Hitting Your Stride in that Race to the Finish(ed Book)

by Nancy Gideon

When I was in high school, I used to time laps for the boys track team after school (cute guys in shorty shorts – a dirty job . . .). The goal was to keep the pace steady for the long haul and finish strong. The long distance runners in the mile and two mile would establish a ‘zone’ where external distractions fell away (things like crowd noise and fatigue), where nothing existed except their own internal rhythm that would carry them to the finish line. Yeah, writing is like that, too.

Don’t you love it when the W-I-P that you’ve been fighting with suddenly hits its stride?

After false starts, shin splints and stumbles, I’ve finally hit my stride in my W-I-P UNLEASHED BY SHADOWS, the 10th book in my “By Moonlight” dark paranormal series. Instead of moaning and groaning each morning as I turn on the computer, I’ve stretched and shaken it out and am ready to run at the first blink of the cursor. My only wish is that I had time for a long distance run each morning before work instead of just a quick dash.

Here’s a sneak peek . . .

The well-dressed crowd pushed as close as they dared, high on the adrenalin thrill and raw violence. Anticipation electrified the air, a pheromone compliment to the blood already shed. Even knowing what they were about to see, having experienced the jolt, the shock, the wild intoxication of it during the first two rounds, the concept was still unique enough to spike feverish excitement. The illegal factor brought some. The chance of watching mortal combat enticed others. But the whisper, just the glimmer of possibility that what they were seeing wasn’t staged reeled them and their fat wallets in and held them captive.

Lights in the dressage ring went dim, bringing those in the bleachers to their feet so they could see over the mob straining against the fence. A deafening cry rose from the spectators as spotlights swirled and finally fixed upon two massive figures loping out into the center of the ring. Breaths caught in amazement as light glinted off the feral red of their eyes and glittered in the strings of drool threading off ferocious fangs. The hunched shoulders, thick with muscle, matted with bristling hair, claw-tipped hands curled and ready to shred anything within reach belonged in a Sy-Fy movie or circus freak show. Animals, monstrous and dangerous . . . at first glance. Until amazed eyes traveled down those heaving chests to Wrangler jeans and work boots still mudded from the docks.

Not animals. But not men, either.

Was it just amazing theater presented for the exclusive few? The audience didn’t care. The carnage was genuine. The chance to wager and win big real.

The pair paused instead rushing forward to lock in battle. Waiting. The arena grew quiet as shaggy heads lifted to test the thick air as if the heavy breeze conveyed an unsettling message. They began to growl and weave warily, not liking what they scented. The spectators stained to see.

But the figure striding boldly into the ring to meet the two behemoths wasn’t fierce or frightening in look or attitude. The cocky strut, the taunting grin, the sleek gleam of tanned flesh on brawny arms. Just a man?

The beasts drew back in confusion, looking toward handlers who stood in the shadows, not sure what to do when confronted with such a vulnerable opponent. But the slight figure showed no hesitation as he flung fists high as the first hard rocking chords of “Fire Your Guns” shattered the humid air.

Chanting started small and built like a squall out on the Gulf, rolling in louder and louder.

“Gunslinger! Gunslinger!”

The fighter responded to their cries with a sudden echoing roar. His hands gripped the front of his tee shirt as his head fell back, and he was lost within a flash of dazzling light. And when blinking eyes adjusted, they went wide to see standing in the small human’s stead a creature covered in a thick red-gold pelt, lupine features lifted in a savage howl.

Right. Before. Their. Eyes.

Same clothing. Same black armband. Same widely planted stance. As if he’d transformed from man to beast right in front of them!

And the audience went wild.

UNLEASHED BY SHADOWS picks up where REMEMBERED BY MOONLIGHT left off, right in the middle of the action. If I keep up my pace, I should have it ready to read in late summer. Though it can be read on its own, its more exciting as part of a relay race with the books that come before it. If you start now, you should be able to hand off the baton to a book that’s ready to run strong and finish hot.



Happy reading and enjoy the race!!

