tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49440461122163786892024-03-23T05:26:14.193-04:00Haunted Dreams, Dark DestiniesParanormal Suspense/Urban FantasyPamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.comBlogger253125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-71840643794184001822024-03-16T00:44:00.002-04:002024-03-16T00:44:47.478-04:00<p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbzRg5qfQ5MAEaGBUmg8ddwTreuiq_MK0AfIIvqj2_k2AbWh_CAsCZpquS6k_kR_HaED8_7Fojavy31NMmfJQg47tDGVIbvkw52u3TRpTyb3clFU5H5wfcDqPSLQeo946aGF_W3YETT668vh1mP2akJ4rSDMfIZmu9xDWdQ-OAhXQUADd4EJ2oU9pARg/s2000/Depositphotos_11129626_L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbzRg5qfQ5MAEaGBUmg8ddwTreuiq_MK0AfIIvqj2_k2AbWh_CAsCZpquS6k_kR_HaED8_7Fojavy31NMmfJQg47tDGVIbvkw52u3TRpTyb3clFU5H5wfcDqPSLQeo946aGF_W3YETT668vh1mP2akJ4rSDMfIZmu9xDWdQ-OAhXQUADd4EJ2oU9pARg/s320/Depositphotos_11129626_L.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose Window</td></tr></tbody></table>It's been a while, but I've decided to revamp my Blogger website. Main reason is because I cancelled my Wix one. I also moved my newsletter from Mailerlite to EmailOctopus. (You can sign up for my newsletter on the right sidebar via Bookfunnel.)</p><p>I'm currently working on a screenplay adaptation of Rogue Vampire, as well as revising both Rogue Fae, the second book in the Louisville Paranormal Files, and Demon Gate, the first book in the Seraph Chronicles.</p><p>The rose window photo is an inspiration for Demon Gate. I'll share the cover when it's available. (Credit: Borna_Mir @www.depositphotos.com)</p><p><br /></p>PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-43638895722613170752022-01-18T02:14:00.001-05:002022-01-18T21:35:05.727-05:00<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">Chatting with <i>Among the Headstones </i>Author Cinderella Lo<span style="color: blue;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Welcome author Cinderella Lo to Darkling Delights. She's sharing not only cemetery rules and traditions in Hong Kong cemeteries, but what inspired her short story The Eternal Glow of Yue. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">How do you feel about cemeteries? Do
find them creepy? </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I don’t find cemeteries creepy <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>unless they’re neglected or abandoned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A cultural factor plays into this. Because I
find cemeteries in Southeast Asia a lot spookier than those in Canada where I
used to live.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My birthplace Hong Kong has a wealth of
ghost stories related to cemeteries. People accept these legends as facts, or
at least take them into consideration for important decisions such as moving
into a condo or opening a shop nearby.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Do you know where your ancestors are
buried? Do you visit their graves?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In Hong Kong’s culture, people are expected
to worship their ancestors several generations back. Because land in the city
is notoriously scarce, burial grounds are rare and often limited. Most people are
cremated, their ashes stored in tiny rectangular hollos in cement walls inside
multi-storied public cemeteries – which ironically reflects their life-long
residence in multi-storeyed shoebox-sized apartments.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I remember when I was a child in Hong Kong,
my family we went to worship our ancestors – especially the maternal and
paternal grandparents - at the annual spring and autumn worships. For us kids,
these were exciting events, because we got together with cousins and were
allowed to wander around while the adults were busy with worship ritual, e.g.
preparing the incense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They used to
share offerings with the ‘neighbouring ancestors’ – the people buried next to
our grandparents<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- as an act of
neighbourly amicability.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-GB">Do you ever wander around cemeteries,
read the inscriptions on strangers’ headstones, and wonder what their lives
were like, how they died, what families they left behind</span></b><i><span lang="EN-GB">?</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span>There are many taboos in our culture,
including complex etiquette rules for visits to cemeteries. You’re not supposed
to make loud noises because those might disturb the ancestors, or to read out
names on strangers’ headstones, or to comment on pictures or reveal life
anecdotes of the graveyard’s residents. All these are considered disrespectful.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> W</o:p></span>e are supposed to focus our attention on
the worship of our own ancestors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
sometimes when I see names and pictures of my ancestors’ ‘neighbours’ – the
people buried next to them – I’m tempted to let my imagination wander,
wondering what their lives were like and how they passed.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b><span lang="EN-GB">How would you like to be buried?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></i>I really love water in all forms – swimming
pools, waterfalls, oceans. Water empowers me. So I’d like to have my ashes
scattered in a nice turquoise body of water<b><span style="color: blue;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">What gives you the creeps?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sometimes the realisation that I’m alone in
a secluded environment is enough to give me the creeps<b><span style="color: blue;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">For your story in <i>Among the</i> <i>Headstones,</i>
where did you get the inspiration</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My inspiration for the story “The Eternal Glow of
Yue” came from an urban legend in my native city, Hong Kong. Several decades
ago, a sick, impoverished woman died in a run-down flat. Her death wasn’t
discovered for days, until the police broke into the apartment. All the while,
her children were still being fed – by their mother’s ghost.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Mangal; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Mangal; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">In my story, I changed some details and I added
the character of the delivery guy. I wanted to add a romantic note to the
story, and also to highlight the issue of intergenerational poverty. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Mangal; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Mangal; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Mangal; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">Describe your writing voice.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Fantastic and whimsical, intensely romantic but
not necessarily about requited or fulfilled love, realistic yet timeless.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">What are your literary influences?</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">I’m drawn to fiction that is simple in
structure yet has great depth and allows multiple interpretations. Authors who
inspire me include Mitch Albom, Paulo Coelho, Charlotte Bront<span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; font-size: 10.5pt;">ë</span>,
Jane Austen and </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Shu Yi (a popular
romance writer in Hong Kong).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">What’s the first horror story you
wrote?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Normally, I write fantasy and romance, and “The
Eternal Glow of Yue” published in <i>Among the Headstones: Creepy Tales from
the Graveyard</i> is my first ever horror story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The creation of this
story was supported by creepy signs right from the start, which I consider
auspicious.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To research ideas,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sat in the library of my condo, alone,
reading about local legends and the horrific tales of true events that had
happened in Hong Kong. I felt goosebumps and a slight wind stirred from behind
me. There was nobody there, no movement – but the wind kept brushing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>me in a creepy way. I told myself that it was
a strange effect of the air conditioner.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The next day when I began to write, it was
a dark rainy day. Here in Bangkok, such weather is unusual. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watching the thick hovering clouds from the
full-length corner windows, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought,
“What better time to write ghost stories than a gloomy rainy day?” </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span>This signs signalled
to me that the story I was working on was special, and meant to be chosen
chosen and published in this amazing compilation among talented writers.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span>Being a romantic at
heart, I inserted a romantic element into the tale.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Where do you find inspiration for your
writing?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></i>People fascinate me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my daily life, I <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>meet people of various backgrounds and cultures,
and I listen to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then use
personality traits, chains of thoughts, snippets of conversations in my
stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjY8HTYc9rhZuiwMHEsfjIYp2HS8Z-nCG69wFCR6D9_8kbTz4JEVCw441z6qrN2WvU7nvFQrMUfU62h9Xbkzs3MmFxjf0DNvMjfWgl651NUT0ikIO5-m6YMPRXkRFm6gSf1TDr0gMqIIxrxi6CfVfXd4s5Paj61ueDiLrtJ2rSNFxth6rnWdOF-yups=s500" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjY8HTYc9rhZuiwMHEsfjIYp2HS8Z-nCG69wFCR6D9_8kbTz4JEVCw441z6qrN2WvU7nvFQrMUfU62h9Xbkzs3MmFxjf0DNvMjfWgl651NUT0ikIO5-m6YMPRXkRFm6gSf1TDr0gMqIIxrxi6CfVfXd4s5Paj61ueDiLrtJ2rSNFxth6rnWdOF-yups=w202-h320" width="202" /></a></i><span lang="EN-GB">For instance, my story in the anthology <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hikikomori-Short-Story-Collection-Slaves-ebook/dp/B09HC38STZ">“<i>Hikikomori
– A Short Story Collection (Creed of Slaves Book 2)</i>”</a> was inspired by a
friend who has both a daughter and a son. She mentioned once that she prefers
her son to her daughter, and inspired me to write a story about the
mother-daughter relationship <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>during the
self-isolation in the pandemic. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">What are you currently working on?</span></b><i><span lang="EN-GB"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The past two years have been a very special
period in lives, because of the pandemic, and this has inspired my current
writing project: a compilation of short stories and a romance novel.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt;">ABOUT AUTHOR
CINDERELLA LO</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqwJ95xJbcDhvD9PgHrCDn9Dovblx4a4DaQFgyOs7EnVy7ZO431VrDu0HnCsYjoZaJRuQx4Hcx-0C2DYM_qqzKyrMX0tyaY64LXVXw2qBb2G3EaeKMJRVgKnU7gY5I_8HaNUq_oTR8WWbOOx4kn1RsJc_ThpCd6h2eXq1uHMjfyBz4jTfdeD3Q0M67=s1600" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqwJ95xJbcDhvD9PgHrCDn9Dovblx4a4DaQFgyOs7EnVy7ZO431VrDu0HnCsYjoZaJRuQx4Hcx-0C2DYM_qqzKyrMX0tyaY64LXVXw2qBb2G3EaeKMJRVgKnU7gY5I_8HaNUq_oTR8WWbOOx4kn1RsJc_ThpCd6h2eXq1uHMjfyBz4jTfdeD3Q0M67=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></b></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Perpetua, serif; font-size: 14pt;">As
her name entails, Cinderella always carries a whisk of fantasy in her wherever
she goes.</span><span style="font-family: Perpetua, serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Perpetua, serif; font-size: 14pt;">She devotes her life in the
pursuit of beauty in life: </span><span style="font-family: Perpetua, serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Perpetua, serif; font-size: 14pt;">beautiful
things, beautiful minds, beautiful hearts, beautiful relationships.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Perpetua, serif; font-size: 14pt;">With
her background in psychology and social work, she has worked as a fundraiser
and project manager in the non-profit sector. She currently lives and explores
life’s possibilities in one of the most exciting cities in the world, Bangkok
(Thailand), where she is an active member of the Bangkok Women Writers
Group.</span><span style="font-family: Perpetua, serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Perpetua, serif; font-size: 14pt;">She wants to touch people’s
hearts with her poems and stories.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Perpetua",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Perpetua",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Perpetua",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Perpetua",serif; font-size: 14pt;">ABOUT
THE BOOK<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Perpetua",serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJCJ4RERdciDJ-3R8jspL6xAvVWu_Un67cDDfLlAik7hq5GlmbEmXyCsGDcd6qv-CglWT1fwMu7mqFG_-iGs4G8e-YjhPeOzce9m32sx-5KeBNFSdDihqkhVFLMKnIQDtbDo9dkUVBNTAroWTw50evY5ExVV5HxXiCHbBM8l9KuM_gAu46Cym7KVZX=s2668" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2668" data-original-width="1768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJCJ4RERdciDJ-3R8jspL6xAvVWu_Un67cDDfLlAik7hq5GlmbEmXyCsGDcd6qv-CglWT1fwMu7mqFG_-iGs4G8e-YjhPeOzce9m32sx-5KeBNFSdDihqkhVFLMKnIQDtbDo9dkUVBNTAroWTw50evY5ExVV5HxXiCHbBM8l9KuM_gAu46Cym7KVZX=s320" width="212" /></a></i></div><i>AMONG THE HEADSTONES: CREEPY TALES FROM THE GRAVEYARD<o:p></o:p></i><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span>This book, edited by Rayne Hall, presents
twenty-seven of the finest - and creepiest - graveyard tales with stories by
established writers, classic authors and fresh voices.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Here you'll find Gothic ghost stories by
Robert Ellis, Lee Murray, Greg Chapman, Morgan Pryce, Rayne Hall, Guy de
Maupassant, Myk Pilgrim, Zachary Ashford, Amelia Edwards, Nina Wibowo, Krystal
Garrett, Tylluan Penry, Ambrose Bierce, Cinderella Lo, Nikki Tait, Arthur Conan
Doyle, Priscilla Bettis, Kyla Ward, Edgar Allan Poe, Paul D Dail, Cameron
Trost, Pamela Turner, William Meikle and Lord Dunsany who thrill with their
eerie, macabre and sometimes quirky visions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">You'll visit graveyards in Britain,
Indonesia, Russia, China, Italy, Bulgaria, Thailand, USA, Australia, South
Africa and Japan, and you can marvel at the burial customs of other cultures.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Now let's open the gate - can you hear it
creak on its hinges? - and enter the realm of the dead. Listen to the wind
rustling the yew, the grating of footsteps on gravel, the hoo-hoo-hoo of the
collared dove. Run your fingers across the tombstones to feel their
lichen-rough sandstone or smooth cool marble. Inhale the scents of decaying
lilies and freshly dug earth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">But be careful. Someone may be watching
your every movement... They may be right behind you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Purchase Link: <a href="http://www.mybook.to/Headstones">www.mybook.to/Headstones</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The ebook is available for pre-order from
Amazon at the special offer price of 99 cents until 31 January 2022. (After
that date, the price will go up.) A paperback is about to be published.<o:p></o:p></span></p>PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-49816946950516297442022-01-13T03:15:00.026-05:002022-01-13T03:49:13.104-05:00<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">INTERVIEW WITH <i>HEADSTONES</i> AUTHOR RAYNE HALL<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Do you ever wander around cemeteries, read the
inscriptions on strangers’ headstones, and wonder what their lives were like,
how they died, what families they left behind</span></b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">?</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Wandering
around graveyards is one of my favourite activities when I’m travelling in
foreign countries. It’s a great way to learn about the region’s history,
culture and people in quiet, peaceful surroundings,. And the admission is free.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">In
my home country, Germany, headstones are often glossy fake marble, inscribed
with conventional phrases, and the cemeteries are surrounded by thick hedges of
dark yew.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">In
rural England, where I lived for many years, graveyards often surround medieval
churches. A giant ancient yew-tree towers over the graves. Headstones tend to
be old and grey, encrusted with yellow, white, green and orange lichen, and the
chiselled inscriptions – those that haven’t eroded yet – reveal dates from the
1700s and 1800s, some of them with quirky comments. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">In
China, where I worked for a while, some graves are scattered over scenic
hillsides with narrow vertical headstones. I enjoyed going for walks among the
gently rolling hills, which horrified my Chinese friends who feared that I
might meet malevolent ghosts. In other cemeteries, the headstones stand close
together, because people are standing up to save valuable space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t read enough of the Chinese script
to understand what the inscriptions said. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvTPFtDhQBktsiehzCkWl_ZPs_LXPb1J_ll0tE1isX6B1_5NT_qsg7d6LnMB1FvYu4YqShRzfS9QuELseWH4A0nuF9ekGG9QEHLaWBo24atCoDtIQc9XHU66_IObQZeX_a7ZDoTm1eNbCCso9u2NN2q7i0xmC4Ql-mIsXTy39qXME8NyqgQP1XTIbX=s4032" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bulgarian Cemetery" border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvTPFtDhQBktsiehzCkWl_ZPs_LXPb1J_ll0tE1isX6B1_5NT_qsg7d6LnMB1FvYu4YqShRzfS9QuELseWH4A0nuF9ekGG9QEHLaWBo24atCoDtIQc9XHU66_IObQZeX_a7ZDoTm1eNbCCso9u2NN2q7i0xmC4Ql-mIsXTy39qXME8NyqgQP1XTIbX=w400-h225" title="Bulgarian Cemetery" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Here
in Bulgaria where I live now, most headstones are made from white marble.
Recent burials often have a photo of the deceased printed onto the marble
surface, and there seems to be a one-upmanship about who has the biggest and
most glamorous portrait on their headstone. Graves are adorned with plastic
flowers in scarlet and pink. Among the headstones from the communist era, it’s
interesting to spot those with a discreet cross engraved, usually in the upper
left corner. During those days, religion wasn’t forbidden, but it was
discouraged, so families sought a compromise between conforming with new social
norms and honouring their parents’ beliefs.</span><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">What kind of headstone would you like on your grave?
What inscription would you love?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Instead
of a headstone, I’d love a tree planted on my grave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, this may not be practical or
permitted, so I won’t demand it, and I won’t come back to haunt my executors if
I don’t get what I want.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">If
I need a headstone at all, then the inscription ‘Rayne Hall, Author’ would be
good<i>.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Have you ever seen a ghost? <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yes,
I’ve seen a ghost. This was about twenty-five years ago when I lived in the
county of Kent in England. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">One
night after giving a presentation to a Women’s Institute,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was driving home along a country road when
I saw a young man walking towards me. In the brief time that I saw him, I
thought he looked like a James Dean type,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>a young man with a 1950s hairstyle, wearing an open short jacket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was staggering a little, as if drunk. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Suddenly
he walked into the road, and right into my car. I swerved to the right to avoid
him. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">I
didn’t feel an impact, so I assumed I must have missed him. But when I looked in
the rear-view mirror, he wasn’t there – neither lying injured nor walking,
neither by the roadside nor in the street. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">That’s
when it dawned on me that I had seen a ghost. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Had
I imagined it? It was night, I may have been tired, the headlights may have created
an illusion, and I as a writer, I have a vivid imagination. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">But
I’m sure my imagination would have come up with a more exciting than a rather
boring, slightly drunk man from my own century. Surely my mind would have
conjured up a headless woman in a Tudor gown, or a Roman centurion on a white
horse. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">After
the experience, I contacted several paranormal researchers, but none of them
was aware of a ghost haunting that road.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Describe your writing voice.</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gothic,
atmospheric, creepy, vivid, suspenseful, lush.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">How do you go about research for the fiction you
write? <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">As
far as possible, I try to experience everything myself, to give my stories
authenticity. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">I
like to see the places, listen to the sounds, feel the ground under my feet,
touch the surfaces, inhale the scents, observe every detail. My fiction is rich
in atmosphere, and readers can feel the experience like they’re there. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpv31s5SjeiZ6A3Og1N62aCREjjk7oplKr-2q8Rr3BMw6pkEDy6Aj7a9MMin5LO1XfjYypy8e9Koe04E22vntuw6dUiS2uzspKN2Qs5lnap-WCWp8apwVk7P300_KH1AYhnHjHTbt2XBYGL52HGhUfY7uHtXswmdrTya80eUnujcxvWhYWX0QoJbUw=s1334" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="884" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpv31s5SjeiZ6A3Og1N62aCREjjk7oplKr-2q8Rr3BMw6pkEDy6Aj7a9MMin5LO1XfjYypy8e9Koe04E22vntuw6dUiS2uzspKN2Qs5lnap-WCWp8apwVk7P300_KH1AYhnHjHTbt2XBYGL52HGhUfY7uHtXswmdrTya80eUnujcxvWhYWX0QoJbUw=w212-h320" title="Book Cover for The Bride's Curse" width="212" /></a></div><br />For
example, readers of my short story collection <span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Brides-Curse-Bulgarian-Suspenseful-Bulgaria/dp/B08KH2LB14" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
Bride’s Curse: Bulgarian Gothic Ghost and Horror Stories</span></i></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> feel
like they are taking a journey to this beautiful, haunting country, learning
about Bulgaria’s people, landscapes, history, traditions and dangers, all from
the safety of their armchairs.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">I
once spent a night alone in a remote English graveyard to get the atmosphere right,
listening to my feet crunching on the gravel path and the wind rustling the
leaves, watching clouds waft across the pale moon, running my fingers across
lichen-encrusted headstones, digging my bare fingers into the soil of a grave.
