Writer Wednesday: New book spotlight: Spark, by Karyn Pearson

Title: Spark

Series: The Hellfire Series

Author: Karyn Pearson

Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy

Publisher: The Writing Network

Formats Available In: Digital

Release Date: June 23, 2013

Blurb: For centuries, the powers of Heaven and Hell have been at war, locked in a perpetual stalemate. Fifty years ago, the war spilled out on Earth and the last modern age of man ended. Humanity now finds itself at the brink of annihilation, barely surviving in small pockets of civilization scattered across the globe. But even in the direst of circumstances, the human spirit lives on.

Now, in this post-apocalypse, humanity has but one choice: resist or die. In order to combat the forces of Hell, man has learned to fight, training from their youth to hunt the demons that threaten their very existence.

Twenty-five years ago, a demon hunter dared rise against an ancient demon family, the Saligia—the Seven Deadly Sins—and was cursed for her defiance. The curse appeared in the guise of an innocent: the huntress’s own daughter, Ardentia, who had been born with a demon soul attached to her own.

In the present day, Ardentia, now grown, seeks to free her mother from her curse by hunting down the demons responsible. But the road ahead will be difficult now that the demon within her has awakened. Trusting him is dangerous, especially when he can turn on her at a moment’s notice. Others have warned her that succumbing to the demon will be her own downfall.

Now Ardentia must decide what she’s willing to lose: her mother’s freedom or herself.

Excerpt:

The demon snapped his fingers and the daemonis igni behind Ardentia grew blindingly bright and white-hot, the flames reaching over forty feet high and surging straight toward her. She froze with fear, knowing that in a few seconds she was about to die, burned alive in the fires of Hell.

           

“Ardentia!” Noxius was shouting. “Run! Run now!”

           

She was too scared to move. She could not even muster up the strength to take that first step. Somehow, even if she did run away, she knew that the flames or Gula would end up devouring her anyway.

           

Distantly, she could hear the voices of her comrades, yelling for her to run, to find higher ground, but still, she could not move.

           

Noxius snarled with irritation, muttering a stream of curses in lingua daemon.

           

“Idiot girl!” he hissed at her. “I’ve no other choice. I simply cannot allow us both to die here.”

           

And then an indescribable force slammed against the inside of Ardentia’s skull. She saw bright lights pop in front of her eyes, nearly blinded with pain, and dropped to her knees in a daze. Dimly, she could feel Noxius seizing control; his power coursed through her, flooding her with an unimaginable strength and power that she was incapable of using. Her hand started to reach for the reliquary dangling from her belt, only to feel an invisible hand within her snatching it away.

           

“What are you doing?” she asked weakly.

           

“You’ll thank me in a moment,” Noxius answered her.

           

Ardentia’s eyes fell shut and she thought she could hear the sound of wings being spread then close around her. If she leant to the side ever so slightly, she swore she could feel the leathery velvet of the wing brush against her cheek.

           

An intense heat passed over her; she realized that it was probably the demonic fire, having reached her at last. She inhaled sharply, preparing to scream as she burned in the hellish pyre, only to find that she did not need to. There was only heat but no flames. She was not burned.

About Karyn Pearson:

Karyn Pearson is a post-grad university student with a B.A. in Anthropology, currently living in California with her two dogs. Over the years, she has created many worlds, characters, and series, which naturally makes her head a very crowded place to be.

When she’s not writing, she can be found curled up with a book, playing video games, doing research for her books on the web, or attempting to not burn the house down with another kitchen experiment, a hobby otherwise known as cooking.

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Black Friday Sale!

Hey guys!

My book, The Superiors, is on sale at Amazon for $0.99 right now. So...if you haven't read it and you want to...

Ten Things I Love About You

Okay, so...It's fall, officially and in every other sense. And everyone knows fall is the best season. Obviously.

In honor of my favorite season, and my favorite month, I've made a list to prove why fall is once and for all the best season ever.

1. Jeans, glorious Jeans!

2. Not one, but two, holidays. One for family (Thanksgiving) and one for troublemaking wholesome fun with friends.

3. That would be Halloween, if you hadn't figured that out. Actually, number 3 is an extension of number 2, but come on, Halloween deserves its own number. Candy, Costumes, Carving.