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It's spring! JK LOLOL

By Stephanie Beck


Last week we had a day in the 60's...it was magical. I put away the family snow pants and boots, and reduced the hat and mitten selection to the lighter styles, perfect for the cool mornings when the kids walked to school. We opened the windows, turned off the heat, and let the outside air in!


What the heck was I thinking?


My family lives in Minnesota. I know better than to put things away before April. Heck, we've even had snow into May--for real. It was terrible, and the following week we had the sprinkler on and kids in swimming suits.


So why did I jump at the first sign of spring? Because I wanted to. Because I need to after the long, cold winter. I think most people living in the northern states would agree with me. There's something special about that first big breath of fresh air that doesn't hurt when you breathe it in. It goes straight to your head. I know it did for me. And tomorrow it is supposed to snow. Blurg. Snow. Accumulating snow at that.


Oh wells. We'll survive just fine. And the sunshine and spring will come for real one of these first days, and when it does, me and my ultra white legs are going to be out to enjoy it.


All the best,
Stephanie Beck
www.stephaniebeck.net





Stuck inside? Grab a book! Starlight Cowboy is out of this world!


From the storybook of the stars.
A groundbreaking mission to the moons of Jupiter should have been Annalina's big ticket for advancement, but instead of captaining her own ship, she's second fiddle to Shields Albright.

Playboy, adventurer, immature.
Shields has been called it all, but really, he just wants to fly and hasn’t spent a lot of time on his social skills. Mutual attraction grows as the walls of the space ship close in, and they come to an arrangement that satisfies them both, while allowing them professional distance. The distance doesn’t last, not as they grow to understand themselves…and each other as someone who just fits.

Not all is as it should be among the stars.
Their ship is attacked, and the moons of Jupiter are not exactly untouched when they finally arrive. The little world they’ve built high above terra firma is about to smack down in the middle of a dangerous, maybe even deadly, reality. If Shields didn't attract trouble like fireflies on a bug zapper, the two might have an actual shot at true love.




Buy Now: Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Starlight-Cowboy-Beyond-Fairytales-Book-ebook/dp/B00NZIHIN6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426986223&sr=8-1&keywords=starlight+cowboy


B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/starlight-cowboy-stephanie-beck/1120427083?ean=2940150348004

World Building: Religion in Science Fiction

by Diane Burton

This is the third time I’ve blogged here about smaller aspects of world building. Previously, I wrote about transportation and aliens.

I learned a long time ago that there are two subjects to avoid in social settings if you value peace—religion and politics. However, both have a place in world building, especially in science fiction. I’m tackling religion today. If you all don’t tar and feather me and run me out of town, I’ll be back next month to talk about politics.

Here on Earth, many inhabitants recognize a supreme being and a place of reward or punishment after we die. It’s evident in our speech, often as exclamations. Oh, God. Heavens! By God. Hell. So it will be in our stories. Think about your characters and the world they inhabit. Did their ancestors come from Earth? If so, their speech will contain many common expressions. If their origins are from somewhere else in the universe, think about how religion plays into their speech. Even more so, their lives.

I’ve been watching episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. One group of people, the Bajorans, revere The Prophets who play a large part in their lives. They believe The Prophets speak to them through others, guide them, even influence their political leaders. Consequently, the conflict between religion and duty to the Federation has played heavily in several episodes. In your world, what part does religion play, if any?

Something else to consider is whether everyone in the world you created believes the same. We don’t here on Earth so why should the inhabitants of a single planet? Unless there’s a “state” religion. Does everyone truly believe or are there dissidents who rebel against a forced state religion? Remember the Pilgrims?