The resulting short story is full of creepy, atmospheric details. It’s included
in the anthology Among the Headstones: Creepy Tales from the Graveyard. </span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Among-Headstones-Creepy-Graveyard-Stories-ebook/dp/B09MZNK7TJ" target="_blank">mybook.to/Headstones</a></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
hero in one of my books (</span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005MJFV58/" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Storm Dancer</span></i></a></span><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">,</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> a dark
epic fantasy novel) had a fetish for wrestling females, so I joined a
mixed-gender wrestling group to get a feel for what that was like. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">What do you like about the Gothic Fiction genre?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Both
as a reader and as a writer, I love Gothic fiction, because it’s intensely
emotional. It can explore all kinds of topics, even taboo subjects, and it can
convey a strong moral message without sounding preachy. The location plays a
big role, which feeds my passion for exciting, creepy settings. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gothic fiction blends well with other genres,
e.g. Gothic Historical, Gothic Thriller, Gothic Horror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gothic Horror is my favourite kind of horror
because it thrills the reader with suspense rather than gore. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjV-UGZleKmUX0Xwejsx8LZ2pz1x7nsBLE63Ao_iaqo9jebr2agBFb0FTjVpIhqHBeYfxXd3TLnZDwv6sBGYnIHFUMORzq5BhlnLZwQetIn_Ko_KjamHOHYBrYC07NCrKDiqyMGbxo2avmiWjiJq44R2ddvJzyid758rzgF0NN9YfZS44ycuJ3TrPG7=s530" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="519" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjV-UGZleKmUX0Xwejsx8LZ2pz1x7nsBLE63Ao_iaqo9jebr2agBFb0FTjVpIhqHBeYfxXd3TLnZDwv6sBGYnIHFUMORzq5BhlnLZwQetIn_Ko_KjamHOHYBrYC07NCrKDiqyMGbxo2avmiWjiJq44R2ddvJzyid758rzgF0NN9YfZS44ycuJ3TrPG7=w313-h320" title="Rayne Hall Author Photo" width="313" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Rayne Hall writes fantasy, horror and non-fiction, and
is the author of over seventy books. Her horror stories are more atmospheric
than violent, and more creepy than gory.</span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyTextIndent"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Born and raised in Germany, Rayne has lived in China,
Mongolia, Nepal and Britain. Now she resides in a village in Bulgaria. The
country's ancient Roman ruins and the deserted houses from Bulgaria’s communist
period provide inspiration for creepy ghost and horror stories. </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyTextIndent"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Her lucky black cat Sulu, adopted from the cat rescue
shelter, often accompanies her on these exploration tours. He delights in
walking across shattered roof tiles, balancing on charred rafters and sniffing
at long-abandoned hearths.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyTextIndent"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rayne has worked as an investigative journalist,
development aid worker, museum guide, apple picker, tarot reader, adult
education teacher, bellydancer, magazine editor, publishing manager and more,
and now writes full time. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyTextIndent"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Visit her website </span><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="InternetLink"><span color="windowtext" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://raynehall.com" target="_blank">raynehall.com</a></span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">, or
follow her on Twitter </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://twitter.com/RayneHall" target="_blank"><span class="InternetLink"><span color="windowtext" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">https://twitter.com/RayneHall</span></span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> or
Facebook </span><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="InternetLink"><span color="windowtext" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/RayneHallAuthor" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/RayneHallAuthor</a></span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyTextIndent"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIoJ1Awt1iztfwZyF33psksPoDYXCvRS9MKj44YBlme4HAi6EOL0JXg7RWbEUYqbhg_-Q1xvuXJ8X07Zq6LGVXfqyoBgCZPj9nZcGMMgwkNnvLr_LSb4JkLYx7Tgo_JF2mUoxAxXv7ijINPEk8RvjZHhCiFrpMcLMbrYiKQy1cK3o9_D7ToOEBIR8c=s2668" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2668" data-original-width="1768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIoJ1Awt1iztfwZyF33psksPoDYXCvRS9MKj44YBlme4HAi6EOL0JXg7RWbEUYqbhg_-Q1xvuXJ8X07Zq6LGVXfqyoBgCZPj9nZcGMMgwkNnvLr_LSb4JkLYx7Tgo_JF2mUoxAxXv7ijINPEk8RvjZHhCiFrpMcLMbrYiKQy1cK3o9_D7ToOEBIR8c=w212-h320" title="Book Cover for Among the Headstones" width="212" /></a></b></div><b><br />ABOUT THE BOOK</b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">This
book, edited by Rayne Hall, presents twenty-seven of the finest - and creepiest
- graveyard tales with stories by established writers, classic authors and
fresh voices.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Here
you'll find Gothic ghost stories by Robert Ellis, Lee Murray, Greg Chapman,
Morgan Pryce, Rayne Hall, Guy de Maupassant, Myk Pilgrim, Zachary Ashford,
Amelia Edwards, Nina Wibowo, Krystal Garrett, Tylluan Penry, Ambrose Bierce,
Cinderella Lo, Nikki Tait, Arthur Conan Doyle, Priscilla Bettis, Kyla Ward,
Edgar Allan Poe, Paul D Dail, Cameron Trost, Pamela Turner, William Meikle and
Lord Dunsany who thrill with their eerie, macabre and sometimes quirky visions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">You'll
visit graveyards in Britain, Indonesia, Russia, China, Italy, Bulgaria,
Thailand, USA, Australia, South Africa and Japan, and you can marvel at the
burial customs of other cultures.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Now
let's open the gate - can you hear it creak on its hinges? - and enter the
realm of the dead. Listen to the wind rustling the yew, the grating of
footsteps on gravel, the <i>hoo-hoo-hoo</i> of the collared dove. Run your
fingers across the tombstones to feel their lichen-rough sandstone or smooth
cool marble. Inhale the scents of decaying lilies and freshly dug earth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">But
be careful. Someone may be watching your every movement... They may be right
behind you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Purchase Link:</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Among-Headstones-Creepy-Graveyard-Stories-ebook/dp/B09MZNK7TJ" target="_blank">mybook.to/Headstones</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
ebook is available for pre-order from Amazon at the special offer price of 99
cents until 31 January 2022. (After that date, the price will go up.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The paperback is already published.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: red;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-62733418826716619272022-01-06T04:29:00.004-05:002022-01-06T04:31:46.896-05:00Welcome Author Tylluan Penry and Learn How She Dealt With a Family Curse<p>Welcome Tylluan Penry to Darkling Delights, author of "The Legend of Merv the Swerve" in <i>Among the Headstones: Creepy Tales from the Graveyard</i>. Read on to discover how she dealt with a family curse. </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Dealing
with Ghosts and Curses<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">By
Tylluan Penry<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The first time I had to banish something
was when I was about sixteen. An aunt came to stay with us on holiday. She took
over my room, and I had to sleep on the floor in my parents’ room. Long story short,
there was a family row (there were many of those during my childhood) and since
both my mother and the aunt were witches of a particularly nasty disposition,
it did not end well. My aunt placed a horrible curse on my father, and some of
this invaded the rest of the house, too. People often don’t understand how
curses can spread, so we ended up with whispering coming out of the walls, strange
shadows, more footsteps than usual… there was a limit to what could be
tolerated, even by us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">At that time, there were no books to help. My
father’s friend (who was very interested in the occult) advised me to look for
anything made of hair, skin, fur or even grass that the aunt could have left at
our house. And it was then I discovered two important things: firstly, that
yes, there was a native style picture using just those materials, that my aunt
had hidden it amongst the books on the bookshelf, and secondly that it is
possible to convey a hex on a tea towel. I kid you not. It can be done. And
Auntie did it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Worst of all however, was seeing how my
aunt’s curse affected my father. His health went rapidly downhill after that,
and nobody was willing to put two and two together and do anything about it. He
quite literally shrank. My mother could make people fall on the forecourt of a
local garage, and summon up all sorts of nasties when she wished, but she
either could not or would not do anything about my father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">So this, (and the tea towel, of course,)
made me realise how important it was to deal with curses before they had chance
to start working. They are more common than we think, and usually conveyed
using rage and spite rather than elaborate ceremonial magic. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">I wasn’t strong enough to save my father
from that curse, but I did try. Afterwards I kept learning better methods,
stronger defences, which was just as well because the hexes my mother sent my
way were horrendous. One of them put me in hospital. I can’t describe what it
feels like to have something like that burning into your back. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The odd thing was however, I was heavily
pregnant at the time, and when my daughter was born, she had a birthmark on the
exact same place on her back. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjtr4a12oZo6dErn8z9exYsikKu1tDTFm4C_4Ffudanvj3ymAqmOc4kasxyB0e5peeU7mjwKz81pDdH1nHapiu2gUoYgaT9c6QuvU2bVZa544XPfeMh5Rl_4E3RT0lnelqUtm3mahELw-p-b0M3eoKTR34fb-DhtZFU1oqmtQ77WwNMnoFsHl7Kd_E=s2003" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2003" data-original-width="1277" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjtr4a12oZo6dErn8z9exYsikKu1tDTFm4C_4Ffudanvj3ymAqmOc4kasxyB0e5peeU7mjwKz81pDdH1nHapiu2gUoYgaT9c6QuvU2bVZa544XPfeMh5Rl_4E3RT0lnelqUtm3mahELw-p-b0M3eoKTR34fb-DhtZFU1oqmtQ77WwNMnoFsHl7Kd_E=s320" width="204" /></a></b></div><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR<o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Tylluan Penry is a pagan solitary witch who
has devoted much of her life to teaching about the Craft. She was born and
brought up in a family of witches (on her mother’s side) although all they ever
did was hex. It was a horror story in its own right! When she managed to leave
this tradition (and her family, though it wasn’t easy) she moved on to develop
her own solitary path which she called ‘Seeking the Green.’ Over the years she
has developed this further and written about many topics including Ice Age
spirituality, the Anglo-Saxons, knot magic and magic on the breath. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">She is married, has a large family,
including grandchildren, dogs, and lives in a rather ramshackle home with an
overgrown garden, together with ghosts, spirits and the Gentle Folk. There is a
huge cemetery opposite her home which ought to be scary but is actually very serene
and peaceful. She has always loved writing, and wrote her first (very) short
story when she was six, soon progressing to full length stories. She has now
written almost 30 books, both fiction and non-fiction. Most can be found here: <a href="https://shop.thewolfenhowlepress.com/">https://shop.thewolfenhowlepress.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Some of her fiction is on Kindle under the
name T P Penry. Her chapter in the anthology, ‘Among the Headstones’ is based
firmly in Wales, with a smattering of golf balls, gravestones and the Highway
Code. She has always believed that creepy stories need a good pinch of humour
in order to work well (at least, in her experience.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Tylluan also has a YouTube Channel, with
over two hundred videos about solitary witchcraft here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC48MN8sa7_lFsBX9v2ZAeAg/videos">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC48MN8sa7_lFsBX9v2ZAeAg/videos</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwpgiCFF4lEBLFkhVnGq1GUJS9XX6ubZENqrdL8zbb3RGoX9L1iohxwyDDYHM0Byt3z_R-p-ZAN7eLmjlOdusCYrE9ZKrjqcvMS0AdhZ9GZ6a6hetBjxSwEvvMW6gAy2GIM9Qx3LuSjvKh6xpZizbwmqRgPZMKeWShxQR0uOULRxq_iu2Uw4eKmayr=s2668" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2668" data-original-width="1768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwpgiCFF4lEBLFkhVnGq1GUJS9XX6ubZENqrdL8zbb3RGoX9L1iohxwyDDYHM0Byt3z_R-p-ZAN7eLmjlOdusCYrE9ZKrjqcvMS0AdhZ9GZ6a6hetBjxSwEvvMW6gAy2GIM9Qx3LuSjvKh6xpZizbwmqRgPZMKeWShxQR0uOULRxq_iu2Uw4eKmayr=s320" width="212" /></a></b></div><b>ABOUT THE BOOK<o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This book, edited by Rayne Hall, presents
twenty-seven of the finest - and creepiest - graveyard tales with stories by
established writers, classic authors and fresh voices.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Here you'll find Gothic ghost stories by
Robert Ellis, Lee Murray, Greg Chapman, Morgan Pryce, Rayne Hall, Guy de
Maupassant, Myk Pilgrim, Zachary Ashford, Amelia Edwards, Nina Wibowo, Krystal
Garrett, Tylluan Penry, Ambrose Bierce, Cinderella Lo, Nikki Tait, Arthur Conan
Doyle, Priscilla Bettis, Kyla Ward, Edgar Allan Poe, Paul D Dail, Cameron
Trost, Pamela Turner, William Meikle and Lord Dunsany who thrill with their
eerie, macabre and sometimes quirky visions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">You'll visit graveyards in Britain,
Indonesia, Russia, China, Italy, Bulgaria, Thailand, USA, Australia, South
Africa and Japan, and you can marvel at the burial customs of other cultures.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Now let's open the gate - can you hear it
creak on its hinges? - and enter the realm of the dead. Listen to the wind
rustling the yew, the grating of footsteps on gravel, the hoo-hoo-hoo of the
collared dove. Run your fingers across the tombstones to feel their
lichen-rough sandstone or smooth cool marble. Inhale the scents of decaying
lilies and freshly dug earth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">But be careful. Someone may be watching
your every movement... They may be right behind you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Purchase Link: <a href="http://www.mybook.to/Headstones">www.mybook.to/Headstones</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The ebook is available for pre-order from
Amazon at the special offer price of 99 cents until 31 January 2022. (After
that date, the price will go up.) A paperback is about to be published.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-14534274955096238132022-01-04T07:00:00.006-05:002022-01-04T15:17:20.180-05:00<p>Greetings and Happy New Year!</p><p>Today, I'm interviewing Cameron Trost, author of "The Shortcut" in the upcoming anthology <i>Among the Headstones: Creepy Tales from the Graveyard</i>. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">What are cemeteries like in the country
where you live</span></b><i><span lang="EN-GB">? </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">As an Australian living in France,
what strikes me is that cemeteries here are usually surrounded by a high wall
with a gate that’s locked at night and they’re generally quite small.
Australian cemeteries tend to be more open, perhaps with only a low wall or
wrought-iron fence and they’re quite large and leafy. Other than that, I’m not
sure Australian cemeteries have any particularly distinct characteristics.