4. Pumpkin patches. No matter how old you are, these things are fun. And local. And you get to pick a pumpkin for that carving I mentioned above, and support your local growers (unless your patch gets their pumpkins from Mexico, and then you can support growers in another country).

5. Um, leaves. Hello, what fun would it be if you had to call it autumn all the time and not fall? Falling leaves make fall.

6. Lighting the fire again. My house smells like wood smoke again...yay! Bonfires outside are good, too. Just don't let your costume catch on fire. Those synthetics go fast. You don't want to be the naked guy (or girl) with a scorched bum. And frankly, probably no one else wants you to be either.

7. The end of the heat-wave we call summer down here in the South. That's right, South with a capital S. When the summer temps are over 110 degrees for a week straight, you have one thing to look forward to. Fall. Unless you have a pool, and then you probably don't care. And also, you should invite me over.

8. Goodbye, bugs. Now I know lots of people who don't know the irritation of a mosquito hovering next to your ear for months at a time, but it's really annoying. Just trust me on that. And we won't even get into the other friendly neighborhood bugs who think they'll try out being little itchy Draculas for half the year. And how do we deal with bloodsuckers?

9. Changing my wardrobe. Even if I only buy one new sweater, it's worth it. I'm tired of all my summer clothes by now...ready to switch back into cozy winter mode.

10. What's number 10? Football? New Sam Adam's seasonal flavor? Halloween again? Rocky Horror Picture Show? Thriller playing on the radio? Octoberfest? Haunted Houses? Austin City Limits? I can't pick just one. And I'm sure I've left out about 10 more reasons why this month and this season 'totally rock, dude!' Oh, yeah, that was in honor of all the college students swarming back into town. Yep. That's good, too.

Inspiration

Finding inspiration

One question that readers often ask authors is where they get their inspiration. I think it’s one of the hardest questions to answer, which is why everyone wants to know. The truth is, everyone finds inspiration in something different. Maybe the beauty of nature, or a book that particularly touched something inside and made an engineer want to pick up a pen (or log on to a laptop) and write. Or maybe it’s something completely banal, like a twirling strip of flypaper or the fly that got stuck to it and is still trying to buzz its way free.

I can’t shed any insight on the writing process of bestselling authors, or tell you what inspired Stephen King or Stephanie Meyer. If you want to know that, I’m sure both have written enough explanations that you can find it in a Google search. All I can tell you is what inspires one indie writer. I doubt that even those mega-gazillion-times-over bestselling authors can tell what inspires another writer.

I can’t even say for sure what inspired me. The first time I wrote a novel, I was motivated by the slowness of my son’s eating. I had to find something to do or go crazy with boredom for the three hour-long table sessions each day. But I’m not sure what inspired me. I started out with a life experience I had, changed it up a little, decided it would actually be the end of the novel, and went back to the beginning to map out how the characters ended up at the end. The next series I wrote was inspired by a discussion with my family. The next was inspired by a friend of mine who said, “What happened to the days when bad guys were bad?”

That’s what’s so great about finding inspiration. It’s everywhere, in everything. There are as many sources of inspiration as there are writers and books and stories combined. And still more waiting to be discovered and to inspire one more shoemaker/bus boy/car salesman to write a novel.

Not to sound too super-cheese, but there is no end to inspiration. It is all around us, and most of all, inside us. So next time something inspires you, sit down and write about it. A phrase, a sentence, a page. From James Patterson to the mailman, all writers start there, at the very beginning, with an inspiration.


(This post originally appeared as part of The Superiors Blog Tour on Benjamin Wallace's blog. To see more of his blog, click here.)

Review Wednesday: Nightlight, by Harvard Lampoon

Nightlight: A Parody by The Harvard Lampoon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book was funny and clever. But after a few chapters it just got to be too much. Like a friend who makes jokes nonstop, and at first you think he's so funny, but after a while it's just annoying because you can tell he thinks he's just SO clever.



There was a lot of funny stuff in here, though. I especially liked the parts making fun of the whole Twilight phenomenon, not necessarily the plot. Like at one point where she says something like, "It was nothing like I'd ever experienced, but familiar enough that 3 million girls around the world could relate to it."



