Brian Jacques: Farewell to a Master of Fantasy

Every day, we wake and live our very own story. Much of the time, the hours fly by in what feels like uneventful segments. Our own stories can seem mundane, routine, and occasionally, depressing. We may look for ways to escape our inescapable reality. For me, my desire for escape came when the emotional demands of my job in mental health overwhelmed me. I began to lose sleep, worrying if one of the impoverished children I knew were cold, hungry, or embarrassed to go to school because they didn't have clean clothes to wear. Although I loved my job and was grateful for it, I recognized my real pain when I cried in the movie theater during the scene highlighting the poor child in Polar Express. In real life, the face of a child in need is palpable and crushing to an adult who feels helpless. As falling asleep at night became increasingly difficult, I began searching for a fantasy book -- one that would take me away from the worries of my personal journey and catapult me into one more peaceful.

It was a fortunate day when I stumbled upon Brian Jacques' Redwall series. The children's fantasy novels were unparalleled to previous reads. His world was rich, lines of good and evil were clearly drawn, and his characters believable--despite being talking animals. Over the course of several years, I read 17 of his 22 Redwall series novels. I longed to return each night to the comfort of the Abbey, where the animals held each other in high esteem and respect. Each kind of animal had a unique European dialect--which was written in a way that even an American (from the Deep South, no less) could recognize. In Brian Jacques' stories, the children were loved and well cared for, even the orphans he called "Dibbuns." I was occasionally shocked at his level of description since they were written for children. His stories consist of talking animals (and no humans); there is much peril and animal death. However, vivid writing was his goal, as according to his website, he wrote with blind children in mind.

One of my favorite things about Brian Jacques' stories was his description of food. He was vivid and specific about each dish served in the Abbey. For Christmas, my husband bought me The Redwall Cookbook. I have no idea how he created the recipes, but it has been fun to experience the Abbey's dishes in my own kitchen.

I knew that Brian Jacques' writing had an impact on my life, but I didn't recognize the significance until I learned of his passing today. I found myself tearful at my office desk, thinking of how there would be no more depictions of this vibrant world. I pictured an empty patio table somewhere in England on a summer day. There are no words with a great enough depth to express my level of gratitude to this amazing author. As I write this standing in my kitchen, smelling a spiced bread from his book, I realize that though he may have passed from this world, his stories and the Abbey will continue to enhance my good days and brighten my dark ones.

Indie or Traditional

Over the last couple of months I've had many people come up to me to pick my brains about self-publishing. I guess word's gotten out that I'm doing well. Even my local RWA chapter (Romance Writers of America) is taking notice. I've never had so many free lunches in my life!

The question that always comes up is, what would I do if a traditional publisher approached me and made me an offer to publish my books. I know some other indies have already been approached and are wondering what to do. While many of my RWA friends would probably immediately jump at the chance and oohh and aahh about the fact that a New York publisher is interested, I'm actually not that quick to jump at it. Why?

We are still at the beginning of the e-revolution, the new Gold Rush as I call it in a recent blog post on the Writer's Guide to E-Publishing. Nobody can really tell yet how much your e-rights are really worth in dollars and cents. The publishers want in on it, knowing that they are making less and less on print publishing. When asking several agents who spoke at our local chapter recently, they confirmed that publishers will not enter into a deal with the author that would leave the author with their e-rights. I'm not ready to give those up. Now, foreign rights, I would love to sell. Anybody?

But it's not just about potentially losing money when signing your e-rights over to a publisher, it's also about losing creative control. I'm a very independent person. I've always been an entrepreneur, and I don't work well for somebody else. Call me headstrong, pushy, bossy. Just pick one. That's not to say that I don't listen to advice. I take many, if not the majority of my critique partners' suggestions when revising a manuscript, and I also listen to my editor's suggestions. But in the end, I have the last word.

And in the end, I decide which cover to pick, which word to delete, which price to sell at. As a traditionally published author - unless your name is J.K. Rowling - you don't have that kind of power.

Will this decision work for everybody? Probably not. I'm a self-starter, and I work extremely hard. My work week regularly consists of 60+ hours of work. So don't be fooled when you see me posting on Facebook that I'm about to go to the gym in the middle of the day. Just because I can arrange my day the way I want, doesn't mean I sit around eating bonbons (besides, that's fattening!).

But, if you are ambitious, hard-working, and have a head not just for writing, but also for figures, marketing, and promotion, Indie might be the way for you to go. It's very rewarding to know you've achieved something without the backing of a big company behind you.

Tina Folsom
http://www.tinawritesromance.com
http://authortinafolsom.blogspot.com

Have you seen my new covers?

Tainted Blood is finally done

Tainted Blood is now out on the Kindle and the Nook, and it's also in paperback. I'm pretty happy with that. In case you didn't know, Tainted Blood is part two of my Fallen series. The first book being “Fallen Blood.” The story takes off six months after the last story ended. There maybe a few spoilers ahead, so you might not want to continue. Things didn't go exactly the way that Brian had hoped. In fact, nothing has went the way he planned. To make matters worse, Brian finds himself in a cat and mouse game between an uncle hell bent on revenge for the death of his nephew, and a local Vampire out to pick up a little insurance against the two.

The book has only been out a few days but it has already gotten a 4 star review. If you're interested you can check it out at Goodreads. Here's a link: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/136174579

Now the question is, what do I want to write now? I have a partial vampire mystery already started, a sequel for Shades of Twilight already with a chapter in the works, or one of several other stories I've been playing with for the last year. Decisions decisions. I always find it hard to make them. On the one hand I should do another sequel. People are waiting, and yet I'm not sure I'm ready to go back to those worlds yet. There’s so many other worlds to explore! There's a little romantic fantasy I've been thinking on. Have the story completely outlined, about a teen who discovers he has the power to control the dead, but is shunned from his village and the girl he loves. The story is about how he tries to win his love to him and at the same time he tries to learn to control his strange powers.

Sounds cool to me and I've been thinking about writing it. Geez...Never enough time to write. Anyways that’s whats been going on with me. Hopefully by the time you see me again, I'll have made up my mind. Til then, cya.

Don't have an e-reader yet? Win one here!