There are usually different sections for different religions or denominations,
such as Catholic or Anglican. Crypts are perhaps less common here than in other
countries. Most Australian cemeteries generally consist of simple headstones
and slabs, often in the form of a cross or with an angel statue. Wherever
possible, they’re situated on high ground, especially in areas prone to
flooding. They’re busiest on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day or during a weekend
ghost tour!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Has a real-life cemetery, grave or
headstone ever inspired you to write a story<i>?</i></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">In a way, every graveyard or cemetery
I have ever visited probably feeds my imagination when it comes to writing a gothic
tale or a creepy chapter set in such a place. There are the cemeteries I know
in my hometown of Brisbane, like the rambling and leafy Toowong Cemetery, as
well as famous sites like the Glasgow Necropolis, Père-Lachaise, the Venetian
island of San Michele, and the catacombs of Saint Sebastian in Rome. I’ve seen
the burial sites of countless English kings and historic figures from Leonardo
da Vinci to Jimmy Morrison. However, the cemetery that has played the most
direct role in inspiring a story is the one in the ghost town of Walhalla, which
is in Victoria, Australia. This former gold-mining town is a lovely place to go
camping and hiking today, but the gravestones planted into the steep side of
hill along the only road into the town are a stark reminder of Walhalla’s sad
history. Disease and mining disasters claimed the lives of many of the town’s
inhabitants, and a heartbreaking number of headstones bear the names of infants
and children. The chilling effect this cemetery had on me was part of the
inspiration behind my mystery novella, The Ghosts of Walhalla, which features
private investigator, Oscar Tremont.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p>W</o:p></span></b><b><span lang="EN-GB">hat do you like about the Gothic
Fiction genre?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I love the suspense, the creepiness,
the chill it sends up your spine. It’s all about creating a dramatic setting
and atmosphere, quirky and disturbing characters, and a story that absolutely
has to end with a twist or clever back reference. I particularly like it when
the roles of hero and villain are played with, blurring the lines.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Who are your favourite Horror authors? What
do you like about them?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">There are so many, and a number of
them are in this anthology with me, which is an honour. I’ve been following the
work of Greg Chapman for years and also love Lee Murray and Kyla Ward’s work. Needless
to say, I’m eager to discover all the contributions. The classics horror
writers included are among my favourites—I’ve even written stories inspired by
fiction penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Guy de Maupassant (both Oscar
Tremont mysteries) and there’s more than a hint of Poe, Bierce, and Dunsany in
my work. Most of my favourite horror writers tend to be British, perhaps
because their writing style and the settings used appeal to me. Charles Birkin,
Joan Aiken, Robert Westall, Christopher Fowler, Graham Masterton, Ramsey
Campbell, Guy N. Smith, and Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes are some of the most notable
names. I am, however, interested in discovering new talent, and am proud to
have published the work of numerous authors who deserve more attention than
they get through my publishing project, Black Beacon Books.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #70ad47; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-themecolor: accent6;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB">Among the Headstones: Creepy Tales
from the Graveyard,</span></i><span lang="EN-GB"> is an anthology edited by Rayne
Hall, bringing together stories by different authors writing exploring the same
theme. What do you personally, as a reader, like about anthologies?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">First of all, I love short stories and
really can’t understand why novels seem so much more popular. There’s no room
for distraction and fluff. Just as a fine dram of whisky is ruined by pouring
cola into it, an excellent short story can be ruined by being “stretched out”
to novel length. Of all my favourite authors, I can’t think of a single one who
has written a novel that is superior to their best short stories, and that
includes Agatha Christie, known predominantly for her impressive range of
mystery novels. The advantage of the anthology over the collection is that it
enables the reader to discover a number of authors in one book and as is the
case in this anthology, the reader can choose an anthology in which all the
tales share a common theme.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnjZnPXSz1IihrB02x-n4Xdw4vGxfUeKB7J6VokNKsPYG3F-5IgmoHwzGwp6LbNmtGIAibq6HlFhlXqd8WuS0ulk_KXv26qgeorxsNWQzWON3EdjclQEiGib8lW8syz-kD0LTTNN5QuZzROVPMmNOxGLoJQJHYgMAISDL5kynJXWUz9Z-VAtOcgi21=s960" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="960" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnjZnPXSz1IihrB02x-n4Xdw4vGxfUeKB7J6VokNKsPYG3F-5IgmoHwzGwp6LbNmtGIAibq6HlFhlXqd8WuS0ulk_KXv26qgeorxsNWQzWON3EdjclQEiGib8lW8syz-kD0LTTNN5QuZzROVPMmNOxGLoJQJHYgMAISDL5kynJXWUz9Z-VAtOcgi21=w199-h196" width="199" /></a></div>ABOUT THE AUTHOR<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Cameron Trost</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> is
an author of mystery and suspense fiction best known for his puzzles
featuring </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://trostlibrary.blogspot.com/p/the-oscar-tremont-mysteries.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Oscar
Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">. He
has written two novels, </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://trostlibrary.blogspot.com/p/letterbox.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Letterbox</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> and </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://trostlibrary.blogspot.com/p/the-tunnel-runner.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The
Tunnel Runner</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, and two collections, </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://trostlibrary.blogspot.com/p/short-story-collections.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Hoffman’s
Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> and </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://trostlibrary.blogspot.com/p/short-story-collections.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The
Animal Inside</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">. Originally from Brisbane, Australia, Cameron
lives with his wife and two sons near Guérande in southern Brittany, between
the rugged coast and treacherous marshlands. He runs the independent publishing
house, </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://blackbeaconbooks.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Black
Beacon Books</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, and is a member of the </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.austcrimewriters.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Australian Crime Writers
Association</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">. You can find out more about him at </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://camerontrost.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">https://camerontrost.com</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">
and read more of his strange and creepy tales by grabbing a copy of his latest
collection, </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KC6W11Y"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The Animal Inside</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigD_kiW8VS_BQP2PNmeYqFQJUX-Agjz401R87doAZ4cfiTby-9C9yvwvPIWBKMPyH8LU2eSEw6TWeXtLwrBz95Ez6qdpy_uxM29DrC9Z5PuUNJFKMQ513pionL62rOJsohvSdfThDaMly3QjaKrjx7gevHxv-vFVXrFoyD70FJ1BKdwMB1-_FX9cpr=s400" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigD_kiW8VS_BQP2PNmeYqFQJUX-Agjz401R87doAZ4cfiTby-9C9yvwvPIWBKMPyH8LU2eSEw6TWeXtLwrBz95Ez6qdpy_uxM29DrC9Z5PuUNJFKMQ513pionL62rOJsohvSdfThDaMly3QjaKrjx7gevHxv-vFVXrFoyD70FJ1BKdwMB1-_FX9cpr=w213-h320" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Social media<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Facebook</span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CameronTrostAuthor"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">: https://www.facebook.com/CameronTrostAuthor</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Goodreads: </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/camerontrost"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">https://www.goodreads.com/camerontrost</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Twitter: </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://twitter.com/trost_cameron"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">https://twitter.com/trost_cameron</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Instagram: </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/camerontrost_author/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">https://www.instagram.com/camerontrost_author/</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixjsuETDebpH7ebQN-X2Sj8EX0W6u1y9yVLF9XgaPsLXR42nk5n6klgNSHLffMYjRqjHlJavyT0TJBHIiVLiFyccGBvO_rpAgDmRmoH5rOxwLIZVYxlHUXQyBhHOc8xkLNFB7MA-OxHV2GmjGC2a1zcQkqeesn0VRnYcaSJjchBWj2Rxav4mBoO5NS=s2668" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2668" data-original-width="1768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixjsuETDebpH7ebQN-X2Sj8EX0W6u1y9yVLF9XgaPsLXR42nk5n6klgNSHLffMYjRqjHlJavyT0TJBHIiVLiFyccGBvO_rpAgDmRmoH5rOxwLIZVYxlHUXQyBhHOc8xkLNFB7MA-OxHV2GmjGC2a1zcQkqeesn0VRnYcaSJjchBWj2Rxav4mBoO5NS=s320" width="212" /></a></i></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">ABOUT THE BOOK</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Among the Headstones:
Creepy Tales from the Graveyard </span></i></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">edited by
Rayne Hall, presents twenty-seven of the finest - and creepiest - graveyard
tales with stories by established writers, classic authors and fresh voices.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Here you'll find Gothic ghost stories by Robert Ellis, Lee Murray,
Greg Chapman, Morgan Pryce, Rayne Hall, Guy de Maupassant, Myk Pilgrim, Zachary
Ashford, Amelia Edwards, Nina Wibowo, Krystal Garrett, Tylluan Penry, Ambrose
Bierce, Cinderella Lo, Nikki Tait, Arthur Conan Doyle, Priscilla Bettis, Kyla
Ward, Edgar Allan Poe, Paul D Dail, Cameron Trost, Pamela Turner, William
Meikle and Lord Dunsany who thrill with their eerie, macabre and sometimes
quirky visions.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">You'll visit graveyards in Britain, Indonesia, Russia, China,
Italy, Bulgaria, Thailand, USA, Australia, South Africa and Japan, and you can
marvel at the burial customs of other cultures.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Now let's open the gate - can you hear it creak on its hinges? -
and enter the realm of the dead. Listen to the wind rustling the yew, the
grating of footsteps on gravel, the hoo-hoo-hoo of the collared dove. Run your
fingers across the tombstones to feel their lichen-rough sandstone or smooth
cool marble. Inhale the scents of decaying lilies and freshly dug earth.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">But be careful. Someone may be watching your every movement...
They may be right behind you.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Purchase Link:</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Hal/Dropbox/My%20Documents/BOOK%20-%20Headstones%20Anthology/Publicity%20Material/Author%20interviews%20raw%20materials/mybook.to/Headstones"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">mybook.to/Headstones</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The ebook is available for pre-order from Amazon at the special
offer price of 99 cents until 31 January 2022. (After that date, the price will
go up.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A paperback will follow. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-85273237957683249642019-10-01T07:54:00.000-04:002019-10-01T07:54:01.878-04:00Author Debbie De Louise Brings Free Paranormal and Horror eBooks for October <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCOpXwOdJwchNAAcFPBfTvzsbIo0jkXZMHDRG_EX66a_Jdo5sWcHwaoQyGFGeaXrYW_olCEtYNf8dPd5hyphenhyphenYCc6h2t2jLKdNnqQxDj_yXGxphLG-h-R-SztdFf6bhHeD5IjWbkZfEhETlE/s1600/Free+October+eBooks.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="940" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCOpXwOdJwchNAAcFPBfTvzsbIo0jkXZMHDRG_EX66a_Jdo5sWcHwaoQyGFGeaXrYW_olCEtYNf8dPd5hyphenhyphenYCc6h2t2jLKdNnqQxDj_yXGxphLG-h-R-SztdFf6bhHeD5IjWbkZfEhETlE/s400/Free+October+eBooks.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Darkling Delights welcomes horror and paranormal author Debbie De Louise, and she's got some free eBooks to give away during the month of October. Be sure to check them out, starting with Haunted Honeymoon below.<br />
<br />
<br />
I'm proud to announce the release of The Mistaken Mission, my time-travel
short story that's a sequel to "Stitches in Time," a story I wrote in
1999 for the anthology, <em>Cat Crimes Through Time</em>.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://mybook.to/mistakenmission&source=gmail&ust=1569982202819000&usg=AFQjCNE2pVDdoN2SQkValt_vaACnYQ6_3A" href="http://mybook.to/mistakenmission" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;" target="_blank">mybook.to/mistakenmission</a></div>
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Nineteen years
ago, Gina Garrett’s father </div>
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disappeared into the past using a time-travel disk
he and his partner created. The only person who believed Gina when she
explained what happened was her father’s partner’s son. When he, now a detective,
shows up at her door claiming that he needs her to help him prevent a murder
that happened a year ago, she hopes they can find her father, too. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<strong>Excerpt</strong></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
A few minutes after I hung up, there was a knock at my door. Checking the
peephole with Stripey at my ankles, I saw a tall man with red hair and a
matching beard. He wore a police uniform. I opened the door hesitantly.<o:p></o:p><br />
“Gina Garrett. Sorry I came so late. I was just off my shift. Did your
mother tell you I called?”<o:p></o:p><br />
I swallowed a gulp of my own saliva and almost chocked. “Yes. She did. Come
in, uh, Mr. Logan.”<o:p></o:p><br />
“It’s Andy, remember?” He walked through the door.<o:p></o:p><br />
“What’s wrong? Maybe that’s a silly question.” He paused. I was aware of him
looking down at me. Even as a boy, he’d been taller than the tallest girl in
the neighborhood.<o:p></o:p><br />
“I know you must be surprised, even shocked to see me after all this time.
When we moved away, I should’ve written or called you. I’m sorry.”<o:p></o:p><br />
I turned around. “Have a seat. We can talk. I’ll make coffee, or maybe you’d
like tea?” I led him into the small kitchen.<o:p></o:p><br />
He straddled a chair, his long legs looping over it. “Nothing, thanks, but
you can go ahead and make yourself a drink if you want.”<o:p></o:p><br />
“I was about to have some champagne. I don’t drink often, but I was . . .”<o:p></o:p><br />
“Celebrating your birthday,” he finished for me.<o:p></o:p><br />
“You remember?”<o:p></o:p><br />
“How could I forget? I was sorry for you when I heard what happened. Mother
agreed that your father ran away with another woman. I never believed that.”<o:p></o:p><br />
“Neither did I.” I sat across from him, and he turned his chair.<o:p></o:p><br />
“Looking back, now that I’m a detective, I realize things didn’t make sense.
Your dad took nothing with him – no wallet, money, or clothes.”<o:p></o:p><br />
“They said he had another set of clothes and a fake ID, that he left the
state or country with his mistress.”<o:p></o:p><br />
The smile Andy had greeted me with faded. “Gina, I’m here for another reason
than to dredge up old memories. I need your help with a case.”<o:p></o:p><br />
“Why me? I have no police experience unless you count some of the stories
I’ve covered.”<o:p></o:p><br />
“I know you’re a reporter. I checked you out, but that’s not why I’m here.”
He gazed at me through his blue eyes, and I saw images of him and me as kids
riding our bikes around Boston Public Garden, playing softball in the street
with a few other friends, taking walks through the neighborhood.<o:p></o:p><br />
“I never doubted what you said all those years ago, about your going back in
time. Recently, I may have found proof that you were right.”<o:p></o:p><br />
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OCTOBER FREEBIES<o:p></o:p></div>
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October 1st. - <strong>HAUNTED
HONEYMOON</strong><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://mybook.to/hhoneymoon">mybook.to/hhoneymoon</a></div>
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<br />
Ghost Cat. Don’t honeymoon without one.<o:p></o:p><br />
Francesco and Gina are not your typical engaged couple. They met in a
cemetery and spent their dates watching horror movies. But when Francesco
suggests they honeymoon in a haunted house in Venice, Gina is shocked when she
learns the place may actually be Francesco’s childhood home where his parents
were murdered.<o:p></o:p><br />
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OCTOBER 15: <strong>DEADLINE</strong><o:p></o:p></div>
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</tbody></table>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://mybook.to/Deadline">mybook.to/Deadline</a></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
When college student Susan Shaffer wakes up on the wrong side of the bed in
her dorm room, strange things begin to happen. Time seems to shift and draw her
into an imaginary deadline that would rival those of the stories she writes for
the student paper. Unable to face horrible news that she can’t remember
happening, she traces the events of the last few days. Discovering the awful
truth of why these hours are a blank, she must meet a deadline that is truly
deadly.<o:p></o:p><br />
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OCTOBER 29: <strong>KNOWLEDGE IS
POWER</strong><o:p></o:p></div>
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<strong><br /></strong></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFjC93EU-kIVaomlCl0lfIvMFLGjpLhtv-AU6I1lUXcHTODZmdjQx4rLAevhu1ssFkL7E2pXt-eRUNnGgmsIfacgR4PJP5BboxjsCAIBGBSmHjxyCvhA4L688VHJ6dzTomZ5z_a9KXVo/s1600/knowledgeispowerkindllecover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1351" data-original-width="1500" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFjC93EU-kIVaomlCl0lfIvMFLGjpLhtv-AU6I1lUXcHTODZmdjQx4rLAevhu1ssFkL7E2pXt-eRUNnGgmsIfacgR4PJP5BboxjsCAIBGBSmHjxyCvhA4L688VHJ6dzTomZ5z_a9KXVo/s400/knowledgeispowerkindllecover.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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</tbody></table>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://getbook.at/Knowledge"><br />getbook.at/Knowledge</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
On the one-month anniversary of the death of her beloved cat, Librarian
Margaret Goodley, uses her excellent research skills to cast a spell to bring
Bluebell back to life. Unfortunately, there are unexpected consequences when
two other women who have lost their own loved ones on the same day interrupt
the ceremony.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<strong><br /></strong></div>
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<strong><br /></strong></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Author Bio</strong><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<strong><br /></strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LMt4qdPixJ-QU1-XSA29tz51ahoSjvH64BSlgV6OaWMV9hEu6efs-XWPxGowsGUlAGPQZNgqefYZlrUiYlnVgTM9nHorAYnOc0qxCbjTRzsU_5wXDrbRddAmGUUr2bGynZhg-vUeNx0/s1600/debbiehicksvillenews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="874" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LMt4qdPixJ-QU1-XSA29tz51ahoSjvH64BSlgV6OaWMV9hEu6efs-XWPxGowsGUlAGPQZNgqefYZlrUiYlnVgTM9nHorAYnOc0qxCbjTRzsU_5wXDrbRddAmGUUr2bGynZhg-vUeNx0/s200/debbiehicksvillenews.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Debbie De Louise is an
award-winning author and a reference librarian at a public library on Long
Island. She is a member of Sisters-in-Crime, International Thriller Writers,
the Long Island Authors Group, and the Cat Writer’s Association. She has a BA
in English and an MLS in Library Science from Long Island University. Her
novels include the four books of the Cobble Cove cozy mystery series: <em>A
Stone’s Throw</em>, <em>Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Written in Stone, </em>and
<em>Love on the Rocks. </em>Debbie has also written a romantic comedy novella, <em>When
Jack Trumps Ace, </em>a paranormal romance, <em>Cloudy Rainbow, </em>and the
standalone mystery, <em>Reason to Die. </em>She lives on Long Island with her
husband, Anthony; daughter, Holly; and three cats, Stripey, Harry, and
Hermione.</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/debbie.delouise.author/">https://www.facebook.com/debbie.delouise.author/</a><o:p></o:p><br />
Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Deblibrarian">https://twitter.com/Deblibrarian</a><o:p></o:p><br />
Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2750133.Debbie_De_Louise">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2750133.Debbie_De_Louise</a><o:p></o:p><br />
Amazon Author Page: <a href="http://amzn.to/2bIHdaQ">http://amzn.to/2bIHdaQ</a><o:p></o:p><br />
<u>Bookbub: </u><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/profile/debbie-de-louise">https://www.bookbub.com/profile/debbie-de-louise</a><o:p></o:p><br />
Website/Blog/Newsletter Sign-Up: <a href="https://debbiedelouise.com/">https://debbiedelouise.com</a><o:p></o:p><br />
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<br />PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-37825120957307505002017-06-05T18:40:00.000-04:002018-09-29T19:22:27.090-04:00The Ripper's Daughter <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOlmimyu8nm3zGqL7HykHAd0cKX86n09spSMh-uYeWPQTnvUC1RMB6XkgxK1RpjvFgL5d28taoVZ1jNEXOuQkoWEy_wAZh02LY6h_HA3xiy_CUl4ufKBWQO2Lj7tdcoGhJZJtyRm2z38/s1600/Lynch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOlmimyu8nm3zGqL7HykHAd0cKX86n09spSMh-uYeWPQTnvUC1RMB6XkgxK1RpjvFgL5d28taoVZ1jNEXOuQkoWEy_wAZh02LY6h_HA3xiy_CUl4ufKBWQO2Lj7tdcoGhJZJtyRm2z38/s400/Lynch.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Louisville, Kentucky 1898. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ten years earlier, Jack the Ripper terrorized London's Whitechapel district. Assigned to the case, Detective Inspector Nathan James discovered the Ripper's true nature, and made a decision that changed his life. But the murders stopped and the Ripper disappeared. Now living in Louisville, Kentucky, Nathan runs a saloon, while trying to keep his relationship with his manservant, Stephen, secret. He's never forgotten his failure to stop the Ripper, and when murdered prostitutes start showing up, suspects the elusive killer stalks the city's streets. But is the Ripper responsible for these deaths, and will he reveal Nathan's and Stephen's darkest secret?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Excerpt</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Something
hit my back, knocking me forward. I hit the floor with a whoosh, lungs burning.