There were a lot of great one-liners, but after a while it was exhausting. So, cute, but nothing spectacular. I guess reading someone else's plot is boring after a while. I did, however, like the little twist and the ending. Josh was an awesome character, and I liked how the writers used two different characters to make fun of Edward's two sides.



I'd recommend this book to people who like parodies. I'd never read one, but apparently, I don't like them as much as I thought I would.

funny quotes: "I unconditionally, irrevocably, impenetrably, heterogeneously, gynecologically, and disreputably wished he had kissed me."

"I shuddered and smiled coyly, terrified." (p17). "I looked in the mirror. Staring back was a sallow cheeked girl with long, dark hair, pale skin, and dark eyes. Just kidding! That would be so scary." (p8)"

"I breathed. I exhaled. Then I breathed again."



View all my reviews

Guest Author: J.D. Stroube

Today I'm getting some exposure to this very great lady and her awesome book, Caged In Darkness. Read about it below.

A witch raised in a cage of darkness...

Savannah Cross was born into a life of isolation and abuse. As a child, she witnessed her parents perform acts of malevolent evil, and now feels permanently tainted by their dark deeds.

When a coven discovers a tear stricken child, wounded on their elders lawn, they offer her a sanctuary she has never known. Savannah spends the next several years shattered, continuously looking over her shoulder, waiting for the darkness to claim her.

On her 16th birthday, Savannah’s life takes a drastic turn.She is consumed by overwhelming power that forever alters her emotionally and physically.

She must choose between two loves; the one who taught her to smile or the darkly seductive stranger who tempts her towards another path. Savannah must decide between the coven that was her haven and another one vying for her initiation. Just as Savannah begins to grasp what fate has in store for her, an evil looms over her loved ones; coming to claim an unbreakable debt.

How will she choose and survive the greatest evil she has ever witnessed... long enough to have a choice to make.

Guest Author: Interview with Julia Crane

Julia Crane author of Coexist Keegan's Chronicles

Interview:

1. Tell us about your current work?

First, I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my work. I recently published Coexist: Keegan's Chronicles.

Sixteen-year-old Keegan is struggling to keep her huge secret from her friends--she's an elf, descended from a long line of elves that live in secrecy alongside humans.

In elfin society, mates are predetermined but not allowed to meet until they are eighteen. Against tradition, Keegan's brother Thaddeus told her Rourk's name because his visions warned him she'd need Rourk's protection, especially since Keegan will play a key role in the coming war between the dark and light elves.

Rourk finds himself drawn to Keegan's side every time she thinks his name. He wants to talk to her but remains in the shadows, silently guarding her every time she mentally beckons him. A twist of fate thrusts the two of them together when Rourk is forced to step up his protection and make his presence known.

An ancient prophecy deeply entwines Keegan's family and the future of their society. Somehow they must find a way to thwart fate and win the battle...without losing Keegan. With war brewing, and dark forces aligning, will Keegan and Rourk ever have the life together that they both desire?

2. How did you come up with the idea to write this book?

A few days after I met my husband-to-be he told me about a strange dream he had about elves in a big battle. I thought it was funny since I've always loved elves and my grandmother from Ireland use to tell tales about elves and other magical creatures. It also happens that I've gotten teased for my "elf ears" all my life. So when I sat down to think of what I wanted to write about elves was the natural answer.

3. How long have you been writing?

I wrote as a teenager and gave it up as pipe dream. When I was in college I got invited to a creative writing group which sparked my interest again. Fast forward several years and I finally sat down to write a novel.

4. Is this the first book you ever wrote, or do you have more (published or unpublished) that you wrote before?

This is the first novel I've written.

5. Describe your writing process.

I'm a fast and furious writer. I just jot down whatever comes to mind and go with it.

6. Who are some of your literary influences?

Goodness, there are too many to name. I'm an avid reader and love so many genres. Ayn Rand, Ken Follett, Nelson Desmile, James Patterson, Irish Johansen. The young adult genre of course Stephenie Meyer.

7. What kind of books do you read, and is it different from what you write?

I go through cycles sometimes I am sucked into the best sellers list other times I go through an auto biography phase, or go back to the classics. I write young adult so that is different form my normal read. I have a 14 year old daughter I try to read whatever she is reading. So we have something to talk about and it's always interesting to me to see what has captured her attention.