E-readers are becoming more and more popular. Since their prices have come down tremendously over the last year, they've turned into popular gifts. I heard from many readers this year who received either a Kindle or a Nook for Christmas.

Considering that many independent authors only e-publish due to the high cost of print publishing, this is good news for all of us indie authors.

And here are two authors who want to add to the readership who own an e-reader: Bella Andre and Tina Folsom are raffling off a Color Nook each. You can find the links to their giveaways below. Each giveaway involves a few questions about their books, but answers to these questions can be found in the free samples you can read on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

So, what are you waiting for? Head over to their websites and enter the contests!

Good Luck!

Bella's Contest

Tina's Contest

The Urban Myth of Santa Claus

by
Luna Lindsey

Long ago, I wrote a comedic essay on the parallels between Santa Claus and Satan.  I was surprised to find quite a few things in common, though I was really only joking.  I finished the piece "...and the North Pole is as cold as hell!"

Back then, I didn't even know that "Nick" or "Old Nick" is also another word for The Devil in some parts of the world.  It is also the root of the name for several types of fairies in different regions (neck, nykk, nissie, nixsie, nyx, etc.  This itself may have come from the Roman "nymph".)  When we accept that many of our Christmas traditions have pagan roots, it's easy to see where all the confusion might have come from.

I've studied a lot of world mythologies this year.  And in doing so, I have taken a step back from my own culture's mythologies and seen it anew.  To us, we are a rational culture which has abandoned actual belief in strange tales of gnomes with funny names who spin straw into gold and gods with hammers who strike lightning out of the sky.  What silly nonsense!  Yet we have a large number of our own myths, that when viewed from outside, are just as silly.  When it comes to Christmas, those myths are borrowed from the same kinds of people who believed in giants and gods who live on Mt. Olympus.  And we find we are no different.

Think about it.  We cut down a tree and put it in the living room and place a star on top.  We hang socks from the fireplace.  Then we place cookies and milk out all night for a fat man in a red suit, who will come down the chimney at midnight and fill the socks with treats, then pull brightly colored packages (made by elves) out of his sack and place them under the tree.  But only for children he has judged worthy.  Then he will climb back up the chimney, hop on a flying snow-craft pulled by a team of reindeer, and fly back to his home in the North Pole.

If you hadn't grown up with that story, you would laugh, and say, "People really believed that crap?"  And yet parents tell the tale to their children as if it were fact, take their children to the "marketplace" to sit on his lap, then stay up on Christmas night to enact the ritual.  We put statues and images of Santa and all his followers all over our houses and marketplaces and sing songs about him.  Revealing the secret to children is taboo.

Have we really changed all that much?  In the future, when antiquities scholars will tell of our God and our Demigods, Santa will be highest on that list, akin to Thor in his second-place status next to Odin.  He will be the god associated with giving, kindness, children, winter, snow, the cardinal direction of "north", and the color "red".  The Easter Bunny and cupid and leprechauns and ghosts will be right up there, too, and academics will debate whether we held them as gods or animistic spirits.  For all our science, we haven't really left our myths behind.

Everything about the Santa myth is a fairytale.  With actual fairies.  It's so ingrained in our culture that we often miss it.  But all the elements are there:

• Magic.
• Elves.
• Flying.
• Leaving out food to appease him.
• Inexplicable gift giving (remember the shoemakers elves?)
• Time dilation to get around the world in one night.

Fairies themselves were a pagan belief, existing long before Christianity.  In an effort to get people to stop worshiping false gods, the Catholic church literally demonized the fae folk, turning them into devils, the very minions of Satan.  Hence, when studying fairytales, I've often seen "devil" being synonymous with "elf".  The original horned gods (often with the cloven hoofs of goats) were Pan, Puck, and the satyr.  But the devil himself, once the imageless antithesis of God, was given a makeover to resemble these formerly-benign gods, to remind people where their loyalties should lie.

Given the great distances back then, words evolved over time.  The nixies became nykks which became "Nick" (the devil), which became "to nick something" (meaning to steal).  Saint Nicholas' name is most likely a coincidence, but he was actually from Turkey waaaay back in 270CE.  He didn't wear a fur lined coat at all, but he did give things away, year round.  Most notably, he saved women from prostitution by giving them dowries and prevented children from being butchered by cannibals by raising them from the dead.  Not a very familiar image when thinking of Father Christmas...

But we are pretty sure that the Germanic peoples associated Saint Nick with the god Odin for some reason.  In Odin we see a more familiar figure: one who was celebrated at the pagan winter holiday of Yule with the practice of leaving carrots outside in boots for his flying horse to eat.  In exchange he left treats for the children.

It is easy to imagine the Church trying to re-label the pagan nykks as devils, and their god Odin as the devil, and them hearing the name Saint Nicholas, and then deciding it was ok to celebrate him during Yule, and since he was a "Nick", and so was Odin, and they both gave things away, then it was all one and the same.

Maybe.  That last bit was just a wild guess, but in seeing how Roman nymphs evolved into European fairies in the first place, it's easy to imagine how these things can happen.

We can read recently-written stories about vampires and werewolves who wander among us, but few, if any of those will achieve the status of myth: beliefs about how the world is, or how we'd like it to be, that are passed along from parent to child, slowly evolving through the ages, until no one can quite remember just exactly where it came from.  When we think of urban fantasy, we can't forget that the old stories are just as alive today as they always were; the living, breathing spirit in the body of our culture.

Indy help

One of the hardest things about deciding to become an Indy, is knowing what to do. As a writer, writing can be hard or easy. Sometimes it's a little bit of both. In the end however, because I am a writer, I write. No ands or buts about that. Still, once I finish writing and editing my work, what then? There's a great big world out there and no real road maps to follow. At least there wasn't when I started over a year ago. Today, however there are several road maps that have been put together by authors that, like me, started out when there were none.

They have cheerfully put together their experiences, both the good and the bad, and have done their utmost to help you to avoid the pitfalls that they had to learn from real world experience. If you're thinking about pursuing a career as an Indy author, but don't have a clue as to where to start after finishing that manuscript, then I would recommend three different books for you. All of them have there own merits and each one will give you a little something different. So if you're serious, then please take the time and read at least one of these, as they will surely make your trip into Indy publishing that much easier for you.