A sharp pain raked across my back. Panic seized me. What was happening? Was I
dying? I twisted, trying to throw the heavy weight off, but my body refused to
cooperate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Through
a wavering haze, I looked up, unable to comprehend what I saw, and yet
understanding it was a wolf. No, not a wolf. Rosie. Forepaws planted on my
chest, she leaned down. Hot saliva dripped onto my neck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I
stared into a mouthful of fangs and swallowed hard. Adrenaline raced through my
blood, yet my energy level had plummeted. I pushed against her broad, muscular
chest, hoping to dislodge her, but her weight and strength surpassed mine, and
sharp claws sought purchase in my flesh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I
screamed, writhing in pain. The coppery smell of blood filled my nose. My
blood. Rage and fear fought within me, fueled by a desire to kill Rosie. I
needed to escape this corpse‑infested hovel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Instead,
my world faded into a myriad of shimmering colors. Entranced, I gazed at this
new scene, unable to look away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">A
loud crack, then a mangled yelp.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I
reached heavenward, trying to stop my beautiful aurora borealis from leaving.
But my weakened muscles betrayed me, and my arms fell, useless, to my sides.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">How
strange and wonderful this afterlife seemed…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://amzn.to/2qV5dPU" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div>
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PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-17738314049544694932017-03-15T18:45:00.001-04:002018-09-30T02:02:21.237-04:00Louisville Locales: Chapel in Eastern Cemetery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUM12nSRnKsdihNvFR14_bcyBhnn_z5cxDWZKA9-sr9X4gq-o2C-MdDm3UJ5LyR17DjFSvHXqczOtvwVyP8Cvq4jlPxxAKkckWngqf4ay3VkOuFmq0MB5iPQ_BJ8P1gOEhG4jOMuxTTL0/s1600/100_0523.png_Cropped.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUM12nSRnKsdihNvFR14_bcyBhnn_z5cxDWZKA9-sr9X4gq-o2C-MdDm3UJ5LyR17DjFSvHXqczOtvwVyP8Cvq4jlPxxAKkckWngqf4ay3VkOuFmq0MB5iPQ_BJ8P1gOEhG4jOMuxTTL0/s400/100_0523.png_Cropped.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: ; color: #1d2129;">Sharing another scene from my stories: the chapel in Eastern Cemetery. Eastern has its own tragic history. I won't go into details, but it was discovered bodies had been buried on top of one another, and the cemetery had been abandoned and vandalized for years. Luckily, there are people taking care of the graves and the chapel. Eastern Cemetery has appeared in my short story "It's in Your Blood" and the angel paranormal suspense novella </span><i style="color: #1d2129;">Exterminating Angel</i><span style="background-color:; color: #1d2129;">, as well as in current works-in-progress.</span></span>PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-25472789736577404472017-03-08T19:02:00.001-05:002017-03-15T18:42:33.517-04:00Louisville Locales: Central ParkI'm not sure if I'll keep that title, but since many of my books are set in Louisville, Kentucky, I thought it might be fun to do a weekly or biweekly post where I share particular locations that take place in my books.<br />
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The first two pictures are from <i>Death Sword</i>. Central Park/Fourth Street is located in a section of Louisville known as Old Louisville, so named for its many Victorian houses. (I'll be sharing some in future posts.)<br />
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I could see Metatron and Karla sitting on this bench while she discusses her concerns with the king of angels about being forced to be an angel of death. Below are a couple of the walking paths Xariel might have taken when Metatron calls him to take her home.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7KU5RyGdu1DJA5hqzVONTrX6rLoGWHz_lN3Ev41lDL7R3TnzXy2K56t8xvCtOvFXvE9Pyuaqp5ww4lPlPRLGkUkBYxPVljB7yaJ9k-pLEewTXDRxCIiAXwNKbi8GDcRX7zWQaunP5bU/s1600/Park+Bench+Facing+South+on+4th+Street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7KU5RyGdu1DJA5hqzVONTrX6rLoGWHz_lN3Ev41lDL7R3TnzXy2K56t8xvCtOvFXvE9Pyuaqp5ww4lPlPRLGkUkBYxPVljB7yaJ9k-pLEewTXDRxCIiAXwNKbi8GDcRX7zWQaunP5bU/s320/Park+Bench+Facing+South+on+4th+Street.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fP1hSkodZqQrLfbZXdnpfzrB00oLSXhJLjUPaJAdzIpjmwFTUq1oNR8WLv2X_6R9UG8YXi0if0da433xfmoYpaE61wk-GW4IvrMxR6l3FUltUEsKrcYeNyhFubIlUMsg7qJ7-I6h1rc/s1600/Walking+Paths.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fP1hSkodZqQrLfbZXdnpfzrB00oLSXhJLjUPaJAdzIpjmwFTUq1oNR8WLv2X_6R9UG8YXi0if0da433xfmoYpaE61wk-GW4IvrMxR6l3FUltUEsKrcYeNyhFubIlUMsg7qJ7-I6h1rc/s320/Walking+Paths.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-2946528359008504802016-11-13T04:12:00.000-05:002016-11-13T10:02:00.460-05:00Cindy Koepp Guest Blog<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Flying a Mech</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Ella Font (EF):</b> (smiling)
Good evening. Welcome to Interdimensional News Network. My name is Ella Font.
With me this evening is Major Kirsten Abbott from the Coalition’s Third Fleet.
How are you this evening, Major.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Kirsten Abbott (KA):</b>
Hello, Ms. Font. I’m fine, thanks.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>EF:</b> So, I
understand you are a very accomplished pilot. How long have you been flying?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>KA:</b> I’ve flying
since I graduated high school and entered the military. I started out as a <i>Broadsword</i> tail gunner then transferred
to pilot a <i>Pulsar.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b>EF:</b> What about
League Mechanized Armor? How familiar are you with those?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>KA:</b> Fighting them?
I’ve sent more than a few mechs to the scrap heap.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>EF:</b> I meant as a
pilot. How do you do flying them? Isn’t that part of Coalition pilot training?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>KA:</b> I’ve flown <i>Dervishes</i> and <i>Samurai</i> in sims, and <i>Dervishes</i>
in real life. They were remarkably challenging at first, but once I got the
hang of it, they weren’t so bad. Have you ever been up close to a League mech?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>EF:</b> (Smile turns
a little tight) No, I prefer to keep them at the distance. They’re mentally
controlled aren’t they?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>KA:</b> Yes. The <i>Dervish</i> uses what’s called a “brain wave
helm.” That’s sort of like a hat that has sensors to read and interpret
brainwaves so the computer can tell the mech what to do.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>EF:</b> Sounds
complicated.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>KA:</b> It is, but
not complicated enough. The <i>Samurai</i>
are trickier. Much more involved hardware means more detailed software. The <i>Dervish</i> system isn’t robust enough. <i>Samurai</i> pilots have a data jack on their
heads here. (Turns and points to spot on the back of her skull). That more
direct connection provides the computer with a more accurate reading of the
pilot’s thoughts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>EF:</b> You don’t
have that jack in your skull, so how did you fly a <i>Samurai</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>KA:</b> I’ve only
flown the sim of a <i>Samurai.</i> That’s
much less complex than an actual <i>Sam</i>,
so the brain wave helm can handle the task.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>EF:</b> So, simple
thoughts control the mechs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>KA:</b> I wouldn’t
call it simple. Movements have to coordinate with actions. If I want to launch,
I have to jump.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>EF:</b> Inside the
cockpit?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>KA:</b> Yes, but it
doesn’t have to go for an Olympic jump record. Just a bit of a hop coordinated
with a thought will get the thing moving. Lots of commands combine some manner
of physical action with a specific thought or word to make the command execute.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>EF:</b> Which do you
prefer flying? <i>Pulsars</i> or mechs?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>KA:</b> I feel more
competent in my <i>Pulsar</i>, but the mechs
are powerful in their own right. Otherwise, the Coalition would have wiped out
the League long ago.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>EF:</b> What are some
of the things mechs can do better than fighter craft?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>KA:</b> I’m not at
liberty to answer that aside from saying that each is good at things specific
to their design.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>EF:</b> Well, thank
you for joining us, Major. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>KA:</b> I appreciate
the opportunity, Ms. Font.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>EF: </b>This is Ella
Font with the Interdimensional News Network. Back to Bob Frapples in the
newsroom. Bob?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>About the author: </b><span style="color: #373737; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Originally from Michigan, Cindy Koepp has a degree in Wildlife Sciences
and teaching certification in Elementary Education from rival universities.
After teaching for fourteen years, she pursued a master’s degree in Adult
Learning with a specialization in Training and Performance Improvement. Cindy
has five published science fiction and fantasy novels, a serial published
online, short stories in five anthologies, and a few self-published teacher
resource books. When she isn’t reading or writing, Cindy spends time whistling
with a crazy African Grey. Cindy is currently working as an optician in Iowa
and as an editor with PDMI Publishing and Barking Rain Press.</span><b> </b><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Book
Synopsis for Remnant in the Stars: </b><span style="color: #373737;">Two hundred years ago, the Aolanian home world exploded
and a remnant of survivors escaped. As their convoy combed the galaxy looking
for a new world to colonize, they discovered Earth and were given permission to
establish a temporary base while they continued their search for a new home
world. When an Aolanian exploration vessel goes missing after transmitting a
garbled distress call, the uneasy alliance between the humans and the Aolanians
is put to the test as two anti-Aolanian groups jockey to use this opportunity
to press their own agendas by foiling the rescue mission.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #373737; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Because his daughter was onboard the Kesha when it vanished,
Calonti Sora reluctantly signs on as an astrogator with the Gyrfalcon, one of
the ships in the search party. There he meets up with an old human friend,
Kirsten Abbott. Together, they work to overcome prejudice and political plots
as they race toward an enemy no one could expect.</span><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #373737; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8E0C3w-nw46zq6BEk7Y15OQJsdjNrX3Y1SB2mh4EttyqEGJfIRVFRpTEwwYse5ctljg0Xei_asdVwQTDAHWDxEm_PwyXUF2RnfX1z2JEEFtXn0noYFf5zSn_80ibsDKD4skABjdKDuVU/s1600/loudest_actions_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8E0C3w-nw46zq6BEk7Y15OQJsdjNrX3Y1SB2mh4EttyqEGJfIRVFRpTEwwYse5ctljg0Xei_asdVwQTDAHWDxEm_PwyXUF2RnfX1z2JEEFtXn0noYFf5zSn_80ibsDKD4skABjdKDuVU/s320/loudest_actions_Cover.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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<b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #373737; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Book Synopsis for The
Loudest Actions: </span></b><span style="color: #373737;">First contact missions
are hard enough, but they get even tougher when the negotiator has an ego the
size of a gas giant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #373737; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Burke Zacharias, a first contact researcher, is chosen to
spearhead humanity’s first official contact with Montans, an insect race that
has already had a run-in with less friendly humans. Although his words and
overtures toward the Montans are cordial enough, the Montans are put off by how
he treats the crew of the scout ship that brought him to the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #373737; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With other, less friendly forces trying to establish a foothold
on the world, the negotiation must succeed in spite of Burke, or the Montans
could be facing extinction.</span><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Author
Links:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Facebook: </span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KoeppC">https://www.facebook.com/KoeppC</a></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Twitter:
</span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/CCKoepp%20"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">@CCKoepp</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Website:<b> </b></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="u_jsonp_23_6"></a><a href="http://ckoepp.com/"><span style="color: #365899; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">http://ckoepp.com/</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Remnant-Stars-Cindy-Koepp-ebook/dp/B008LIRDEE"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">https://www.amazon.com/Remnant-Stars-Cindy-Koepp-ebook/dp/B008LIRDEE</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-83808016585529306152016-09-26T03:10:00.000-04:002016-09-26T03:10:12.909-04:00Final Curtain Update<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7zjglgZD0FAOCTDC0DlvgA0p9ZVkbNNeYt8GFXTmqri_biXPWyYONsDlD9K4jHeynVd5LZDKkG7BH3S9m6V8aFDAdxAPAHf664lpzC93kKeEVSOzOQiBVqbTT84FY5ogUiDoVQbAsqg/s1600/DSC_0138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7zjglgZD0FAOCTDC0DlvgA0p9ZVkbNNeYt8GFXTmqri_biXPWyYONsDlD9K4jHeynVd5LZDKkG7BH3S9m6V8aFDAdxAPAHf664lpzC93kKeEVSOzOQiBVqbTT84FY5ogUiDoVQbAsqg/s400/DSC_0138.JPG" width="148" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Place Trophy</td></tr>
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Been a bit remiss about posting on this blog. I think it's because I'm posting more on Facebook. Not that I'm completely giving up this blog. Social media changes, and one finds what one needs to get one's message across. I still have plans for Darkling Delights, and I'm still accepting guest posts from authors who write in the speculative fiction genre.<br />
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Anyway, something cool happened this summer. My feature-length screenplay, <i>Final Curtain</i>, won first place in the crime drama category at the Indie Gathering Int'l Film Festival. It's also a finalist at the Imaginarium Convention. I've entered it in a few more screenplay contests. Curious to see how it'll do.<br />
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I even had the chance to have my screenplay work-shopped at Indie Gathering, with actors playing the characters. Just a short scene, mind you. Audience and actors shared in giving feedback. Some interesting observations for us writers who were featured. And some interesting <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC48PPpUyEH7wlyCbCACANuHD0GflKasQsdOASXJmeFogUOOy4bullqbTlPWs1VQY8VAZc7LOhUjxorOFyfmerG6mQugixJk9XDrHlpcFLOh3Fk0WU6Ghn1JpyThvL161OjSlmbl0SGP0/s1600/14012971_10210299726514747_1135874418_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC48PPpUyEH7wlyCbCACANuHD0GflKasQsdOASXJmeFogUOOy4bullqbTlPWs1VQY8VAZc7LOhUjxorOFyfmerG6mQugixJk9XDrHlpcFLOh3Fk0WU6Ghn1JpyThvL161OjSlmbl0SGP0/s320/14012971_10210299726514747_1135874418_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Work Shop. Photo by Missy Goodman</td></tr>
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screenplays. :-)<br />
<br />
<i>Final Curtain</i> is my first crime drama screenplay. It's gone through several incarnations, including the former title <i>Dress Up</i>. College theatre students are turning up dead, and widowed homicide detective Abel Black determines to stop the killer before his daughter Poly is the next victim. Helping him deal with the case, and his recalcitrant son, Brad, is Japanese-American homicide detective Seiichiro Toshihiro.<br />
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Seiichiro was a fun character to write. Partly named for Seiichiro Tatsumi from one of my favorite manga, <i>Descendants of Darkness</i>, Seiichiro is a retrocognitive who's trying to solve the mystery of his father's murder. Born in Osaka to a Japanese mother and an American father stationed in the Army, his father's mysterious murder was the catalyst that inspired him to become a homicide detective.<br />
<br />
Abel Blackmore was named after Blackmore's Night because I liked their song "Under a Violet Moon." A recent widower, he's torn between guilt for not being at Lisa's bedside when she passed away and revealing the truth to his children that he went to get a sandwich. While Poly understands and empathizes with him, Brad refuses to be placated and blames Abel for keeping him and his sister from saying goodbye to their mother.<br />
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I hope you enjoy this little behind the scenes post. Next time, I'll be sharing some tidbits from the newly re-released <i>The Ripper's Daughter</i>.<br />
<br />PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-2904251241732006872016-08-08T02:57:00.001-04:002016-08-08T02:57:41.607-04:00TCM Blog Tour Author Guest Post: L. Andrew Cooper<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>9/11 Changed the Rules for Writing Horrors</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">L. Andrew Cooper</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In October 2001 I drafted “Lachrymosa,” one of the horror
stories in the collection <i>Leaping at
Thorns</i>. A couple who might be having the fight that ends their relationship
drives into a suburban neighborhood where a scene of unfathomable violence is
drawing an audience. During the six weeks prior to writing, like everyone else
in America, I’d watched the same scene over and over, airplanes crashing into
buildings. I wanted to write about the dehumanizing lure of tragedy. The result
was a story that’s grotesque, upsetting, and really hard to explain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Post-9/11 horror is an established phenomenon: books,
conferences, and courses on the topic have popped up across the U.S. and
elsewhere. Sooner or later, the distinction between “post-9/11” and “21<sup>st</sup>-century”
will be pretty meaningless. People emphasize conspiracy and paranoia as key
features of the phenomenon. One of three sections in <i>Leaping at Thorns</i> is titled “Conspiracy,” and while all my work is arguably
paranoid, stories in <i>Peritoneum</i> such
as “Leer Reel” and “The Road Thief” are super-paranoid. I’m on board with
conspiracy and paranoia, but so was <i>The
X-Files</i> in the 1990s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Maybe post-9/11 horror is about nihilism, brutality, and
hopelessness in the face of a world bent on destruction. That fits my work as
well. I’ve had no complaints about the softness of “Charlie Mirren and His
Mother” and “Prologue: The Family Pet,” the first stories in <i>Leaping at Thorns</i> and <i>Peritoneum</i>. We are traumatized by 9/11,
so post-9/11 horror is obsessed with traumatic experience. But wait: have you
seen <i>Texas Chain Saw Massacre</i>? There
was this national trauma called Vietnam that produced repetitive gruesome
imagery in mass media, divided the country, and inspired a very successful wave
of nihilistic, brutal, and hopeless art. The 70s gave rise to the great masters
we still celebrate. Before Stephen King discovered the healing power of psychic
kids, his stuff was really mean.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Did America re-experience Carrie’s night at the prom on 9/11
and in its aftermath? Not in the way that matters. Sure, America might feel a
little like Carrie—unjustly hated and splattered with blood, how could she do
anything but unleash awesome power? Then again, America might be the popular
kids, facing the wrath of religious zealots who’ve come across power they’re too
backward to control. A lot of horror might fit present-day circumstances, but
to me, it doesn’t feel “post-9/11.” The traits I’ve associated with post-9/11
all qualify, but they don’t add up to the main thing I feel about the tragedy,
the main thing I think a lot of people feel about the tragedy. No matter your
views on American imperialism, mass murder is senseless. The senselessness is
indivisible from the horror.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Most horror contains a kernel of the unexplained, like
Carrie’s psychokinesis, but psychokinesis has a foundation in quasi-scientific
inquiry going back more than a century. King bases most of the novel in well-explained
psychology, whereas, for most Americans, terrorist psychology is alien.
