own excellent editors for feedback.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dsLI2Hx1wBU/UJGXNdl56bI/AAAAAAAABRw/HW7qBzuiCUs/s1600/Steampunk+headshot.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dsLI2Hx1wBU/UJGXNdl56bI/AAAAAAAABRw/HW7qBzuiCUs/s200/Steampunk+headshot.jpg" /></a>Me: You are a Twitter maestro. What impact do you think social media has had on authors, and is it a useful medium?<br /><br />Alison: I love the immediacy of Twitter, and Facebook has introduced me to many, many talented writers. Social media is a blessing and a curse, however. There are beautiful people out there, but there are wolves as well. The difference isn’t always apparent at first.<br />
However, for the most part the impact has been very positive. Instead of scribbling away in a garret, secluded from the rest of the world, now writers can interact every day. In my own publishing group, we do betas, edits, and covers for each other. We critique and support, and we make each other laugh as well. I can’t imagine being without those online relationships.<br /><br /><strong>Me: What projects have you got cooking next?</strong><br />
I have almost finished the final book in my series, The South Sea Bubble. It’s set in an Edwardian hospital, much like Downton Abbey, so I read up on Edwardian medicine and the history of nursing in England. That was really fascinating. <br /><br />Along with four other authors, I’m going to release a Christmas collection soon called Christmas O’Clock, to raise funds for third world countries. My contribution is Magic Coal for the Naughts, a novella about two very naughty children who get coal from Santa Claus. However, coal from the Big Man simply must be magic…<br /><br />After that, I can turn to a dieselpunk book, The Gramophone Society, that I have on the back burner. It’s the story of a girl who goes back in time to experience what being a London refugee was like during World War II. And of course, there is diesel tech and loads of fantasy adventure involved. I really look forward to getting back to it.<br /><br />You can find Alison De Luca's books on Amazon UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alison-DeLuca/e/B004Q7IE3I/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1">right here!</a><br /><br />And on the other side of the Atlantic in the US <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alison-DeLuca/e/B004Q7IE3I/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_3">just here!</a><br /><br />And this is the video trailer for her CRown Phoenix series. OMG!<br />
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<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h50kRgqmFxY/UJGXXJpvUkI/AAAAAAAABSA/YITpxRbgpjE/s1600/tourbuttononfinal.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h50kRgqmFxY/UJGXXJpvUkI/AAAAAAAABSA/YITpxRbgpjE/s320/tourbuttononfinal.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Ross M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878613700333777784.post-72353349520450287492012-10-28T23:49:00.001-07:002012-10-28T23:51:55.445-07:00HeartSearch: Loss by Carlie Cullen (interview)Those who follow the Roaring Mouse will have already read my review of Carlie Cullen’s Heart Search: Lost last week. Now reviews aren’t always a big aspect of the blog, as I tend to feature books I love rather than ones that make me go ‘meh.’ Rather I prefer doing features, telling you why I like a book and why it might be worth your while reading it. And I love this one!<br />
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Heart Search: Lost is the first book in a new paranormal romance series. It takes an interesting approach in its evaluation of a couple who are torn apart, days before their wedding, when one becomes a vampire. Josh, the newbie in the vamp world, has been targeted by the leader of a coven of vampires who hang out down in t’South of England. This leader, Samir, has an ability to sense vampires and communicate with them, as well as sensing which humans will make good additions to the vampire covens.<br />
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We follow two parallel stories through the book. Josh learns about becoming a vampire, discovering his own unique powers, and coming to terms with the loss of his prior life. Remy, his fiancée, resolves to track Josh down by visiting all the places that they had been together before the split. This is a great literary device, both to build Remy’s character, but also to flesh out the details of their relationship in retrospect.<br />
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The book is an entertaining read. It was the first paranormal romance book I’ve read (although my wife’s side of the shelf is replete with black covered vamp books), and I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it. I really connected with Remy, found the plot intriguing, and was hooked enough to want to follow the series and recommend it to the missus.<br />
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Heart Search: Lost represents Carlie Cullen’s debut on the author collective group Myrddin. I asked Carlie some questions about her work and her plans:<br />
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Carlie: Hi Ross! I’m excited to be talking to you today and on our side of the pond too! Thanks for inviting me.<br />
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Me: I really surprised myself by how much I enjoyed the paranormal romance of your novel. Why do you think it has taken off as a genre? What is it about vampires?<br />
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Thank you, Ross. I’m glad you enjoyed it!<br />
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Apart from pure escapism you mean? Every young woman has dreams about finding her ‘perfect man’ and the way vampires are generally portrayed makes them desirable. I think the idea of having a romance with a man who is handsome, charismatic and immortal is attractive to readers. They can fantasise about how they could be swept off their feet by this dashing man, romanced by him and making him fall in love with them so maybe he would not want to lose them thereby becoming immortal themselves. Let’s face it, although we all know we’re going to die at some point in our lives, there are an enormous amount of people who’re really scared by it and the idea of finding the ‘Fountain of Youth’ or being bitten by a vampire and made immortal is a way of dealing with that fear. In case you’re wondering, I’ve used the male vampire here because it’s primarily women who read novels in this genre.<br />
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The other thing about vampires is the air of menace and mystery that surrounds them. A lot of women are naturally attracted to this type of person, even if they know these characters are wrong for them. Some men too dream of finding a dangerous and enigmatic woman – it’s not just women who are drawn in to the myth. Some people live ‘safe’ and often boring lives and wish they had the gumption to find some adventure. Fantasising about vampires is a way of fulfilling that need in them.<br />
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Me: As a fellow Brit, I loved the locations in your book. Did you visit the places that Remy went to?<br />
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Carlie: Quite a few of them, yes. My daughter attended university in Lancaster which isn’t far from the Lake District and we visited Ullswater and Windemere. She visited Dove Cottage on a uni field trip and told me about it. I’ve been to the Peak District on business and some of the other locations were passed through, visited or stayed at during family vacations when my daughter was younger.<br />
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I did do some research for some of the places I didn’t know very well to find out a bit more so I could then write about them as if I’d really explored the areas though.<br />
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Me: How much have the more famous Paranormal books like Twilight, Vampire Diaries etc influenced your writing? Are you a big fan of theirs?<br />
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Carlie: Famous books in this genre have opened my eyes to more possibilities and allowed my imagination to think out of the box a bit more than perhaps it might have done, but I wouldn’t say they’ve influenced my writing a huge amount. I think it was your review of Heart Search: Lost which pointed out a couple of similarities between my novel and the Twilight saga yet you also said my story was sufficiently different so as not to be compared to it. The funny thing is, I’d planned and started writing Heart Search before I read some of the Twilight books and the ‘resemblances’ to Stephenie Meyer’s books were in the outline prior to my reading most of her work and therefore, totally coincidental.<br />
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I do enjoy paranormal books and readily admit that yes, I’m a Twilight fan (no booing from the sidelines please). There are areas of her books, particularly the first two, where Bella comes across as totally boring, living a shell of a life without hobbies or anything to interest her except Edward. That, to me, was a little unrealistic, but apart from that they are entertaining and I do like the story. I’ve never read Vampire Diaries and only recently began reading Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series. Although maybe I should read more in this genre, I don’t because I want my work to be as unique as possible and don’t want to be influenced too much by the other vampire novels on the shelves.<br />
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Me: If you had to pick a character you enjoyed writing the most who would it be?<br />
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Carlie: Hmmm, I enjoyed writing all my characters for different reasons, so this is quite a hard question to answer. If you’d asked me which one was the most challenging to write I’d have an answer as quick as a snap of my fingers.<br />
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I really enjoyed writing Remy’s character, but if you’re going to pin me against the wall and make me pick just one then I would have to say Joshua. It was exciting to write his journey into immortality and all that entailed. I loved writing the coven scenes, especially when he became embroiled in a power struggle. It was also interesting to marry his new status with the vestiges of humanity which came from his enduring love for Remy.<br />
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Me: What's top of your To Be Read pile at the moment?<br />
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Carlie: It’s The Ring of Lost Souls by Rachel Tsoumbakos. She’s a fabulous writer and I can’t wait to feast my eyes with it.<br />
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Me: Crystal ball question: do you think print books are on a steady decline now, consigned to libraries and collectors, in the way that vinyl on records went?<br />
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Carlie: Actually, no I don’t. Recent figures show that more paperbacks are read than e-books! This isn’t my only reason for thinking this way. Digital books are still in their infancy. There are generations of readers around the world who’ve grown up reading print books and will continue to do so. Whilst I appreciate the portability of e-readers, I personally prefer to read from a print book and would pick that in favour of an e-book any day, despite the additional cost.<br />
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I think there will come a time when print books go on a major decline, but I don’t believe it’ll be in my lifetime and maybe not even in my daughter’s.<br />
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Me: What's up next for Carlie Cullen? What's the next project?<br />
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Carlie: Well, I’ve started writing book two of the Heart Search trilogy and plan to have the first draft finished before the end of the year. I’d like to get it published mid to late spring next year, if not before and then I’ll be onto the final one in the series. After that, I’m leaving vampires alone for a little while and am planning a fantasy novel based around the lovely lady I use as my avatar. That project will take a while as I’ve got some serious world-building to plan and magic systems to create.<br />
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Thanks so much for having me here today, Ross. I’ve really enjoyed our chat! Now where’s that cuppa you promised me?<br />
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Thanks very much Carlie- a great interview. If you want to check out Carlie's book it's available via Amazon in both the UK and US.<br />
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Amazon US http://amzn.to/OLwU59<br />
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Amazon UK http://amzn.to/PhC0Gu<br />
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<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--JJOQn0zXZk/UI4nbjr_jmI/AAAAAAAABQ4/vBlBGWFzAwc/s640/blogger-image-492229246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--JJOQn0zXZk/UI4nbjr_jmI/AAAAAAAABQ4/vBlBGWFzAwc/s640/blogger-image-492229246.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bRC3Phj_pns/UI4ncm3KaTI/AAAAAAAABRA/iYdcnZlgpfQ/s640/blogger-image--911492020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bRC3Phj_pns/UI4ncm3KaTI/AAAAAAAABRA/iYdcnZlgpfQ/s640/blogger-image--911492020.jpg" /></a></div>Ross M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878613700333777784.post-20064534447944768542012-10-14T15:49:00.000-07:002012-10-14T23:11:06.619-07:00Heart Search: Loss by Carlie Cullen (review)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8h_EDN2JMpk/UHhr5jTK3OI/AAAAAAAABN8/7HCsxqRxFuQ/s1600/Heart+Search+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8h_EDN2JMpk/UHhr5jTK3OI/AAAAAAAABN8/7HCsxqRxFuQ/s320/Heart+Search+cover.jpg" width="200" /></a>
Although this is the first ‘paranormal romance’ novel I’ve
had the pleasure of reading, my wife’s dedication to the genre and its
celluloid/TV derivatives have given me some familiarity. And if I were to choose
a book to kick off my reading of the genre then Heart Search: Lost would be a
great choice.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Unlike most books in this genre this one is a distinctly
British affair. Set in <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country>
and, due to the nature of one of the character’s searching, it provides us with
a wonderful range of scenes in our (seemingly vampire-rich) nation. There’s a
definite ‘British-ness’ to the characters and the dialogue too, notably amongst
the vampires and their coven, and their (initially) polite and formal
discourse.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But before you consider you’ve wandered into Merchant-Ivory
does Twilight, let me explain the premise of the book.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Joshua and Remy are a happily engaged young couple eagerly
awaiting their imminent wedding. Whilst Remy is in the <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country>, Josh gets
bitten by a vampire, Samir, and begins a transformation process which continues
as Remy returns. During this time he inadvertently hurts her and, wracked with
guilt, decides to leave her (Dear John letter and all).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tCToWEU24Js/UHhrnSYydAI/AAAAAAAABN0/6yHw9H8vJfI/s1600/Heart+Search+Blog+Tour+Badge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tCToWEU24Js/UHhrnSYydAI/AAAAAAAABN0/6yHw9H8vJfI/s200/Heart+Search+Blog+Tour+Badge.jpg" width="200" /></a>The book follows our two main characters through their
separate journeys. Joshua is drawn by his ‘maker’ to join a coven of vampires
in the South-East of the <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">UK</st1:place></st1:country>.
Josh’s story introduces us to the vampire sub-society, with their etiquette and
traditions, through the coven. Although initially a happy little group of
vampires, munching their way through the population, the cracks in the coven
begin to show when two of the members begin to clash. Joshua finds himself
embroiled in the conflict, as well as coming to terms with his new ‘life.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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Remy’s journey is less dramatic, but in many ways more
poignant and interesting. After the tears and heartache she resolves to seek
out Josh by revisiting the places they have stayed together over the years.
It’s a clever plot device—I was initially struggling to warm to the couple and
their relationship as the split-up happens so early in the book that you don’t
really know either character when it happens, so can’t empathise with their
distress. But by building the relationship retrospectively by the end of the
book I had a definite emotional link with both characters and their break-up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_VV4967-RXc/UHhugMuADfI/AAAAAAAABOU/VEa8T7MRS7o/s1600/vampirediariesep18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_VV4967-RXc/UHhugMuADfI/AAAAAAAABOU/VEa8T7MRS7o/s200/vampirediariesep18.jpg" width="153" /></a>The two main characters evolve nicely over the book, Cullen
drawing realistic and likable personas. Remy, once she stopped crying every
paragraph, really shone out for me. She fluctuated between vulnerable, strong,
needy, independent and resourceful in a fascinating manner. The mysteries she
unlocks are bound to make the further books very exciting.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Joshua, undoubtedly the more exciting character and
storyline, didn’t resonate as much with me until the latter part of the book
where I got a real sense of his trauma and dilemmas. He seemed initially to
simply accept his new status and new life in an unrealistic fashion, but that
is explained later as a coping strategy, as a method of ‘boxing up’ his
emotions. His handsome, slightly dark, moody and impulsive character is very
much the stuff of this genre—I can see him alongside a guilt-ridden Edward
Cullen, or a troubled Stefan Salvatore. I hope in the future books we see him
evolve as much as I felt Remy did within the first book.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o6dLAGLSdmQ/UHhupkvovUI/AAAAAAAABOc/g0Z533ErFK8/s1600/cruise_lestat_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o6dLAGLSdmQ/UHhupkvovUI/AAAAAAAABOc/g0Z533ErFK8/s200/cruise_lestat_2.jpg" width="195" /></a>One of the difficulties in writing in such a saturated and
popular genre is introducing new ideas. There are traces of other paranormal
books in here: the coven feels very much like the ‘family’ of Cullens in
Twilight; we have vampire venom, which pops up in a few places in other works.