Are You Still Submitting Your Work to a Traditional Publisher?--- By Edward C. Patterson
http://www.amazon.com/Still-Submitting-Traditional-Publisher-ebook/dp/B001O9BERY?tag=dogpile-20

The Newbie's Guide to Publishing (Everything A Writer Needs To Know)---JA Konrath
http://www.amazon.com/Newbies-Publishing-Everything-Writer-ebook/dp/B003I6496Y/ref=pd_sim_kinc_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Becoming an Indie Author (Smart Self-Publishing)---Zoe Winters http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Indie-Author-Self-Publishing-ebook/dp/B004AYD90U/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1293029386&sr=1-6

Mind Control, Mystical Mesmerism, and Other Magical Compulsions

What is mind control?  We love watching our heroines lock eyes with the vampire and immediately come under his thrall.  Or our hero robotically stumbling to perform an act he simply cannot bear, fighting himself and the foreign voice inside his head. 

It is a common theme, these various methods through which a major or minor character is magically compelled to act against his or her will. 

In the real world, mind control takes a lot more than magic, and a lot less than a hypnotist's pocket watch.  The treatment of this topic from a scientific point of view would take much more than single blog post.  Believe me, I've tried to fit it into a couple of posts, and could only cover the basics.  In real life, psychological manipulation is not all-consuming, and it requires a long process to win trust, appeal to ideals, give the experience of group euphoria, and then slowly build a trap of fears, thought terminating cliches, and other mental tricks to keep the person from listening to reason.  As difficult as it sounds, it is also appallingly common, and of course people who have been coercively persuaded don't even know it.  That's sort of the point.

In fantasy, it's a lot easier.  And much more glamorous, if you pardon the pun.  Our villains have the advantage of magical prowess, so they can cut right to the chase.  Unlike real life, their powers are all-consuming.  They work 100% of the time, without fail, on anyone they choose.  They can make people go against core beliefs, without the messy complications, or years of preparation.

We are all familiar with the black and white celluloid of Bela Lugosi compelling Renfield to leave the window open, the nurse to remove the protective wolfbane from around Mina's neck, and of him luring Mina herself out into the garden for his final bite. His power, like that of many other vampires, is part-magic, part-seduction... there is an theme that deep down, the victim wants to succumb.  Something about the monster is irresistible.  She already craves that which is forbidden, and the vampire uses this to his advantage.

Many vampire worlds contain another form of compulsory magic: the blood bond.  Three sips of the vampire's blood, or in some cases, just one, is enough to completely take over your mind.  The vampire now has a hold of you.  He has earned your unquestioning loyalty and can command you to do anything.  Even if you started the plot as his sworn enemy, it no longer matters.  Your will is his.

The werewolf equivalent is pack dynamics.  The Alpha has the magic ability to command and control all members of his pack, whether they like it or not.  This is much less about seduction, and more about brute force.  Perhaps you want to obey, because the pack leader is admirable, or out of a sense of tradition or duty.  But when push comes to shove, none of that matters.  Pack magic trumps all.

For the human villain, spells seem to do the trick.  Themes of sympathetic magic are common in modern fiction.  A witch or wizard can obtain a personal item or make a symbolic image, and through this, gain control over the victim's body, mind, or pain centers.  These myths originate from a number of traditions, including European folk tales and the African practice of Vodun (often fictionalized as "Voodoo").  All it takes is a lock of hair, a lost button, or a captured tear to turn another human being into a puppet.

The Celtic peoples had a concept of part-oath, part-taboo, part-compulsion, called a geas or geis (pronounced something like "gesch").  A certain behavior would be proscribed or prescribed, and should that person fail, a dire consequence would ensue.  A king could demand such a geas to ensure loyality from a warrior, or an old hag could use it as a curse.  It could even be used as a means of protection, if for example, the person is compelled to never die except under very particular, supposedly impossible circumstances.  In the famous Irish tale of Cú Chulainn, the hero is bound by geas to never eat dog meat.  He has a second geas (actually a part of Celtic culture) compelling him to always accept hospitality.  His enemies used these to create a double bind and defeat him.  He is offered dog meat, and being forced to accept it, he becomes weakened enough to be defeated in battle.

A love potion can make anyone fall in love, which is quite an act of compulsion, especially since love itself is arguably a form of compulsory magic.  A love potion is created by a scorned admirer to force the object of her affection to requite.  In the typical tale, the potion backfires, causing the subject to fall in love with a squirrel, a rival, or "a cop down on 34th and Vine".

Faeries have it easy when it comes to mind control.  Whenever the mortal wanders into the faerie glen, or stumbles upon the faerie banquet in the basement, you can always bet they will be tempted into eating the fairy food.  After that, there is no escape. 

Originally, the zombie was another form of magical mind control.  While most modern zombies are dead or diseased people acting on their own with a built-in, single-minded compulsion for brains or killing, the original zombie was an undead puppet of a magical shaman.  This interpretation lives on in our metaphorical language, when we refer to TV viewers or mall shoppers as "zombies".

Demonic possession is perhaps the most terrifying form of supernatural mind control.  In this case, the monster lives inside the victim, mind and body given over entirely to the demon's will.

Resisting mind control in real life involves a constant skeptical mind and persistent mistrust of even the nicest people.  In fiction, mind control is often inescapable.  When dealing with faeries or magical tricksters, the best bet is to never agree to anything.  And never eat the fairy food!  Or drink any suspicious potions labeled "#9".  When dealing with vampires, the best bet is to immediately deploy a wooden stake.  Wards are said to combat sympathetic magic, or you can simply become OCD about never letting your possessions out of your site (lest you become one yourself).  Religion is said to combat demons, and if you never give your soul to a bokor, you probably won't become a zombie.

But when it comes to resisting mind control, magical or otherwise, perhaps Jennifer Connelly said it best when facing down the Goblin King:

For my will is as strong as yours, my kingdom as great. You have no power over me.

What are your favorite mind control powers in urban fantasy?

Luna Lindsey

A Day in the Life of an Indie Author

Today was one of those days that just didn't have enough hours - do you know those?

When I quit my day job and became an Indie Author full time back in February this year, I thought I'd finally have time to go for leisurely lunches with my friends, enjoy walks around the city, and maybe even do some volunteering.

