Now What?, Charmaine Gordon

Carly Evans holds her husband’s cooling hand as she sits on his hospital bed and whispers, “Come back to me, dearest,” knowing from experience loved ones always return. She doesn’t realize sometimes what you wish for is not always what you can live with.

After years of experience as an actor in daytime drama; movies where I sang Happy Birthday to Melanie Griffith in Working Girl, played nurse to Harrison Ford in Regarding Henry, lunched with Anthony Hopkins in The Road to Wellness, danced at the wedding in When Harry Met Sally and more; did voice-overs because I was the only actor who sounded like Betty White in the Tri-State area. . .I  had an idea for a story and decided to kiss the sweet life goodbye and become a writer. Now I’m a published author with four novels, one short story and a book in the wings.

http://authorcharmainegordon.com

http://authorcharmainegordon.Xanga.com
 

Another Story Behind the Book with Grace Elliot

The Story Behind the Book.


About the Author:

Grace Elliot leads a double life as a veterinarian by day and author of sensuous historical romance by night. An avid romance reader her favorite authors include Stephanie Laurens, Julia Quinn, Mary Balogh and Nicola Cornick. As well as being addicted to books Grace loves cats, history and…guinea pigs….

To find out more about Grace please visit:

Blog http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.com/

Web http://www.graceelliot.webs.com/

Blurb:
‘A Dead Man’s Debt’ by Grace Elliot.



Set in Regency England ‘A Dead Man’s Debt’ is a story of blackmail, duty and an unexpected love.

Celeste Armitage has a plan…and that plan doesn’t include marriage.

After deliberately humiliating a suitor, Celeste’s despairing parents exile her to the country. But once there she discovers a sketch book of daring nude studies and is shaken to find the artist is her hostess’s eldest son, Lord Ranulf Charing. This darkly cynical lord is exactly the sort of dissipated rogue she despises most…if only her blood didn’t heat at the thought of him…

Nothing is as it seems. Lord Ranulf’s life is a façade. Only he can save the Charing’s from disgrace as a blackmailer tries to ruin his late brother’s reputation. But just as Ranulf dares to open his heart to Celeste, the fury of his nemesis is unleashed… facing him with the stark choice between true love and family duty. However when Celeste guesses the truth behind his rejection, Ranulf underestimates her resolve to clear his name and in so doing places the woman he loves in mortal danger….




EXCERPT:

[Celeste accidently finds Lord Ranulf’s private sketchbook.]


On the next page a lithe figure rose out of darkness, arms raised as if to dance away. Candlelight played in soft shadows of her sinuous back. But more remarkable than the fluidity of her form was the intimacy of her look, glancing over her shoulder toward the artist with eyes brim full of lust.

Celeste forgot to breath, shaken by the undeniable realisation that these pictures were drawn by a man…and one intimately acquainted with women.

“Oh my.” Fascinated, hand trembling, she was unable to turn away.

The next drawing was a naked woman reclining with her back toward the artist. The undulation of her waist, hip and thigh formed a landscape of their own; the rhythmic lines of her body lovingly rendered, observed as if the artist were caressing her form with his skill.

Celeste stays had become uncommonly tight. If her mother wished her to be more broad minded then surely such sketches were educational…besides, the artist’s skill was admirable, to study his technique would help her own poor efforts.

Sucking her top lip, Celeste once again opened the sketchbook. Dipping back in, devouring the images greedily, this world of shapes and shadows, or deft strokes and bold smudges. With each new sketch her heart raced afresh until she became lost in the use of tone and assured line. But as she drank in each new image, the conviction grew and strengthened within her, that this was more than a few lewd pictures, but that she had glimpsed a world of freedom, a celebration of life denied to her as a woman.

Celeste was so engrossed that the unexpected sound of a man clearing his throat was as cold water thrown over her. She froze, then very slowly, praying that she’d imagined the cough, looked up to see leaning nonchalantly against the door a dark haired devil with a wavy mouth, assessing her as if she were his next meal.

Lean and athletic, in tight fitting breeches, a kerysmere waistcoat and faultless cravat, with the assured arrogance of a rake, he seemed an oddly familiar. Her heart skipped a beat. With the ghost of a smile, he crossed the room toward her. Reining in her galloping heart she struggled to recall how it was that this dangerous stranger seemed so familiar.