The vampires have magical powers—Joshua has several—in addition to their super
fast speed and strength. The societal structure has traces of the Volturi,
although in a far more pleasant way. It is tricky to do different things with
vampires—you go darker you end up with ‘Being Human’, ‘Vampire Lestat’ or ‘True
Blood.’ You go lighter, it’s beautiful teen vamps in ‘Twilight’ and ‘Vampire
Diaries.’ So it’s really all the more important that the story you are telling
has verve, given that vamps are vamps are vamps.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And Cullen’s story is suitably different and very well told.
It’s a tale of love, a tale of dedication and a tale of passion. I felt
reaffirmed by Remy’s quest to find Josh, that she wouldn’t take this lying
down, that she didn’t believe someone she cared about could change so abruptly
that he’d just dump her and run off. She does what we all would want to do,
would want to have the courage to do—to cast our lives aside and not take it
passively—to fight for what we would want.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The style of the book is very readable, and the dialogue
bounces along well. The diction of the vampires feels almost unrealistically
polite at the start, like an undead ‘get along gang’, but when they all start
squabbling it gets some hairs on its porcelain-white chest and bites nicely.
The descriptions of scenes and places are lavishly detailed and draw you deep
into the book. My only grumble was the tendency to flip between multiple points
of view in scenes—I found it quite distracting and often unnecessary.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Heart Search: Lost is a great debut for a series and leaves
you with a smorgasboard of teasers and plot threads for the next book. I was
left pondering which ones are going to play a big part in book two, and which
ones will mull like a good wine until book three.</div>
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You can check out Carlie Cullen's book here:</div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/OLwU59" target="_blank">At Amazon US of A</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><a href="http://amzn.to/PhC0Gu" target="_blank">Or Amazon UK</a></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
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<o:p>Carlie has agreed to do an interview on the Roaring Mouse in two weeks time, so I'll look forward to finding out more about the book and how it was written.</o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
Ross M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878613700333777784.post-52274363490303765632012-10-02T23:44:00.000-07:002012-10-04T11:37:41.859-07:00The Banned Underground Series by Will Macmillan-Jones<div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dZvDf75pK_k/UGrlXw4gq6I/AAAAAAAABNQ/iCfak5tXgr4/s1600/7736309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dZvDf75pK_k/UGrlXw4gq6I/AAAAAAAABNQ/iCfak5tXgr4/s200/7736309.jpg" width="129" /></a>A triple wammy this week on the Roaring Mouse. Last year,when I was digging around forums on the Authonomy website, I met a <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">UK</st1:place></st1:country> author WillMacmillan-Jones, who contributed far more frequently than I on the (infamous)Alliance of World Builders. Will had just been signed up by Safkhet Publishing,a small press based in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cambridge and now London</st1:place></st1:city>. His first two books, The Amulet of Kings and The Mystic Accountants, have since been released and I had the pleasure of reviewing the second for Fantasy Book Reviews earlier in the year. With the third Banned Underground book hovering in the ether and ready to materialise any day I thought it a great time to badger Will for an interview.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Banned Underground books follow the misadventures of a rock band whose member include a bog troll and several dwarves. Associated with the band are two human children, the nephew and niece of a rather cranky witch called Griselda. The first book is set in the <st1:place w:st="on">Lake District</st1:place>, in the current day, wherein the home of the dwarves (the Helvendelve) has come under attack by sinister sorcerers (Caer Surdin, who happen to be accountants). What follows is a witty and chaotic adventure which rapidly establishes the bizarre hidden magical world in which the protagonists live.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UPMdxyaUQSE/UGrlaNtqJ-I/AAAAAAAABNY/wsUFhhs-tDo/s1600/9303739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UPMdxyaUQSE/UGrlaNtqJ-I/AAAAAAAABNY/wsUFhhs-tDo/s320/9303739.jpg" width="210" /></a>The second story shifts the action to <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Wales</st1:place></st1:country> and introduces us to an alcoholic dragon called Dai (of course). We see more of the beer loving Tuatha (drunken faeries) and the Edern (High Elf managers who talk about CEOs and the Board all the time).<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’d always been touchy about fantasy humour. Unlike many people I know I’ve never read Pratchett—it just never appealed. I think, common to many fantasy fans, I’m rather protective of the genre. There just seems so many things to take the piss out of in it. But Will has a definite love and respect for fantasy which shows in his work. His characters are well written and funny, and his wit shines in the dialogue. The gags range from double-entendres to astute satire of teenagers, corporations, music and, of course, accountants.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Book three, The Vampire Mechanic, is coming very soon and I look forward to reading and reviewing it. In the interim, go and treat yourself to a copy of The Amulet of the Kings—it’s a perfect antidote to the gloom of George RR Martin and the current wave of dark fantasy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me. Hi Will. Thanks for joining us. </b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Where did you first dream up the idea of the Banned Underground?</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Will: Hi Ross, the hard questions first, eh?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love fantasy, and have one ever since I can remember.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was just a natural progression to want to write a fantasy<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>novel myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when I did, it was awful!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean truly dreadful.(Hands up who said ‘No Change there, then’! No sweetie for you afterwards.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in the writing of that book, the characters that would form the basis of my series came to life inside my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t long before they had taken over, and forced me to completely rewrite the whole book from a new perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their perspective. The Banned Underground were born…and already rocking.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As to where, well there was only one place for me to set the start of the series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lake District.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Possibly my favourite place in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of the ideas for the first book started to arrive whilst walking there on the high places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s no surprise to me that lots of writers have found their inspiration in the Lakes, and it’s an ambition of mine to one day be able to spend a lot of my time there, writing…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: </b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is this a series which will run and run, or do you have a finite number of books in mind?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Will: I’m a very, very, lucky boy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve got a publisher who loves what I am doing, and has signed me for a whole series of eight books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>EIGHT!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some days that’s a terrifying idea, on others it is an exhilarating prospect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The third book, The Vampire Mechanic, is about to be released, and I’m trying to finish the fourth book –Sax & Thugs & Rock N Roll as we speak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The submission deadline is November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fifth book – The SatNav of Doom - is planned and started, and I have the concepts for the sixth and seventh books now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pressure really is to try and make each book better than the last.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Me:Anyone who writes fantasy and humour will inevitably face comparisons to Pratchett.Are you a fan of his work?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Will: Ah, the brilliant Sir Terry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With a friend, I was privileged to hear the great man speak at the Hay Literary Festival this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can anyone not be a fan of his writing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is warm, witty and so very human.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His books shine out like a beacon to those of us aspiring to write comedy of any sort, as a perfect example of it should be written. And more to the point, how to write a series. Look at the Discworld books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each is a complete story in itself, and if you read them out of sequence, it doesn’t really matter that much does it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And THAT means that if the shop you are in doesn’t have them all, well that doesn’t stop you buying one does it?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brilliant.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: </b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What's the current work in progress? And feel free to tell us about new book!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Will: Right at the moment, I am very, very excited by the imminent release of The Vampire Mechanic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, my take on the vampire stories so popular at the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, to kill two birds with one stone, the festive season gets a few knocks too as Santa’s Sleigh gets borrowed by His Little Helpers to get them to a gig by The Banned Underground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But on the way, they crash into a hillside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, they need some help getting The Sleigh fixed, and The Banned get dragged into another adventure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the usual cast of my characters get involved, and a simple situation quickly gets complicated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sax & Thugs & Rock N Roll (thanks to the great Ian Dury for the title!) is well in progress for the release date of next April.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Girls always get in the way,don’t they lads?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this time there’s agirl who is determined to get in the way. She’s got something to prove, and a big bass guitar to prove it with…This one is a bit more about the characters,and a bit less of the usual wild romp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But a wonderful new character gets a cameo, and book Seven to himself!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fear not, the Dark Wizards get the fifth book to themselves when they get sent on a dangerous quest to recover The SatNav of Doom… <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: </b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Ever considered a graphic novel of the Banned Underground?</span></b></div>
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Will: I’ve never considered a graphic novel, to tell you the truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have worked well for Neil Gaiman though, haven’t they?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually,thinking about it, the books could do well in that medium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of the humour is quite visual really,and would translate easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any offers,anyone?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: </b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your love of music shines through in the books. Put together your seven song dream soundtrack for the movie of your book.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-10_tfL4mTaY/UGrlg9T-1rI/AAAAAAAABNg/AV3fhJzVAwA/s1600/banned-stage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-10_tfL4mTaY/UGrlg9T-1rI/AAAAAAAABNg/AV3fhJzVAwA/s320/banned-stage.jpg" width="320" /></a>Will: I’ve been a music fan all my life, and I have music playing almost all the time. I work from home, so the stereo is always on,playing blues, jazz, and Rock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To pick so few songs is a real challenge, as mood plays such a huge part of my selection on any day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, here goes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jailhouse Rock. (Elvis) Classic Rock N Roll. Elvis will always be the king, and Scotty Moore – his guitarist – knew everything about timing a groove.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Johnny B Goode. (Chuck Berry) Every band worth anything can play this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why? Because that riff is hard wired into the heart of Rock N Roll.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rock N Roll.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Led Zeppelin) From the moment Bonzo hits the skins this one takes off, and the greatest Rock Band ever are flying.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jumping Jack Flash (Rolling Stones) Yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just yes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Back to Black<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Amy Winehouse)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such a talent, such a loss.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Whole Lot Of Rosie (AC/DC) And a classic riff from Angus.One for my funeral play list.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? (Dusty Springfield) A voice to melt chocolate. And me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Me, Myself, I (Joan Armatrading ) Because it says a lot about where I am personally at the moment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There you go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Problem is, if you ask me tomorrow, you will get a different list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m presently learning The Green Manalishi,and that would make the list, as would…<o:p></o:p></div>
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Of course, that’s rather my current list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At heart, the guys are a blues based dance band, and that’s what they would play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you see a bearded, slightly drunken dwarf crooning ‘Will you still Love Me Tomorrow?’ convincingly?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me:</b> <b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the newbies in the world of publishing have you any sage-like words of wisdom on how to get your book out there, or even garner a publishing deal?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Will: How to get your book out there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well there’s more choice than ever now, isn’tthere?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you listen to traditionally published authors, a lot of them are extolling the virtues of self publishing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ‘snobbery’ that used to be attached to self publishing has been eroded, especially by the emergence of the ebook and the way Amazon and Smashwords have made it so easy for anyone to produce a book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And everyone wants to see an actual copy of their own book on a bookshelf, and again CreateSpace and Lightning Source have made it possible for anyone to have that at a reasonable cost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before going down that route though, everyone is going to research agents and publishers and try to get a traditional contract.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But you need to have the right book, and be in the right place at the right time…I’m not going to pretend that my books are way better than anyone else’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was just lucky with my publisher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are a small house, yet they get over 80manuscripts sent to them every week…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KAT6rZ2kzkA/UGrlVo3xfBI/AAAAAAAABNI/9cklqTZ-dJ0/s1600/515746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KAT6rZ2kzkA/UGrlVo3xfBI/AAAAAAAABNI/9cklqTZ-dJ0/s320/515746.jpg" width="206" /></a>The advice I’d give a prospective author is this: select your<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>publisher or agent carefully, then read everything you can about them: then follow TO THE LETTER the submission guidelines they post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you do not, you will be rejected with your work unread, however good it may be.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: </b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You're published by Safkhet publishing- tell us a bit about them and how things are going there.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
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I think I’m really lucky with Safkhet Publishing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They share my sense of humour and we share the same ethics and goals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are committed to getting some really great fantasy and rom-com books published in a professional manner, and have made a brilliant start in their first full year of operations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We get on really well as people too, and that is important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you can talk to your publisher as a friend as well as a business partner, then the relationship is going to be fruitful for both parties. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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This is going to be a really exciting second year for Safkhet Publishing, and I’m pleased and proud to be a part of that. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Thanks again for an awesome interview there, Will. Here are some of the links to check out Will,his website and his books!</b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.thebannedunderground.com/" target="_blank">The Banned Underground website</a><o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p><a href="http://safkhetpublishing.com/index.htm" target="_blank">Safkhet Publishing</a></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Will-Macmillan-Jones/e/B005TIMXI0/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1/191-5896782-5647125" target="_blank">Will's Amazon author page</a> in the US of A</o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Will-Macmillan-Jones/e/B005TIMXI0/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1/277-0480520-9333050" target="_blank">Will's Amazon author page in the UK</a></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b><br />
<o:p>(Banned Underground band image (c) Sam Dogra. Used with permission)</o:p><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b> </div>
</div>
Ross M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878613700333777784.post-79992190766624599242012-09-15T02:00:00.000-07:002012-09-15T02:00:02.687-07:00Heart Search by Carlie CullenOne of my good friends, Carlie Cullen, is releasing her new book in a few weeks time (October is going to be such a good month... Carlie's book, Alison De Luca's re-issue , and my new one too). The book, Heart Search, is already down for a definite Roaring Mouse slot... with the mandatory questions, of course. In the interim, Carlie has been good enough to let me have a taster of her new cover and also the blurb for the book. Just to whet the appetite!<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TMt0oBUYmUg/UFOGa2FFGcI/AAAAAAAABE0/sx-5pxSPPkU/s1600/Heart+Search+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TMt0oBUYmUg/UFOGa2FFGcI/AAAAAAAABE0/sx-5pxSPPkU/s320/Heart+Search+cover.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One bite starts it all . . .</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When Joshua Grant vanishes days before his wedding his
fiancée Remy is left with only bruises, scratch marks and a hastily written
note. Heartbroken, she sets off alone to find him and begins a long journey
where strange things begin to happen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As Joshua descends into his new immortal life he indulges
his thirst for blood and explores his superhuman strength and amazing new
talents while becoming embroiled in coven politics which threaten to destroy
him. But Remy discovers a strength of her own on her quest to bring Joshua
home. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Fate toys with mortals and immortals alike, as two hearts
torn apart by darkness face ordeals which test them to their limits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
Sounds excellent! It'll be released in association with Myrddin Book Publishing, which is a new indie author collaborative, which Carlie, Alison De Luca, and me. are involved in. Exciting time ahead...<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aM41njdrhj8/UFOGdVNcpfI/AAAAAAAABE8/UWkibv2yono/s1600/Heart+Search+Blog+Tour+Badge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aM41njdrhj8/UFOGdVNcpfI/AAAAAAAABE8/UWkibv2yono/s200/Heart+Search+Blog+Tour+Badge.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Ross M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878613700333777784.post-51157684224048804592012-08-31T12:38:00.000-07:002012-08-31T12:38:11.000-07:00Covenant of the Faceless Knights by Gary VanucciIn the endlessly running sitcom ‘Friends’ there was an
episode where Joey was in Vegas and saw a croupier with the same hands as him.