Consider if your characters come from different planets, like the world I’ve built in my Outer Rim series. Since my characters either come from different planets or their immediate ancestors did, their religion-based exclamations aren’t be the same. (It sure would be easier if they were.) In The Pilot, my main characters grew up on three different planets with three different types of religion. I had to develop substitutes for “By God” (for instance) for all three. I used “By the Divine One” for the hero; “By the Matriarch’s left tit” for his buddy; and “By the Spirits” for the heroine. Those exclamations tell you a bit about who or what they worship or revere. The hero’s planet believes in a single supreme being they call the Divine One. No gender implied. On the heroine’s planet, the people revere the spirits of their ancestors. Then there’s the buddy with his irreverent exclamation. (Normally the expression is “By the Matriarch” but he was in crisis mode dodging asteroids.) On his homeworld, a female entity is venerated. Since I stay away from discussion of religious differences in my own social world, I don’t get on a soapbox in my writing either. I try to use a light touch.

Obviously, how the characters speak is a minor aspect of world building. But it was one thing my first editor impressed on me. They’re aliens, she said. They wouldn’t speak as we do. I learned my lesson. Maybe too well.

 

Available at Amazon ~ B&N ~ iTunes ~ Kobo

There’s no place like home . . . and he just confiscated hers.

Sparks fly around the Outer Rim when rule-bound Administrator Trevarr Jovano clashes with free-spirited space pilot Celara d'Enfaden. She must deliver her cargo or lose her ship to a loanshark. Having lost her last shipment to pirates masquerading as Coalition Inspectors, Celara refuses to be duped again. Determined to make an example of those who flaunt the law, Trevarr seizes her ship. Yet, they must work together to rescue her brother and find his wife's murderer.

Diane Burton is the author of two science fiction romance series, Switched and The Outer Rim. Currently she is working on the third book in The Outer Rim series about strong women on the frontier of space. Diane is a regular contributor here on the 13^th of the month, on The Roses of Prose on the 8^th and 30^th, and every Monday on her own blog: http://dianeburton.blogspot.com

Cover Magic

One of the hardest things to get right in the book publishing process, at least from an author's point of view, is the cover. (I'd wager many readers would agree.) As an author, it can be hard to articulate on those cover art sheets just what you have in your head. Often, the best you can hope for is that the cover artist assigned to your book is a professional, even if they don't share your vision. Because when it goes wrong, it can go really, really wrong. But when it goes right? It gives you goosebumps to see that perfect cover show up in your email.

My new release, Idol of Bone, has one of those covers:

Idol of Bone is a book that's been with me for a long time. I know just how Ra looks. I actually drew her myself many years ago while working on the first draft. My cover artist at Samhain, Kanaxa, hasn't seen that drawing, but when I saw the final cover she'd designed, I was amazed at how close to my drawing it actually is. I love the little flourishes and ethereal colors, and I couldn't be happier with this representation of my book.

As we started working on Book 2 in the Looking Glass Gods series, Idol of Blood, I figured I couldn't get that lucky a second time, but I knew Kanaxa would give me something good. The first draft of the cover was great—I loved the shot of the model, loved the brooding color and the flourishes—but the model was holding an object that didn't really relate to the book, so I tried to come up with some suggestions for things that could be Photoshopped in, but nothing really worked.

And then Kanaxa said, "Well, she does magic, right? Conjures things? What if I have her conjuring something in her hands?"

"Sounds good," I said. "Go for it."

I just about died of awesome when she sent back this:

And now I can't wait to see the cover for Book 3. :)

One stranger seeks to claim her heart…another is destined to destroy her.

Ra. Just two letters. Barely a breath. When she stumbles into the frozen Haethfalt highlands, her name is all she has—the last remnant of a past she’s managed to keep hidden, even from herself. Her magic, however, isn’t so easy to conceal—magic that’s the province of the Meer, an illicit race to which she can’t possibly belong.

The eccentric carpenter who takes her in provides a welcome distraction from the puzzle of herself. Though Jak refuses to identify as either male or female, the unmistakable spark of desire between them leaves Ra determined to find out what lies beneath the enigmatic exterior.

But more dangerous secrets are brewing underneath the wintry moors. Jak’s closest friend, Ahr, is haunted by his own unspeakable past. Bounty hunters seeking fugitive Meer refuse to leave him in peace.