Nope - didn't happen. As an indie author I do more than one job now.

The morning started out with doing last minute edits for my latest release, Gabriel's Mate, Book #3 in the Scanguards Vampires series. When I was finally finished with it by 11am, I started uploading the manuscript - together with the cover I changed last night - to several e-book sites including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

You'd think I'd take a break after that accomplishment, but no such luck. I spent the remainder of the day formatting the manuscript for the paperback version. Of course, when I converted it to the print-ready pdf that's needed, Adobe wouldn't cooperate and inserted blank pages where I didn't need them. It took me hours to get it right (and I still don't know what I did).

I also drew winners of the free copies of Gabriel's Mate I had promised to readers, then sent emails to those readers to notify them of their win.

After spending some time on Facebook, Twitter and my own blog to announce my latest release, I continued with starting the upload for the paperback. But I'm not done yet: I still need to create the cover and finalize my book cover blurb.

To change pace a little, I started proofing an Erotica short story for my critique partner, who will soon release it on Kindle, but only got about 1/3 of the way before my eyes became too tired. No point in continuing if I won't be able to spot any more typos because I'm too tired.

Yes, being an Indie Author can be exhausting, but it's also rewarding. I got a wonderful email from one of my readers today. She wrote: "...and thank you for sharing your wonderful work with us!!  I haven't read one of your works yet that I haven't loved! :)"

Suddenly, I don't feel so tired anymore.

Tina Folsom
Author of the Scanguards Vampires series and the Out of Olympus series

Nanowrimo and what else has been going on.

So, I hope everyone is well today. Nanowrimo is over now, and I am proud to say I participated and won. It was weird holding myself to such a tight schedule. Normally I only write if I feel it. I hate to just sit down and write if the story isn’t flowing, which means it could take me some time to actually complete a book. Other times I can fly right through it, like a hot knife through butter. The problem is that it's usually the former rather then the latter when it comes to writing.

After doing Nanowrimo, I have found I can actually write even when I don't feel like it. Oh it can be a pain then, but I can do it. I'm hoping to move sometime soon, and my hope is that I can get my own writing room. One that allows me to sit in it all by myself, have my soft command chair and table/desk, my own fridge so I can have all the drink I need, and just sit back and chill, and write without being bothered. Especially, no phone or family demanding my attention. When I do get this dream I hope to write a whole lot more then I'm doing now. I think it will be great, and thanks to Nanowrimo, I will be able to write even if I don't feel it. I think that’s cool.

Tainted Blood is in editing, and I hope to God to have it done before Christmas. I wish I could say, yeah such and such a day. But edits are hell, and they take some time. I should be putting a paperback up this month for Shades of Twilight, and now to decided on my next project. I have 4 or 5 chapters done on Revenge a vampire/mystery/romance, which I need to finish. I have a novella I have some work on, that I'm not sure if I will finish. It is adult and I'm embarrassed about that one, so I'm not sure I want to finish that one. Vampire, of course.

Plus, I have a virtual tour in January for Shades of Twilight, so I'm thinking I should try to have at least its sequel mostly done. After all, it's my highest seller at the moment and has been each month. I will be releasing free ebook copies of Fallen Blood this week on the Librarything.com, so sign up if you want a shot at them, and I will be giving away a paperback version on Goodreads I think this month. So I think that has me all caught up for all those who are interested. I hope you had a wonderful November and are looking forward to a better December.

An Indie Author’s Asset: The Writing Group

Being an author is a challenging job. Even well established, published authors have days where they stare at their computer screens (or composition notebooks) and doubt their own abilities. Writing means being able to tap into your creative side and create a worthwhile project, even when your day has been lousy or you have a headache. Independent authors have additional challenges to tackle: sticking to their own deadlines, finding willing participants to critique their work, and determining how to get their stories known. Additionally, writing is a solitary profession and one could easily find themselves feeling discouraged and isolated.

Many authors would be amazed by the power of joining a writer’s (or critique) group. In her book, Pen on Fire, Barabara DeMarco-Barrett notes that finding a writer’s group has the benefit of being able to share your ideas with people who likely see the world in a similar way. Independent authors stand to benefit incredibly from a serious writer’s group. Some examples of these benefits include:

1)Free editing: Let’s face it, no matter how many times we review books like Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style, or how often we scrutinize our work, we will always make mistakes. There are many errors to be made: spelling and grammar errors, plot holes, and vocabulary screw-ups to name a few. If you engage yourself in a serious writer’s group where everyone does their part, your material will be critiqued for free. Your counterparts may not be editors by trade; however, they have more knowledge on the subject than the lay person. In my writer’s group, we meet bi-monthly and bring corrections of one another’s work to discuss in each meeting. This keeps us accountable to each other and improves the quality of our work.
2)Ensuring timely completion of work: As noted above, involvement in a writer’s group brings accountability. Even on my busiest weeks, as the date of our next group nears, I find myself using my time more efficiently. I know my friends are expecting me to hand over a portion of my own project as well as provide feedback on theirs. My writer’s group has likely pushed my productivity forward two fold.
3)Hearing hard news from a soft place: Not one writer wants to hear that their work stinks. Even the most seasoned among us has failed to dazzle their audience with a scene or completely confused even their sharpest readers. Sometimes, we know something needs help, other times, we hand over a part of our work that we are sure will win awards only to hear the painful news that it needs help-and lots of it. Criticism hurts, but it’s less excruciating to hear from someone who cares about you and knows your potential than from a complete stranger who has no investment in your success as a writer.
4)Sounding board for frustrations: As a new writer, I often feel overwhelmed. Attempting to write my first novel, working full-time, and trying to have a social life has been a difficult endeavor. My writer’s group buddies truly understand the fears of failure, exhaustion, and continual roadblocks I face.
5)Learning from one another: We could spend every hour of every day for years studying the craft of writing and never exhaust all there is to learn. Spending time with other writers to share knowledge can ease this burden. For example, I learned about the opportunity to blog on this site from one of my writer’s group buddies.