8. Where do you come up with your characters? Do you base them on people you've seen or met?

It's a mixture. I like to take characteristics from people I know it makes it easier, because I have seen how they react in situations. Some are completely made up which is also fun.

9. Do the names of your characters reflect anything or mean anything in particular? Is there a reason behind the names you choose?

My two main characters I choose from books that I loved and thought wow that is a great name. Many of the smaller characters in the book I've used family names. We have some very interesting names.

10. Is this part of a series, and if so, when will the next book be available?

I am hoping to have Conflicted: Keegan's Chronicles out by December Fingers crossed for October, but we'll see!

Thanks for having me it was fun to answer your questions.

Guest Author: Interview with Ronnie Massey

1. Tell us about your current work.

Crimson Dawn is an urban fantasy with a paranormal romance twist. It revolves around a 98 year old Pureblood vampire named Valeria Trumaine and her struggles to catch her psychotic ex-fiance after he goes rouge. Her best friend, a 300 year old Tuatha De Danann princess, named Irulan aides her on the hunt for Tristan.

2. How did you come up with the idea to write this book?

I am a huge fan of Kim Harrison and her Rachel Morgan series. For those that have not read any of the books in the series, Rachel is a witch who’s roommates with a living vampire named Ivy. To make a long story short Ivy is bisexual and in love with Rachel. Rachel takes Ivy on this emotional roller-coaster ride with her inability to commit to her but she wont let her go. I love the novels and eagerly wait for each new one, but that aspect of their relationship buggs me to no end. I wanted a story in which the bi or lesbian character ended up getting their girl. I began searching for such a novel but most of what I found was hard core erotica and lacked real story lines. So I decided to write my own. So in a sense, Kim Harrison inspired me to write Crimson Dawn.

3. How long have you been writing? I have been writing short stories since I was in high-school which was (gasp) over 15 years ago. I actually started writing erotic short stories because I was picked on a lot and to keep people from picking on me, I wrote the stories and passed them around. Soon I went from the girl to make fun of to the girl to get smut from. I am so lucky a teacher never got their hands on one of those stories.

4. Is this the first book you ever wrote, or do you have more (published or unpublished) that you wrote before? Before Crimson Dawn I made one attempt at writing a full length novel. The title of it is Ecomancers. It's full of vampires and werewolves but also telepaths and people with super-hero type powers. I got maybe fifteen chapters into it before I threw in the towel and decided that it was too hard for me to write a full length piece. It's actually a pretty good concept that I might go back and revamp and finish one day.

5. Describe your writing process. When an idea pops into my head it usually starts one of two ways; with a character or an entire scenario. With characters it usually about what's going on with that person. I get a feel for their personality and the challenges they might face. If the character sticks with me then I sit down and jot down a quick life history and a story usually springs from that. In the other case, sometimes I wonder if for instance, 'what if a werewolf had to go through this?' Once I get that question in my head I come up with a main character and start outlining. I am a stickler for background info. Before I write anything I have to have character bio's and species descriptions. I have full family tree's for some characters and a chart that details the blood kin of all of my Extra's races.

6. Who are some of your literary influences? Kim Harrison, Laurell k. Hamilton, Patricia Briggs, Alex Haley, Nikki Giovanni, and Maya Angelou.

7. What kind of books do you read, and is it different from what you write? Whether it's adult or YA, I am addicted to paranormal romances and urban fantasies. But I also love afro-centric historical works such as Roots and Queen. And I love poetry. With the exception of the shorts that will be in my poetry collection, and the poems themselves, most of my work is paranormal or fantasy related.

8. Where do you come up with your characters? Do you base them on people you've seen or met? I'm not totally sure where all of them came from. Val in a lot of ways is the inner Ronnie. She's smart mouthed, uber confident in what she's capable of and leaps before looking instead of over analyzing situations; all qualities that I wished I possessed at one time or another. She also has issues that influence her actions and make her strive to be a better person. I think a lot of us face similar situations at some point in our lives. As for basing them on people I've met or seen, well the visuals I get in my head when I write certainly influence the description of them. I'm a big movie fan and a lot of the times I see certain actors as the characters and I give my characters those physical traits. Val is Jurnee Smollett in my head and Irulan is Gemma Arterton (circa. Clash of The Titans).