He dubbed him his 'hand twin.'<br />
In a similar fashion, via the medium of Tweet I have located my author twin-
Gary Vanucci.<br />
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HAVK0CrtD7I/UEEQAjljJfI/AAAAAAAABDI/4YMrg_BtL5w/s1600/Covenant+Cover+Front+with+BOOK2+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HAVK0CrtD7I/UEEQAjljJfI/AAAAAAAABDI/4YMrg_BtL5w/s320/Covenant+Cover+Front+with+BOOK2+copy.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city> writes
fantasy with an unashamedly DnD influence, focusing on detailed action and
intricate world building. His Wothlandia books are set in the Realm of
Ashenclaw, a land populated by adventurers, dwarves, elves, demons and dragons.
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city> has
developed a wealth of material to support his books- a DnD sourcebook, a great
web-site, and a fantastic partnership with author-artist William Kenney. The
covers are fantastic, bringing to mind the classic sixties and seventies styles
that adorned sword & sorcery classics by Moorcock et al.</div>
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But a book is far more than its cover, and <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city>'s work doesn't fail to impress. My first
exposure was one of his prequels (now collected in a single volume) and from
that I went on to read Covenant of the Faceless Knights.</div>
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</div>
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Covenant tells the tale of Garius, a rather dour Inquisitor, who assembles a
group of disparate heroes to accompany him on a mission to rescue some priests.
The heroes struggle to integrate initially - as you'd expect from a barbarian,
a thief and an elf alchemist. However their journey brings out their
extraordinary talents and they knit together as the story progresses. In the
backstory we have a demonic warlord making alliances with succubi queens, evil
dwarves and a lich. Yep, a lich! Only one down from a beholder for sheer
classic DnD! The main purpose there seems to be to set up books 2+, which is
something that I (as well as authors like Martin and Erikson) like to do.</div>
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</div>
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The characters are great: lots of fun, interesting, with abilities verging on
super powered. In fact I could pick up a big comic-book influence in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city>'s style ( just like
me :-D ... Truly we are author twins).</div>
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I felt genuinely curious about what happens next when the book finished, and
look forward to reading the sequel. I interviewed <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Gary</st1:city></st1:place> about being a self-pub author, so
without further ado, over to my US 'twin.'</div>
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</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Where did you draw the inspiration for the
Wothlondia series from? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"></st1:place></st1:city><br />
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city>:
I wanted to do a series of prequel short stories that actually added not only
history to my world, but character development. I am attempting to set the
characters up in the mind of the reader to allow them greater depth, motivation
and a sense of what makes them tick. The whole series came to me from decades
of writing my own D&D adventures, campaigns, etc. Most of the story,
background, maps, etc. came from those years with quite a bit of tweaks and
changes to give them the feel of the Realm of Ashenclaw setting. All of the
characters are my own creations. They are not old characters.<o:p></o:p><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NpDcJ6RDros/UEEQE3VtBvI/AAAAAAAABDQ/xdtGrSz5VPI/s1600/Wothlondia+Rising+FRONT+BeginninngsBook+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NpDcJ6RDros/UEEQE3VtBvI/AAAAAAAABDQ/xdtGrSz5VPI/s320/Wothlondia+Rising+FRONT+BeginninngsBook+2.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: You've assembled
a great cast of characters. Who do you like writing the most out of them all?</b><br />
<br />
I can’t choose that! It’s like asking “who is your favourite
child?” I do enjoy writing them all. Orngoth to me is kind of like the Hulk. I
picture this massive monster of a man and go from there. Garius is your typical
leader-type with very little in the way of emotion or humor. He is slightly
emotionally stunted I guess, though this is a kind of social impedance in that
regard. He puts his work and his devotion above all else. Saeunn is a cold,
heartless warrior with a chip on her shoulder. She has suffered great loss
early on, especially if you have read Tears of Blood, and it continues in
Covenant. She has become very callous and guarded emotionally, aside from her mother.
Elec is a kind of young adult to me. He is very naïve and growing, kind of
inexperienced and yet, extremely intelligent and full of potential. He is
becoming more and more addicted to the adrenaline rush of combat as well as his
elixirs. It should be a very relatable tale with him moving forward. And Rose
is really developing on her own, moreso than any of the others. She started out
with a rough childhood, got used to a certain lifestyle afforded her by
Ganthorpe and the Thieves’ Guild and currently, she is realizing that she was
missing out on the action. She has a hidden side that really enjoyed working
hard and she misses the ‘thrill and excitement of her youth. And, above all
else, I try to write my characters so that they seem real, with real emotion
and motivations.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: How much has
playing (and presumably DMing) role-playing games influenced your writing? Do
you worry that such influences may pigeon-hole your work amongst fantasy
readers?</b><br />
<br />
Gary: Playing and DMing has given me more to draw on and
opened my mind, as has everything else I have ever done with regards to
creativity and exposing myself to other imaginary worlds. All of my past
hobbies have influenced me greatly. I feel that I can place a spin on the
typical good vs. bad and make it unique, fun and even engaging enough to make
people want to read it. I don’t think that pigeon-holing is what I would worry
about. I am telling high fantasy and a reader comes along with certain
expectations in that genre, which I am fully capable of providing. However, I
feel that I can place an exceptional stamp on my characters, my writing and my
world that will make the experience very unique.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: What are your big
literary influences?</b><br />
<br />
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city>:
R.A. Salvatore. He is amazing. I have never read an author that can put so much
detail in the world, speak so uniquely, introduced so many awesome characters
and still give you a fight scene that is incredibly written. I also enjoy
Michael Moorcock, George Martin, Terry Brooks, Robert E. Howard, Frank Miller,
Peter David, and Alan Moore. There are really too many to name. Also, I must
say that there are seriously tons of good fantasy writers on the indie side
that need to be read as well. Mind you, there is also a lot of garbage, which
is the con about self-publishing, but there are quite a few gems out there as
well. Visit <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Skulldust Circle</st1:address></st1:street>
and you very well may find some good ones there! *hint-hint* As a side note, I
am currently reading your Darkness Rising novel and feel that I must say, your
writing is brilliant and elegant, and more people really need to discover your
prose as I believe they will greatly enjoy it. As a fan of epic fantasy, I
would recommend it!<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rZU3rAU_pYI/UEEQNj58WYI/AAAAAAAABDY/w1p32oOBT64/s1600/Secrets+of+the+Ebonite+Mines+bestBOOK+3+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rZU3rAU_pYI/UEEQNj58WYI/AAAAAAAABDY/w1p32oOBT64/s320/Secrets+of+the+Ebonite+Mines+bestBOOK+3+cover.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: The covers are
amazing- tell us something more about them.</b><br />
<br />
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city>:
They developed from my mind and I give Mr. William Kenney (also another <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Skulldust Circle</st1:address></st1:street>
author and my artist!) the descriptions and he churns out something amazing for
me. It is truly amazing to work with someone who shares your vision on what the
quality of the covers should look like, what the characters need to look like
and the overall feel and ambiance of the world I am trying to create. If you
need some amazing, character-focused artwork, please look him up!<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: Fun question: in
the <st1:place w:st="on">Hollywood</st1:place> blockbuster who would play your
main characters?</b><br />
<br />
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city>:
I’ve been asked this before and still have no good answers. I’d really love
Olivia Wilde to play Rose in my movie. I think she would be amazing as a
smart-ass rogue-type. I think I’d like Karl Urban to play Garius. The dude is
extremely intense and his scowl is unmatched. Imagine him shaved bald with a
long beard…lol. The elf-like character that appeared in Hellboy 2 might make an
awesome Elec. Aside from a few stars to carry the movie, I’d try to introduce
some new actors in an attempt to give some fresh talent a chance to make it in
the big town of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Hollywood</st1:city></st1:place>!
<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: With the advent
of e-publishing, people have been predicting the end of print. I recall the
same predictions with the boom of multi-player Internet based gaming that the
same would happen with RPG. What are your thoughts on this?</b><br />
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city>:
My opinion, albeit a strong one, is: It will never happen. Never. Mark it down.
There will always be a want and therefore a need for publishing houses to
continue on in print. It may never be lower than it is now, but it certainly
will never disappear completely. I think it would be foolish, irresponsible and
short-sighted. What if something happened to the internet? All we would have
left would be print.<o:p></o:p><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: So what are your
current projects? </b><br />
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</div>
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<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city>:
I am currently writing Book 4 in my series, called Dance of Deceit, which
continues the saga of my heroes and which I expect to be released by this
Christmas…if all goes well. There will be quite a few reveals and (teaser)
quite possibly a death of a character in there. (WHAT?!) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br />
I also have a short story that will be out shortly with some
of the guys from <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Skulldust Circle</st1:address></st1:street>!