Explaining it with certainty would miss its horror. Inscrutable motivation is horrific.
So is uncertain perception. Even the <i>events</i>
of 9/11, played and replayed, remain mysterious. In relation to Vietnam, the
first televised war, extreme close-ups on Sally’s eyes in <i>Texas Chain Saw</i> emphasize the harsh truth of mad spectacle, and Tom
Savini got famous for bringing his war experiences home to realistic gore
makeup. In relation to post-9/11, seeing is no longer believing; who did what
and why is still being debated by candidates for national office. The slashers
of the 70s and 80s were odd fish, but we pretty much knew what they were up to.
Post-9/11, the WTF factor is high. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> think I got better at scary WTFs for the stories in </span><i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Peritoneum</i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">. I still like pre-9/11
horror, but I get annoyed when horror writers spoon out the same old advice
about audiences needing various types of explanation. I don’t suggest
abandoning sense altogether; others before us have exterminated rational thought.
However, post-9/11, our security as a nation depends on the strategic
withholding of information! Writers, don’t explain everything to your readers!
Keep them alert by keeping the threat level high! Fear comes from ignorance!
Keep them afraid!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">After all, you <i>know</i>
the world doesn’t make sense. Horror that explains itself is lying.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWkrEdx_WG8J1Us5lG0aIzsa_u6T2ZYwGjLdbVFvXAYNCI4g_kR_Ao9ufslyUyVnS7QnGjPL7BwilfckxbzABdnK4XytH5REi2Xe0DU8eJgqaV8iuS0BH8nKMIXYGXM4p3fM6gX8w53c/s1600/LeapingatThornsCover1200X800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWkrEdx_WG8J1Us5lG0aIzsa_u6T2ZYwGjLdbVFvXAYNCI4g_kR_Ao9ufslyUyVnS7QnGjPL7BwilfckxbzABdnK4XytH5REi2Xe0DU8eJgqaV8iuS0BH8nKMIXYGXM4p3fM6gX8w53c/s320/LeapingatThornsCover1200X800.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Book Synopsis for Leaping at
Thorns: </span></b><span style="color: #373737; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Leaping at Thorns arranges eighteen of L. Andrew
Cooper’s experimental short horror stories into a triptych of
themes–complicity, entrapment, and conspiracy–elements that run throughout the
collection. The stories span from the emotionally-centered to the unthinkably
horrific; from psychosexual grossness to absurd violence; from dark extremes to
brain-and-tongue twister. These standalone stories add important details to the
fictional world and grand scheme of Dr. Allen Fincher, who also lurks in the
background of Cooper’s novels Burning the Middle Ground and Descending Lines. </span></span><b style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2VzRUojmFINptxEIjq-9KQLrfzm7NObyhLnOt5b8q0T56AY8WmmMOQsN0s_IFnUZdwemHxnbeYChFlh2WRRToQLE93dFzHN6PZosjiGdtKOlv9N0RFW9u5Pi2GLtMDlQ4LLtT55XJhxk/s1600/PeritoneumCover1200X800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2VzRUojmFINptxEIjq-9KQLrfzm7NObyhLnOt5b8q0T56AY8WmmMOQsN0s_IFnUZdwemHxnbeYChFlh2WRRToQLE93dFzHN6PZosjiGdtKOlv9N0RFW9u5Pi2GLtMDlQ4LLtT55XJhxk/s320/PeritoneumCover1200X800.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #373737; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Book Synopsis for
Peritoneum: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Snaking
through history–from the early-1900s cannibal axe-murderer of “Blood and
Feathers,” to the monster hunting on the 1943 Pacific front in “Year of the
Wolf,” through the files of J. Edgar Hoover for an “Interview with ‘Oscar,'”
and into “The Broom Closet Where Everything Dies” for a finale in the year
2050–Peritoneum winds up your guts to assault your brain. Hallucinatory
experiences redefine nightmare in “Patrick’s Luck” and “The Eternal Recurrence
of Suburban Abortion.” Strange visions of colors and insects spill through the
basements of hospitals and houses, especially the basement that provides the
title for “TR4B,” which causes visitors to suffer from “Door Poison.” Settings,
characters, and details recur not only in these tales but throughout
Peritoneum, connecting all its stories in oblique but organic ways. Freud,
borrowing from Virgil, promised to unlock dreams not by bending higher powers
but by moving infernal regions. Welcome to a vivisection. Come dream with the
insides.</span></span><b style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>About the author: <span style="color: #373737;"> </span></b><span style="color: #373737;">L. Andrew Cooper
scribbles horror: novels Burning the Middle Ground and Descending Lines as well
as anthologies of experimental shorts Leaping at Thorns (2014 /2016) and
Peritoneum (2016). He also co-edited the anthology Imagination Reimagined
(2014). His book Dario Argento (2012) examines the maestro’s movies from the
70s to the present. Cooper’s other works on horror include his non-fiction
study Gothic Realities (2010), a co-edited textbook, Monsters (2012), and
recent essays that discuss 2012’s Cabin in the Woods (2014) and 2010’s A
Serbian Film (2015). His B.A. is from Harvard, Ph.D. from Princeton. Louisville
locals might recognize him from his year-long stint as WDRB-TV’s “movie guy.”
Find him at amazon.com/author/landrewcooper, facebook.com/landrewcooper, and
landrewcooper.com.</span></span><b style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Author Links:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Website: </span></b><a href="http://www.landrewcooper.com/"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">landrewcooper.com</span></b></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Twitter: </span></b><a href="http://www.twitter.com/landrew42"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">@Landrew42</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Facebook: </span></b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/landrewcooper"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">facebook.com/landrewcooper</span></b></a><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Amazon Author Page: </span></b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/landrewcooper"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">http://www.amazon.com/author/landrewcooper</span></b></a><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 18.3pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt;">Amazon Links for Peritoneum</span></b></div>
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PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-64067035064642057422016-04-04T13:50:00.000-04:002016-04-04T13:50:14.143-04:00Illusions of a Quiet Cul-de-Sac<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Usually, on this blog, I write about my publishing and writing experiences. But something happened on March 25 that put our cul-de-sac in our subdivision in the local news, and not for a good reason.<br />
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I never heard the gunshot(s). And the presence of police cruisers and an ambulance in our cul-de-sac normally didn't raise any undue concern.<br />
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But the yellow crime scene tape promised a different story, one that would involve someone I knew.<br />
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The ambulance slipped away, sans siren.<br />
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For the first time, a murder had occurred on our street. Supposedly, a young man had shot and killed his girlfriend. (I'm only saying this because although there's been an arrest, the suspect's preliminary hearing isn't until tomorrow.)<br />
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My husband knew the suspect, and we both knew another man who also lived in the house where the shooting took place a few doors down from us. This is the closest I've been to knowing someone who's been directly or indirectly involved in a murder.<br />
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The police had put crime scene tape up at the end of our street. That's where the reporters had set up cameras and interviewed neighbors, including a woman who claimed the suspect had sped through the stop sign. I can believe it.<br />
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Our driveway wasn't blocked, but police had put up crime scene tape across the street close to the crime scene, using mail boxes to tie the tape around. I counted four or five police cruisers on our end of the cul-de-sac, with one cruiser at the end of our street. Occasionally, another cruiser joined the latter, effectively cutting off access to our street.<br />
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We'd experienced the same thing last summer when the SWAT team had been summoned the next street over.<br />
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Quiet neighborhood? Yeah, right. Since I've lived here, besides the SWAT incident, we've had a field set on fire, a break-in next door, a break-in in a local church, and a self-inflicted gun shooting. Before that? My husband told me a fire had broken out in the woods nearby, and a bullet had nearly hit his daughter during deer hunting season.<br />
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But this was the first time we'd experienced a murder.<br />
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That day was the first time I met a homicide detective working a case. We gave him some information we had, but I'll say no more here. If it helps the investigation, so much the better.<br />
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Now I know what the back interior of a CSU vehicle looks like (at least here), and I watched crime scene investigators, homicide detectives, and the deputy coroner work the crime scene inasmuch as I could.<br />
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Eight hours later, they took down the yellow tape.<br />
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Crime scene investigation fascinates me, but I prefer to watch it on a station like the Justice Network. Because when it hits close to home, it has a profound effect, not only on the victim and suspect and their friends and family, but also on those who live in the area.<br />
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Before the murder, I wondered how many people even knew this street existed. Now we do, in infamy. Yes, the memory will fade as people resume their lives. But for those of us involved in some way, however small, the memory will linger much longer.<br />
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PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-49875659471191575322015-11-05T03:08:00.000-05:002015-11-05T03:08:17.534-05:00Guest Blog: John F. Allen's Codename: Knight Ranger <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Everyone, please welcome John F. Allen, author of the urban fantasy/spy-fi novel, Codename: Knight Ranger, to Darkling Delights. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">1. Genetically modified soldiers - an advantage
or possible detriment? Both? Why?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 200%;">ANSWER:</span></b><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 200%;"> There is a
distinct advantage, as with most weapons, when only one side possesses the
technology. However, when that same tech is acquired by the other side, it
becomes somewhat of a stalemate. As for being a detriment, that is certainly
true with the side that doesn’t yet possess said tech. In the long run it is
also a detriment or sorts that it pushes both sides to develop even more deadly
and destructive tech. The ramifications of this technology will definitely be
explored in future adventures of Knight Ranger, along with how this all ties
into remnants of weapons technology left over from the Cold War.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">2. How has your military experience played a
part in writing Codename: Knight Ranger?</span><br />
<b>ANSWER:</b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> Yes, it definitely has. As a veteran, I readily
recognize the sacrifices and achievements of soldiers and exactly what that
entails. In fact, it was that which initially inspired me to create the
character of Knight Ranger, because I wanted to explore the devastating effects
of war, not only on the soldier, but their family, their caregivers and those
they encounter. I also wanted to show how war not only scars a soldier in a
physical sense, but also in an emotional, mental and spiritual sense as well.<span style="font-size: 8pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 200%;">3. What inspired you to write an UF/Spy-fi
novel?</span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 200%;"><br />
<b>ANSWER:</b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> I grew up watching The Avengers (the British TV
show), the Six Million Dollar Man, as well as reading Mary Shelley’s
Frankenstein, Don Pendleton’s Mack Bolan series and I was always inspired by
Marvel Comics. Combining elements of these different tropes, I knew I wanted to
give a nod to the American soldier and to all of those genre shows and books
which had been formative to me as a writer. <span style="font-size: 8pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 200%;">4. What new Ivoryverse books are you
currently working on?</span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 200%;"><br />
<b>ANSWER:</b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> I’m working on Book II of the Ivory Blaque series,
titled “The Conclave”, which should be out in 2016. Also, I have Book II of the
Knight Ranger series, titled “The God Particle Conspiracy” due out before the
end of 2015 with Book III out in 2016 as one bound volume of the three
novellas, an expansion of a short story titled “Witch Way Is Up” a collection
of novellas tentatively titled, “Tales From The Ivoryverse”, which will feature
several spin off characters from the Ivory Blaque and Knight Ranger series and
lastly.<span style="font-size: 8pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 200%;">5. If you could be any character from the
Ivoryverse, who would it be?</span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 200%;"><br />
<b>ANSWER:</b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> Captain Alexandre “Neal” Du Bois...hands down! He is
the epitome of what a distinguished, honorable and morally steadfast character
should be. Plus, he has the perfect body and mind…’nuff said! <span style="font-size: 8pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;">6. Tell readers your plans for 2016,
including any signings or cons they might find you at.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="font-family: times, 'times new roman', serif;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 200%;">ANSWER:</span></b><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 200%;"> I will of
course be attending Imaginarium 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky on October 7-9,
2016. However, before then I will be attending Meet the Artists, sponsored by
the Indianapolis Marion County Public Library sometime in March of 2016, Indiana
Comic Con in late April 2016, InConJunction 2016, July 1-3 2016, as well as other TBA events which will be
posted on my website: <a href="http://www.johnfallenwriter.com/">www.johnfallenwriter.com</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Book Synopsis for Codename: Knight Ranger: </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Captain Alexandre Cornelius “Neal” Du
Bois is a US Army Ranger and decorated war hero. When his unit is ambushed by
supernatural hostile forces while in Afghanistan, only Neal survives. When he
wakes up in a secret government facility, Neal discovers that his whole life
has changed forever. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A shadowy government agent named
Elijah Bishop arranges for Neal’s brain to be transplanted, without his
permission, into a bio-engineered body capable of amazing feats. Armed with
advanced body armor and weaponry, he becomes the epitome of the Ultra Soldier. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">To protect his family and those
closest to him, he must let the world and everyone he loves believe he is dead.
With assistance from Dr. Avery Clarkson–the scientist responsible for his new
body–Neal reluctantly utilizes his superhuman abilities to work for Bishop and
his organization called G.E.N.E.S.I.S. (Global Espionage Network of Elite
Supernatural Intelligence and Surveillance), in order to track down those
responsible for the slaughter of his unit and keep the world safe from
supernatural terrorist forces.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Amazon Links for Codename: Knight Ranger</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Print Version:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Codename-Knight-Ranger-John-Allen/dp/1511496533"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">http://www.amazon.com/Codename-Knight-Ranger-John-Allen/dp/1511496533</span></b></a><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kindle Version<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Codename-Knight-John-F-Allen-ebook/dp/B00YG3NJZK"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">http://www.amazon.com/Codename-Knight-John-F-Allen-ebook/dp/B00YG3NJZK</span></b></a><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Barnes and Noble Link for Codename: Knight Ranger<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/codename-john-f-allen/1122019036?ean=2940151360548">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/codename-john-f-allen/1122019036?ean=2940151360548</a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNG10GsTS5Qxq1RWGSZFt-TFElVpAPtNiL4BFCtTZjOmVOm3aT-1rlw4FXJIko6OU2oQjAkQpf3ZZre30yXLwmRnD7QlZ7eR1V1SCrfifcJqK9Pnyg1NI3__nWjOdwhxEMLcHQdZngyE/s1600/JohnAllenAuthorPhoto_New.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNG10GsTS5Qxq1RWGSZFt-TFElVpAPtNiL4BFCtTZjOmVOm3aT-1rlw4FXJIko6OU2oQjAkQpf3ZZre30yXLwmRnD7QlZ7eR1V1SCrfifcJqK9Pnyg1NI3__nWjOdwhxEMLcHQdZngyE/s320/JohnAllenAuthorPhoto_New.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">About the author: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">John F. Allen is an American writer born in Indianapolis, IN.
He is a member of the Speculative Fiction Guild and the Indiana Writers Center.
He began writing stories as early as the second grade and pursued all forms of
writing at some point, throughout his career. John studied Liberal Arts at
IUPUI with a focus in Creative Writing, received an honorable discharge from
the United States Air Force and is a current member of the American Legion.