His masculine presence filled the room, quite robbing Celeste of breath; his arrogant, male magnificence calling to her body in an animal way. He filled her senses so much so that she forgot to breathe; throat constricted and chest tight. In her right mind she might have chastised him for staring, but as it was she was hypnotised, unable to see past the hollowed cheeks and wavy mouth. The rational part of her mind feared lest he guess the havoc his velvet brown eyes was having on her body but with stubborn determination she returned his gaze, refusing to be cowed. A delicious shiver tingled her skin. She knew this man. She just didn’t know how.

Where did the Idea for the Story Come from?

‘A Dead Man’s Debt’ was inspired by a painting by George Romney of Emma Hart (who become Lady Emma Hamilton, and famous for being Admiral Horatio Nelson’s mistress.)

The portrait shows an innocent yet lush young woman, scantily clad with a hint of bosom, brazenly staring out of the canvas with an allure that is quite hypnotic. It struck me as unusual for an 18th century work that the sitter was something other than prim, proper and dressed up to the nines. It must have been sensational at the time, but who would be bold enough to commission such a portrait? (As it happened Emma Hart was ahead of her time and not afraid to flout convention…but that’s another story.)

A delicious idea came to me; what if the woman in the picture wanted to shock? What if years later, it threatened to disgrace her family? What if the son she despises must save their reputation, but at huge personal cost? What if it meant sacrificing his secret love? The stage is set for a story of blackmail, duty and an unexpected love.

How did your Characters Come to Life?
My characters much become real, living people with foibles and traits before I can start writing. Crucial to this is finding the right name. The darkly restless hero of ‘A Dead Man’s Debt’ is Lord Ranulf Charing. The shadowy figure of an unreadable, unreachable man haunted my mind and it was only on a long journey that the name popped unbidden into my head - and I had his name.

Ranulf is complicated. The product of an emotionally austere childhood, taught to believe duty and reputation is everything, to the point of suppressing his own hopes and needs. Only when he meets Celeste is an alternative world of love and fulfillment opened up to him.

Ah, Celeste. I knew her name before I could see what she looked like. I fell in love with the name ‘Celeste.’ Ethereal yet strong, individual and inspirational, the name encompassed the qualities of a woman who dares to be different and not slave to society.

In truth, it is the characters who lead the drama in ‘A Dead Man’s Debt’ on a ride that sometimes surprised even me with its twists and turns.

I hope you enjoy ‘A Dead Man’s Debt’ and will come to love Ranulf and Celeste as dearly as I do.

A Dead Man’s Debt is now widely available on line, at the Kindle bookstore and at:

http://www.solsticepublishing.com/products/a-dead-man%27s-debt.html

New Release: Pandora's Hope, Lisa Lane

Captain Nora Bradley, her fiancé and First Officer Robert Smith, and crew have developed quite the reputation: their current tactical officer is an astral clone of the one they started with; a race of shape-shifting aliens currently travels the stars as an impostor of "Pandora's Hope"; and everyone is still recovering from the embarrassing and life-changing ship-wide orgy caused by their bout with the "space flu." Worst of all, though, is that the more Nora tries to plan their wedding, the more Robert gets cold feet....

Now that the ship is back on mission, with a glorified babysitter from Space-Corp on its way, it seems that the ship-wide fun might be forced to an end - but first impressions always prove wrong on Pandora's Hope, and the new addition to their crew, "Quality Control Officer" Patrice Jocar, might have more in common with her new peers than they think. In this second installment of the Lust in Space series, the crew of Pandora's Hope explores more exotic intergalactic regions, picking up the most unlikely of refugees and encountering new alien species - while their wild and sexy antics continue. Will Nora and Robert's relationship survive another excursion into deep space, or will the experience tear them apart for good?

Buy Pandora's Hope

Lisa Lane writes mixed-genre erotica and erotic romance, as well as speculative science fiction and horror.  She has written ten novels in all.  When she is not writing, she is reading, spending time with her husband and two cats, or learning how to speak Italian.  For more information on Lisa Lane’s works, visit her author website: http://www.cerebralwriter.com

Embed code:

Another Story Behind the Book with Greg Nepini

Greg Nepini: Author Website: http://www.gregnepini.com
Buy link:http://www.clublighthousepublishing.com/HISTORICAL_NOVELS_PAGE.htm#JONATHANSTEARS
Genre: Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Romance

Where did the idea for this story come from?