Harboring feelings for both Ra and Ahr, Jak nonetheless struggles to keep them apart. Because like the sun and the moon coming together, their inevitable reunion has the potential to destroy Jak’s whole world.

Read an excerpt from Idol of Bone

Available now in trade paperback and ebook:

Amazon | All Romance eBooks | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Samhain Publishing

Pre-order Idol of Blood, coming in June:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo

Something smells...

Sorry I’m late—there is a good reason; well, for me, an aromatic as well as 

delicious reason. J I’ll get to that in a bit.

First, I’m tired of snow, sleet, and rain, really tired. L I do have to say the soft, powdery stuff has lent the magnificent appearance of a Winter Wonderland and the silence is awesome. Soon there will be the sound of shovels and blowers. YUK!

Secondly, Hold Me Hard, Dirty Rotten Vampires 3, will release this month. I’ll keep you posted. Meanwhile, you can read a little at Changeling Press. Here’s the cover—go ahead you can touch him too!

Now, the aromatic stuff. I’ve chopped onions and peppers, mixed in some whole tomatoes, and then browned it all along with hot sausage, added oregano and bay leaves; now the pot of sauce is simmering away on the stove. Mmm, love the smell wafting through my home.

Here’s where it gets even better: I popped open a can of big flaky biscuits. I know, I know, you’re thinking, “She could have baked those herself!?” No, I couldn’t, I leave baking to those much more qualified than I am! (waving at the Pillsbury doughboy). Separating the layers, I stuffed a few with finely chopped jalapenos, asiago cheese, and garlic after which I dusted the top with garlic powder.

So, again, sorry I’m late posting, and now I’ll just sit here and salivate until everything comes together. Pasta, hmm...spaghetti, vermicelli, maybe linguine. Ahh, decisions, decisions!

Enjoy your day, stay safe and warm, maybe even read a good book!

J Hali Steele

Growl and roar-it’s okay to let the beast out.

How to find time in your day

by Maureen L. Bonatch

How much time do you spend writing?

Initially my generic answer was, “A lot.” 

This didn’t seem to pacify the person or answer the question. I pondered this and found it difficult to identify an exact amount of time that I could say I spent writing.

So she went on to ask for further clarification by asking, 

“Where do you find the time?”

This I could answer, because despite my greatest wish, I’ve yet to discover a way to find more hours in the day or to clone myself. Therefore, as a write, I’ve had to make do with what I had.

Here is where I’ve managed to carve writing time out of each day:

•          The time I would’ve spent with that extra hour of sleep every morning, I drag myself out of bed to sit in front of the computer at 4:45 a.m. (Or an extra hour in the evening when I should be in bed---hello, caffeine addiction!)
•         The time that I should be spending on finishing the laundry, cleaning the house more often instead of operating on ‘clutter control’ or trying to fool people who enter like the Febreeze commercials by spraying a cloud from room to room.  
•        The time I should be exercising instead of sitting in a chair for hours…and hours, without realizing how much time has flown by.
•        The time I should be spending shopping for some of the newer fashions rather than wearing the same old sweatpants. See above bullet…explains need for sweatpants…(I think they should be changed to ‘inspiration wear’…cause I can get a lot done in them and it just sounds more attractive than sweats…)
•        The time most people spend on the newest television shows when I don’t have the foggiest idea of what they’re talking about. I park myself on the couch with my family and the television may be on, but my laptop is with me like some extra mechanical arm I’ve grown and can’t be without. (As my family may have mentioned once or twice…not the mechanical arm part, I added that to make it sound cool. They just say, “Why are you always on the computer?” Which in turn makes me want to clutch it to my chest and say, “My precious..”)
•        When I do spend the time watching a movie, or reading, (because I can’t resist either and can consider it kind of research for writing)…I pick the movie apart, often unable to stop myself from throwing terms at my husband like, “There’s the black moment.” Or “See they’re trying to make you feel empathy for the character.” Or “They didn’t put enough red herrings in the story.” (He, bless his heart, has learned to tolerate me.)
•        The time most people spend socializing at a ‘day job’ lunch break, I close myself in my office with my sandwich and laptop. (Don't worry, I'm not lonely, my characters keep me company.)
•         The time I spend waiting on my twins evening activities, I’m sitting in the car with my laptop. (This has probably become entertaining to the other parents during this long winter as I’m wrapped up with a huge jacket, hat and sometimes a blanket in the car like a homeless person who has claimed the vehicle as their new abode.)
• 
  