John’s debut novel, The God Killers was published in 2013 by Seventh Star
Press.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">John
currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife, son and daughter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Author Links:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Website:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.johnfallenwriter.com/">www.johnfallenwriter.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Facebook: </span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/johnfallenauthorwriter">https://www.facebook.com/johnfallenauthorwriter<o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Twitter:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/johnfallen1970"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">@johnfallen1970</span></b></a><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tour Schedule and Activities<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">11/2 </span><a href="http://cindykoepp.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: #1b8be0; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">On Cloud Eight-and-a-Half</span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> Guest Post</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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11/4 </span><a href="http://armandrosamilia.com/"><span style="color: #1b8be0; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Armand Rosamilia, Horror Author</span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> Guest Post</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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11/5 </span><a href="http://www.pamela-turner.com/"><span style="color: #1b8be0; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Darkling Delights</span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> Interview</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
11/6 </span><a href="http://beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #1b8be0; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Beauty in Ruins</span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> Guest Post</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
11/6 </span><a href="http://sheiladeeth.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #1b8be0; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Sheila's Blog</span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> Guest Post</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
11/6 </span><a href="http://beeskneesreviews.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #1b8be0; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Bee's Knees Reviews</span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> Review</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
11/7 </span><a href="http://www.infamous-scribbler.com/"><span style="color: #1b8be0; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">The Infamous Scribbler</span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> Review/Interview</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
11/7 </span><a href="http://crymsynhart.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #1b8be0; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Vampires, Witches, & Me Oh
My!</span></a><span style="background: color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> Top Ten List</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
11/8 </span><a href="http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #1b8be0; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Sapphyria's Book Reviews</span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> Guest Post</span><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-72871756214051165632015-10-12T13:07:00.000-04:002015-10-12T16:14:25.108-04:00My Top Five Horror Anime/Manga<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's October. You know what that means. A celebration of all things horror. People are listing their favorite horror movies and books, but I decided to be a bit different. I'm listing my top five favorite horror anime/manga.<br />
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In no particular order:<br />
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5. <i>Hellsing</i><br />
A manga by Kouta Hirano, <i>Hellsing</i> is the story of Alucard (get it?) who works with the Royal Order of Protestant Knights, led by Integra Hellsing, descendant of Abraham Van Helsing. The manga and anime don't shy away from the violence and bloodshed, and Alucard revels in attacking and defeating his enemies. That's what makes this manga and anime such a guilty pleasure.<br />
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4. <i>Tokyo Ghoul</i><br />
I've only started watching the anime version of this, but it's an interesting and disturbing premise. A young man is attacked by a ghoul and becomes one himself. His struggle to deal with his impending change, while trying to retain his human qualities, is complicated by society's belief that all ghouls are dangerous. I'm interested to see where this anime goes and to check out the manga.<br />
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3. <i>Tomie </i><br />
A manga by Junji Ito. I've read a few of his collections, and he's very effective as a horror manga-ka. <i>Tomie</i> is a disturbing story of a young woman who will not die, even after being hacked to pieces. She's the quintessential undead character, a woman whose beauty and desire drive people to murder her, but who always comes back. Always. Always.<br />
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2. <i>Vampire Princess Miyu</i><br />
At first glance, this beautiful, ethereal young vampire doesn't seem at all disturbing. Until you find out that eternal happiness is a horrible alternative from reality. Narumi Kakinouchi's vampire/guardian is an interesting anti-heroine. She returns the Shinma (god-demons) to the dark, but the impact her and these beings have on human life beg the question of who might be more dangerous.<br />
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1. <i>Mermaid Saga</i><br />
If only Rumiko Takahashi would continue and/or finish her saga of the 500-year old immortal Yuta and his equally immortal companion, Mana. A fisherman in ages past, Yuta ate the flesh of a mermaid. Not only did he survive the encounter, he watched his friends either die a horrifying death, or turn into monsters when they consumed the same flesh. The stories that comprise the Mermaid Saga<i> (Mermaid Forest, Mermaid's Scar, Mermaid's Gaze, </i>etc.<i>) </i>spin<i> </i>a cautionary tale of immortality and the horrifying results that can manifest from people desperate to attain eternal life.<br />
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<br />PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-73006060461836638902015-08-24T10:34:00.000-04:002015-08-24T10:34:40.658-04:00Guest Post: Blue Spirit Blog Tour with E. Chris Garrison<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_wFko8nmEBlFgrp-ESd36oVo8OZcc-px4zSH8aNziAHhGaVeZvzUzkjPuTg4gLUIldyWUhi0-WjG0BILw5gIgX7a1q9aRYdBdCU_GiJ79Y1mDaeE32SXB1CRwriClm62pLGaf88PY_I/s1600/BlueSpirit_cover_1200X800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_wFko8nmEBlFgrp-ESd36oVo8OZcc-px4zSH8aNziAHhGaVeZvzUzkjPuTg4gLUIldyWUhi0-WjG0BILw5gIgX7a1q9aRYdBdCU_GiJ79Y1mDaeE32SXB1CRwriClm62pLGaf88PY_I/s400/BlueSpirit_cover_1200X800.jpg" width="270" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since it is the first date of the tour, I'd do something introductory in nature about the book and the Tipsy Fairy Tales, kind of an intro thing.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-35b87c0e-519d-353a-8f1f-e1d0880ebf06" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once upon a time, a drunk gamer girl named Skye was possessed by a demon. She got better. But something amazing happened to Skye: she became two people. You see, when the demon took possession, it left a little hole where her soul leaked out, just a little bit. When the hole was healed, that little bit became its own person. Because there's no such thing as half a soul. Cut it in two, and you've got two souls, not two halves.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This new soul formed a tiny being that lives entirely in the spirit world that opened up to Skye after her possession. The new being looked like a miniature Skye, except squat and sort of Gothic, since Skye's gaming alter ego is a Vampire Baroness, it must have influenced her form. Skye, being a whimsical sort of girl, called the new being “Minnie”, as in her “mini-me”. Minnie took this with good grace, and is Skye's constant companion, like a twin sister or her own Jiminy Cricket. Because Skye's awfully prone to getting into trouble.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The only thing about this arrangement is that Skye, having been drunk when it all started, can only properly perceive and interact with Minnie and the world she lives in when she's in a similar state. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And it can be vitally important that Skye keep in touch with Minnie and her world, because many things in her own world are not what they seem. Passengers on the bus who seem like shabby homeless teenagers show their true colors in the spirit world as wolf-people, satrys, and other strange fairy creatures.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4ec_Bmg40kk9rgbQwhoMAk1frWBT5M6ExjdyogdGTxjEpIj4hw40MJq0FTH5wzpmDa8852ssVB1fDJPJ-VX13pXdQWsLGDhM3z6tinlle2Vt0yLfphWEQQbRhqrcvj0QvFNR40M273o/s1600/2_Illustration_BlueSpirit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4ec_Bmg40kk9rgbQwhoMAk1frWBT5M6ExjdyogdGTxjEpIj4hw40MJq0FTH5wzpmDa8852ssVB1fDJPJ-VX13pXdQWsLGDhM3z6tinlle2Vt0yLfphWEQQbRhqrcvj0QvFNR40M273o/s320/2_Illustration_BlueSpirit.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oops. Don't use the F-word. No, that one. As Minnie would tell you, “fairy” is a bad word to the creatures in the spirit world. Humans have told far too many ridiculous stories for that word to mean anything close to reality. Call them what you will, these are powerful and dangerous interdimensional entities, not something cute and musical from Never Never Land or Fern Gully. No, the Grimm brothers got some of their stories right; their so-called fairy tales contained bits of truth among the fables. The visitors from the fairy-- I mean spirit world, haven't got the same kind of morals we have, they're all about keeping bargains (like an evil genie) and telling the truth (just not ALL of the truth) and amassing power. And there's power in belief, whether in an ugly truth or a pretty lie.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Tipsy Fairy Tales are set in Skye's home, modern day Indianapolis. She gets around on the bus system, which is ruled by a (mostly) benevolent spirit called the Transit King, a sort of Fairy Godfather who gives generous favors to those in need, with the expectation of calling those favors in one day.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Book Synopsis for Blue Spirit: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Gamer girl Skye MacLeod can see fairies, but only when she's
tipsy. More Grimm than enchanting, some of these fairies are out to ruin her
life, wreaking havoc with her job, her home, and her relationships.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With the help of her tiny fairy
friend Minnie, Skye has to protect her vampire wannabe gamer friends from
all-too-real supernatural threats only she can see. Can she keep it together
and hold fast against a wicked fairy Queen's plot?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Blue Spirit is the first book of A
Tipsy Fairy Tale series!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Print:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Spirit-E-Chris-Garrison/dp/1941706827">http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Spirit-E-Chris-Garrison/dp/1941706827</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Kindle:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Spirit-Tipsy-Fairy-Tale-ebook/dp/B00X6571BC">http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Spirit-Tipsy-Fairy-Tale-ebook/dp/B00X6571BC</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Barnes and Noble Link:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blue-spirit-eric-garrison/1105805795?ean=9781941706824">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blue-spirit-eric-garrison/1105805795?ean=9781941706824</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSguwvgO3RzL97PYkjGJEGx-EIGx3VZL7dmvmNiHhbFuYbkMT33i_O3-mDrwgwgJ3zoU2vzbjz0l1syW7rRqVA-LO-v9dV4BnkY7sG6ckGnjb9s9MnwD0jRa11brx0RZADwPsaRkT38bc/s1600/ECGarrisonAuthorPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSguwvgO3RzL97PYkjGJEGx-EIGx3VZL7dmvmNiHhbFuYbkMT33i_O3-mDrwgwgJ3zoU2vzbjz0l1syW7rRqVA-LO-v9dV4BnkY7sG6ckGnjb9s9MnwD0jRa11brx0RZADwPsaRkT38bc/s200/ECGarrisonAuthorPhoto.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">About the Author:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> E. Chris Garrison (who also writes as Eric Garrison) is active in the
writing community in Indianapolis, Indiana. He lives in the Circle City with
his wife, step-daughter and a cabal of cats. He also enjoys gaming, home
brewing beer, and finding innovative uses for duct tape.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Chris’ novel, Reality Check, is a
science fiction adventure released by Hydra Publications. Reality Check reached
#1 in Science Fiction on Amazon.com during a promotion in July 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Seventh Star Press is the home of
Chris’ supernatural fantasy series, Road Ghosts, including Four ‘til Late,
Sinking Down, and Me and the Devil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 1.38;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Author Links:</span></b></div>
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</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">website:</span><span style="font-size: 14.6666666666667px; line-height: 1.38;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.sillyhatbooks.com/" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">http://www.sillyhatbooks.com</a>
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</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Facebook page:</span><span style="font-size: 14.6666666666667px; line-height: 1.38;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/EricGarrisonAuthor" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">https://www.facebook.com/EricGarrisonAuthor</a>
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<br />PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-45126032168513695292015-08-19T12:36:00.000-04:002015-08-19T12:36:41.228-04:00Fiends: Ten Tales of Demons Guest Author: Douglas Kolacki<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtOEF2R-o7UbEUh664nZ_1Wr-RB_WUMqn1oOaoa04moQrXnM_6GYLrEXXoN6DL7CFiLGVESDZqO3g1T7KXLioiEWoxjrxgbFLsmgw-KpAzzXdEoayVNtOrjo6Vko7SapSimKp4cjeRlw/s1600/Fiends+-+Ten+Tales+of+Demons+2013-08-21.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtOEF2R-o7UbEUh664nZ_1Wr-RB_WUMqn1oOaoa04moQrXnM_6GYLrEXXoN6DL7CFiLGVESDZqO3g1T7KXLioiEWoxjrxgbFLsmgw-KpAzzXdEoayVNtOrjo6Vko7SapSimKp4cjeRlw/s320/Fiends+-+Ten+Tales+of+Demons+2013-08-21.jpeg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover Art by Jamie Chapman</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i>Author Douglas Kolacki is my guest today . He's talking about his demon story "The Devil Never Takes a Vacation and Neither Do I."</i> <i>Please welcome him to Darkling Delights.</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">Thanks for hosting me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">My short story, "The Devil Never Takes a Vacation and Neither Do I," appears in Rayne Hall's upcoming anthology <i>Fiends:</i> <i>Ten Tales of Demons.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">After getting serious about writing a long time ago (1988) and far away (Naples, Italy), I placed stories in Christian publications like <i>Dreams & Visions, Dragons Knights & Angels,</i> and <i>The Sword Review.</i> These ranged from end times science fantasy to steampunk. I've also appeared in a number of Sunday School papers, digest-sized publications featuring 1200 to 1500-word stories about various aspects of the Christian life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">I've rarely written stories about supernatural evils. There are "demonstorms" in my novel <i>Elijah's Chariot,</i> but other than that I can recall only one yarn starring real, honest-to-goodness <i>demons.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">So, why a demon story now?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">I'm a believer. If anyone asks if I'm religious, I always say I try to be. But I seem to be the rare Christian who loves weird tales: reading them, watching them and, most of all, writing them. I'm thrilled to be living in H.P. Lovecraft's hometown of Providence, Rhode Island. My apartment, in fact, is only a few suburban blocks from his birthplace. So I guess it was inevitable I'd arrive at this subject sooner or later.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">The few Christian stories I've seen about demons, generally involve tackling them with "spiritual warfare," like <i>The Exorcist </i>with a happier ending. Christ banished a whole legion of them at once.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">But folks, we're not Christ. We're human, and we have our weaknesses. Our faults, our errors in the system.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">And if the minions of hell know them, they're bound to try to exploit them. They're said to be clever, like, really clever; they could clever us under the table. The serpent tricked Eve pretty quickly into eating the forbidden fruit--maybe she was hungry at the time? Could the devil have known, somehow, that she wanted something to eat, and waited till then to make his move?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">When Rayne told us she was seeking stories for a demon anthology, I could have followed the standard Out-in-the-name-of-Jesus format. I'd read it in novels, and in a comic book. But something nagged at me, an issue I wanted to address.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">During my San Diego days, I met a young pastor who worked for the local megachurch. This guy was a fiery Type A, a regular pinball always ricocheting from his church work, to riding with the police as their chaplain, to leading our Tuesday night Bible study, to studying for his Master's degree, to participating in a retreat, to jetting off--always, it seemed, he was jetting off on a missionary trip somewhere. I knew him about a year, and he was like that the whole time.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">I was astonished. I mean, how much can any person have in the tank? I didn't fault his achievements, but I thought someone should caution him that there is such a thing as spiritual burnout. It's happened enough times, to enough fiery Type A's, for someone to coin that term and for that term to stick.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">When I told him, he looked astonished. Flabbergasted, almost. As if he couldn't believe I would say such a thing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">So when brainstorming for a demon story, I pictured someone along those lines, the most well-intentioned, dedicated, and most of all, hard-working man there is. Someone with a sense of mission, of wanting to make a difference. And there's certainly nothing wrong with that.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">But be on your toes. For as the pastor in the story himself notes, the devil really does prowl about like a roaring lion, seeking human dinner. And as someone once told me, "That's how Satan works--subtle."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">Perhaps more subtle than we know...as the character finds out.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;"><i>Fiends: Ten Tales of Demons</i> is available on Amazon: </span></span><a href="http://mybook.to/Fiends" style="background-color: transparent; color: #184c6c; font-family: steinemroman, sans-serif; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">myBook.to/Fiends</span></a></div>
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PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-63950204572113750882015-08-13T16:22:00.002-04:002015-08-14T21:43:52.524-04:00Fandom Fest 2015 Recap<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3UeBP1AhC3V2HMJLiKM28EHlshP4PRwqX7Q9kAIAp-zd_szg5qKQvVDeVbcJEtt_OmYzDUFsYH5reVnMeFFQ7-fp2YinGPvAgNoRIiEo9GFWszzgwe9nYgk2N5ewiHvPzN2Q592Wdnc/s1600/20150808_60.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3UeBP1AhC3V2HMJLiKM28EHlshP4PRwqX7Q9kAIAp-zd_szg5qKQvVDeVbcJEtt_OmYzDUFsYH5reVnMeFFQ7-fp2YinGPvAgNoRIiEo9GFWszzgwe9nYgk2N5ewiHvPzN2Q592Wdnc/s320/20150808_60.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author & filmmaker Amy McCorkle manning her table.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have to admit to being nervous about Fandom Fest this year. It would be the first time I drove up to the loading dock, and while getting in proved fairly easy, getting out was a different story entirely. (Yes, I admit, I needed help. And no, I will never qualify as a semi driver.)<br />
<br />
This was the first year of the concurrent Fantasmagorical Film Festival, and my screenplay adaptation of my short angel paranormal novel <i>Death Sword</i> was a finalist. Alas, it didn't win.<br />
<br />
However, I scored with parking this year, finding a lot a short walk away. Only cost $5.00/day.<br />
<br />
Everything seemed to run smoothly from what I can tell. Glad to hear some of the literary panels were full. I was only on the manga/anime panel, which went well.<br />
<br />
Book sales also went well. I brought a few copies of <i>The Ripper's Daughter</i> and <i>Malice and Mayhem: Tales of the Macabre</i>. Sold them all.<br />
<br />
Next convention is the Indie Gathering Film Festival at the end of this month, then Imaginarium in September.PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-61470957278672275502015-07-20T15:35:00.001-04:002015-07-20T16:54:10.577-04:00Death Sword Character Mini Retro Interview: Samael<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT7MIY2z4Sdyr39D4LMWWh5h2995UVYnzkJgd0sUg_BNkeDcNAai7jtXbUY8npX0kpT2m-Q_Qxxx6E42ebF0DiMq2YXGhtSIthhqeOiIyufcYOSxaGQW7IRJpJxxL-mHyPWvK6u87TJqA/s1600/DeathSwordBackSide_Samael.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT7MIY2z4Sdyr39D4LMWWh5h2995UVYnzkJgd0sUg_BNkeDcNAai7jtXbUY8npX0kpT2m-Q_Qxxx6E42ebF0DiMq2YXGhtSIthhqeOiIyufcYOSxaGQW7IRJpJxxL-mHyPWvK6u87TJqA/s320/DeathSwordBackSide_Samael.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Out of all the characters in <i>Death Sword</i>, Samael has proven to be the most infuriating and confounding I've ever created. Initially the antagonist, he's demanded to tell his side of the story, and has ended up becoming an impact character, as well as somewhat of an anti-hero in <i>Serpent Fire</i> and <i>Devil Inside</i>, two current WIPs that follow <i>Death Sword</i>.<br />
<br />
The following is an interview written while I was creating the characters. Of course, Samael would only think it appropriate I interview him first.<br />