You may have heard of them. My story is the Legend of Ashenclaw (the giant
red-dragon queen whose namesake is the branding of my world!) IT should be epic
for any fans of my world and there are several other amazing short stories in
there that need to be perused as well. I think this cross-promotion anthology
will be an awesome endeavour that introduces many readers to our work that otherwise
may not have taken the chance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
Thanks for having me and I look forward to an interview with
you as well!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Thanks, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city>,
especially for the mention of my work!!! The Skulldust anthology will be out
soon, and in the interim check out <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city>’s
excellent style at the links below and on his website.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gary-F.-Vanucci/e/B005E1EIWQ" target="_blank">Gary's Amazon page</a><o:p></o:p><br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<o:p><a href="http://www.ashenclaw.com/" target="_blank">Realm of Ashenclaw website</a></o:p><br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<o:p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Covenant-Faceless-Knights-Beginnings-ebook/dp/B0083ZDROA/ref=pd_sim_sbs_kstore_4?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2" target="_blank">Covenant of the Faceless Knights </a></o:p><br />
<o:p></o:p>Ross M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878613700333777784.post-88240283398726515052012-08-23T14:12:00.000-07:002012-08-23T14:12:35.419-07:00The Charm by Alana Siegel<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0IYFnbzBso/UDaa3CEq2WI/AAAAAAAABCs/xDz_RsnpPvM/s1600/CharmCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0IYFnbzBso/UDaa3CEq2WI/AAAAAAAABCs/xDz_RsnpPvM/s320/CharmCover.jpg" width="200" /></a>One of the coolest things about Twitter, and something that compensates for its vampiric ability to devour time, is meeting new authors. I met Alana in my earlier days on there and downloaded her book during a promo. The first thing that struck me, and this is something I have later learned is THE key factor for self-pub books, was the awesome cover. The Charm is perfectly pitched: a teen modern sci-fi/paranormal/fantasy mash-up.<br />
<br />
The story is taken from the perspective of Olivia Hart, an average insecure sixteen year old in a US High school. Olivia is struggling after her relationship with the school bad-boy, and moreso as her older brother has left for college. So far, so Degrasi Junior High, until Olivia is sat in the canteen with her friends and sees her ex getting angry... and lightning bolts arcing out of his head.<br />
<br />
There is a glut of paranormal romance in the YA market at the moment, jolted along by the runaway success of Twilight and Vampire Diaries. To an old Marvel fan like me it was refreshing to see one that is essentially a superhero story, agreeably with a Percy Jackson-esque mythical bent. As Olivia discovers weirder and weirder events, she finds that strange powers are coming to fore in both herself and her friends... The Gifted.<br />
<br />
The emergence of powers and the effects they have on the characters and their relationships is setting the series up well to run and run. There is a continual cinematic feel to the book, and for me to get all interested in a US high school novel is an achievement Alana should be proud of!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SRQ0hkSUMU0/UDaazEn1UyI/AAAAAAAABCk/P3LpB1zjcfw/s1600/AuthorAlana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SRQ0hkSUMU0/UDaazEn1UyI/AAAAAAAABCk/P3LpB1zjcfw/s320/AuthorAlana.jpg" width="238" /></a>I interviewed Alana about her first novel, The Charm, not long after the release of her second in the series. So, without further ado, let's quiz Alana...<br />
<br />
<strong>Me: The high school setting of your book, The Charm, suited the YA genre of the book perfectly. It's difficult to avoid stereotypes in such a well-used setting, though. How do you go about designing your characters to do that?</strong><br />
<br />
Alana: I’ve heard people say that you should write what you know, and so I allowed my personal life to inspire the dynamic characters in the Olivia Hart and the Gifted Program series. Many of the situations are based (loosely) on people and events in my life. For example, in high school, my ex-boyfriend brought flowers to a girl in the same class as me, just to make me jealous (it didn’t work!). I dream of the day that I am on the Ellen DeGeneres show with my high school friends and readers get to see real live versions of my characters. ;-)<br />
<br />
To answer the next questions on the tip of your tongue, I didn't have super powers when I was in high school, but who wouldn't want to add special abilities when you are rewriting history? <br />
<br />
<strong>Me: Olivia is a wonderful and complex main character. I think we all put part of ourselves in our creations. How much of you is in Olivia- or indeed any of the characters?</strong><br />
<br />
Interesting timing for your question! The Retreat, book #2 in the series was launched a week ago, and I received a review on the Amazon page from a reader who wasn't a family member or friend. He wrote, "Alana Siegel is a girl at heart, and enjoys writing the joys and challenges of enduring love, and friendship."<br />
<br />
For a minute, I was stunned. How did this random reader know me so well? Then, I was unbelievably happy because I realised Olivia had translated my passions perfectly. I am a self-professed Tween Queen.<br />
<br />
<strong>Me: I'm just completing a series of fantasy novels and have tied up my story arcs. Is your series a pre-determined length or have you left it open/flexible?</strong><br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6EuktJPYNgg/UDaa-ck4WfI/AAAAAAAABC0/Bq5Ju0rPazk/s1600/RetreatCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6EuktJPYNgg/UDaa-ck4WfI/AAAAAAAABC0/Bq5Ju0rPazk/s320/RetreatCover.jpg" width="204" /></a>Alana: I always hoped to write a trilogy or a series. I love to get lost in an adventure with old friends. My outline maps out Olivia's path, however, there are still open ended questions about her relationships and journeys. I love feedback from readers and will incorporate their ideas into my writing.<br />
<br />
The Retreat added 2 new characters - Great Aunt Evelyn who is a 97 year old woman with spunk and Luca Hale who knows a thing or two about charming. I am toying with an idea for book 3; perhaps having the book begin by questioning Aunt Ev's innocence and building up a Team Justin vs. Team Luca rivalry for Olivia's affection.<br />
<br />
<strong>Me: The boom in e-publishing has created a whole new generation of writers putting their stuff out there. What advice could you give to those starting out on the path to self-pub?</strong><br />
<br />
The publishing industry is changing for the better. Great books can now be read by the masses without getting tangled up in the politics of the publishing industry. With websites to post book reviews, the end users (the readers) are now the final judges of a book, instead of the large publishing houses.<br />
<br />
Joining twitter, I was able to contact thousands of authors (like yourself!), and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they were welcoming and willing to help. They retweeted my novel to their followers, shared my story on their blog, and passed along helpful tips and advice. Goodreads is also a fantastic place to connect with fellow readers and writers.<br />
<br />
If you turn writing into a hobby instead of a job, you will find instant gratification. Enjoy the journey, and never give up.<br />
<br />
<strong>Me: My preconception of New York comes from superhero comics and cop shows. What's it like living and working there?</strong><br />
<br />
Haha! Growing up in New York was great. It is truly the city that never sleeps, and Manhattan was my playground when I went to New York University. This past June, my fiance and I moved to San Francisco. I miss the skyscrapers, but my lifestyle is definitely more relaxed! I insist you take a trip to both cities!<br />
<br />
If only! Thanks very much to Alana for a fun interview, and good luck in the cool city of San Francisco. Here are the links to her books and web-sites. Hope you get chance to look in.<br />
<br />Website: <a href="http://www.oliviahartbooks.com/">http://www.oliviahartbooks.com</a><br />
YouTube: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fO7GhrerfgU">http://www.youtube.com/embed/fO7GhrerfgU</a><br />
Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Olivia-Hart/198744080212227">http://www.facebook.com/pages/Olivia-Hart/198744080212227</a><br />
Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/AlanaSiegel">https://twitter.com/#!/AlanaSiegel</a>Ross M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878613700333777784.post-60473290749578292942012-07-10T13:54:00.000-07:002012-07-10T13:54:35.696-07:00Dark's Daughter Hope by Joshua BiggerEvery so often you read a book that stays with you
afterwards, whether that’s because it provokes thoughts and feelings within you
that need allocating into their relevant compartments in your brain, or because
they were crap and you think why did I squander valuable oxygen whilst I read
that?<o:p></o:p>
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<o:p> </o:p>Joshua Bigger’s fantasy book Dark’s Daughter Hope definitely
falls into the former category. It’s a self-published work that I downloaded
during a promotional run via Twitter. It had some emotive reviews on Amazon <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> and so I
thought I’d give it a go.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LbtuuycH4g8/T_yU9dmgHoI/AAAAAAAAAiE/YNPtXUILL3Y/s1600/fire-wizards-background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LbtuuycH4g8/T_yU9dmgHoI/AAAAAAAAAiE/YNPtXUILL3Y/s320/fire-wizards-background.jpg" width="320" /></a>It’s a wonderful book. Joshua manages to weave an intricate,
adult plot that seamlessly merges world-building, memorable characters and
multi-layered topics. The narrative follows several characters through a period
of significant change in the world of Galan. Tanlray is attending a festival
called The Choosing, in which the sorcerous God-kin select groups of eager
young pups to join their servants, on the premise that they too begin to wield
magic. This magic is focused through acquisition of Sharka gems that relate to
channels of power running through organs, with the God-kin being the possessors
of all seven. Tanlray becomes inadvertently involved with Blak, who is a
mysterious individual fighting against the God-kin.</div>
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At the same time we follow further sets of
characters—Bendit, Miran, Valadin and Krantz—who become associated with a
bitter sorcerer, Maan. Their adventure runs initially parallel to Tanlray’s
journey, but inevitably everyone meets together and learns the secrets of the
Sharka gems.</div>
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The tale is brutal and uncompromising—this is not a fantasy
book for the easily upset or offended. It treads the same ground as dark
fantasy writers like George RR Martin, Joe Abercrombie and Steven Erikson, and
ups its game to rival those writers. The characters are diverse and
challenging, and not all likeable. Their needs are sometimes petty and
sometimes selfish, and this makes them interesting and realistic. The action is
visceral and makes for harsh reading at points, but is laced with a very black
streak of humour (one scene, when we first meet Blak, he focuses his Svad and
Mulad magic from his aching penis and decapitates his opponent). </div>
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The book works on several levels, as all good books should.
Bigger’s underlying theme about the corruption and deception of blind faith is
a key focus of the book. The God-kin are, by and large, arseholes who
manipulate and abuse those who are devoted to them. That two of the main
characters are God-kin and, despite their appalling behaviour, become
anti-heroes that you almost enjoy reading about, is a testament to Bigger’s
text. Ultimately the themes of love, comradeship and appeasement emerge and I
was left having enjoyed the book and looking forward to the sequels. And, simply
put, the characters of Cat and Stinker are inspired....</div>
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I asked Joshua a few questions about the book and about his
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<strong>Me: Let's start gently, Joshua. Who are your biggest influences inand out of the fantasy genre?</strong></div>
<br />
Joshua: Hi, Ross, thanks for having me!<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jmwoR-HG1Nk/T_yVD9JdLZI/AAAAAAAAAiM/Ec_W7Fu5CI0/s1600/medieval-dark-fantasy-1440x900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jmwoR-HG1Nk/T_yVD9JdLZI/AAAAAAAAAiM/Ec_W7Fu5CI0/s320/medieval-dark-fantasy-1440x900.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
I always stayed up late as a kid, reading by my Donald Duck night light, or with a flash light under the covers. I’ve read thousands of books! But to keep it manageable, here’s a short list,sans all the emotions, meaning, and memories associated with them. <br />
<br />
Lloyd Alexander, David Eddings, Terry Brooks, Frank Herbert, Roger Zelazny, JohnNorman, Dennis Schmidt, Tad Williams, Robert Jordan, Robin Hobb, and George RRMartin. Several other great influences are Carlos Castaneda, George Gurdjieff, and Jiddu Krishnamurti.<br />
<br />
<strong>Me: Dark's Daughter Hope has a superb system of magic. I loved the integral way it plays into the plot line. Where did you develop the idea from?</strong><br />
<br />
Joshua: The notion of energy predators is ancient, from demons and vampiresto modern Republicans. We see and experience it in daily life all the time. It’sthe basic feudalism of human society, with all of its dominance issues, money,food, and sex. Recently, the film ‘The Matrix’ beautifully expressed theseideas visually, human beings serving as batteries for elites of whatevernature. <br />
<br />
Secondly, I wanted to explore basic perversions of life energy,so chose the chakras as a system somewhat familiar to the casual reader. I alsoliked the idea of transmitting talent or energy in David Farland’s ‘TheRunelords,’ but instead of a direct one-on-onecorrespondence between the transmitter and receiver, I preferred a more general, random fire in the population at large.<br />
<br />
Finally, since the book is thematically non-dual, or Advaita Vedanta,the action, the universe itself, is all happening in the context of an Infinite,Conscious Being. Which is a challenge to verbalize in and of itself.<br />
<br />
<strong>Me: I thought that the some of the sexual violence in the book, although vital, was hard to read. They must be tough sections to write?</strong><br />
<br />
Joshua: Those scenes, though brief, are difficult because they’re generally expressions of emotional immaturity, or corruption. Something twisted, blocked, or denied,instead of free flowing sexual/life energy. At the same time, we are animals, with all of the urges of an animal, combined with our unique capacity for manipulating our own nervous systems via imagination. So, those scenes are graphically masturbatory, as they involve a one way taking. Dardaryk abuses authority and power by raping a human being he should be protecting. In the case of Maan, his need overrides his reason while Miran is unconscious. In those two instances, consent and sharing is impossible. Both scenes illustrate a profound inability to deal with another living being. It's masturbation in different forms.<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-duOx07MHBdo/T_yVMyLpCnI/AAAAAAAAAiU/gXbRB9IL704/s1600/Swamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-duOx07MHBdo/T_yVMyLpCnI/AAAAAAAAAiU/gXbRB9IL704/s320/Swamp.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Thoughts and desires rise mechanically in all of our minds, and if the average person were honest, they’d admit to living in a mental cesspool of fear, lust, hunger, and frustration. When these urges and emotions arecombined with the awareness of impending death, the desperation drives men and women to extreme acts in spite of the denials or justifications, in spite of the consolations and dreams, of their contrived personas<br />
<br />
<strong>Me: Fantasy series are notoriously like series of Lost- going on with no end in sight. You got a set number of books in mind?</strong><br />
<br />
Joshua: I hear you. I’ve waited for over twenty years to finish reading ‘TheWheel of Time.’ Unfortunately, even though I like Brandon Sanderson, I no longer have any interest in Rand and company (though I must say, the first six books are an incredible achievement).<br />
<br />
The ‘Dark’s Daughter’ series will remain a fast-paced trilogy.The same is true for the ‘Wielders’ series. ‘The Servants’ is projected to be five books. I want the illusion and feel of Epic Fantasy without thousands of tedious pages describing buttons, lace, and pony-tail pulling, or the minute particulars of some city bureaucracy<br />
<br />
<strong>Me: Your bio mentions acting in your life. What do you bring from that to your writing?</strong><br />
<br />
Joshua: The poetry, rhythm, and music of language. There’s an enormous difference between reading silently, and reading aloud. With Shakespeare in particular, the images are huge and hyperbolic, the action intense and over the top. The stage is a necessarily exaggerated and extreme means of exploring human nature and possibility because the action is right there in your face.<br />
<br />
As an author, you play God in your worlds. You’re everycharacter, and none of them. That’s a life lesson in acting as well as inwriting.<br />
<br />
<strong>Me: Self-publishing can be a lonely place- what advice would yougive first time authors starting on the road?</strong><br />
<br />
It has been a primarily lonely place with very few lights in the darkness. It’s an evolving learning process and crisis of fire. How do I reach people? Why aren’t people reading or responding? Is the work totally worthless? No potential at all? Do I lack the talent to succeed? Maybe I’m not as smart as I’d like to think I am. I’ll live in this car until it becomes my coffin. Etc.<br />
<br />
Basically, you’re confronted with yourself. You are challenged, you are pushed, you don’t know what to do or where to go. You’re laying it all on the line, and maybe that all isn’t very much.<br />
<br />
All I can say, really, is that the opportunity for success is there, if people know you exist, and share your concerns. I’ve learned that many people will simply ignore books from certain genres. Some self-published authors appear to have many, many friends helping them. Others not so much. Every situation is unique.<br />
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You can have thousands of Twitter followers without having anyone, ever, visit your Blog or read your books. That’s the reality. You have to deal with it. And you wonder why, but don’t have enough information for an answer,aside from the serpent whispering, You’re not good enough, you’re not good enough…<br />
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All you have is yourself, all you have to work with is yourself.Trust yourself, even, and especially, in front of the firing squad. What else can you do? Trust yourself. Be patient. Write.<br />
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Thanks to Joshua for some incredible answers. If you want to check out his book then follow the links and his web-site is also listed: <br />