I would encourage every writer to establish a group by identifying a few people that can meet regularly and appear serious about their goals. Word of caution: Keep the group small and establish some general rules (e.g. expectations of each member). My writer’s group consists of 3 people. I read and write fantasy, they are science fiction writers. All 3 of us write differently, and enjoy diverse types of stories. This is not a barrier, but adds interest and brings varying view points into our meetings. Not only have these writers helped to propel my writing goals, but they have become friends of immeasurable worth.

A Toast to The Copious Cornucopia of Ancient and Modern Folktales

Before giving thanks this year, think on this: Words are an endlessly renewable resource.

Imagine: If an infinite number of turkeys pecked at an infinite number of computers for an infinite length of time, they would eventually type all our favorite novels, exactly word for word.  An even more exciting prospect is that they would type a great number of new novels that the world has never before seen.  The nightmare of sorting through all the random rubbish to find such gems would take an infinite number of pilgrims, and being Puritans, they may simply throw out all the best stuff for containing gratuitous witchcraft and hot inter-species sex scenes.

Obviously there is a better way.  Instead of implementing this absurd system of random word generation with a Thanksgiving-motif, society employs the humble writer, who types non-random words wracking their brains to find a combination that pleases everyone.  Everyone except the Puritans.

Word combinations are free and infinite.  Other harvests require real-world resources, such as lumber, steel, plastics, fuel, factories, fertile ground and seeds.  The harvest of Thanksgiving requires agricultural infrastructure and assembly lines to fill the cornucopia with plentiful food.  But to fill the mind with ideas and images, this takes only time.  Time, an imagination, a bit of electricity, and fast-moving fingers.  The cornucopia of fiction overflows, and will always overflow, until the sun itself stops shining, the oceans dry up, and the last human is no more.

It is a human trait, to pass on these stories, since ancient times.  One of these stories, imagined by myth-makers long ago, told of the god Zeus who grew up in a cave.  Some of our favorite urban fantasy protagonists were raised by wolves, but this one was raised by a goat.  Now there's an old twist on a new trope!  The goat's name was Amalthea.  One day, while tussling playfully with Amalthea, Zeus underestimated his strength, and broke off one of her horns.  Regretting this accident greatly, he made amends by blessing the horn with the power to grant all wishes.  Any material riches a person could want would be granted to anyone who possessed this horn of plenty.

I'm not sure how this helped Amalthea, since everyone would covet such a treasure and try to steal her horn away, but old myths often have a lot of plot holes.  Regardless, a lot of people really liked this story, and it lives on to this day.  It is where we get the cornucopia symbol, overflowing with the bounty of harvest, every Thanksgiving.  This is also where the unicorn myths originated, so it would not be too outrageous to create a new holiday mascot: The Thanksgiving Unicorn.

So here's to a wonderful holiday to you all.  May your cup overflow with books, words, beautiful ideas, far away places or strange creatures in familiar places nearby.  May your plot be twisted, your mind expanded, and may your protagonist always win in the end.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Luna Lindsey

Tainted blood preview continues

OMG. I can not believe I have been so busy I for got this. Sorry everyone, NanoWrimo is upon us this month, and I’ve been busy writing. All my non novel writing has fallen to the way side these days. I think I'm going to have to start writing these ahead of time, just so if I forget I still have something done. With that little excuse, here is a little more preview of my up coming novel Tainted Blood. Next week I will have something more original done.
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“Where does she think she is going?” he mumbled as he brushed the hair from his face again. A nearby sound caught his attention as he studied the ground again. This time the prints were much fresher, the imprints from the soles of her shoes were still noticeable in these ones. They were a good sign that he was gaining on her. The sound of something moving in the nearby bushes caused him to pause and stare in their direction.

“What now?” There was no way the wolves could have already caught up to him, they weren't even on his path. They seemed to be making their own trail to hunt by. Whatever it was, Brain could make out a small shadowy figure moving about in trees to his right. It wasn't large enough to be a man, so it had to be an animal of some sort. Then again, anything was possible in this place: one had to be careful at all times. The last thing he needed was to be taken by surprise. That just wouldn't do, not to mention the delay that could cause. Day time had to be approaching soon, so that meant his time was severely limited.

“Fine, I can't take the chance.”

Launching himself as fast as he could into the nearby bush, Brian pulled out a large knife from his belt. He wasn't sure when he had put it there, but right now wasn't the time to be asking these types of questions. Right now he needed all of his senses alert and ready. A dark owl like shadow leaped into the sky just as he broke through the foliage. It's large wings flapping in the air above him as it paused and looked down at him with it's large unblinking red eyes. The entire scene was surreal and caused Brian to give pause. Had it not been so other worldly, he might have thought to leap up and try to grab the thing. As it was, he found himself staring into the things unblinking eyes as it rose up higher into the air. The last thing he noticed as it finally turned and flapped off out of view was the fact that its rather large wingspan never seemed to affect the nearby tree branches, almost as if it wasn’t really here.

The sound of wolves howling jerked him out of his trance like state.

“What the hell was that?” He wondered aloud. The sound of the wolves now came from in front of him rather than behind him. Somehow in the short time he had spent investigating the dark shape, the damned wolves had caught up and already passed him.

“I really hate that when it happens.” He shook his head as he dashed off in the direction of the sound of the pack. From the commotion that they were making, it sounded as if they had found their quarry. He couldn't help but wonder what the appearance of the dark owl like thing could mean. Its absence from his life was a happy thing. That had meant that he could live his life as if he were actually normal, well at least somewhat normal. Now however, its presence here complicated things. It was a bad omen.

A small clearing opened up as he came upon the pack. Several gray and black wolves circled two people in the center of the clearing. A blond young woman dressed in flowing almost transparent white dress that reached to the ground and would have made it almost impossible to run let alone walk in stood cringing behind a young strapping man who held a ridiculously long sword out before him. The two of them spun about in place in an attempt to keep the entire pack at bay. The young man’s shiny armor somehow looking more like metal jeans and a red letterman's coat.

“Chuck? What the hell is he doing here?”

Interview with a NaNoWriPire

Hi, this is Luna. I've got too many words to write this week for my NaNoWriMo novel, a dark fantasy about an Empire ruled by vampires. (I'm at 27,460 words!) So instead of writing a post, I'll just paste this lost transcript from the Belle Art: Ghost to Ghost podcast.