<br />
Q. What do you want to accomplish?<br />
<br />
A. I want Xariel back. The Seraphim forced us apart, but they forget that when I want something, I won't give up until I get it.<br />
<br />
Q. There are those who say you use your powers to control and manipulate Xariel and his new partner, Karla.<br />
<br />
A. Look, you have to understand something. Xariel and I were lovers a long time ago. And then he left me. Just like that. Do you know what rejection feels like? Then Metatron decides this half-human, half-angel girl is worthy of being an angel of death? Please! It's an insult to me and others of my kind. At least I have pride, even if no one else does. All I'm doing is making sure others remember their place.<br />
<br />
Q. What about Azrael? Rumor has it you put a binding spell on him and exiled him to his island of apple orchards.<br />
<br />
A. Well, there it is. I'm obviously not the cruel angel you think if I put him under "house arrest" as it were. So yes, I did put a binding spell on him. But he tried to cross me and turn Metatron and the other angels of death against me. He forgot my role as chief of satans. Just because God gave him the role as archangel of death was no reason to try to usurp my role under Metatron.<br />
<br />
Q. Despite your difficult relationships with the other angels, you seem to get along with Metatron, despite your differences.<br />
<br />
A. Definitely. He relates to us, doesn't think he's superior, despite his rank as king of angels.<br />
<br />
Q. Thank you for your time.<br />
<br />
A. You're welcome.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjeez1BuvpdWqNRvemfFBTmuwqy3oZvt5Yv7ZBeQTAT3f6YN14ufA9YLf7_kDV7X8q4xTmUKy23ZES1vEw9WEBy3UWDOTHjOMhjiZvfHP5q3hC3ub4bNrhs0l6j2G9ODbWp9tHrdXLUds/s1600/DeathSword600x900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjeez1BuvpdWqNRvemfFBTmuwqy3oZvt5Yv7ZBeQTAT3f6YN14ufA9YLf7_kDV7X8q4xTmUKy23ZES1vEw9WEBy3UWDOTHjOMhjiZvfHP5q3hC3ub4bNrhs0l6j2G9ODbWp9tHrdXLUds/s320/DeathSword600x900.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<b>Death Sword Blurb:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 24.0799999237061px;">The only thing more dangerous than an angel of death is one obsessed with vengeance. </span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24.0799999237061px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24.0799999237061px;" /><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 24.0799999237061px;">Karla Black has always known she's different from other people. She learns just how different after she's fatally stabbed and brought back to life as a half-human angel of death.With new found power comes a new found boss. Samael despises her. He considers Karla impure and resents her relationship with her partner Xariel. . .who also happens to be Samael's ex-lover. When he takes that hatred to a higher level, Karla vows vengeance – a task easier said than done. </span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24.0799999237061px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24.0799999237061px;" /><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 24.0799999237061px;">With the loss of their angelic powers, Karla and Xariel face a dilemma – how will they defeat an unstoppable Samael, whose poisoned rapier can kill human and angel alike? </span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24.0799999237061px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24.0799999237061px;" /><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 24.0799999237061px;">If Karla doesn't awaken to her true identity, both heaven and earth are in danger of annihilation.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Buy Links:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Sword-Pamela-Turner-ebook/dp/B00IPQX1OS/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1437411706&sr=1-2&keywords=death+sword&pebp=1437411711199&perid=0Y7ABSW03Y6MSWFDEWN9" target="_blank">Amazon Kindle</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-sword-pamela-turner/1021774660?ean=9781616502218" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble Nook</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/death-sword-3" target="_blank">Kobo</a>PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-76333356164027204172015-07-05T23:52:00.001-04:002015-07-06T07:11:13.235-04:00Mini Retro Interview: Death Sword<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTOjY0-gXvd1FzipVfRPXG6xHMG7JsrF5tdbvUSegN0TF-uUgEDusmiqLT2wdWbvJRx9MIxeyYy643vbL_Q_z89nXxahL1c5NCuBoDV5NVpPFc1pEkFjFwz83gATippD_FDfYZDgwRaU/s1600/deathsword.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTOjY0-gXvd1FzipVfRPXG6xHMG7JsrF5tdbvUSegN0TF-uUgEDusmiqLT2wdWbvJRx9MIxeyYy643vbL_Q_z89nXxahL1c5NCuBoDV5NVpPFc1pEkFjFwz83gATippD_FDfYZDgwRaU/s320/deathsword.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Death Sword Cover</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Q. Who or what inspired </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Death Sword</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A. In 2005, I participated in my second National Novel Writing Month challenge. I had "won" the year before with a vampire novel and thought this time around would be as easy. But <i>Cathedral Girl </i>turned out to be more complicated than I thought, so I set it aside. Nevertheless, the research I had started, which included studying angels and fallen angels, piqued my interest so much I was inspired to write <i>Death Sword</i> for NaNoWriMo 2008. (I've also finished <i>Cathedral Girl</i>, after nearly ten years.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Q. What's the premise of <i>Death Sword</i>?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A. A half-human angel of death resolves to avenge her friends' murders before she becomes the killer's next victim. But that's not easy when she's banished to earth and stripped of her powers. Not only that, but the murderer, her new boss, also threatens her relationship with her angelic parole officer, his former lover.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Blurb:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">The only thing more dangerous than an angel of death is one obsessed with vengeance.</span><br />
<div style="line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Karla Black has always known she’s different from other people. She learns just how different after she’s fatally stabbed and brought back to life as a half-human angel of death.With new found power comes a new found boss. Samael despises her. He considers Karla impure and resents her relationship with her partner Xariel…who also happens to be Samael’s ex-lover. When he takes that hatred to a higher level, Karla vows vengeance – a task easier said than done.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">With the loss of their angelic powers, Karla and Xariel face a dilemma – how will they defeat an unstoppable Samael, whose poisoned rapier can kill human and angel alike?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If Karla doesn’t awaken to her true identity, both heaven and earth are in danger of annihilation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Excerpt:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Karla!” Xariel yelled, ignoring the back door as it banged
open.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He skidded to a stop in the living room, eyes narrowing. He
sensed Samael’s presence, but not Karla’s.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Gabriel came up behind him. “What the hell happened here?"<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“He’s got her.” Xariel’s breathing and heart rate slammed
into overdrive. His vision blurred as fury clouded the logical part of his
mind.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Samael, Goddamn it. He’s got her. I know he does.” He
glared at Gabriel. “And if he knows who she is, he’ll kill her.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Xariel stumbled to
the bar, grabbing a half-pint of Crown Royal. Unscrewing the cap, he poured a
shot glass, gulped down the whiskey, and ignored the burn. Another shot
followed. Then another. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And another. And still another.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He continued to glower at Gabriel as he drained three-fourths
of the whiskey in less than thirty seconds.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Get a fucking grip.” Gabriel grabbed the bottle and tossed
it aside, ignoring Xariel’s protesting cry. His scythe materialized in his
hands. “Or I’ll kill you myself.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><b>Buy Links:</b></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><a href="http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/30038" target="_blank">Kensington Publishing Corp./Lyrical Press</a></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Sword-Pamela-Turner-ebook/dp/B00IPQX1OS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436154346&sr=8-1&keywords=9781616502218" target="_blank">Amazon Kindle</a></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-sword-pamela-turner/1021774660?ean=9781616502218" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble Nook</a></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/death-sword-3" target="_blank">Kobo</a></o:p><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFIjb0oANZOdiH5WyfXePHkkCwNIHxfKNHMxd6pDFKnvN8GlORmkNp3L6JuPGWvsPB6QQK6hbypjilmZi6bdShLmGGTD60rgLuxaYq82d8Y0Gi2vl-nQXew4MwzffWb6g0sBb6ZHrNdU/s1600/15script.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFIjb0oANZOdiH5WyfXePHkkCwNIHxfKNHMxd6pDFKnvN8GlORmkNp3L6JuPGWvsPB6QQK6hbypjilmZi6bdShLmGGTD60rgLuxaYq82d8Y0Gi2vl-nQXew4MwzffWb6g0sBb6ZHrNdU/s320/15script.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Honorable Mention</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Script Adaptation</div>
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PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-23565258532589404612015-06-21T01:44:00.000-04:002015-06-21T01:44:20.769-04:00Film-Com 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCp3y8XK57fkhGl8gSVpv9Rywi9sFpOTF-k4OUA5SBHXTt_kTjnmqg1XU1lf-mW6N2ZqCHAbF4ElmsLBLylOHkaWeT8i6CE8BfheJOqoe_WCmGaHeRSK34DxsDSfYrm1nvUjy5kt9VnOc/s1600/20150618_135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCp3y8XK57fkhGl8gSVpv9Rywi9sFpOTF-k4OUA5SBHXTt_kTjnmqg1XU1lf-mW6N2ZqCHAbF4ElmsLBLylOHkaWeT8i6CE8BfheJOqoe_WCmGaHeRSK34DxsDSfYrm1nvUjy5kt9VnOc/s320/20150618_135.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downtown Nashville</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'll admit, I love Nashville. The city has such a positive vibe for me. And this past week was no exception.<br />
<br />
First, thank you to Amy McCorkle, who invited me to join her at <a href="http://film-com.com/" target="_blank">Film-Com</a>, a financing, distribution, and packaging market. This was my second year attending, and I had just as great a time this year as last. Joining us were horror author L. Andrew Cooper and James Chakan.<br />
<br />
We met producers who generously gave of their time. I even had a producer give me advice on an idea I had, which made me very happy.<br />
<br />
What I most appreciated was how people could be pragmatic, yet encouraging. Of course, one has to be aware of the realities of the business, but that doesn't mean one shouldn't pursue his or her dreams.<br />
<br />
Here's hoping more visits to Music City are in my future.<br />
<br />
Meantime, please enjoy this <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/turnerpl/nashville/" target="_blank">Nashville Pinterest</a> page.PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-18443617285165864312015-06-11T01:40:00.000-04:002015-06-11T01:43:47.750-04:00Reel Dark: A Twisted Look at Cinema on the Page<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV6QaJzJIv3b0IBLGTBRwgp8jJkwvuhclUb95vxJeSC0Bx3SIuoF1VhEMvuMH75nYweHhuA86ejsb3P0SYbUVqqM10qiM4S8-mU0I_4YX7VQLzFTJa4LQiXxSs5LxkB74jzLZvdlDw7m0/s1600/ReelDarkCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV6QaJzJIv3b0IBLGTBRwgp8jJkwvuhclUb95vxJeSC0Bx3SIuoF1VhEMvuMH75nYweHhuA86ejsb3P0SYbUVqqM10qiM4S8-mU0I_4YX7VQLzFTJa4LQiXxSs5LxkB74jzLZvdlDw7m0/s400/ReelDarkCover.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reel Dark Cover</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last year, fellow Louisville author L. Andrew Cooper asked if I'd be interested in co-editing an anthology of stories that focused on cinema, but with a twist. While the focus was geared toward horror, all genres were welcome.<br />
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The result is<i> Reel Dark: Twisted Projections on the Flickering Page</i>. Not only does it include stories and poetry from Bram Stoker Award finalists, but also new and emerging authors. Here's the blurb:<br />
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<span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR CUTS BACK</span></span><br />
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1433998994487_1465" style="border: 0px none; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to a macabre cinema for the imagination, to screenings of twisted tales projected not on a movie screen but on the page.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1433998994487_1057" style="border: 0px none; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In Reel Dark you'll find stories and poems by authors ranging from new voices to bestsellers to Bram Stoker Award finalists. From the battle for recognition between a child actress and a vengeful, long-forgotten film star in "Whatever Happened to Peggy...Who?" to a madman controlling a student à la The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in "Caligarisme," to a hapless Dreamist, whose talent propels him into a nightmare of jealousy and revenge in "The Dreamist," the authors have created worlds filled with madness, twisted desires, and broken dreams.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1433998994487_1466" style="border: 0px none; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The genres inside include suspense, horror, science fiction, and fantasy. You'll meet a lone deputy whose pursuit of justice harkens back to the wild West (complete with a gunfight), a director who literally puts himself into his film, a young woman haunted by a mysterious stranger who warns her of her impending demise, and an aging actress who may have been a little too good at playing her roles.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1433998994487_1487" style="border: 0px none; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In a world where the lines between reality and fantasy blur, where film frames flicker at 24 frames per second, we catch a glimpse of strangers' dreams and nightmares. As David Lynch puts it, "This whole world is wild at heart and weird on top."</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1433998994487_1488" style="border: 0px none; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As Karen Head writes in her poem responding to Lynch, "In the movies / everything is illusion." But in a world with cameras everywhere, how do you know whether you're in a movie?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">****</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1433998994487_1488" style="border: 0px none; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My story "Rival" was influenced by Jayne Mansfield, <i>Sunset Boulevard</i> and, apparently, film noir, which I love, but never imagined I could write. I'm fascinated by the Hollywood of yesterday, from silent films to the 1940s. </span></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1433998994487_1488" style="border: 0px none; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the sixth anthology I'm published in, and the first I've helped edit. Thanks to Andrew for believing in me and for giving me a chance to read some wonderfully talented authors.</span></div>
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You can find Reel Dark (paperback) here:</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reel-Dark-L-Andrew-Cooper/dp/1613181744/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1433998944&sr=1-1&keywords=reel+dark&pebp=1433999349919&perid=A4D9D8B5EB3D4D229161" target="_blank">Amazon</a></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1433998994487_1488" style="border: 0px none; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reel-dark-l-andrew-cooper/1121853103?ean=9781613181744" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.blackwyrm.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=184&osCsid=24a44b4c8b36405f59fcae8db85d46cf" target="_blank">BlackWyrm Publishing</a></div>
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Happy Reading!</div>
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<br /></div>
PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-7413117160070808142015-05-22T06:53:00.000-04:002015-05-22T06:53:11.869-04:00Erin Fanning: Blood Stitches Book Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gVb-vnmyrTmVMxfRqQduwmdXnpNzBxEdKnMXBxNM5wcJ10Fmlf8KXoY1Sl77IBJXTuB_F3CrZTktG6RAybOWx3Jl-0rVleiASLJbvIsoRAPc_Lqj_jWfVL_OJ8bMKB9Lqxm-7FWe4QQ/s1600/Blood+Stitches-highres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gVb-vnmyrTmVMxfRqQduwmdXnpNzBxEdKnMXBxNM5wcJ10Fmlf8KXoY1Sl77IBJXTuB_F3CrZTktG6RAybOWx3Jl-0rVleiASLJbvIsoRAPc_Lqj_jWfVL_OJ8bMKB9Lqxm-7FWe4QQ/s320/Blood+Stitches-highres.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<b>Blood Stitches</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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By Erin Fanning<o:p></o:p></div>
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Available May 12, 2015 from Kensington Publishing/Lyrical
Press<o:p></o:p></div>
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Love and danger intertwine…</div>
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It’s called El Toque de la Luna—The Touch of the Moon. At
least that’s how nineteen-year-old Gabby’s older sister, Esperanza, refers to
the magical powers she inherited from their Mayan ancestors. Esperanza says
women with El Toque weave magic into their knitting, creating tapestries
capable of saving—or devastating—the world. Gabby thinks Esperanza is more like
touched in the head—until a man dressed like a candy corn arrives at their
Seattle home on Halloween. But “Mr. C” is far from sweet…</div>
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Soon, Gabby and her almost-more-than-friend, Frank, find
themselves spirited away to a demon ball, complete with shape shifters—and on a
mission to destroy Esperanza’s tapestries before they cause an apocalyptic
disaster… And before it’s too late to confess their true feelings for each
other.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Excerpt:</div>
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<i>In this scene, the
main character, Gabby, and her soon-to-be-more-than-friend, Frank, are trapped
in a subterranean maze with Mr. C and Tory, two men born in a Petri dish. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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“I need to tell you something.” Frank steered me to a corner
of the room where the eerie light didn’t reach. He moved in front of me,
blocking my view, and lined his wrist up with mine. Our tattoos touched, again
a deep connection ran through me, as if two pieces of a jigsaw clicked
together. “There’s something I have to do. In case, you know, we don’t make
it.”</div>
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“Don’t say that, we’ll find—”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Frank pressed his lips against mine, a quick peck that
morphed into something longer and ended in teeth-smacking and head-bumping. Not
the most suave move in the history of romance, but it set something off I’d
held back a long time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He traced the tattoo on my wrist. “Sorry—”<o:p></o:p></div>
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I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down,
leaning into him until we pressed against each other. Our lips touched, and my
mind went blank, leaving only warmth flowing from Frank to me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Oooh, Gabby and Frank are smooching.” Tory burst the bubble
surrounding Frank and me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mr. C coughed. “Mind your business, Tory.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I’ve been wanting to do that forever.” Frank rested his
forehead against mine. “I guess we’ll have to continue later.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Yeah.” I cleared my throat, trying to think of something
more profound to say, but I went blank when he kissed me again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Book trailer: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giNx53F7P3E">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giNx53F7P3E</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Buy:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Kensington/Lyrical: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/31335">http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/31335</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Amazon: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Stitches-Erin-Fanning-ebook/dp/B00ONTR8I6">http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Stitches-Erin-Fanning-ebook/dp/B00ONTR8I6</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Barnes & Noble: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blood-stitches-erin-fanning/1121044500?ean=9781616506735">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blood-stitches-erin-fanning/1121044500?ean=9781616506735</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Kobo: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/blood-stitches">https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/blood-stitches</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Google:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Erin_Fanning_Blood_Stitches?id=naZdBgAAQBAJ">https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Erin_Fanning_Blood_Stitches?id=naZdBgAAQBAJ</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Itunes: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/blood-stitches/id933601953?mt=11">https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/blood-stitches/id933601953?mt=11</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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About the Author:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO68nLpKsL8jgjEe1oYBALYw1HpP3oIbkXASJdcoiACi181DtbqTjM6XLQdys-telDvfKGTePLict9_NcmEy-KV-K6l1iatC2Ju82rYITJ7P_41wQgw9iq_NLdFq8I2M_CoMjy_CD9aHU/s1600/AuthorPhotoFanningErin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO68nLpKsL8jgjEe1oYBALYw1HpP3oIbkXASJdcoiACi181DtbqTjM6XLQdys-telDvfKGTePLict9_NcmEy-KV-K6l1iatC2Ju82rYITJ7P_41wQgw9iq_NLdFq8I2M_CoMjy_CD9aHU/s320/AuthorPhotoFanningErin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Erin Fanning spends
her summers on a northern Michigan lake, where her imagination explores the
water and dense forest for undiscovered creatures. In the winter, she migrates
to central Idaho, exchanging mountain bikes and kayaks for skis and snowshoes.