Jonathan's Tears is based loosely on the legend of Moll Dyer, a woman who is said to have lived in the southern part of Maryland sometime during the late 1600s to the mid-1700s. Legend has it that she was a witch and was burned out of her house on a cold winter night by an angry mob. She was found frozen to death in the woods by a young boy a few days later kneeling on a rock that still bears her hand and knee prints.

Her ghost is said to be a malevolent spirit that walks the land to this day and causes misfortune for anyone who happens upon her.

I grew up a short distance from the place where this story supposedly happened, and the Legend of Moll Dyer was a popular ghost story that made its way around each year as Halloween approached. When I was in elementary and middle school, I really did believe the story, particularly after I examined “Moll Dyer's Rock” which is still on display outside of the old jail in Leonardtown Maryland. Looking at it now, I honestly can't see the hand and knee prints, but when I was a child they were quite clear to me. Maybe this is similar to the child in the movie “Polar Express” who stops hearing the Christmas bell when he no longer believes in Santa Clause.

Jonathan's Tears was my first novel. I began writing it shortly after reading “On Writing” by Stephen King (who is hands-down my favorite author). When I finally made the decision to sit down with pen and paper (I did actually write the first draft by hand!), I had just finished reading a historical novel entitled “Mary's Land” by Lucia St. Claire Robson. I found the idea of placing fictional characters in historical settings to be of great interest, however, I was not ready to tackle a Patrick O'brian style book that would require a great deal of research to complete. I was also reading a lot of Nicholas Sparks books at the time, and I found the emotion of his stories to be something that I wanted to emulate as well. These elements led me to consider writing about Moll Dyer. Very little is known about what actually happened to her on the night she died, or if she really even existed. Some say that she was murdered over money. Some say she was a witch. The legend provided a loose framework with which I was able to build a story. This seemed to me to be a perfect fit for what I wanted to do.

How did your characters come to life?

The short answer to this question is that they came to life all by themselves. I find that after I get past the rough sketch of each character that I imagine when I first begin the story, they will start doing things without me consciously directing them. I suppose that sounds strange to people who have never written a novel, but it happens with every story that I've written, and I imagine that most writers have a similar experience. The characters will sometimes turn from good to evil or play a much bigger role in the story than I had originally planned.

The character of Moll Dyer started out as a Wicken priestess and then transformed into a seemingly ordinary woman named Molly Sullivan who was born with magical powers, but hides them to keep from being accused of witchcraft. The ideas for her magic are based on a book called “Touch of Life” by the late Dr. Robert Fulford, an osteopathic doctor who did research on what he referred to as life force. He claimed to be able to detect the flow of life force in his patients and used it to aid in his diagnosis and treatments.

The legend says that Moll Dyer was found frozen to death in the woods by a little boy. As I thought about how to integrate this into my story, I asked the question - what if he knew her? This small twist set the stage for the whole story, and the rest of it developed from there. My version of the little boy (Jonathan Morris) began as a minor character but ended up completely taking over the story and becoming the narrator.

Amy Sterling, who eventually becomes Jonathan's wife, began as a servant working in a kitchen at a shipyard in Wales. I had no big plans for her either, however, she too became a major character in the story as well.

She becomes the voice of reason in Jonathan's troubled life. She is also the subject of the sequel “A Promise From Eternity”.

The last character that I would like to tell you about is Gale Andrews, the captain of the ship that brought Molly to America. Gale was based on Thomas Truxtun, a wealthy merchant seaman and the first captain of the USS Constellation. He too was a character for which I had no big plans, but he decided otherwise. The parts of the novel that involve Gale are influenced by the novels of Patrick O'brian, and will remind the reader of “Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World”.

Gale is a major character in the sequel and will be the focus of future novel which will be entitled “The Last Privateer”.

Watching the characters come to life is the most magical part of the writing process, at least for me. The four characters that I just described were all minor players as the story began, but decided on their own to play a bigger role. I don't use story outlines when I write, so what ends up on the page is largely spontaneous, and I believe that is what gives my characters the freedom to do as they please.