<br />
UK amazon link is <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Darks-Daughter-Hope-ebook/dp/B005M3MGFW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341951959&sr=8-1" target="_blank">here</a><br />
US amazon link is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Darks-Daughter-Hope-ebook/dp/B005M3MGFW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341952059&sr=8-2&keywords=darks+daughter+hope" target="_blank">right here...</a><br />
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And his website is <a href="http://www.joshuabigger.com/apps/blog/" target="_blank">http://www.joshuabigger.com/apps/blog/</a><br />
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<br />Ross M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878613700333777784.post-69715215480158749992012-05-29T12:12:00.002-07:002012-05-29T12:12:49.527-07:00Binary by Jennifer Jeff CoonsYoung Adult fiction as a genre has become synonymous with paranormal romance over the last few years, following the immense popularity of Twilight, Vampire diaries and the like. The new film of the Hunger Games and the explosion of interest in the trilogy may, however, be set to topple vampires from their pole position.<br />
<br />
I considered myself new to YA fiction until I considered that I've read a fair few books over the years that could be classed that way, or certainly would be in that section in WH Smiths. The one that springs to mind is Northern Lights, by Philip Pullman- a mash of allegory, fantasy, Steampunk and sci-fi.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8LG_GmIVBDo/T8UeBISTD4I/AAAAAAAAAd8/Xs6S-pfpBho/s1600/binary5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8LG_GmIVBDo/T8UeBISTD4I/AAAAAAAAAd8/Xs6S-pfpBho/s200/binary5.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />And the featured book this week, Binary by Jennifer Jeff Coons, enters a similarly tricky to classify arena. I read the book earlier in the year when Jen was on the same publisher as me. She's since gone full indie and is self-pubin' Binary and the sequel Polaris on Kindle. I was immediately charmed by the almost fairy-tale quality of the sci-fi romance story, and look forwards to the sequel.</div>
<br />Binary is based on the premise of a parallel alien culture to ours which is linked in some mysterious fashion with Earth. The inhabitants of Gliese enter into a war with the Erisians, an invading planet with superior technology. Gliese is home to a range of bizarre and colourful races, of which the hero is the prince of. The ruling Gliesians have the ability to teleport (flash) and the hero, Prince Tyche, utilises this ability to reach our planet seeking help. This is driven by a memory he has of a girl called Brooklyn, who joins him with her friends, on a mission to fight the Erisians.<br />
<br />The story is told with alternating POV from Tyche and Brooklyn's perspectives and this first person style suits the romantic theme well. The story has a great momentum and an almost tele-visual quality to it, as the duo explore Gliese to gain advantage over the Erisians. It definitely finds it feet in the finale with action, suspense and betrayals all creating a strong conclusion.<br />
<br />In short it's a really enjoyable YA romance with a sci-fi setting and imaginative characters. Tyche is likeable, although seemingly perfect, and Brooklyn makes a strong female lead.<br />
<br />I interviewed Jenn about her work and her chosen genre-<br />
<br />Me: <strong>I'm not a big YA reader, but I really enjoyed your book. What inspired you to write a YA sci-fi fantasy versus the more usual YA paranormal?</strong><br />
<br />
JJC: A while back I took my kids to the Museum of Nature and Science here in Denver. We wandered through the exhibits and ended up in the planetarium. They were doing a question/ answer show. Everyone was asking about a newly discovered planet named Glise- 581g. I guess it had been in the news a lot recently... I hadn't heard about it. By the time we left the planetarium, my kids were practically jumping up and down with excitement about this new planet. Most of all they were excited because this planet was in the so called "Goldilocks Zone" (It is not to hot or too cold but the planet was just right for life to exist.) I decided that day that I needed to write a book about that planet. <br />
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<strong>Me: You clearly love sci-fi. What are the main influences on your work within the genre?</strong><br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SecUyERu57M/T8UdqWvTweI/AAAAAAAAAdk/wGa_Hhv0FDg/s1600/binary2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="99" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SecUyERu57M/T8UdqWvTweI/AAAAAAAAAdk/wGa_Hhv0FDg/s200/binary2.jpg" width="200" /></a>JJC: Okay so this is embarrassing... I had never read sci-fi before I wrote my book. 80% of what I read is YA. Most of that is Paranormal or adventure like books. Although now that I wrote Binary, I have read a lot of Sci-fi. So no sci-fi author influenced me... YA authors influenced me. The author who influenced me the most is probably Rick Riordan's work. Even though it is more mid grade. I love his writing style and his attention to detail.<br />
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<strong>Me: I loved the twist at the end of Binary, and it took me by surprise. When you write are you someone who plots out meticulously or are you more free-form in your ideas?</strong><br />
<br />
JJC: I don't plot out my books. I write like I read... I sit down at the computer and it spills out. I am glad I have been blessed with long fingers so my hands can keep the pace of my mind, most of the time. The end of Binary surprised me to, but it just wrote itself and when it was done I loved it.<br />
<br />
<strong>Me: Binary has a curiously parallel culture to ours existing on another world. Is that concept, that an alien culture resembles ours in some ways but not others, something you'll explore in future books?</strong><br />
<br />
JJC: Yes, you will learn in the rest of the series that there are reasons the culture on the planet Glise resembles ours. I believe I will write more books about aliens like us, because I really believe that is fact. In my mind I truly feel we aren't alone in the universe. Even more I think there are human like aliens out there living lives much like ours. Who knows maybe someday we will really meet them.<br />
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<strong>Me: Ok, fun question. Which is best, Twilight or Hunger Games, and why?</strong><br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qkuOYphwJ58/T8UdttRme7I/AAAAAAAAAds/HQiApV2uk7E/s1600/binary3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qkuOYphwJ58/T8UdttRme7I/AAAAAAAAAds/HQiApV2uk7E/s200/binary3.jpg" width="200" /></a>JJC: Hmmm- good question. This is a tough one for me because I LOVE YA ROMANCE. In Twilight the romance rocked! It also opened up a new genre to the world that never really existed before. Paranormal YA Romance ... But, with that said... Hunger Games would still come out as number one in the comparison because the author is a better writer overall. <br />
<br />
<strong>Me: After the glut of paranormal YA romances on the market where do you see YA fiction going next?</strong><br />
<br />
JJC: I hope they sway to sci-fi... lol. Honestly, I think paranormal romances are here to stay. I think YA readers don't like to be treated like children. They want to read about teens put in adult situations and thrive in them. I believe if someone can capture that concept in their writing, they could create the next fad in YA literature.<br />
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<strong>Me: Last question- what are you reading at present and what are you working on now? (ok, that's two questions)</strong><br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0D7cAZRmrJk/T8UdwWp8s0I/AAAAAAAAAd0/-236g4JyT7k/s1600/binary+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0D7cAZRmrJk/T8UdwWp8s0I/AAAAAAAAAd0/-236g4JyT7k/s200/binary+1.jpg" width="200" /></a>JJC: Lately, I have been exploring indie authors on Amazon. I have found some amazing authors and books that are self published. Currently, I am finishing up my third book in my Binary series. I am also working on a YA adventure/romance called Genealogy where some teens discover Earths family tree.<br />
<br />
Thanks to Jen for a great interview. You can look at her book voa the following links: <br />
<br />
Amazon UK Kindle <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Binary-revised-YA-Romance-ebook/dp/B007USAVNG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1338316906&sr=8-2" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
Amazon US Kindle <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Binary-revised-YA-Romance-ebook/dp/B007USAVNG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1338317049&sr=8-6" target="_blank">right here...</a><br />
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My Goodreads review is <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/286642254" target="_blank">right here, that's it, just click the link.</a> My Amazon one has disappeared :-(<br />
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<br />Ross M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878613700333777784.post-29498604308878984402012-05-05T06:35:00.000-07:002012-05-05T06:35:19.020-07:00The Assassin's Wedding by Wilf Morgan<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
I discovered Wilf's book, The Assassin's Wedding during the
time I spent on Completely Novel.com, where it was posted for free reading. Wilf's
book is a great example of the power of a good cover. I haven't read thrillers
since I trudged my way through Steig Laarson's Millennium trilogy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ultra-stylish cover (features of all
Wilf's books) caught my attention immediately- I scanned the blurb- and dove
straight in.</div>
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And what a discovery. The book begins at a wedding, with the
main character, Mike, introducing us gradually to his covert world of
assassinations. Very rapidly we get a sense that this is going to be an
atypical (and funny) journey with Mike. The humour is subtle for the main,
built (in true British style) around awkward situations, splendidly drawn
characters, well-observed cultural differences and irony. Wilf's particular
strength is in his pop-culture references, of which there are plenty.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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There is a strong cinematic vibe that runs through the book,
both in the evolving plot and the way the scenes are set. It is most apparent
in flashback chapters of Mike's life, which are written like scripts. It felt
odd initially but it works well, taking some potentially dark psychological
scenes and making them readable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The plot progresses in a wonderfully intricate way, with
twists and turns that get Mike further and further into trouble. Perhaps it was
the aforementioned cinematic tinge to it, or perhaps it was the dark humour and
assassins, but the book brought to mind the classic Grosse Point Blank. The
assassin aspect to it varies in its dominance of the tale, ultimately it is a
story of relationships, truth and trust.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So that's enough of my rambles- I interviewed Wilf Morgan
about the book and about his journey into self-publishing. He gave a fantastically
detailed interview:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was struck by the very cinematic nature of
your book, The Assassin's Wedding. Was that intentional or just a by-product of
how you write?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Wilf: Being into films (like most people!), I'm definitely a
fan of the cinematic style. I always imagine things very visually so that's how
I write them, too. It's not that I'm just trying to write a 'film on paper' -
prose has very definite differences to screen and some very definite
advantages, so you'd be foolish to simply try to recreate one medium in
another. But I do like reading things that flow in that very dynamic, visceral
way. I'm also a big comic fan. Comics are kind of a halfway house between film
and prose - they capture that visual aspect as well as being presented via
written word. So between film and comics, there are definite influences there
for me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Often, in books, I find that action scenes (for example) are
quite slow and overly intricate, even when they're meant to be fast and
desperate. That's partially down to the very nature of reading words off a page
- you can only process words so fast. But I've tried to take lessons from
certain writers (Doug E Winter's 'Run' for example) as well as certain comic
book writers regarding brevity and allowing the reader to fill in the blanks in
their mind. You won't have to describe everything in endless detail, slowing
down the action. And because people are so used to watching films, they tend to
fill in the details using that visual language. That's probably one reason why
books written this way do tend to feel somewhat cinematic.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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Another big thing I'm into is having a strong concept or
'point' of a story and then wrapping it in action. It's just a stylistic thing
I like and it probably comes from watching too much Star Trek! On the surface,
a typical episode / film of Star Trek is about people flying around in
starships fighting Klingons or some other menace - and all the associated
explosions and gunfights therein. But in reality, the stories are always
'about' something - getting older, dealing with grief, innocence of childhood,
accepting bad choices in early life etc. Those two aspects are what I really
enjoy in films/tv I watch and books I read. So I definitely try to recreate
that in my own work. In The Assassin's Wedding, for example, we have an
assassin taking on various targets and getting into all kinds of scrapes. Yet,
the story is really about 'can a person accept that who they are isn't
necessarily the best thing - and do they have the maturity to recognise that
changing for the better isn't necessarily 'selling out' but 'growing up').</div>
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So yeah, I think it's a big mistake to simply write a book
to reflect what you think you'd see on the screen - but, if what you're writing
lends itself to it, I think there are definitely some elements from the visual
media that can make prose work in a more dynamic way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: The comedy-crime
tone of your book was very well done. What writers in the genre inspire you in
your writing?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
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I'm not sure I can think of too many writers that inspire me
from a style perspective but there are some definite people that inspire me
just generally;</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
Iain M Banks' stuff is great because it pulls you so
completely into a fully realised world (or, I suppose, galaxy). It feels
totally real and it's almost like you're simply reading a 'diary' of events
that have really happened (ditto Tolkien with Lord of the Rings and R R Martin
with Game of Thrones). Robert Rodriguez is my favourite film director / writer
because of his brevity, speed and dynamic approach to even the most potentially
boring of scenes. I'm also a massive fan of dialogue so I really like Quentin
Tarantino and William Shakespeare (yes, I did just put them both in the same
sentence!). Both writers do brilliant, witty, clever and flowing dialogue. In
the same vein, I'm also a fan of comic book writers Mark Millar and Peter
David. But my favourite writer right now (and hopefully for a long time to
come) is Patrick Ness. He wrote the Chaos Walking trilogy as well as 'A Monster
Calls'. They are Young Adult books but written with a kind of maturity that a
good number of adult books lack. Quite simply, he knows how to tell a damn good
story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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With regards to the dark humour in The Assassin's Wedding, I
think I adopted that tone because making an assassin your main character (and
hence someone you're meant to root for) can be a very difficult thing to pull
off, especially if you're going to be 100% serious about it. At the end of the
day, these folks kill people for money - that' just not nice! Adopting a kind
of black humour means that I'm not really taking everything too seriously but
still allows me some space to address some of the darker, more serious aspects
of the story (Mike's family history, for example). Also, my previous book, Lost
Angels, was so serious and so dark, it almost sends you into depression reading
it - so I was determined to write something that was more fun this time around!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What made you decide to establish 88tales and
where do you plan to take it? What is it about self-publishing that appeals to
you most?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Wilf: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eighty8Tales
simply came about in the same way as plenty of other self-publishing ventures
are coming about nowadays - in response to two main developments; the rise of
print-on-demand and also the ease of web-based presence. Before POD, I was
restricted to home A4 print-outs of my stuff for my own viewing. Then I
discovered POD (lulu.com and then completelynovel.com) and was suddenly able to
produce actual, real books! I've always been into my art and design so I was
able to get my arty hat on and do my own covers, too. Throw in a website (in my
case www.88tales.com) and bingo - you're your own publisher!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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Yes, I still send my work to mainstream publishers in the
hope of getting a deal, but that's almost just a reflex action, now. I found,
very quickly, that I love the freedom of doing it myself. Yes, you don't get
the same penetration in the bookstores (assuming you're one of the writers your
big-name publisher decides to push, that is) but you do get to reach people
online, through social networking, blogs like this one etc. Crucially, you can
decide what kind of books to produce (full length novels, novellas, short story
collection, whatever you fancy). Cover design, visual identity, tag-lines, the
back-cover blurb - it's all down to you and you can do things that a 'real'
publisher might never let you do in a million years (I made one collection 'The
Greatest Show on Earth' look like a circus poster and I want to do another one
to look like a vintage music album). At the end of the day, building a line of
books under the Eighty8Tales banner is just total and utter fun..!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p>Of course, the challenge is not to look amateurish and
sloppy - the stereotypical image of the self-publisher - but it's a challenge I
enjoy trying to overcome.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
If I got offered a deal by a 'big' publisher, would I take
it? Well, I suppose I'd just have to see at the time. But producing things
under my own 'label' is really exciting - and knowing there are loads of people
out there doing the same thing is even moreso.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have several books under your belt now.