She’s the author of a mountain biking
guidebook, as well as numerous articles, essays, and short
stories. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Find Erin online:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Website: <a href="http://www.erinfanning.com/">www.erinfanning.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/502190.Erin_Fanning">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/502190.Erin_Fanning</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Twitter: @WriterErin<o:p></o:p></div>
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Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Erin-Fanning/e/B002BODQGS">http://www.amazon.com/Erin-Fanning/e/B002BODQGS</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Rafflecopter Giveway:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Enter to win a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $20 Amazon gift card.<o:p></o:p></div>
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http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/N2RjZDhmNjhlYTI0Y2QwZDk0NjE0ODFlOTNmOTE5OjI=/?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="7dcd8f682" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/7dcd8f682/" id="rcwidget_wilf7lu8" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-10729252651150298892015-04-21T06:42:00.000-04:002015-04-21T06:42:34.955-04:00Sealed in Sin Guest Blog<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUh958DADwV8JCrsFkCINHPWWovANjEpjRiUlG8uqs5vz4E0NgoWp0kYdtAipQmS2-s2zidFIMY1THLzJMf8gRWjjDj4j62GufkhheERfHqZGZ5fRp8KtbPLfxhDb6wIltYU6wrYDf9AA/s1600/SealedInSin_Banner(1).jpg" height="110" width="400" /><a href="http://www.juliettecross.com/" target="_blank">http://www.juliettecross.com/</a></div>
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<b style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Series:</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">
The Vessel Trilogy, Book Two</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgf9HxhfrXzO19TAEg9pKFU6yttCzlvO8v4dYMeVL5Xy-8MHOUK2R-ffSeKEnuMSCobDf5VxF-q0qIMVDkYRKOAw4m80yfFQFUL6asJiryTdusJyqwTRCb7gy67qkoq47ZtzKFTr614Y/s1600/SealedInSin300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgf9HxhfrXzO19TAEg9pKFU6yttCzlvO8v4dYMeVL5Xy-8MHOUK2R-ffSeKEnuMSCobDf5VxF-q0qIMVDkYRKOAw4m80yfFQFUL6asJiryTdusJyqwTRCb7gy67qkoq47ZtzKFTr614Y/s1600/SealedInSin300.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<b style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Print Length:</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> 276 pages</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Publisher:</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Samhain
Publishing, Ltd. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Release Date:</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> April 21, 2015<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Tag Line:</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Sometimes sin looks an
awful lot like heaven.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .3in;">
<b>Full Description:</b> One demon prince may be festering in the bowels of the
soul eater Cocytus, but Genevieve’s troubles are far from over. Prince Bamal,
demon lord of New York City, still wants her. But this time, he wants her
alive, to control her inherent power as a Vessel of Light. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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With
Jude Delacroix off searching for the prophecy, Thomas—a guardian angel with
sea-green eyes and an aura of winter woods—steps into the gap, offering her the
power to protect herself.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Yet she
hesitates, for the transfer of that power comes through a kiss. While Gen’s
love for Jude is true, Thomas stirs a desire where there should be none. Thomas
also knows Jude’s darkest secret and plans to use it, if necessary, to win Gen
for his own.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .3in;">
While
her Vessel power grows and more demon spawn creep from every dark corner of the
world, one thing is certain—the Great War between the angels and demons is
quickly approaching. And Gen is in a race against time to awaken her full power
before the storm breaks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .3in;">
<i>Warning: Contains a demon hunter with dark
secrets, a sexy angel with ulterior motives, and demonic creatures running
amok.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .3in;">
<b>Buy Links:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .3in;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sealed-Sin-Vessel-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00POXZKUI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426285493&sr=8-1&keywords=sealed+in+sin"><b>Amazon</b></a><b> </b> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .3in;">
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sealed-in-sin-juliette-cross/1120791232?ean=9781619224964"><b>Barnes and Noble</b></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .3in;">
<a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/sealed-in-sin"><b>Kobo</b></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-left: .3in;">
<a href="https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5401/sealed-in-sin"><b>Samhain</b></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKosDvJVjbFtkp4Wm_bcZRdZh-reDbGgdKjXl4Pikdif0eL-Kk4ubIg8L2F96rut_BWeJtoMDG_xFJvWP0i16Djp4l7tfKJWbrOfabGGvzc9175d5RTQzFcCndyTNutAkRbICij5QehF4/s1600/authorpic6+take+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKosDvJVjbFtkp4Wm_bcZRdZh-reDbGgdKjXl4Pikdif0eL-Kk4ubIg8L2F96rut_BWeJtoMDG_xFJvWP0i16Djp4l7tfKJWbrOfabGGvzc9175d5RTQzFcCndyTNutAkRbICij5QehF4/s1600/authorpic6+take+4.jpg" height="200" width="157" /></a></div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><b>Author Bio: <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333;">Juliette calls lush, moss-laden Louisiana home where the
landscape curls into her </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">imagination, creating mystical settings for her stories. She
has a B.A. in creative writing from Louisiana State University, a M.Ed. in
gifted education, and was privileged to study under the award-winning author
Ernest J. Gaines in grad school. Her love of mythology, legends, and art serve
as constant inspiration for her works. From the moment she read JANE EYRE as a
teenager, she fell in love with the Gothic romance--brooding characters,
mysterious settings, persevering heroines, and dark, sexy heroes. Even then,
she not only longed to read more novels set in Gothic worlds, she wanted to
create her own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Author
Links:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.juliettecross.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Website</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/juliettecrossauthor"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/Juliette__Cross"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/crossjuliette/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Pinterest</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7795664.Juliette_Cross"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://eepurl.com/XeKIn"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Newsletter</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">SHORT EXCERPT:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Hiiii, Juuude.” Mindy actually cooed his name
as she crossed into the living room right before the man himself waltzed into
my kitchen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Hello, Mindy.” As always, he sounded dark and
rough, which did strange things to my insides.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Apparently, Dave let him in. Not that a door
could or would stop Jude Delacroix from going wherever he damn well pleased.
Still, it was nice when he pretended to be human, knocking and stuff, rather
than appearing out of nowhere and scaring the bejeezus out of me. He had to put
on the whole I’m-normal-and-walk-through-doors routine at my apartment when
Mindy was home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The moment he entered the room, all my senses
rose to full alert. The man packed enough heat and power in his aura to melt a
girl into jelly. A mere glance from his dark eyes or slight touch from rough
hands, and I was lost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I focused on flipping the pancakes on the
stove, still trying to figure out how to tell him about our trip to the House
of Hades, the near-miss with Gorham, and the brief and strange meeting with my
guardian angel. Kat preferred asking forgiveness rather than permission, or
just omitting the admission of any sins altogether. But I had trouble lying,
though I seemed to do it often as of late. I especially had trouble lying to
Jude.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Want some brinner?” I asked, plopping another
dollop of butter in the pan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Brinner? What might that be?” He leaned with
his back against the counter next to the stove, splaying one huge hand on the
countertop, watching me pour the batter into the pan. How did this man make
watching me cook a sexy thing?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“You’ve never heard of brinner?” I glanced at
the door to make sure Mindy was out of earshot. “For someone who’s been alive
nearly two thousand years, you don’t know a whole lot.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">He slid a finger down my forearm. I nearly
dropped the spatula. He leaned closer, his chest brushing my shoulder, voice
dropping several decibels. “Educate me.” And just like that, my heart slammed
into my rib cage, my thoughts scattering to the wind. I stared at him, knowing
my eyes were no longer hungry for pancakes. He pressed warm lips, a
feather-soft kiss, to the slope between my neck and shoulder. “Genevieve?”
Another press of lips higher up my neck, melting me into goo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Hm?” Eyes closed, I welcomed a third kiss
just under my jaw.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Your brinner is burning.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Oh, dammit!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I snapped open my eyes, grabbed the smoking
pan and thrust it under the water faucet in the sink. A hissing crackle spit up
more smoke.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“There goes brinner.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“You’ve made more than enough already.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">He motioned to the ten-high stack with a
smirk. I couldn’t even think about eating now. Not after that kiss. And not
with this guilt weighing me down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Something registered in his gaze. He reached
out his hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Come here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">From his expression, I wasn’t sure if he
planned to give me a hug or a spanking. I wouldn’t mind either. Taking his
hand, I let him pull me into his arms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">LONG EXCERPT:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Slipping
through the door just as two red-eyed demons in cargo pants and muscle shirts
rounded the corner, I sped down the hall in the opposite direction, my boots
echoing on the stone floor. Two sets of boots pounded behind me, drawing
closer. I skated around another corner, hoping to find a stairwell or elevator,
smacking right into a wall.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">No. Not a wall. A man. Flamma. My VS zinged to
new heights as a signature of downy snow and windswept hills washed over me.
His hands wrapped my forearms in a firm grip.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">I pushed my palms against his rock-hard chest,
ready to blast him with VS power.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“Wait! I’ll take you to safety, Genevieve. Hold
still.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">His voice, a sonorous melody, rolled in a deep,
languid baritone. I froze. Trapped in sea-green eyes and powerful arms, I was
taken into the Void.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">My breath sucked right out of me as we fell
through the darkness. The second time in a matter of minutes I’d been sifted
away by a stranger.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">The moment my world righted, I pushed out of his
hold several paces away. He’d brought us to a park. A pond shaded by
orange-gold trees with skyscrapers towering in the distance. Central Park.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">I glared at the stranger and tried to catch my
breath, drawing the dagger from the sheath sewn into my boot. He stood nearly
as tall as Jude, similar in build but leaner. Black hair hung in staggered
waves halfway to his shoulders. He regarded me with startling eyes—deep cobalt
blue, the color of a glacier buried and untouched for centuries. Like white
marble, his jaw, face and neck were sculpted in perfect, harmonious lines. His
captivating signature circled me like a wintry halo.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">My dad had splurged the Christmas after I’d
turned sixteen, taking us skiing in White Fish, Montana. At the tip-top of the
slope, the evergreens were completely covered in new-fallen snow, sculpting
white ghosts out of the landscape. The wind blew snow crystals in whirls—a
pristine world of enchanting beauty. The air sparkled with iridescent ice-dust,
like a fairy land. This image pushed to the forefront as I backed another foot
away, gazing at my frost-and-snow rescuer.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“Who are you?”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">His eyes flicked to the weapon in my hand, but
he made no move toward me. Though we were quite far from park-goers and
anyone who could help me if I cried out, I felt safer in this public place.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“I’m here to help you.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">That voice again, deep and mesmerizing.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“That’s not an answer.” Definitely Flamma, but
which kind. Naughty or nice? I couldn’t tell. “How do you know me?”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">His smile widened, making my pulse pound faster.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“I’ve known you a long time. I’ve watched over
you your entire life.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">I examined him more closely. His power lapped
against my VS like ocean waves, a gentle suction with each ripple before
washing over me in a gentle caress. Though his power didn’t scream its presence
or beat against mine, he was potent all the same. The perfect stoic expression,
the controlled, straight-backed stance, the undeniable, breathtaking beauty. He
exuded the essence of—</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“Holy crap.” I gulped. “You’re an angel.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">His smile widened, his beauty brightening into
something painful. I lowered my trembling hand, sheathing my dagger. An angel
who’d watched over me my whole life.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“Not just any angel…my, my guardian angel.
Aren’t you?”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">A dip of his strong chin.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">While he didn’t emanate the same pulse-pounding
aura of Uriel, the Archangel who created the Dominus Daemonum, he carried a
similar cast of heavenly essence. He tucked his hands in his pants pockets,
appearing completely harmless. But I wasn’t fooled. Even angels could be
dangerous.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“Have you never sensed my presence?” he asked,
eyes steady on mine.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“No. Not really.” I remembered all the near
misses in my life, when I somehow avoided danger or trouble by an internal
niggling. Was that him? “Why have you never shown yourself before?”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“Guardians tend to stay in the shadows.” My
self-proclaimed guardian, Jude, might not like him staking a claim on that
position. “And would you have believed me if I’d ever told you of my existence?
Before your twentieth birthday, that is.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">On my twentieth birthday, I’d been attacked and
nearly strangled to death until Jude came along, did his voodoo mojo and ripped
a bony demon from inside my would-be killer. That night changed everything,
including my belief in angels and demons walking the earth.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“No.” I smiled. “I guess not.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">My cell phone vibrated in my back pocket. I
answered.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“Where the hell are you!” screamed Kat.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“Um, Central Park.” The angel gave me a slight
nod. “There’s a pond and a picnic area. I’m looking directly at the Empire
State Building in the distance.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“Stay put. Dorian and I will be there in two.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">I tucked the phone in my jacket.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Wind blew over the water, rippling the surface.
My hair had come loose in the melee, dark wisps crossing my face. Pool-green
eyes followed the strands, then my hand when I tucked them behind my ear. His
keen observation transformed a simple moment into something that made me
breathless. He’d moved closer, within a yard, and I hadn’t noticed. I stepped
back.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“Stay where you are.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“What are you afraid of?” His voice dropped, not
lower but deeper, like it was pulling on something hidden within me. My blood
pumped faster. “That I’ll sift you away somewhere you don’t want to go? I
could’ve done that already. And I told you. I’ve watched over you all of your
life, kept you safe from harm so that you could reach maturity.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“You almost bungled that. I’ve been nearly
killed like a hundred times.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“Nearly.” He shrugged. “The demon hunter was
there. Most of the time.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">My heart plummeted into my stomach. With those
last three words, I realized this angel knew about Danté. Why hadn’t he saved
me then? Before Danté had invaded my soul.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“It would be much easier for you to escape your
enemies if you had the power to sift.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“Don’t I know it,” I snapped back.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">He smiled, then angled his head as if listening
for something.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“I must go.” He reached out a hand for me to
shake. I eyed him with suspicion. “It’s a friendly gesture, Genevieve. One does
this in greeting and parting. Sometimes a person even says thank you when one
saves another from harm.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">My VS tingled, recognizing his power, finding no
danger. I stepped forward, holding his gaze as I took his hand. I gasped. The
second our hands made contact, a whisper of winter wind caressed my body from
head to toe, but I felt no cold, only a sensual embrace tingling along my skin.
My knees nearly buckled.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“Th-thank you,” I stammered.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Edging close, still holding my hand, he trailed
his gaze from my eyes to my hair, down my cheek to my parted lips, agape from
the strange sensation of his touch, before he met my eyes once more.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">“You’re more than welcome.” He smiled, probably
at my dumbfounded expression. “Until we meet again, dear Genevieve.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">He sifted out, leaving me with the scent of snow
and mountain air.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4944046112216378689.post-30473672839178631892015-02-28T11:54:00.001-05:002015-02-28T11:54:36.833-05:00Cover Reveal: The Griffin's Secret by Cate Masters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">The Griffin’s Secret<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">by Cate Masters<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">In this contemporary
re-telling of Grimm’s classic fairy tale </span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The Griffin<i>, two people must risk everything to free
themselves from the invisible prisons that keep them from love…<o:p></o:p></i></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Jackson Grant
had it all—the girl he loved, his Harley, and his guitar. Until a tragic
accident stole it all away. Now, more than scars and a tattoo remain. Jackson
has a secret. Cursed by his dead girlfriend’s mother, he can never fall in love
again or his beloved will die. With his heart on lockdown, he keeps to
himself—until a roadie gig with Malcontent, the world’s most popular band,
entwines his fate with sweet, wounded Layla’s…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Music is what
Layla lives for. She has no choice. She’s bound by magic to serve Malcontent,
cursed to propel them to stardom with her musical powers. Then Jackson appears
and gives her hope that he’s the hero who will save her. A reluctant hero, yet
one she can’t resist. But freedom will come at price—and who will pay…?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Excerpt<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The
faint scent of an exotic flower on an ocean breeze hit him the second the girl
walked in. Every part of his body stood at attention, taking in the way she
moved. The curve of her slender hips. Those long legs…they’d wrap around the
back seat of his Harley perfectly. Wrap around him perfectly, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">A
flip of her onyx-silk hair sent it behind her shoulder as she sat opposite.
“Who are you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Good
question. He’d been seeking the same answer for too long. “Jackson Grant.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Her
eyes darkened, deep brown to charcoal diamonds. “Why are you here?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">“For
the roadie job.” Was she the first gatekeeper? A gate she kept locked, he’d
bet. Or maybe she was another test<i>. </i>Kev
had warned him there’d be tricky questions and to answer straight. Something
told him she asked out of curiosity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">“You
think you’re up for such a demanding job?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Again,
the impression hit him she was making these questions up as she went along,
ad-libbing off his replies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">He’d
play. “I’m strong. Dependable. I follow orders, keep my head down, and stay out
of trouble.” And he liked his privacy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Her
features smoothed, hard as porcelain. “Do you.” Not a question.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">He’d
answer anyway. “Yes.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Did
disappointment curl her lip? Or boredom? Why did he care? If he could, he’d
blast out of there before his own curiosity got the better of him. Already,
she’d gotten under his skin. Crazy how the tat no longer singed him, but now
twisted like a trapped animal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">With
a plastic smile, she batted her eyes, and the false flirtation didn’t suit her.
“So. You’re a yes-man.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The
way she said it, he’d be no different than any other roadie serving the great
rock star, Malcolm Fetterman. Fine by Jackson. The less he stood out, the
better. Except for her. He hated to think of her glossing over his presence,
but that would be better, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">He
drummed his fingers on the table. “I need the job.” Where the hell was Malcolm
anyway? The longer he stayed with her, the more he wanted to. Definitely
couldn’t afford that kind of trouble. He glanced at the open door, hoping he
wouldn’t have to go through the same interrogation again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">She
tapped the table. “You’d have to travel constantly.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">“Perfect.”
No different than his usual way of life. Except this time, his paycheck would
remain steady.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">“You
wouldn’t miss your family?” She dipped her head. “Your girlfriend?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">He
curled his lip this time. No one’s business but his. He shifted in his seat.
“They’re better off.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Her
brows knit, and then her expression became unreadable as the Sphinx. “The hours
are long, and the equipment’s heavy. Everything has to be exactly as Mal
orders.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Did
he imagine it, or had she winced at her own words?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">He
shrugged. “It’s his show.” Someday, Jackson would have his own roadies. And
would treat them much better than Malcolm Fetterman did, if the stories proved
true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Her
steely focus cut into him. “Mal doesn’t hire musicians except for those in the
band. And there aren’t any openings in Malcontent.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">He
didn’t allow himself to blink. “No problem.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">“But
you play, don’t you?” Her gaze dropped to his callused fingertips drumming the
tabletop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">He
drew his hand down. “No.” A necessary lie. She might suspect, but couldn’t
possibly know the truth. Almost like leaving one of his limbs behind, he’d
locked his Fender in storage in New Jersey with his paltry possessions for six
months. By then, he’d know whether this gig worked out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">The Griffin’s Secret<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Reimagined fairy tale/fantasy
romance novella<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">ISBN: 9781616507053<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Publish Date: 5/12/2015<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">About 33,000 words<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Griffins-Secret-Cate-Masters-ebook/dp/B00ONTR8ZE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424637384&sr=8-1&keywords=9781616507053"><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Amazon</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"> | </span></b><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/griffins-secret-cate-masters/1120611658?ean=9781616507053"><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Barnes and Noble </span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"> | </span></b><a href="http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/31339"><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Kensington</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">About
the Author</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Cate Masters has
made beautiful central Pennsylvania her home, but she’ll always be a Jersey
girl at heart. When not spending time with her dear hubby, she can be found in
her lair, concocting a magical brew of contemporary, historical, and
fantasy/paranormal stories with her cat Chairman Maiow and dog Lily as company.
Look for her at </span><a href="http://catemasters.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">http://catemasters.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> and in strange nooks and far-flung
corners of the web.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Contact
Details<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Website: </span><a href="http://catemasters.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">http://catemasters.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Email: </span><a href="mailto:cate.masters@gmail.com"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">cate.masters@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Facebook: </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">http://</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cate-Masters/89969413736?ref=ts"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">www.facebook.com/pages/Cate-Masters/89969413736?ref=ts</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Twitter: @CateMasters<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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PamelaTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10056906724326185672noreply@blogger.com1