Sometimes while I'm writing I feel as if I am merely taking notes as my characters play out there lives before me.

Blurb of your book

Legend has it that Moll Dyer was accused of witchcraft and burned out of her house on a cold winter night by an angry mob. A young boy found her alone in the woods a few days later, frozen to death and kneeling on a stone. Her ghost is said to be a malevolent spirit that walks the land to this day and causes misfortune for anyone who happens upon her.

What if the story behind the legend is wrong?

Jonathan's Tears offers another possibility for how the legend came to be. It is the touching story of a mother's sacrifice and a young man's struggle to save her from an unspeakable tragedy.

Thrilling Thursday Author Interview with Chloe JonPaul, Entering the Age of Elegance: A Rite of Passage & Practical Guide for the Modern Maturing Woman

By Amy Lance, http://www.wondrouswomenworldwide.com/

Entering the Age of Elegance: A Rite of Passage & Practical Guide for the Modern Maturing Woman is intended for “midlife and boomer women,” yet author Chloe JonPaul candidly shares and explores topics ALL women can relate to.  I would have to encourage every woman to read this dynamic guide to gain pearls of wisdom for living a life of elegance and grace.

Creating a life of grace through Entering the Age of Elegance, Chloe explores our aging process and living a life of personal best: physically, mentally, spiritually, relationally, personally!  Chloe has done her homework in this fantastic find and shares countless resources for every topic she addresses so her readers may delve further into a topic.  Beyond the extensive research she has done, she openly addresses her own personal experience for others learning.

Chloe began her career as an author with her first publication, What Happens Next? A Family Guide to Nursing Home Visits…and More.  Following she wanted to write a book for women entering their later years.  Her motivation was stemmed from conversations with many women where she learned of a very common and real concern; “women are terrified of aging. The media, Hollywood, cosmetics and pharmaceutical companies deliver hype that fuels low self-esteem in women even more.  In the meantime, these guys are laughing all the way to the bank!”

As such, it is Chloe’s hopes that after reading her book, “women will walk away with is simply this:  It can be a fabulous journey and it should be made with style and grace.” All of us have our share of “tragedy, major setbacks and disappointments in life but I think I can safely say that I exemplify what can happen with determination and perseverance.”

So what is next for Chloe JonPaul?  Her “action plan for 2011 is to find an agent to represent her unpublished novel This Business of Children" - it's certainly not kid stuff!”  Connect with Chloe at www.enteringtheageofelegance.com

  

New Release: Express Cafe and Other Ramblings; Heather Crouse

 

This book is comprised of a collection of works about the different paths that life can take. Each work is separate, but still relates to the human condition in some manner.

Author Bio

I have been writing since I was nine years old.  I have always wanted to be an author.  I've  spent most of my life trying to fulfill that dream, and I recently finished writing my first romance novel.

I have numerous short stories finished, several in progress, one novel completed and one book published.  I am looking to find an agent so that I can establish myself in the industry.

I have published two short stories in a private university publication and I have published one book.  My focus is the romance genre.  I write both contemporary and historical romance stories/novels, but I also write literary fiction.

To Learn More, Please Visit: 

http://marielavender.webs.com/
 http://marielavender.blogspot.com/

New Release: Alaska Heart, Christine DePetrillo

Alaska is supposed to be cold, so why is Alanna Cormac on fire?

Sent on a dream assignment to Denali National Park, nature magazine writer Alanna Cormac has no intentions of falling in love with Dale Ramsden, sexy Iditarod winner. When Dale, his family, and even his eighteen sled dogs charm their way into her heart, however, Alanna’s fast-track New York instincts crumble. The Alaskan landscape and the caress of a man too good to be true ignite feelings she never had time to explore before. Feelings that have her so blissfully busy she’s unaware she’s being watched. Judged. Targeted. 

She’s next. 

Love will either save her or swallow her whole. Is there even a difference?

Buy ALASKA HEART

TidBits About Author Christine DePetrillo: 

To learn more please visit: www.christinedepetrillo.blogspot.com

• The opening scene in ALASKA HEART is based on a real email from someone I'd never met inviting me to visit him in Alaska. I, of course, had the sense to think that was completely nuts, but it had me wondering how it would play out if I had gone.