9. Do the names of your characters reflect anything or mean anything in particular? Is there a reason behind the names you choose? I chose Val because it was close to my first name which is Veronica. I chose Irulan's name because I am a big fan of The Real World and had kind of a mini-tv crush on Irulan from the Las Vegas season. I named Irulan's mother FreDonia after my grandmother. There are also characters in other works that are named after family members. In my werewolf novel, Ascension: Wolves of Goose Creek, the main character Still, has two younger twin sisters. I named them Maya and Malia after my daughters.

10. Is this part of a series, and if so, when will the next book be available? Yes Crimson Dawn is the first book in the Darklife Saga. I have outlined 5 books in the series so far. The second book is titled Black Moon Rising and I am twenty chapters into it. It picks up four months after the events in Crimson Dawn. I have a YA title that revolves around the character David that is introduced in Crimson Dawn, titled Freak Among Freaks. The events in F.A.F's run parallel with the events in B.M.R. so I am treading carefully to make sure I don't run into any continuity issues. But I am hoping to be done with the first draft by the middle of next month and revisions by the start of September. After that I'm not sure when it will be available but I am thinking the start of 2012. I have another novel coming out this year so I am almost certain B.M.R. will have a 2012 release date.

check out Ronnie's awesome site below:

http://ronniemassey.com Crimson Dawn on Goodreads.

Blog Tour

Hey guys! I've put together a sort of blog tour for The Superiors, so feel free to follow all the goings on. There will be giveaways, reviews, spotlights, interviews, and posts. If you've missed some, make sure to check out the links. I will be adding more dates, so check back!

ALSO! I am including my book in the Smashwords Summer Sale! What does that mean? That means you can get my ebook in ANY format (Kindle, Nook, Sony, iPad, etc) AT HALF OFF! Just follow this link and enter the code SSW50 at checkout (the code is listed on the link, too).

Plus, I will be giving away ebooks on a few of the dates scheduled below! The schedule:

5/24 Interview with Haresh Daswani on Goodreads

5/27 Read The Superiors chapter 1 on Patti Robert's blog

6/02 Interview with James Oh

6/03 Spotlight with Ronnie Massey

6/03 Interview with Ronnie Massey

6/23 The Superiors Book Review by Jenn

6/27 The Superiors Book Review by Dale Ibitz

6/28 Interview with Ken Badertscher

7/1 Interview with Meghan Ciana Doidge

7/5 Giveaway and Interview with Dale Ibitz

7/8 Interview with A.F. Stewart

7/12 Spotlight with Lenore Wolfe

7/15 Guest Post on Ken Lindsey's blog

7/19 Interview with Traci Hilton

7/22 Guest post on Ben Wallace's blog

7/26 Interview with John Vander

7/29 The Superiors Book Review by Cassie

I got a great review on Amazon!!!

I've been meaning to post this for a while, but I've been super busy. Anyway, I got my first customer review on Amazon, and I couldn't be happier. So this is me, smiling :D

5.0 out of 5 stars A smashing debut, May 23, 2011

By Mr. Aman S. Anand - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Superiors (Kindle Edition)

The Superiors is an enthralling novel that sets out an alternate future where vampires have taken over the world and humans are now their minions. The author's considerable talents shine through as she conjures a dazzling new world with a fascinating protagonist, Draven Castle, at its centre.

The book's greatest strength is the quality of the author's writing. For example, the narrator makes astute observations such as, `he sensed her shift from blind panic to simple fear'. It is a pleasure to read a new author who has such a gift with language; it bodes well for the next instalments of what promises to be a gripping series.

At the heart of The Superiors lies the developing relationship between the Third Order vampire Draven and the teenage girl Cali. They share a peculiar chemistry that is subtle, which makes it all the more powerful. And it is through their blossoming rapport the reader hopes that humans and vampires may be able to reconcile in future books in this series.

The author ensures that she reveals enough of this world's back-story to leave the reader desperate to read the next instalment of the series while ensuring that she unveils enough of this vampire-controlled world to ensure that the Superiors is an excellent read in of itself.