What advice would you give to starting out authors?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<o:p> </o:p>Wilf: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boringly
enough, my advice is the same as many other writers' - write every day. It's
advice I don't always take! But it's very important. The two main reasons for
writing every day are;<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
a) It hones your technical skills. Just like kicking a ball
or playing a violin, you sharpen your physical abilities and make them more
ready to carry out whatever twisted tasks you come up with for them!<o:p></o:p><br />
b) Stories almost never come fully formed out of your head
and onto the page. It's a big process of layering. Throw whatever's in your
head out onto the page. Don't stop and re-read and edit as you go...just keep
moving. Don't look back! When you've done a big chunk (a chapter or three),
then you can go back over it. It may well be a pile of crap (excuse my French).
But that's good. Because that's the way it works. You go over the crap and it
gives you ideas that you didn't initially have. Sometimes small, sometimes
large. And then you refine and refine and refine. Until eventually, you end up
with the finished well-written product. Always remember that it's much easier
to turn crap into something good than it is to turn a blank page into anything
at all.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Well, that's how it is for me, anyway..!<o:p></o:p></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What's your opinion on social media as a
marketing tool? Is it something you've considered?<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<br />
Wilf: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Social Media is
an absolutely brilliant thing regarding marketing of your work. I have to admit
to not having used it to its potential yet. But even in the limited way I have
used Facebook and Twitter (in particular), I have seen the benefits. Creating a
Facebook page for your book and posting a link to it on your friends' pages,
for example, is a great start. And as friends link to you, so their friends are
made aware of it and so on. But that is only a start. You still have to do more
work such as advertising online (eg. Google Ads), joining in forums and
participating in blog conversations and so on. But if you funnel people from
those activities to social media pages then any interest they show will be
automatically broadcast to others. (On that note, the Assassin's Wedding is on
Facebook - search for it! Yes, I know, totally shameless...)<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Social Media is a great tool but it certainly won't do all
the work for you (unfortunately!). I'm a typical writer in that I'd rather
spend all my time writing and designing the books themselves and have someone
else shout about them and tell everyone how brilliant and great they are and go
and buy a copy right now etc..! Unfortunately, if you can't force yourself to
jump into that stuff, all the work you do in writing will be for nothing
because no-one but you and your mum will read it. Leveraging social media in
conjunction with your book's (or publishing venture's) website can definitely
yield results.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
One last thing on the marketing / publicity aspect - I think
it's a good idea to offer large chunks of your work for people to read online
for free. As an up and coming writer, your greatest currency isn't money - it's
word of mouth. One hundred people who know about you is worth more than fifty
people buying your book. Because (assuming you are successful in capturing
their interest and imagination through your work) they will tell others and
spread knowledge of your stuff to others. If that keeps happening, the
purchases will come naturally (especially when you realise that the vast
majority of people much prefer to read a physical book than off a screen - so
having your work available to read free online isn't going to really hurt you
financially that much - unless you're J K Rowling!). Of course, it's down to
each person to figure out the balance of what to give away and what to charge
for. What works for one person won't necessarily work for another's marketing
style, content type etc.<o:p></o:p><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Me: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What's your latest project/WIP?<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></b>Wilf; <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the moment,
I'm writing my first children's book. My kids have long pestered me for
something they can read and I foolishly gave in. Writing a kids' books is
really, really hard! I had to figure out what age range I was aiming for and
then find their level of comprehension; what kind of sentence structure they
like, what they find funny, what they find boring etc.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
I finally settled on aiming it at 9-12 year olds. It's
called 'Arthur Ness and the Secret of Waterwhistle'. Arthur Ness is sent to
live in a Nottinghamshire village (called Waterwhistle) during the blitz. He
soon discovers that everyone there is scared of something. Something they can't
see. There are guardians there, keeping everyone under a strange kind of
control and only Arthur - a naturally very scared young boy - is free from
their machinations. Only he, therefore, can do anything about it - if he can
only realise the most important thing about fear and how to conquer it.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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I've had a selection of children (friends' children as well
as some kids from local schools) reading it as I'm going along to help me
strike the right chord with it. After a very difficult initial period, it's now
coming along very nicely. I'm aiming for it to be finished by the end of summer
(depending on how much football / Olympics I end up watching..!). From there,
it's onto the book I was going to start before my kids side-lined me, 'The
Notorious Mr Locke'. But more on that nearer the time!<br />
<br />
You can check Wilf's booksite out at <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/88tales/home" target="_blank">88 Tales</a><br />
<br />
The Assassin's wedding is available on Kindle UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Assassins-Wedding-ebook/dp/B006VIPYN8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336224575&sr=8-1" target="_blank">here for £0.88... a bargain!</a><br />
As is his book The Cotton Keeper <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Cotton-Keeper-ebook/dp/B00720H0FE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336224575&sr=8-2" target="_blank">here, for the same price.</a><br />
<br />
In the USA click <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Assassins-Wedding-ebook/dp/B006VIPYN8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336224711&sr=8-1" target="_blank">right here</a> for the Assassin's Wedding at $1.36 and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Cotton-Keeper-ebook/dp/B00720H0FE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336224711&sr=8-2" target="_blank">on this bit here</a> for the Cotton Keeper at the same price.<br />
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<br />Ross M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878613700333777784.post-28971165182345632682012-04-27T02:11:00.001-07:002012-04-27T02:13:00.661-07:00The Choosing by Jeremy LaszloFeatured this time on the Roaring Mouse is a self-published book by US author Jeremy Laszlo. I discovered this book when I met Jeremy on Twitter. At the time Jeremy had published it on Smashwords, but now its available on Amazon kindle. Jeremy is going great guns on the series (Blood and Brotherhood Saga) - he has his third book out now!<br />
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The Choosing is the first novel in the series. It tells the story of two siblings, Seth and Garret, who embark upon a journey to a recruitment ceremony. This 'Choosing' dictates what division of the army the recruits will enter, depending upon their talents. The brothers begin the journey with a healer, called Ashton, who educates the pair on the aspects of religion that dominate the world. As the journey progresses, the lads experience a variety of adventures, encountering a girl, Sara, with whom Seth falls in love with. This introduction of a female into the group dynamic begins to have serious ramifications for the brothers.<br />
<br />
As with many stories based around a journey (which is a frequent feature in the fantasy genre) we learn about the world of Thurr as we accompany the group. There is a great degree of detail in Jeremy's description of the world, most notably in his concepts of patron gods and magic. I really enjoyed the taster of magic we got in this first book and am certain it will play a larger part in the future books.<br />
<br />
What stands out for me is the intimacy of characterisation in this book. The characters feel very genuine. Their relationships are detailed and realistic, especially those between the brothers and the evolving relationship between Seth and Sara. This latter dynamic took me back (a good few years) to my adolescence, with that awkward sense of developing emotion, the feeling of uncertainty, and a great sweetness to interaction. It makes for some great comical moments--there is a fantastic scene where they are shopping, and another where Sara has bought some lingerie. Simply great.<br />
<br />
But where the books stands out is as a first part of a fantasy series. It hits all the right spots: good characters, a sense of anticipation, well structured world and logical magic. The action is well written and not excessive. I thoroughly enjoyed it.<br />
<br />
I asked Jeremy some questions about the book, his writing and himself.<br />
<br />
<strong>Me: What have been the biggest challenges in self-publishing for you?</strong><br />
<strong>Jeremy:</strong> I think the biggest challenge for me were all of the unknowns that come with self-publishing. There is so much to do, and so many details to handle that I had never even thought of before publishing my first book. I had done tons of research, but even that did not really prepare me for what was to come after publishing The Choosing. I guess overall however, the biggest challenge has been marketing and self promotion. It has all really been trial and error for me, and I am constantly adjusting my approach and learning what works and what does not. Though I have garnered a modicum of success, I always feel there is more I should be doing and other avenues I should be taking to promote my work. Unfortunately however my time is limited being that like you and most other Indie Authors I work a full time job, have a family, and write as well as market my own books. So it is a constant struggle to balance all of my responsibilities, leaving marketing and promotion as the last on my list of things to do.<br />
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<strong>Me: One of the most poignant scenes in the book for me is where the 'twins' are leaving to go to the Choosing. How much do you draw on your own experiences as a serviceman for writing such scenes?</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Jeremy</strong>: I think that much of my writing draws from my own personal experiences. I like the fact that you were able to put together that scene with an experience that you believed I have had in my own life. To me that makes me feel that I have written it correctly, in that it feels real enough to make you question that connection. I do relate to that scene personally, as I have experienced something quite similar. In my case I was 22 preparing to leave for war. I was leaving behind a wife and my eldest daughter who was only 6 months old at the time. I was unsure when or if I would see them again, and I worried for their safety and well being in my absence. It was an emotional time filled with uncertainty, and that is what I tried to bring across in the scene where Seth and Garret are leaving their home to attend the choosing ceremony.<br />
<br />
<strong>Me: What especially attracts you to writing fantasy?</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Jeremy</strong>: I think there are probably more reasons than I could even think of that draws me to the fantasy genre, however I can name at least a few. When I was younger I was assigned a book report and read The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. It was the perfect introduction into fantasy and ever since reading that book I was hooked, but for me at least I think it goes deeper than that. Growing up my family was well below the poverty line, and life was at most times a struggle at best. To say I did not have a good childhood would be an understatement with moving constantly, a mom and step dad who struggled with alchoholism and depression, and a family budget that at times required eating the same thing nearly every meal for weeks at a time. Fantasy for me was an escape, and one that I could get for free from the library at school. I spent several years inside books as a way to escape my life until eventually I was on my own at 16. Today I realise that everyone, in every aspect of life needs an escape from time to time, and fantasy books have always worked well for me, it is by far my favorite genre.<br />
<br />
<strong>Me: I see you have released the third book in the series, The Changing. How many books will the series run to? Will you remain with fantasy when it's concluded?</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Jeremy</strong>: Yes I am very excited, Book 3 of The Blood and Brotherhood Saga, The Changing, was published April 23rd and thus far the feedback from my readers has been amazing. As for an overall lenght of the Saga, it would be a lie to give you a definite answer as the story is always evolving. However, since it's inception I have always imagined it to be a 12 book saga with 4 trilogies, although at this point I am beginning to think that 12 was an under-estimate.<br />
<br />
I do have plans for a couple of different books bouncing around in my head that are outside the fantasy genre, however even if I stray from fantasy I think I shall always return to it.<br />
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<strong>Me: What authors inspire you?</strong><br />
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<strong>Jeremy</strong>: Every good book I have ever read has inspired me to an extent, if not then I don't believe the book was worth reading. There are a few authors however that have inspired me more than others. Terry Brooks of course was my introduction to fantasy, and I have followed his work ever since that first page of The Sword of Shannara. I have always been a huge fan of Edgar Allen Poe as well. I love the dark surealism of his writing, and have read all of his published works several times. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman are also among my favorite authors for their work with the Dragonlance books and how they can follow multiple story lines so flawlessly within the confines of two covers. Last, but not least, I would mention David Farland and his Runelord series for its originality and wonderfully vivid descriptions.<br />
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<strong>Me: Your work has wonderful detail in it , especially in descriptions of the settings. How much background work did you put into developing the world in which the Blood & Brotherhood Saga is set?</strong><br />
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<strong>Jeremy</strong>: To be honest I think my life has been the background work to describing the things I see vividly in my imagination. I have been fortunate enough to see a large perspective of the world during my years in the United States Marine Corps. I have seen with my own eyes and touched with my own hands, mountains and jungles, deserts and forests. I have visited buildings in every architectural style dating back to Ancient Rome. Though these landscapes and creations of man have given me an immense palate to paint from, it was my father, James, who taught me the importance of detail. When I was little I would sit with my dad and we would draw together. Though he would never admit it, he has a natural talent for drawing. I wanted so bad to draw like my dad that for years I worked to perfect the art myself. Over those years I trained myself to really look for the details in items so that I could recreate them on paper from memory. However while in the military I suffered an injury to my dominant wrist that required several surgeries. Though I still enjoy drawing, I admit that my ability has suffered and with that the quality has diminished to a degree, and as such I don't spend as much time practicing the art anymore. Even so, however, though I may never draw a masterpiece worth mention in any museum, I can still paint the masterpiece with written words for my readers to imagine as they journey with me through the world of Thurr.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZgsLSVjGgGE/T5pgyQEM39I/AAAAAAAAAaE/DJR8X3nmbNA/s1600/choosing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZgsLSVjGgGE/T5pgyQEM39I/AAAAAAAAAaE/DJR8X3nmbNA/s200/choosing.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
An enjoyable and intimate interview, thanks to Jeremy for taking the time out to answer the questions. Jeremy is having a giveaway on his site, just click <a href="http://www.wix.com/jeremylaszlo/author" target="_blank">here</a> to go there. It involves answering a few questions about his book and then you can win a gift card.<br />
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So, if you need to read his books before you enter, they can be found at the following links:<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007B1WH02" target="_blank">The Choosing (US)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007D7PC1A" target="_blank">The Chosen (US)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007WVIHZU" target="_blank">The Changing (US)</a><br />
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And for UK readers:<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Choosing-Blood-Brotherhood-Saga-ebook/dp/B007B1WH02/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335516383&sr=8-1-spell" target="_blank">The Choosing</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chosen-Blood-Brotherhood-Saga-ebook/dp/B007D7PC1A/ref=sr_1_sc_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1335516460&sr=1-2-spell" target="_blank">The Chosen</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Changing-Blood-Brotherhood-Saga-ebook/dp/B007WVIHZU/ref=sr_1_sc_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1335516460&sr=1-3-spell" target="_blank">The Changing</a><br />