As you all know, Belle Art ran a popular late-night paranormal podcast. She disappeared last June under mysterious circumstances, along with every copy of every podcast she ever recorded. These transcripts survive. They were of a show taken exactly one year ago, today.

BELLE: Hello world! Welcome to late-night Ghost-to-Ghost with Belle Art. That's me. Tonight we have a special show. In studio with me, I have Vlad the Improbable, a vampire from our sinister city, New York. I have a ghost, Henever Mones, from his old haunts here in Seattle. We have Gary Plotter, a self-proclaimed White Warlock who flew all this way from London.
GARY: On a broom.
BELLE: Yes, purportedly on a broom.
GARY: Why won't you believe me?
BELLE: I'm skeptical about such things.
GARY: Sigh.
BELLE: And lastly, I have a werewolf on the line, calling in from Nevada, who refuses to give his name. And what do these fiends have in common? They are all participating in an annual competition called NaNoWriMo. Vlad, would you care to explain?
VLAD: Yes, and may I add that your skin is so, very... very... succulent.
BELLE: That's enough, Vlad. I'm wearing garlic, so just answer the question.
VLAD: But of course. NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. Every November, thousands of people... and unpeople... sit down to write a novel in just thirty days.
BELLE: And what constitutes a novel? How do you "win" NaNoWriMo?
VLAD: Why, you must write 50,000 words between midnight November 1st and November 30th, of course!
BELLE: That seems impossible. How do you do it?
WEREWOLF: Eeennnnnnnngrrrrowww!
BELLE: Interesting, werewolf. But I'm afraid I can't understand you.
VLAD: It is a simple matter of patience, something my kind has aplenty. It is a mere 1,667 words per day.
BELLE: Yes, but if you have other things going on in your life.. or... ahem... death... like jobs, families, hobbies... Isn't it hard to write that much?
HENEVER: It is impossible to write that much, when you cannot hold a pen.
WEREWOLF: GRRRRRRR!
BELLE: Fascinating. Vlad, what do you do for a living?

Location, Location, Location!

In real estate the three most important things are: location, location, location. So what's real estate got to do with books?

Well, even for books location is important. Anne Rice set her vampires in New Orleans, True Blood takes place in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Gothic locations are in: Victorian London is a favorite for Gothic literature. They provide a perfect backdrop for vampires and other nocturnal creatures. The right setting creates the right mood for your book.

Paris lends itself for romance. The deep South can inspire lust and passion. New York is a favorite backdrop for gritty urban fantasy. How do other cities affect you? Would you rather read a vampire romance that takes place in a small town in the Midwest, or would a locale like Venice excite you more as a reader? Those are all questions, an author will ask herself when choosing where to set her next book.

Do you think Anne Rice's vampires would have had the same effect on the reader if the location had been a little beach town in Florida or a cold place like Alaska? Scouting out a location is paramount for movies, and it should be so for books as well. The right location can inspire a story and add nuances that would otherwise not have been possible.

My Scanguards Vampires series takes place in San Francisco: there's plenty of fog to set the right mood. But for my Out of Olympus (Greek God) series which is much more humorous, I decided on a town that for me has a much lighter feel, even though there's still something paranormal going on: Charleston, SC. We all have our favorites. Next time you read a book, look at the setting and ask yourself whether it could have been better or worse had the author chosen a different location.

Fallen Blood...The sequel

Well I've gone and done it. I'm working hard on the next installment of Fallen Blood, tentatively titled Tainted Blood. It's actually shaping up pretty well. I'm surprised at how easy it's coming out so far. I'm thinking maybe I should have started this one earlier rather than the couple I'm having trouble with. Either way, this one is working out well, and I hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying how easy it is.

So for those who are looking for the next in the series, fear not, it's being worked on as we speak. I'm going to be releasing sample chapters as the days progress. I hope you enjoy them. For those who have not read the first one, I suggest you check it out before trying to read the new one.

Here's a quick clip from chapter one.

The sky was still overcast and the forest seemed to go on forever. Brian absently brushed back the errant black hair that dropped down over his right eye as he knelt down to examine the fading tracks. Birds squawked and screeched all around him, making it hard to hear anything in the distance. The prints were old, but still fresh enough for him to follow. They had to, otherwise this entire trip would be for nothing. He wasn't too sure how far ahead she was, or for that matter, how long ago it had been since she passed by this place. Tracking was something new for him, something he hadn't thought he would ever be able to learn. This place was full of surprises however, least of all the fact that he could track.

Twigs showed the path she had taken. The sheer number of them that were snapped and hanging indicated how quickly she'd been moving as she passed by this place. He was going to have to move faster if he hoped to catch up to her. That shouldn't be a problem. This place lent itself to his unnatural strength and speed. With just a little exertion he would be able to catch up to his prey before she got too much further ahead. He had to admit, however, part of the fun of doing it was never knowing what could happen or what was around the next bend in the trail. The adventure was always new, and he had to admit, it would always bring him back for more.

The forest around him passed quickly by him as he picked up the pace and ran as fast as he dared to. He barely felt the broken twigs and branches as they tried to grab and hold onto him or his clothes. His outfit of choice for tonight seemed to be a green leather woodsman's outfit. It was something he was sure he once saw on some old classic movie somewhere. If he had a bow and some arrows on his back he was sure someone would take him for Robin Hood, if they could actually see him blurring by. The sound of dogs, no, wolves yapping made him pause for a moment to get his bearings.

“Figures,” he said under his breath. “It's never easy is it?”

The fact that they were heading in the same direction he was, albeit a bit further off to the north, made it a good bet they were hunting the same quarry he was. Very little in this forest seemed to happen by coincidence. Most of it was under the control of one consciousness; he was the sole exception to that. He was free to make his own decisions, and to play whatever part he chose. Whatever forces that were at work here, he was not a part of it, and yet he did shape and mold the events by his own actions as well.

“I suppose I need to try and head them off first.”

The thought was an irritant. All he really wanted to do was catch up to his quarry. He hadn't seen her at all tonight. Everything seemed to be working against him catching her, and yet there were obvious signs like the trial he was following that said she wanted to be found. Perhaps she was toying with him. It was always possible that she knew he was out here, stalking her, and she was baiting him, maybe even daring him to continue. Maybe he should just leave the wolves. They couldn’t be faster than him, and after all, wasn't she already so far ahead of him that the wolves didn't stand a chance of catching up to her?