• I run on M&Ms.

• If it doesn't have a happy ending, I don't want to read it, watch it, think about it.

• Cats make the best writing companions.

• I teach fifth grade during the day.

• All my stories involve nature.

Another Story Behind the Book with Scott Baker

Scott Baker:http://scottmbakerauthor.blogspot.com
Buy link: the e-verison of the book is available from Shadowfire Press at http://www.shadowfirepress.com/index.html

Print version of the book will be available at Pill Hill Press at http://www.pillhillpress.com/index.html

Where did the idea for this story come from?


I grew up with vampire hunters. Not literally, of course (but that would have been awesome). Decades ago, when I was a ten-year-old kid who lived and breathed for my next horror fix, I sat glued to the television set late on a Friday night when one of the Boston stations would run monster movies at 11:30. Most of the movies shown were Hammer productions. My favorite was the Dracula series. Not because of the vampires, which were tame even by the standards of the 1970s, but because of Peter Cushing as van Helsing. He made vampire hunting an adventure. I used to watch in awe as he jumped onto the blades of a burning windmill to form them into the shadow of a cross to defeat the son of Dracula, or cringed as he shoved a red hot poker into his neck to cauterize the vampire’s bite wounds so he wouldn’t join the ranks of the undead. For a Monster Kid like me, Peter Cushing was the ultimate in cool.

As I got older, I still held a fond place for those who battled the undead. It didn’t matter if it was Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak fighting vampires with a camera and a tape recorder, or James Woods battling them with more sophisticated weapons. I found the more campy fare just as appealing, whether it was Dennis Miller taking out a nest with nothing more than a super soaker filled with holy water, or George Clooney and his ragtag team of hunters fighting their way out of a club filled with vampire strippers. I even liked Hugh Jackman as Van Helsing (though not as much as Kate Beckinsale kicking undead butt in thigh high boots and a tight bodice).

So it was only natural that when I sat down to draft my first horror novel, I would write about the men and women who fight the undead.

At its basic, The Vampire Hunters is the story of the struggle between humans and vampires, between good and evil. The hunters are two former Boston Police officers who cashed in their badges for stakes and an engineering student drafted into the cause. Each of them has their own strengths and weaknesses, their own personal shortcomings, and their own character flaws. In short, they could be any one of us. My vampires are pure evil. They don’t have souls. They don’t feel remorse. They don’t fall in love with humans. They see us as nothing more than cattle to feed their carnal desires and satiate their lust for blood. When then hunters take them on, it leads to all out war between humans and vampires. As in any war, the fighting is fierce and bloody, collateral damage among innocents is high, and the good guys don’t always win.

On another level, The Vampire Hunters is an allegory for the war on terror. The central issue facing the hunters is how do you deal with an enemy that is unstoppable? How do you win a war in which, for every enemy you kill, two or three more are waiting to take their place? Each of my main characters encompasses an aspect of that struggle. First is Drake Matthews, the gung ho leader who is dedicated to seeing the fight through to the end no matter how long it takes. Then there’s Alison Monroe, his partner, who is torn between her loyalty and love for Drake and the desire to put down her stake and get on with her life. Last but not least is James Delamrco, the team’s engineer guru who never wanted to join the team but who will fight the vampires as long as he has to.

How did your characters come to life?

The characters come to life because they are real. A good writer is adept at people watching, at picking out unique mannerisms and character traits. The Vampire Hunters is no exception.

Anyone who knows me realizes Drake Matthews is an idealized version of myself. We both enjoy our guilty pleasures of cigars, whiskey, and iced coffee. We both have a sense of righteousness for a just cause, and will often pursue that cause with more bravado then commonsense. And we both have a soft spot for our furry sidekick (except that Drake has only one rabbit to contend with, while I am slave and servant to six). The difference is that Drake thankfully does not have to go into battle carrying my emotional baggage.

Alison Monroe was developed from my fascination with strong female characters, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Anita Blake, as well as from my desire to have a counterbalance to Drake. Like Drake, Alison is attractive, intelligent, and independent, and is much more skilled at hunting the undead. Her main strength, however, is that she grounds the team in reality. When Drake rushes into a nest of vampires with guns blazing, Alison follows behind keeping an eye on the flanks and rear. She possesses that suspicion of outsiders and that cynicism of their motives that Drake lacks. She provides Drake with the loyalty and unconditional support he needs to battle the vampire threat. Yet both hunters realize that if it wasn’t for Alison, neither of them would have survived as long as they have.