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My Amazon review for the Choosing is <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1ANWB1QXJ6J2O/ref=cm_cr_dp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B007B1WH02&nodeID=341677031&tag=&linkCode=" target="_blank">just here!</a><br />
And Jeremy's awesome website is <a href="http://www.wix.com/jeremylaszlo/author">http://www.wix.com/jeremylaszlo/author</a><br />
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<br />Ross M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878613700333777784.post-89908812465745982342012-04-05T13:10:00.001-07:002012-04-05T13:13:35.255-07:00The Last Good Knight by Connie J Jasperson<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Connie J Jasperson’s The Last Good Knight is the featured book today on The Roaring Mouse. I read Connie’s book on Kindle, although it is available in print via Amazon.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ff_O_jIPD30/T337F6R5VXI/AAAAAAAAAWg/2cdRlWaVvqM/s1600/sturm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ff_O_jIPD30/T337F6R5VXI/AAAAAAAAAWg/2cdRlWaVvqM/s1600/sturm.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Last Good Knight tells the story of a gang of mercenaries called the Rowdies. Their captain, Billy MacNess, bumps off rival Bastard John but not before he burns down their headquarters. On the ruins Billy builds a brand new inn dubbed Billy’s Revenge in which the Rowdies come to live.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The knight of the title is Sir Julian De Portiers, or Julian Lackland for short, and he comes to join the Rowdies along with his (unrequited) love Mags. The adventures of the Rowdies form the bulk of the book, interweaving their relationships with a variety of tales and ultimately involvement in politics and wars. The narrative style of the book is reminiscent of an old storyteller, with quips and asides and reflections on events which give the prose a real vitality. I was reminded of the style that Neil Gaiman wrote Stardust in when I read it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jRYj1uoMqu4/T337ZiuCQ8I/AAAAAAAAAWo/8frrjbW_KY4/s1600/dragon_by_tahra-229669.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jRYj1uoMqu4/T337ZiuCQ8I/AAAAAAAAAWo/8frrjbW_KY4/s200/dragon_by_tahra-229669.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The escapades of the Rowdies tread a fine line between grisly and humorous, and indeed the comedy in the book is dark yet well done. The chapters with the dragon, Bloody Bryan, the waterdemon and the Lady Rowdies are superbly done. In the later chapters we get a more character focused story, with the seemingly perfect Julian Lackland beginning to struggle with some of the traumas he encounters. I was glad that this aspect of his character was explored as for parts of the book he seemed too perfect and his relationship with Mags not fully explored. The finale of the book really moved me (which is tough as I’m a miserable so and so) and got me thinking a lot about my own past and the role of nostalgia and missed opportunity.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Connie’s second book the Tower of Bones has just been released, to excellent reviews. I pitched a few questions at her during one of her rare free moments.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong>Me: What writer has influenced you most in your work as an author?<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Connie: I think <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anne McCaffrey</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J.R.R. Tolkien</i> are my greatest influences, although there is a piece of every good book I have ever read lodged in my heart. I originally began writing because I could not buy enough books to feed my reading habit, and I had read everything the library had, so I started writing stories that I would like to read. They were pretty awful, of course, but I found that I loved writing as much as I love reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But strangely enough, I am addicted to playing ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Final Fantasy’</i> games, by Square-Enix, in particular the classic console games FF IIV, IIIV, X and XII.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These games, created by the genius <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hironobu Sakaguchi</i> have wonderfully vivid and immersive storylines and deep plots to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My second book, ‘Tower of Bones’ shows this influence most of all, as I originally wrote it as the walk-through for an RPG that was never built.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So it turns out that along with J.R.R. Tolkien, I have a Japanese Anime-style RPG twist to my fantasy worlds when I am imagining my beasts and my magic systems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also my fights tend to be more visualized from a gamer’s point of view.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong>Me: The Last Good Knight counterbalanced the rather grisly bits (and I’m thinking here about castration, poisoning and serial assassinations) with great comedy. How do you manage to write the comedy sequences without slipping into a Terry Pratchett-style satire?<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>Connie: <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Well, I try not to dip into satire, although I do love a good satire and Terry Pratchett in particular. But when you look at real life situations, people are really quite entertaining in the way they go about things, and in the way that they think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a sad fact of life that nothing is more hilarious than something that seemed like a good idea at the time that has gone slightly awry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tears and laughter are really akin to each other, and I have found humor in some of the worst, saddest moments of my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the humor amidst the horror that gives us strength to go on, at time.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong>Me: I found the idea of a knight becoming part of a gang of mercenaries very original. What was the inspiration for that idea?</strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zLGChWqEnzE/T337mUahq_I/AAAAAAAAAWw/3jE-yyTKt-E/s1600/3DFantasyKnight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zLGChWqEnzE/T337mUahq_I/AAAAAAAAAWw/3jE-yyTKt-E/s200/3DFantasyKnight.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Connie: <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I wrote the book during November of 2010 for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NaNoWriMo</i> (National Write A Novel in a Month).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It came to me as a short story in which an elderly knight returns to the scene of some of the happiest days of his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His memories, as he approaches the place that he thought of as his home, and the hopes that he once had as a young man are raw and vivid in his mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is old and tired, and he wants to retire from the business of saving the world but there are no heroes any more, and so many people need him. He can’t let them down, but he is at a crossroads in his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As I wrote that story which eventually became the final chapter of ‘The Last Good Knight’, I wondered <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“What sort of life did he have? How did this sad, but strong old man arrive at this point in his life?”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was then that I had my real story, and I found myself immersed in writing about his life and the people he loved. I was so captivated by the story that the first draft of the book was written in just 21 days.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong>Me: The boom genre of the last few years has definitely been YA paranormal romance. Is this something that interests you as a writer or a reader?</strong> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Connie: I will read ANYTHING that you put in my hands! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am a ‘sucker’ for a good vampire tale with a sexy plot and a mystery attached! I read every genre and every book I come across, and I love to talk about them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I enjoy a good paranormal romance, but so far I have not been inspired to write one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do have a sci-fi comedy on the back burner that has a somewhat paranormal twist to it, but that book is far from my mind right now. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong>Me: Your Best in Fantasy Blog demonstrates your clear love of the genre. If you had to pick one fantasy novel or series to be made into a big production (along the lines of George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones) what would you pick and why?<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Connie: I would say that Indie author L.T. Suzuki’s<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> ‘Imago’</i> series would be a fabulous big production. It has been optioned for a movie. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also I would love to see L.E. Modesitt Jr.’s sci-fi fantasy classic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Scion of Cyador’</i> made into a big production TV series.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong>Me: Do you feel that print books will go the way of vinyl records i.e. a curiosity/collectors thing only?<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Connie: I suppose that I am a bad judge of that sort of thing, really. The feeling of a book in my hands is a pleasure that is indescribable. Conversely, I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">love</i> my Kindle, and have hundreds of books in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could never own that many ‘real’ books, because my little bungalow would never hold them all!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also have a huge collection of well-worn paperbacks and hard-bound books that gathers dust and harbors bits of cat fur (the poor old cat died 2 years ago but the fur is eternal) in my office, or the ‘room of shame’ as I think of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can never get my family to help when moving house because of the book collection!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that both are here to stay, at least for the time being. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d_5_ASh40WQ/T334iZFsULI/AAAAAAAAAWY/nq6HUF7C8yU/s1600/TLGK+FIBP+FINAL+Cover+only.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d_5_ASh40WQ/T334iZFsULI/AAAAAAAAAWY/nq6HUF7C8yU/s200/TLGK+FIBP+FINAL+Cover+only.jpg" width="124" /></a></div>You can find Connie's book The Last Good Knight on kindle UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Last-Good-Knight-ebook/dp/B004QOB75S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333655140&sr=8-1" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
And in the US Kindle <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Good-Knight-ebook/dp/B004QOB75S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333655288&sr=8-1" target="_blank">here....</a><br />
And in the UK print <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Good-Knight-Connie-Jasperson/dp/0615515045/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1333655140&sr=8-1" target="_blank">here!</a><br />
And in the US print <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Good-Knight-Connie-Jasperson/dp/0615515045/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1333655288&sr=8-1" target="_blank">right here!!!</a><br />
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Connie's blogs can be found at:<br />
<a href="http://conniejjasperson.wordpress.com/">http://conniejjasperson.wordpress.com</a><br />
<a href="http://bestinfantasy.blogspot.com/">http://bestinfantasy.blogspot.com</a><br />
<a href="http://darksidebookreview/blogspot.com">http://darksidebookreview/blogspot.com</a><br />
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And if you want to read my Amazon review its <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R1HJ3RZDF2U2DA/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B004QOB75S&nodeID=&tag=&linkCode=" target="_blank">just over here.</a><br />
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</div>Ross M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878613700333777784.post-18020929185503211162012-03-27T13:31:00.002-07:002012-03-27T13:39:32.010-07:00Gods of the Machines by Gary Starta<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week's book feature is slightly atypical in the sense that the author is doing a guest post rather than answering my questions. Gary is blogging about artifical intelligence, the theme of his latest sci-fi novel, Gods in the Machines.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xtqyEM_-P4I/T3Ig6MYOPaI/AAAAAAAAAUI/GT2x77FqxBI/s1600/scifi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="155px" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xtqyEM_-P4I/T3Ig6MYOPaI/AAAAAAAAAUI/GT2x77FqxBI/s200/scifi.jpg" width="200px" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The novel is a futuristic thriller set on Ceres, Earth's first colony. It follows a detective, Sam Benson, on an assignment on the colony that quickly transforms from a mundane placement to a full-on murder investigation. Sam suspects an android is guilty, one who has shared engrams of a psychopath. The premise has the hooks of Philip K Dick and one reviewer on Amazon compared it to Jules Verne!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gary is a former journalist who has penned seven novels, mixing sci-fi with fantasy and thrillers, and even an android-free thriller 'Murder by Association' in 2007. You can read about his work </span><a href="http://www.garystarta.net/books.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So over to Gary:</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My inspiration to write the novel, Gods of the Machines, basically comes down to one word of inspiration: sentient. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines sentient as ‘feeling or sensation as distinguished from perception or thought.” The ability to feel defines our consciousness as humans. It is what distinguishes us from other devices capable of thought or calculation i.e. computers. And although that line of separation, the inability of your laptop to feel emotion, is pretty thick at the moment, there may come a time when that line will either be blurred or crossed. Maybe you are skeptical that robots or perhaps, androids – beings that resemble humans – will ever exist in the way we see them in movies such as I Robot. But there are signs that technology is advancing and that robotics is becoming more and integrated into our everyday life.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hncD5cH_yAI/T3IhUnBb5uI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/SXTrw9Ff0iU/s1600/thumbbig-59063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="124px" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hncD5cH_yAI/T3IhUnBb5uI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/SXTrw9Ff0iU/s200/thumbbig-59063.jpg" width="200px" /></span></a></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The latest cutting edge cell phone operating system is called Android or Droid for short. Although a phone is a long way from a walking, talking android, it seems to show the very idea of such technology is seeping into the consumer consciousness. In Japan, actual android/robots have been created! They have skin made of silicon, and sensors allow them to react. They appear to blink and even breathe! But what they don’t possess is sentience. And because they don’t, I believe these creations will be ripe for exploitation. Robots are already in use in battlefields. Androids such as the life-like creations in Japan may be used for servitude as well, perhaps as nursing aides.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So the idea of robots is really not that extreme or fantastical. For the most part, they are here. Will it be all right to use them for servitude? Most every science fiction story of the last half century portrays them in that manner. Think of Bicentennial Man. But in that movie, there is a difference because that robot evolves, so much, that it actually <i>becomes </i>human. Still, the robot is portrayed as a servant, although its owner treats it with respect.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Will humanity treat robots with respect once they grow in number? People who perceive them as mere machines such as a computer will probably dismiss the idea of expending emotion on objects. But others may feel compelled to interact with androids as if they were human, even if they don’t possess self awareness or are unable to feel genuine emotion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Gods of the Machines, the androids James Starkman and Juanita Lopez will find love. Each sympathetic to the other’s plight, neither find themselves totally accepted, and worse for Starkman, he is the prime suspect in a murder investigation. In this future, robots have yet to attain the full rights of humans. But as they inch closer to this goal, the idea that androids can love each other and that humans have had sexual relations with them almost makes it absurd that these beings aren’t considered humans. They are just another kind of human; instead of biological, they are artificial. But both can love.</span></div><br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img height="320px" src="https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/?saduie=AG9B_P-5IXR-gkYJdwQoWDUui5n2&attid=0.1&disp=emb&view=att&th=1364e8b1e74401ab" width="212px" /></span><span style="color: black;"><strong></strong></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;"><strong>Gods of the Machines</strong> is a sci fi novel for readers who don't normally read the genre, mixed with romance, mystery, crime and suspense, it is fiction on the fringe of genre. A top ten finalist in 2010's Preditors and Editors Poll for science fiction, the novel addresses artificial intelligence and the quest to categorize its place in society.