Undoubtedly the book will be compared to other vampire fiction, but I would argue that it has more in common with the best film noir - both in terms of atmosphere and the intricate plotting. Without giving away too much, the ending is spectacular and sets up a thrilling second instalment.

The book market has recently been over-saturated with vampire novels, but this work comes up with a fresh and well-written approach that should compel any fan of the genre to give it a read.

Answering your questions (Promo Friday!)

Hey loyal followers and fellow readers!

Today is my day to promote myself (yay!) Yes, it makes me sound like a hooker, I know.

Anyway, this is short and sweet. There are 3 discussions of my book on Amazon right now, PLEASE participate if you have a second. You do NOT have to have read the book to participate. You might find something interesting, or it might answer a question you already have.

If you'd like to ask the author anything (that's me), I have a thread where I answer questions, just click HERE. You can ask anything.

Here's a thread started by someone who read the book, so it contains spoilers, but if you've read or are reading the book you can answer his questions or make comments or ask questions.

And here's just someone who I think liked the idea.

All you ever-inquisitive minds, check out one of the threads and just say hi or ask a question. I'd really appreciate it!

Okay, no more promoting myself! Thanks to anyone who comments or questions! You guys rock.

Lena

My Week in Books

Currently Reading: Walking the Rez Road

So, my ebook has been on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords for a week. Although for 2 days it was under construction. I've sold six books, which is pretty cool, although comparatively, it's pretty horrible. But I wasn't expecting big things, so I'm happy with it. I'm never gonna be one of those people who is great at self promotion, although I'd like to sell enough to pay for all the money I spent getting it out there. I guess it's like a business investment.

I AM LIVE!

That's right. My ebook of THE SUPERIORS went live today. I know I haven't been hyping it up much, so here goes: This is a serious urban fantasy book about a Superior race that takes over the world and raises humans as livestock. Draven, a lower class Superior, can't afford his own human. However, one night he captures a runaway human named Cali. She in turn captures his interest. Although he must return her by law, he vows to purchase her later. Caught in a tangled and dangerous web, Draven struggles to fulfill his quest and purchase Cali at any cost. find the ebook on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Traditional paper book coming soon!

The Waiting Game (again)

Must exercise patience. Yes, much patience is required in this business of trying to become a writer. I've found the best thing to do when waiting for anything....is to edit. I'm not a big fan of editing, but I'm a big fan of the results. So while I wait on queries, wait on cover artists, wait on a million other things...I will edit. And later, I will be happy I did. (Or that's the hope, anyway). At least it will keep me from all that banging my head on the wall. And it's productive, in a not-as-glamorous way. Writing is the big fun. Editing is the work that goes into making it look like the writing was big fun. Haha. A writer joke. At least I amuse myself.

Weekly blehhh...

Sometimes you just have one of those days/weeks/months/years. Everything goes to bleh and you just want to drum your head against the blehing wall.* But if you don't, or even if you do, you might get something else done, too. You might knock out your blehs, or some brain cells at least. You might shake loose an idea. Or you might just get a headache, if you didn't already have one.
You might learn a valuable lesson while you try to knock out your blehs. You might learn that it takes 26 good knocks before you get a headache, or only 6. You might learn that this is time well spent, or not. You might learn that you now can't remember why you started banging your head to begin with, and you'd rather go back and force yourself to do something more productive. Or you might just stand there thumping your head against the wall until the neighbors come over to complain. But that could be a learning experience in itself.

*I in no way condone banging one's head against the wall, nor do I claim responsibility for either positive or negative effects resulting from this activity if at any time you decide to do this because of or not because of reading this or any other blog entries I have posted previously or may post in the future.

query insanity

Someone once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Sorry, I’m not sure who said that. But it brings to mind a certain habit of trying-to-get-published writers. This particular habit, which in itself is the definition of insanity, is called querying. I personally find the process grueling, disheartening, and overall a little degrading, as I’m pretty much begging for an agent to give me a read-through. I query, and query, and change my letter, and change my letter, and query some more. And all the time…nothing. But if I don’t expect a different result, then I’d probably go more insane than it’s already making me. I have to keep hoping, which is roughly the same thing as expecting a different result. So to sum things up, hope is the definition of insanity. Maybe I need a new definition of insanity.