As for the vampires, I make them come to life (figuratively) by giving them back stories. One of my complaints with a lot of modern literature and films is that the origins of the vampires are rarely explained. They wreck havoc and are disposed of without being fleshed out. In my trilogy, the vampires are integral to the story, and each has their own reason for hunting humans. Toni was seduced by a master before being turned, and now uses her own sexuality to lure in her victims. Walker, the African slave, willingly joined the ranks of the undead to seek revenge on a master who treated him cruelly. Melinda, the teenage vampire, was repeatedly raped by a master before being sired, and now preys on pedophiles and children. Even Chiang Shih, the Mistress of all the vampires, has a mythos surrounding her origins that is unique in vampire literature. I’ve strived to make my vampires much more than just nameless monsters. You’re not supposed to like or admire them, but you have to understand their motivations to truly hate and fear them.

Blurb:

Within the vaults of the Smithsonian Institute lies the key to finding The Vampyrnomicon, or The Book of the Undead, that contains the history and secrets of the vampires. According to legend, whoever possesses the book can establish a vampire nation on earth - or destroy the undead once and for all. With an opportunity to end the war against the undead so close, Drake Matthews is determined to find the book.

But the vampires also want The Vampyrnomicon. When Master Chiang Shih and her coven of the most powerful and dangerous vampires arrive in Washington to claim the book as their own, the hunters find themselves facing their most deadly enemy yet. With the stakes so high, so is the ferocity of the struggle.

DREAM BIG PUBLICITY TOUR!

 

 

BRING YOU

*NEW* Dream Big Publicity Tour!

Take your book to 20 blog stops,  to include author interviews,  guest blogging and 4 Book Review Sites for reviews of your book,  a tour banner,  press release to announce your tour,  a Spotlight on the VBT Cafe' Blog,  an ad spot in From A Writer's POV Magazine,  an Amazon Gift Card Giveaway at one of your stops, one copy of your book will go into rotation for reviews at the Review Book Swap,  PLUS you are assigned to a publicity coach where you will be provided with author contacts relevant to your book,  promotional goal suggestions,  building a community profile,  help contacting your local media and special interest groups,  aid in becoming a locally known author,  targeted promotional marketing,  help marketing your book to general online medias as well as different levels of media,  creation of unique online events,  and places outside of your tour to request interviews and author guest appearances.  This is our biggest package yet and we are proud to team with one of the best publicity coaches available.

 

For more info.:

http://virtualbooktourcafe.blogspot.com/

bkwalkerbooks@comcast.net

Another Story Behind the Book with R. Richard

R. Richard
Buy link:

http://www.clublighthousepublishing.com/AUTHORS%20PAGES/R.RICHARD'S%20PAGE.htm

Where did the idea for this story come from?

I originally wrote Second Chance: God Killer as a short story. The idea was to have my protagonist move through a series of adventures, with each adventure being a lead story in a science fiction magazine.


Glarney Fered, is an amalgam of several people that I have known. The people had outstanding skills, but lacked political connections and luck. Their achievements were not appreciated and they were cast aside, despite offering good value to employers.

The character of Ashoro then offers Glarney some hope. All Glarney has to do is defeat a professional fighter, lead Ashoro through a very dangerous inner city environment, find a mysterious scroll and then survive when he finds out that Ashoro will try to kill him at the end of the job.

I then develop Glarney the fighter. I play Kung-Fu, so the development is realistic.

Glarney and Ashoro then walk through a gritty, inner city environment. (The environment is real, I lived in South Central Los Angeles as a young man. I be knowed as “Whi' Boy.” The name was sufficient to identify me in that time and place. I wasn't well liked.)

Glarney thinks and fights his way through various situations. I feel that I have a winner on my hands and I have a problem. I start with a 71-year-old man. I can't build a series based upon a 71-year-old man. So, I have Glarney develop paranormal skills. The paranormal skills not only allow Glarney to survive, but eventually allow him to become younger and stronger.

(The thinking that Glarney uses in the story, is real. I'm a professional systems analyst. I can explain complex reasoning in simple, understandable terms.)