He wasn't entirely sure if that was true. Things changed without warning in here. He had to be on his toes at all times, otherwise he could be taken unawares, and that wouldn't do. After a quick decision, Brian decided to move on and trust his own speed. He was sure he could easily outdistance the hunting pack. If he couldn't, then he would just have to deal with it when the time arrived. Miles passed beneath his feet over the next few minutes, yet strangely the forest seemed to continue without pause. The wolves had definitely been left behind. He could still hear them, but now only as a faint annoyance.

Paranormal Celebration

It’s officially my favorite time of year. The oppressive and humid heat of the great state of Louisiana is finally relenting. Mums are on every porch and fall wreaths adorn front doors. Even though this season is technically bringing the end of a year to a close, fall always feels like a new beginning to me. It’s also the time of year that hosts my favorite holiday—Halloween!

I’m not exactly sure why I so look forward to Halloween. There are no days off work and I have no more courage to watch a scary movie than I did when I was a kid. I still have memories of visiting a haunted house when I was 6 years old with my Dad and his friend. Much to the friend’s surprise, while climbing down some “haunted” stairs, I somehow managed to scale his long leather jacket and latch onto his back. I still remember being pried off of him in the parking lot. Despite my inability to handle scary events, there is just something super fun about this day. For one thing, very little wasted money and/or ill-spent personal time is involved. There are no expensive shopping trips or long drives in a car to see family members. Nope, I get to stay at home, make wassail and cookies for my friends, and open the front door to cute kids dressed up to be even cuter, and some way-too-old to be Trick or Treating (and scary in that they are bigger than me) teenagers.

I’ve never really bothered to find out why we celebrate Halloween. I’ve been happy to simply join society in the eating candy free-for-all that is October 31st. As you can imagine, when I typed “Origins of Halloween” into the search engine, there was no shortage of information. From Halloween dedicated sites to National Geographic articles, much of the information I saw told a consistent story; therefore, I decided it was to be trusted.

In summary, Halloween originates from a Celtic festival known as Samhain. The belief was that on this night, spirits walked the earth and caused havoc for the living. It was also believed that paranormal creatures, such as fairies, were out and about. On this night, the Celtics often wore costumes to ward off any such scariness. During the 1600’s, Samhain eventually morphed into a Christian holiday and became known as “All Saints Day” or “All Hallow’s Day”. According to a National Geographic article, the earliest Halloween celebration in America may have taken place in Anoka, Minnesota (1920) in an attempt to occupy the community and prevent troublesome pranks.

Today’s Halloween continues to be celebrated by children, adults, and pets. If it sounds silly to dress up an animal for Halloween, then you’ve not been lucky enough yet to see a miniature Rat Terrier dressed as a pumpkin. That was just a little piece of wonderful. Popular adult costumes continue to be witches, vampires, nurses, and fairies. Children’s costumes seem to always adhere to princesses for girls and some type of superhero for boys. My favorite childhood Halloween costume had an inflated lime colored bug that sat on the top of my head and came with green face paint. I’ve never looked more ridiculous, but at the time, I thought I looked awesome and trusted my parent’s judgment completely.

This Halloween will be pretty tame for me. My critique group thinks they are coming over to talk about our stories, but I’m planning to distract them with pumpkin shaped brownies and one of my favorite movies for this time of year: A Nightmare Before Christmas. I may even try and talk them into watching the Ghost Hunters live filming at the Buffalo Central Terminal.

As this blog is dedicated to those who love all things paranormal in nature, I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks this holiday rocks. I would love to hear from some of you about how you plan to spend the evening, whether it’s trick or treating with your kids, watching freaky movies, carefully dipping punch around chunks of dry ice, or simply relaxing with a bowl of candy on your lap. Happy Halloween!

Argentina Gnome - Creepy Reality? Or Just a Hoax?

Ghosts get all the press.  Every paranormal show on Discovery Channel is poltergeist this, and haunted that.

We like to read about vampires, werewolves, and witches.  Some of us even like to pretend that they're real.  So when evidence of non-ghostly supernatural folklore appears in the media, it catches my attention.

In 2008, the small town of Guemes, Argentina gained notoriety when The Sun (UK) reported that a gnome had been captured on film. According to The Sun, locals had been plagued by this little gnome for some time.  The boys who captured this video were minding their own business when they heard a sound, as if someone where throwing rocks.  When Jose Alvarez, who had been playing around with his phone camera, saw a movement in the grass, he pointed it towards the sound.  And that's when he captured the gnome:



Now The Sun is not always known for its reliable reporting.  It's sort of a mix between an American celebrity tabloid and a real newspaper, focusing on real news and politics, alongside gossip.  It is also the 10th highest circulated paper in the world.  This makes it, as a source, somewhat questionable... but also potentially reliable. So I did a little more digging.

You might be wondering why they believe in gnomes, traditionally a Norse myth, halfway across the world in Argentina.  Well they don't believe in gnomes exactly -- that's The Sun's choice of translation.  Their word for fairy or goblin is "duende", which combines Mayan, Portuguese,

Have fun!

Happy Halloween, everyone. I hope your weekend is a fun time. I'm kinda busy at the moment so I thought I'd just tell everyone to be safe and have fun. Don't eat too much candy, and if you have kids don't raid their candy too hard. Till next week. See ya later!

HP Mallory Interviews Toni LoTempio

HP: Hello to everyone and welcome to this month's author interview! Today we have with us Toni LoTempio, author of the new release, No Rest for the Wicca. Now, Toni and I go way back because we both used to have the same agent. Sigh...LOL So, welcome Toni!

Toni: Hey, HP. Thanks for having me! Who'd have ever thought we'd be "indies" together :)

HP: Okay, for your first question, tell us about the title of No Rest. I love that title and I know you've had lots of people who have loved it. How did you come up with it?

Toni: I took it from a phrase I heard my mother say a lot: "There's no rest for the wicked." Since Morgan in the story is a half-Wiccan, witch, I thought it was cute.

HP: Now, tell us about the book. What is the book about?