I could go on, but I’ve only got the same twenty-four hours a day as the rest of the world.

So tell me…how do you carve writing time out of your day? Or make time for the hobby/craft that you enjoy?

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Viking Love

I hope you were as excited as I was to start Season 3 of Vikings on the History channel, and to follow the adventures of real-life Norwegian warrior Ragnar Lodbrok, the former farmer now king.

Nearly as curious as they were ruthless, the ancient Norse revered nature, minted no currency of their own, allowed their women to fight and divorce their husbands, and believed in the afterlife. The series is rich in pagan lore and symbolism. Here are some of my favorites.

1. Ravens and Odin. Ravens appear everywhere, starting with the opening credits. The Norse God Odin has two named Huginn and Muninn, meaning “thought” and “memory.” When ravens descend on a battlefield to pick at the bodies of the slain, it represents Odin’s acceptance of the blood sacrifice he’s been offered. The ravens were also his messenger, travelling the earth during the day and returning to him at night to tell him of the deeds of man.

When it comes to worshipping Odin, there’s no better Viking than Ragnar, who feels a very personal connection with the god. “Odin sacrificed an eye to look into the well of knowledge, so I thought Ragnar should have the same impulses,” says series creator Michael Hirst. Embracing “new” technology—sundials—Ragnar leads his seafarers west for the first time and becomes intrigued with a captive monk. Says Hirst, “He’s not just going on raids to plunder and steal and kill. Ragnar’s actually curious about the world.” Ragnar also embraced the raven by incorporating the image into his armor last season.

The gods have been featured in many episodes of Vikings, in different forms. In the season one episode “Sacrifice,” one of my favorites, we see Odin, his son Thor and the god Greyr as three towering monuments inside the temple at Uppsale. Ragnar asks Odin who will bear him a son, since it appears Lagertha cannot. Soon after he meets the princess Aslaug. She gives him sons, but Ragnar’s troubles have just begun.

And by the way, what’s up with Ragnar’s buzzcut-meets-braid hair? Is it true to Viking tradition? “I was dreading the usual long hair biker look, but didn’t know how we would escape it,” Hirst says. The solution came when star Travis Fimmel showed up in a crew cut to begin filming. “He hadn’t grown his hair long enough to have extensions so we couldn’t have orthodox long hair,” Hirst recalls. Enter costume designer Joan Bergin. Joan said, “Leave it up to me. I’ll come up with a look.”

So, is it historically accurate? Maybe not. Researchers hypothesize Vikings may have shaved their heads as a health precaution to prevent lice. What few records exist report the back of the head was shaven and the front fringe left long. Ragnar’s son Bjorn and many other characters of the series have haircuts closer to the Norman tradition. But, hey, Ragnar has to have a signature look.

2. Loki. Hirst sees the mythic Loki as “a kind of serious mischief-maker.” To embody that spirit, he created the clever but unstable shipbuilder Floki (Fustaf Skarsgard). The character also represents Heimdall, a deity with gold teeth. His treasured possession is Gjallarhorn, which will be blown at the onset of Ragnarok, the battle that ends the world. Floki is indeed pictured with a horn, even though it is a drinking horn. We learned at the end of season two how dangerous he can be. Hirst says more strange dark things are ahead for this character.

3. Visions and Prophecy. Everybody believes in prophecies in this world. The Seer (actor John Kavanagh) and his visions are as integral in the show as prophecies were in Viking culture. The Vikings believed their fate was set initially at birth, and that the Norns who lived under the tree of life would spin the details of their fates every day.