In the story, Glarney then uses computers to solve certain problems. The use of computers begins to move the story from a fantasy/adventure to a science fiction/adventure. The use of computers allows Glarney his only possible chance for survival.

Glarney then locates the scroll that's the object of the search. Glarney and Ashoro will have to steal the scroll from a temple, located in the inner city.

(I don't use an outline or even a summary of my stories. If the main character(s) don't tell me the story, they won't tell my readers the story. The scroll was to have been a prize for a first adventure only. However, the scroll and it's five brothers, later turn out to contain the field theory for the universe. Glarney will spend several more adventure in search of the remaining scrolls.)

Glarney and Ashoro then invade the temple and try to steal the scroll. Ashoro is killed in the attempt.

Glarney then fights a classic science fiction battle against Ashoro's disembodied life force. Glarney wins the fight, but only because of his background.

Glarney returns home, with half his pay. He's better off, but what seemed like so much money isn't really enough. Glarney is a criminal and he plans a bank job. However, due to an attempted home invasion, Glarney discovers that he has gotten younger. The only conceivable reason that he could have gotten younger is the acquisition of life force. Glarney then plans to acquire more life force, by killing people. However, Glarney realizes that he can't remain in one place and kill people. Thus, Glarney sets out on an adventure journey.

(This was to have been the end of the first story. However, I found that I must expand the story to novel length to get it published.)

Glarney then travels far and gets a job collecting money for the man.

As a result of the job, Glarney is forced to track another criminal and find the source of a dangerous drug. Glarney finds that the source of the drug is alien drug smugglers. Glarney manages to establish a business relationship with the alien drug smugglers. (Once again, Glarney has solved his problems.) However, Glarney and the alien drug smugglers are raided by alien police and Glarney is captured.

The alien police tell Glarney, “We should execute you, but a dangerous alien has escaped and we need to track it down.”

Glarney sees his only chance to survive and he convinces the alien police that he's the only one who knows where the dangerous alien will go and how to catch/eliminate it.

Glarney is given the job and also and alien watcher, who appears to be a normal human woman. Glarney searches for the alien, leading the alien watcher along. Glarney finds and kills the alien, but escapes before the alien watcher can kill him as ordered.

(The search for the dangerous alien involves specialized knowledge of how the real underworld operates and real burglar skills. The action is real. No comment.)

(There are a few things that are needed to really understand the story behind the book. First, Glarney starts off as a criminal and thinks like a criminal. Glarney has been through many. Many life and death battles in his life and will kill without hesitation. Glarney does become sexually involved with several women in continuing novels [there are now 11] but can't really get too involved, as he realizes that he's basically immortal, as long as he continues to acquire life force. Glarney will develop, as few science fiction characters do, because he's immortal and he continues to become more successful, in fact becoming the King of several countries. The development is gradual and believable as he realizes that some of the people he must depend upon are in the same situation he was during his first life. He treats the others as he would like to have been treated.)

How did your characters come to life?


I grew up (or whatever) in the very violent world of South Central Los Angeles. I had daily exposure to criminals of all levels. I had to fight my way through life, day by day. The inner city scenes in Second Chance: God Killer are realistic, because I lived those scenes myself.

Once I had the first Second Chance novel written, the protagonist had a sort of real existence. I then just followed the man through his adventures. I found that the man, though still a criminal began to develop a more complex personality. He had been mistreated himself and had some idea of the effect of his actions on those about him. He took care of those who were with him and disposed of those who were against him.

Blurb of your book

A 71-year-old man is living out the tag end of a rotten life, designed by others, in poverty. Glarney Fered is a systems analyst and a blackbelt in the self defense art of Loro. He's a very good systems analyst and can defeat men half his age in hand combat. However neither skill is of much use to a 71-year-old man. However, Glarney is hired as a bodyguard for a religious figure. They search the West coast city of Alvero, just two old men seeking a mysterious scroll. As the search goes on, Glarney thinks and fights his way through a gritty, inner-city environment. As they close in on the location of the mysterious scroll, Glarney comes to realize that his client will kill Glarney once the scroll has been obtained and Glarney is no longer needed. Since his client knows where Glarney lives, Glarney has no choice but to lead the religious figure to the scroll. Glarney and his client unsuccessfully try to steal the scroll from the temple where it's hidden. Glarney tries to escape but is caught and has to then kill his client in a fight of legend. Glarney not only kills his client in self defense, in the process, Glarney eats the client’s life force. Glarney then thinks to just live out his life in a little bit of comfort with the money he has earned. However, Glarney finds himself growing a bit younger. He then has to again fight for his life against bandits and again becomes a bit younger. Glarney realizes that he can continue to grow younger if he can just obtain more life force.