Toni: Morgan Hawkes is a paranormal investigator who's a half-wiccan witch. She's got the ability to connect with ghosts, but her father was a voodoo bokor, so she's got that bit of dark knowledge deep within her, and it scares her, particularly after what happened in her past. When she's approached by an undercover agency to help them regarding a rash of murdering witches that appear to have a voodoo slant, she's a bit reluctant at first - until she meets the lead on the case, Cole St. John, a dashing Inheritor Vampire. (cue romantic music). So you get the idea :) sort of a "Moonlighting meets Dark Shadows" deal.

HP: So, you know I have to ask you about our agent. Without mentioning names, can you give us a little info as to how you ended up with her and your story about becoming an indie?

Toni: Aha, I knew you were going to ask this (big grin). Well, I like yourself, had Agent Z for almost two years. My book (not this current one) went on submission, and almost got picked up by NAL - it went all the way to the acquisition board, but got turned down because someone else had something similar coming out first (timing is everything, make no mistake about it!). Said Agent Z seemed to lose interest after that, would not return phonecalls, emails, the book never went out on another round, so...eventually I had to part ways with Agent Z. then I started shopping a rewrite of that book around - a few nibbles, but no real interest. The market had tanked by that point. I decided to take a little break from writing, and you, my dear friend, HP Mallory, came up with the brilliant suggestion to me - GO INDIE. Most publishing houses change your original book anyway so you can barely recognize it, so I did. :)

HP: As you know, Halloween is around the corner. Any fun traditions you do on Halloween?

Toni: I used to give an annual Halloween party - it's my favorite holiday after Christmas - and I love to dress up! Unfortunately, the economy has curtailed my party giving efforts, so...I'll probably just dress the cats up instead. (grin)

HP: Do you believe in ghosts? If so, ever seen one?

Toni: I do, most emphatically, believe in ghosts, or angels. I've had too many close calls (particularly while driving) not to. I believe definitely that there is something - don’t know just what - but there is something after death. And honestly, I'm not in a hurry to find out :)

HP: So, is No Rest your first book? Is it a series? If it is a series, when will the next one be out?

Toni: NO REST FOR THE WICCA is my first indie, but definitely not my first book. I had originally planned a sequel, even have the outline written, so maybe when I get time after all my other projects I'll sit down and write it.

HP: Of all your books you've written, which of your male characters do you think is the hunkiest and why?

Toni: I'm assuming you mean of the books that are published? Or unpublished? Of published, I'd say definitely Cole St. John in Wicca, although one editor called him "flat and one dimensional". I beg to differ. The guy is hot! Of the unpublished works, I'd say Logan Slade, my other vampiric detective. Hopefully someday the world will know him (grins)

HP: What is your favorite supernatural creature?

Toni: Hm...that's a toughie. Probably a vampire. I know they're overdone as hell, but...they're all HOT! And when I was young(er) I had a terrific crush on Barnabas Collins from the soap, DARK SHADOWS. I even went down to the studio and met Jonathan Frid! I cannot wait for the Johnny Depp remake of that!

HP: Where can we find out more about you and your books? What about links to where we can purchase your books?

Toni: You can find most of my books at Barnes and Noble, the Whiskey Creek site, Echelon Press, Amazon. Some are available in paperback as well as e-books. You can get info from my website, www.freewebs.com/toni1953
I also do a blog over at Fallout Entertainment: http://tclotempio.falloutentertainmentgroup.com/?p=86

Here are some purchase Links:
Whiskey Creek Press: http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=96&zenid=ec9fb959dfaa32e1b91cc0b71b0bc3aa

Barnes and Noble:
http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=lotempio

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/NO-REST-WICCA-ebook/dp/B00427ZIIG/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1287572071&sr=1-3


HP: What are your most favorite urban fantasy/ paranormal romance books?

Toni: I like Caitlin Kittredge's Night Life series. Her Black London, not so much. And I like Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse series, Kimberley Raye's Dead End Dating Series, and Victoria Laurie's two series. Also the earlier works of Stephen King. I like a lot, actually :) I also am fond of the Maggie O'Dell series by Alex Kava, although that's not paranormal.

HP: What are you reading now?

Toni: Oddly, something that's not paranormal (grin) My other passion is writing thrillers, and right now I'm reading the Rizzoli and Isles series by Tess Gerritsen. Excellent! If you havne't read them, I strongly advise you do!

HP: Thanks so much for chatting with me today, Toni. We all wish you much success with your book! Until next time, this is HP signing off! Happy Halloween!

Toni: And you too, HP, and all your readers!

Indy publishing and you.

Writing today is the easiest thing to get into. A lot of people write, but think they would never have a chance at getting published. Most people confine themselves to just being published traditionally. I admit, when I first started writing seriously several tears ago, I heard the story about how it was near impossible to break into this business. I heard the horror stories about self publishing, and how it costs thousands of dollars to get your book in print, and there's almost no chance to sell more than a few copies to friends and family.

That may have been true five or maybe six years ago. It was darn near impossible to do anything without getting a publishing contract. Today, with the advent of E-readers, as well as Amazon opening their doors to Indies, those days have all but gone away. Barnes and Noble as well as other book stores are now opening their doors to independent authors in the form of ebooks. Create-a-space and a few other smaller POD publishers are now quite affordable if you want your book to be in more than just ebook format.

I'd have to say that ebooks, however, are the wave of the future. Millions of people are picking up Kindles and Nooks to mention a couple, and finding the almost limitless libraries of books out there. Ebooks are usually way cheaper than traditional paper books, not to mention, you don't have to kill trees to print all those millions of books. Today, it's never been easier to be self published and actually have a chance to find readers who you may never have met before.

I think this will also help those people that are still looking for traditional publishing contracts as well. As more and more successful authors start to publish themselves, more spots are going to open up for newer authors. I'm not saying it's happening yet, but it could. Why should someone like Stephen King settle for 18% royalty, when he already has a name and following for himself? Why shouldn’t he self publish and get 70+%? Sooner or later, top authors are going to realize this. Why wouldn't they? Don't be surprised when they do. And personally I think it will be soon. So if you're thinking about publishing those vampire romances, or maybe that zombie story, now is one of the best times ever to do it.