</span></span><br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Find our more about Gary at </span><a href="http://www.garystarta.net/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.garystarta.net/</span></a></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To follow Gary's sci-fi fan page </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GaryStartaSciFiFanPage" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.facebook.com/<wbr>GaryStartaSciFiFanPage</span></a></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To follow and guest post Gary's blog: </span><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/gary_startas_writers_blog_a_forum_for_novelists/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.networkedblogs.com/<wbr>blog/gary_startas_writers_<wbr>blog_a_forum_for_novelists/</span></a><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div></div></div>Ross M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878613700333777784.post-88883979350349741712012-03-20T02:59:00.001-07:002012-03-20T03:06:15.073-07:00Oblivions Forge by Simon WilliamsI first found Simon William’s Oblivions Forge whilst on CompletelyNovel, a self-publishing website which I had used when first printing Dreams of Darkness Rising. Simon had posted a teaser and within the first few pages I was hooked.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p>Oblivion’s Forge is an intricate work of dark fantasy which follows three key characters in the world of Aona. An ancient force is returning from the void and this return is stimulating the restoration of Old magic in the world. Caught up in this we have Vornen, who has the ability to see the gates through which the forces arrive; Amethyst, who has been cursed to seek out a mysterious woman; and Jaana, a healer who finds her healing ability becoming ineffective in face of the forces stirring in the world. The three characters plot lines ultimately crash together in a superb finale and along the way we encounter a range of colourful characters- thieves, assassins, wizards and monsters.<o:p></o:p></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yIc5XeKGXFQ/T2hUPM5HCcI/AAAAAAAAASg/5hyKzawlsy0/s1600/crop+fantasy+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yIc5XeKGXFQ/T2hUPM5HCcI/AAAAAAAAASg/5hyKzawlsy0/s200/crop+fantasy+1.jpg" width="168" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">There were a number of aspects to this book that appealed to me. First of all it is an intelligent work. You are dropped into the plot with little background and the details gradually unfold as we travel with the characters. I’ve always liked that aspects in a book- it stimulates you to read more. In that way I was reminded of Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson, where you are ‘WTF’ for the first hundred pages, but by the end you feel satisfied about what’s going on.<o:p></o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The second big draw was the tortured characters that Simon has created. It is a skill to write fantasy and avoid the stereotypes of the genre, the most prominent of which must be 2-dimensional characterisations. The characters of Aona are detailed, realistic and interesting. Reading this book made me think about my own characterisation a great deal—and if a book makes you think, you know it’s worth the time you invest in it!<o:p></o:p></div><br />
I threw a couple of questions at Simon about the Aona series and his writing:<o:p></o:p><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong>Me: Your book mixes fairly dark fantasy with elements of sci-fi. I was reminded at times of Moorcock and Gene Wolfe. Who would you say are your biggest fantasy-SF influences?<o:p></o:p></strong></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Simon: Oddly enough, when I first started writing Oblivion’s Forge, it was much more “traditional” fantasy but it did gradually evolve a darker, “harder” work. I’d say my main influences have for many years been the likes of Tad Williams,George R R Martin, Cecilia Dart-Thornton and Ian Irvine, although I’m not sure how much those influences come through. I love the way Ian Irvine mixes a certain amount of tech into his gritty brand of fantasy, so perhaps his influence is the most visible. <o:p></o:p></div><br />
When I was a kid I read a lot of Celtic and mythological fantasy, which actually inspired me to become a writer of the wider genre- I shall always be indebted to Alan Garner, Susan Cooper and C S Lewis for that reason.<br />
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<strong>Me: What drove your decision to self-publish rather<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>than pursue traditional or small press routes?<o:p></o:p></strong><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Simon: I found myself quite disappointed with the attitude many writers’ agents displayed-I guess they get so many submissions that they can afford to have that attitude, but it was a little dispiriting! I guess I also decided at around the same time as I was sending out manuscripts, that I could instead be the master of my own destiny. Self-publishing has actually spurred me on to become a lot more productive- Oblivion’s Forge took around 13 years to complete, believe it or not, but it’s sequel, Secret Roads, has taken about a year, and the third book is also well underway already. Perhaps the fact that the first book is “out there” and there’s been an increasing level of interest in the series has helped give me the kick up the backside I needed!<o:p></o:p></div><br />
<strong>Me: Unlike many self-pub authors your book is only<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>available in print. Are you planning an e-version?<o:p></o:p></strong><br />
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I am. I’m hoping to have a Kindle version available in a month or so. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vMW7wxbgLzE/T2hUc7xRhVI/AAAAAAAAASo/i4gmgpX6LxE/s1600/crop+fantasy+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vMW7wxbgLzE/T2hUc7xRhVI/AAAAAAAAASo/i4gmgpX6LxE/s200/crop+fantasy+2.jpg" width="178" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong>Me: Your characters are very diverse and intricate.Which is the one you identify with the most and which did you enjoy writing?<o:p></o:p></strong></div><br />
Simon: I guess in the first book I identified with Vornen the most in a way, although I think many people might see a part of themselves in his personality- he comes across as a bit of a dreamer or a no-hoper sometimes, and lurches from disaster to disaster- and we all feel as if we’re jinxed from time to time in our lives (thankfully few of us could be quite as jinxed as Vornen!). I also enjoyed writing about Iyoth and Kian, both of whom feature a fair bit more in Secret Roads. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I think that Nia, who you meet briefly in the first book, is my favourite character in the second. Without giving away any spoilers, Nia is “special”(unique, possibly) and a deeply troubled personality as well as a conniving woman who appears to have no morals whatsoever. In Oblivion’s Forge she does some quite reprehensible things, and she continues to do so in Secret Roads- but I try to point out her motivation, the reason why she is the way she is. She certainly isn’t a hero, but I want readers to try and understand her or at least see the human being beyond and behind the actions. I’ve actually grown quite attached her whilst writing the second book, and hope that happens to some of my readers too.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong>Me: The magic system seems quite intricate in your<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>book--is it elaborated further or is it a more major focus in your future books?</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Simon: In the later books I definitely will be describing the witch / warlock / earthmagic side of things a lot more- it’s a major focus of the third book, The Endless Shore and in fact those characters who discover their innate powers in this area are absolutely pivotal to the whole concept of the Aona books. What I want to expand on a lot more is how dangerous the use of these powers is, for the wielder as much as anyone else. I want it to be seen as a “last resort” whose practitioners fear the possible effects of its use. I think that feeling of unpredictability is important.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">At the same time I’ll be going into more detail about the mysterious Seven who rule in Luudhoq, and the quite different powers that they possess.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong>Me: Why do you think the anti-hero is so popular in fantasy and SF genres?<o:p></o:p></strong></div><br />
To put it simply, the anti-hero (or better yet, the random character who could have been anyone plucked from obscurity) tends to feel more real. They are much more interesting to write about and to read about. I stopped writing about the traditional idea of “heroes” many years ago because it just didn’t do it for me- I felt as if I was just embellishing a stereotype and I didn’t want to do that. I couldn’t identify with characters like that because they didn’t act in the way I or most other people would act in the given situation. I think the vast majority of people, placed in the situations you see in the Aona books, would be fearful, angry, suspicious, desperate a lot of the time- and their actions would inevitably be questionable or even abhorrent some of the time. It’s how they somehow work their way through these challenges (or not as the case may be!) that I find great to write about, whether they’re anti-heroes or simply non-heroes.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q_cOkwkxP8k/T2hTF1ECrzI/AAAAAAAAASY/1ih7MJH-l0U/s1600/oblivion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q_cOkwkxP8k/T2hTF1ECrzI/AAAAAAAAASY/1ih7MJH-l0U/s200/oblivion.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>My Amazon review of Oblivions Forge is <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R286P3NTXSA2DD/ref=cm_cr_dp_perm/?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1849141754&nodeID=266239&tag=&linkCode=" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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Simon's book is available on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oblivions-Forge-Simon-Williams/dp/1849141754/ref=cm_rdp_product_img" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or more simply ordered direct from the Completely Novel website via clicking <a href="http://www.completelynovel.com/books/oblivions-forge--2" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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Simon's websites are the <a href="http://www.worldofaona.com/" target="_blank">World of Aona website</a> and his own author site at <a href="http://www.simonwilliamsauthor.com/" target="_blank">SimonWilliamsAuthor.com</a><br />
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Simon Williams is the author of the Aona series of dark fantasy books. The first book in the series, Oblivion’s Forge, was published in the summer of 2011 and the second, Secret Roads, is due out at the end of March 2012.Ross M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2878613700333777784.post-78320842507204551782012-03-14T15:13:00.001-07:002012-03-14T15:37:17.022-07:00Brother Betrayed by Danielle RaverDanielle Raver's debut novel was the one of the first books I downloaded this year when I came to the end of my Kindle must read list. What first caught my eye was the excellent cover which I only really appreciated in full colour when reading the book on my i-phone. There's something about fantasy books and painted covers I've always loved!<o:p></o:p><br />
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The novel tells the story of three brothers: the thoughtful and conscientious Syah; the wilder and impulsive Fasime; and the arrogant and conservative Oman. The three are princes of Arnith, a kingdom surrounded by wilder and more barbaric lands in which the nation is engaged in perpetual battles with. The three elect to take a covert excursion around Arnith, to scope out the lands that they’ll rule one day.<o:p></o:p><br />
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The trip inevitably runs into trouble and to elaborate further would be to spoil the book. Suffice to say that the events create a tension between the brothers which erupts on their eventual return.<o:p></o:p><br />
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The strength of the book, and indeed in any good book, is in the characters. Fantasy isn’t excluded from that core principle of literature- indeed fantasy and SF allow far greater examination of characters by pitting them into situations beyond our ‘real world’ experience. The dynamic between the three is wonderfully played out and is mercurial as the brothers grow and change throughout the book in a very believable (and tragic) fashion. We get a sense from the outset that Syah is the key character, not least as we have sections of his journal allowing us his point of view to resonate more than his siblings.<o:p></o:p><br />
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The conclusion of the book is moving and sets the scene very nicely for the sequels, which I am desperate to read. I was left with a sense of classic epic fantasy, reminiscent of Robin Hobb and Ursula le Guin. Danielle doesn’t overdo the fantasy element, in fact in places it feels more like historical fantasy. Having said that there’s some great dwarves featuring in it (with a very alternate realisation) and towards the end we get a dragon popping up.<o:p></o:p><br />
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I interviewed Danielle about the book and about her writing: <o:p></o:p><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p><strong>Me: What is it that attracts you to write fantasy as a genre?<o:p></o:p></strong></div><br />
Dani: I attempted to write realistic fiction a few times and I was just too bored by it. I enjoy writing fantasy because I get to escape into the world of my characters. It's not as mundane as everyday life. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong>Me: Ok, so were there any authors who have particularly influenced your work?<o:p></o:p></strong></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Dani: Would it be crazy to say that I'm in love with Charles Dickens? The raw realness of his characters is fantastic. Cut out the whaling consortium from Moby Dick and that's another of my favorites. I also love the poetic style of Patricia McKillip and Tolkien.<o:p></o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p><strong>Me: I found the dwarves in your book very fresh and fascinating. Where did you draw inspiration for them?<o:p></o:p></strong></div><br />
Dani: Well, thank you. I did not want my elves or dwarves to be clichéd (yes, there's elves in the next book). The elves and dwarves are known as the "magical races" because they, unlike the humans, are still able to manipulate their world in magical ways. I think the dwarves in Brother Betrayed were moulded around the healer dwarf, who had to be mystical, powerful, and interesting.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong>Me: When you write would you describe yourself as very structured or do you write in a more free-form manner?<o:p></o:p></strong></div><br />
Dani: In the beginning it was very free-form. Many characters would sprout out of chapters, with me not having planned them. I have to limit myself strictly on allowing new characters into my books now. I also plan out a bit more, just so I know where the story will go. The meat of my writing, however, drives itself. If I'm stuck on a scene I will picture it in my head, live in that moment, and let the story unfold.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<strong>Me: Many indie and small-press writers also have jobs and occupations. How do you balance the demands of being an author against the 'day job?'<o:p></o:p></strong><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Dani: Excellent question. I write as a hobby, and I don't spend a lot of time watching TV. I do have a very busy "day life", and it takes me years to finish a novel. Even if I earned enough to support myself through writing, I couldn't stop working at a real job. Interacting with people gives me inspiration for my writing.<o:p></o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Thank you for featuring me on your blog. I'm glad you enjoyed Brother Betrayed!<o:p></o:p></div><br />
My Amazon review of Brother Betrayed is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R2JZKX9YUK9THM/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B004WWWKI2&nodeID=&tag=&linkCode=" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Brother Betrayed is available on Amazon Kindle as an e-book and also in print edition from Amazon or the Fantasy Island Book web-site.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NHOrCauwrgU/T2ER9hj7FMI/AAAAAAAAARw/iCs_eVroy2k/s1600/BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NHOrCauwrgU/T2ER9hj7FMI/AAAAAAAAARw/iCs_eVroy2k/s1600/BB.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><o:p><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brother-Betrayed-ebook/dp/B004WWWKI2" target="_blank">Brother Betrayed Kindle UK</a></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><o:p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brother-Betrayed-ebook/dp/B004WWWKI2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331757472&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Brother Betrayed Kindle US</a></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><o:p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brother-Betrayed-Danielle-Raver/dp/0615533434/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1331757472&sr=8-4" target="_blank">Brother Betrayed Print edition</a></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><o:p>If you want to find out more about Danielle Raver, these are the links for her author page :</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><o:p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Danielle-Raver/e/B004X2RWNO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">Danielle's Author page</a></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><o:p><a href="http://danielleraverauthor.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Philosophies of a Young Heart (website)</a></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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</div>Ross M Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15328214670002553096noreply@blogger.com1