Glarney then begins an epic journey to try to obtain more life force. The next stop is a southern city, where Glarney becomes involved with drug smugglers. The drug smugglers turn out to be aliens and Glarney is captured by alien police. However, the aliens need Glarney to track down one of the escaped drug smugglers. However, Glarney realizes that he's to be killed when he does track down the alien drug smuggler.

However, Glarney is clever and won't just give up his second chance!



Genre:

Second Chance: God Killer starts out more like a fantasy story. The initial chapters involve paranormal skills that apparently develop in the protagonist, due to contact with a religious client. Then, in a classic science fiction battle, the protagonist kills his client, in self defense, in a life or death struggle. The protagonist then discovers that he can get younger by acquiring life force. The protagonist then begins a sequence of travels to obtain more life force. In travels, the protagonist deals with drug smugglers, who turn out to be aliens. The aliens would have killed the protagonist, but they need him to track down a dangerous escaped alien. The links with aliens then turn the Second Chance stories into science fiction, but with a lot of paranormal links.

Story Behind The Book with Maralee Lowder

Today on Story Behind the Book, Maralee  Lowder shares with us the interesting and unique story behind her book, SEA JEWELS.

Genre: Romance/Paranormal

Buy link:
www.clublighthousepublishing.com
Author Website:
www.maraleelowder.net

 

 Where did the idea for this story come from?
 

Sea Jewels came to me at a time in my life when I was at a crossroads, both in my writing and in my personal life.  So much so that one day while I was out shopping in a store I had never been to before and noticed a sign that said “Readings Today”, I did not hesitate.  I went to the psychic like I was being pulled there by a giant magnet.

As soon as I sat down before the reader, who I had never set eyes on before that moment, she asked me if I was a writer. She went on to describe how I felt “stuck”, with the book I was currently writing. She then said I should set it aside.  She said I should take an entirely new approach to my writing. That I should meditate before beginning to write, and then simply let the words flow through my fingers and see what happened.

As it turned out, words did not exactly flow through my fingers, but clear pictures did fill my mind.  I saw Jennifer standing at the edge of the bluff as she watched her husband’s ship go off to war.   I felt her desperation.  And, as she turned her gaze down to the raging sea at the bottom of the cliff, I experienced her thoughts of what she would do if Ben did not return from the war.

So, when I am asked where the idea for Sea Jewels came from, I have to say that it came to me as a gift.  Along with the gift came the firm belief that this book was meant to be read---that it would be important to someone, or maybe even many “someones.”

How did your characters come to life?

 

These characters come to me as fully fleshed, living, breathing beings.  I felt their pain as well as their joy.  I saw them with perfect clarity.  My job was to simply type into my computer what I was seeing and feeling.

Blurb of your book

It was dark, darker than anything she’d ever known.  Where was she?  She felt so lost! She heard a whooshing sound all around her, as if she was in the midst of a powerful storm, yet she felt no buffeting of the wind against her body.  A violent shiver shook her from head to toe.

Cold! She’d never been so cold.  It felt as if the marrow of her bones had frozen solid. A sense of dread overtook her as the realization that the paralyzing chill came from within rather than from the gale that seemed to surround her.

It was then that fear took hold of her.  Except for the freezing cold, she felt nothing, saw nothing…nothing but blackness.

“Where am I?” she cried, lifting her face to the heavens.

“You are with me.” A voice, as light as a sigh, yet as soothing as her mother’s touch, reached into her frantic brain.

The fear was instantly tamped down, not completely eliminated, but vastly abated.  Something in the quality of the voice spoke to her of trust, letting her know instinctively that as long as she was in the presence of this being she would be safe.

“What’s happening to me?” Her voice was little more than a whisper.

--From Sea Jewels – Volume 1