Ragnar’s second wife Aslaug tells him she is a volva, a female seer. She proved she was the daughter of Sigurd, a famous volva who had killed the serpent Farnir by prophesying her child would be born with the image of that serpent in its eye. When the child is born with a malformed pupil, it was named Sigurd snake-in-eye. Next, she predicts that if Ragnar forces himself on her, their second child will be born cursed and we see that with Ivar the Boneless, born with malformed legs.

This type of magic was considered female domain. The woman of the house acted as priestess, to prophesize, to weave spells in the threads of her family’s clothes, and to concoct herbal remedies. Most Viking men, even the gods, consulted a volva rather than trying to divine the future themselves. This is what Odin does when he resurrects a long-dead volva from her grave in the poem Baldrs draumar. The seer predicts the death of his own son.

In Viking society if something terrible or really interesting is going to happen, people have simultaneous dreams about it. In the first episode in season three, Aslaug, Siggy and Helga have identical dreams of a stranger arriving in Kattegat with blood dripping from his hands. When he arrives, he's an extremely mysterious, slightly Rasputin figure who does wonderful things for Aslaug in terms of her crippled son Ivar, but the other two women are afraid.  Since the name Harbard is another name for Odin, it will be interesting to see what Vikings has in store for us in Season three.

I will delve into Viking lore more next time with the mythology of swords, the Valkyries, dragons and talking skulls.

Until then, if you’d like to read Norse history and mythology, here are some suggested books:

The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland - Here are thirty-two classic myths that bring the Viking world vividly to life.

The D’Aulaires Book of Norse Myths – retellings of the Norse tales and descriptions of the gods and their world. For children ages 5-10.

Wolfsangel by MD Lachlan - Viking raiders kidnap two infant brothers from a village. Clever Vali is groomed to be Viking king Authun's heir, while Feileg is raised ferally as Gullveig's werewolf protector as she schemes against the god Odin. I particularly like the way the magic is portrayed in traditional Norse Shamanic tradition.

The Whale Road by Robert Low - Charts the adventures of a band of Vikings on the chase for the secret hoard of Attila the Hun.

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman - In this inventive, short, yet perfectly formed novel inspired by traditional Norse mythology, Neil Gaiman takes readers on a wild and magical trip to the land of giants and gods and back.

Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Key - Wonderfully imaginative historical fantasy. Seemingly random deeds connect Viking raiders and English and Welsh princes: If only Bern Thorkellson hadn't stolen that horse in a desperate act of vengeance against his sorry fate; if only Dai ab Owyn hadn't stepped outside the safety of Brynfell right at the moment when the Erlings attacked; if only Ivarr Ragnarson hadn't been born ill-formed and downright cruel; if only Aeldred hadn't been king of the Anglcyn; if only Thorkell Einarson had murdered only one man and not the second; if only Alun ab Owyn hadn't stepped into that pool on a moonless night and seen the Queen of the Elves in procession.

The Hammer and the Cross by Harry Harrison & John Holm -  Born the bastard son of an English thane, Shef goes on to lead the Viking army originally belonging to the sons of Ragnar Loðbrokkr, rising in rank from a thrall (slave) to carl (freeman) and ultimately emerging as a jarl (nobleman).

Sandy moved to Arizona 17 years ago and fell in love with the southwest desert, including its Native American influences. After a trip to Sedona, the germ of a novel was born.

“I love to take ordinary characters and put them in extraordinary situations that change their view of the world.”

Her first novel, Song of the Ancients, introduces witchcraft and shamanism seen through the eyes of an ordinary woman.  Readers interested in witchcraft—or just a dark, eerie tale—will enjoy this paranormal suspense, written by a real-life Wiccan High Priestess.

Winner of the Pacific Northwest (fantasy) , On the Far Side (paranormal)  and Orange Rose (paranormal romance) contests, Song of the Ancients will be published in May 2015.