My Crazy Corner

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Blurb from Goodreads:
Sixteen year old Arelia LaRue lives in New Orleans where the music is loud, voodoo queens inhabit every street corner, and the ghosts are alive and well. Despite her surroundings, all she wants is to help her Grand-mere Bea pay the rent and save up for college.

When her best friend Sabrina convinces her to take a well-paying summer job at the infamous Darkwood plantation, owned by the wealthy LaPlante family, Arelia agrees.

However, at Darkwood strange things start to happen, and gorgeous Lucus LaPlante insists that he needs her help. Soon, the powers that Arelia has been denying all her life, come out to play and she discovers mysteries about herself that she could have never imagined.

My thoughts:
I am a sucker for paranormal books. I admit it, YA or commercial fiction, so when I saw this I imeadiately downloaded it. I was not disappointed. The story flowed and kept me captivated from beginning to end. Saito has created an atmosphere in which its as commonplace to chat with the spirits as it is to ask someone to pass the salt at dinner. I got drawn in and stayed there. It's an amazing book.

You watch the main character, Arelia, grow into her role as a Voodoo Queen. She is the tough kid who isn't afraid of anything, but she is also vulnerable because of that toughness. It hides someone who's been hurt. It was so fun watching her learn to trust Lucas.

My one main bone of contention is I would have liked to have seen more interaction with Ivan, who is a main plot point in the book. He was more like an after thought, but needed a bigger role in this book.

Overall a fabulous read and I'd highly recommend it to anyone.

Okay, so I am a twilight Junkie and have to share.

I got asked to review a couple books from new and upcoming authors. Now, these are people that have agents and have their books sold to bonafied publishing houses. I met them through my twitter and my other writer's websites I frequent. They are great folks and I really, really like them.

The problem? I am not liking their books so much. I have to shake my head and think to myself, how in God's name did you get an agent and who in their right mind would publish this?

The writing is bad in one, the storyline lame in another, and the main characters in the last one are just boring.

I have come to know some really good authors and have read thier work, work that is exceptional, but for some reason, they can't get an agent. Agents won't touch thier work.

My question is WHY? Why can really awful writers get agents and the really good ones, seem to struggle, some never finding a home for thier work. What is wrong with agents today that they will pass up exceptional work for rotgut stuff? Drunk, blind, or afraid to take on something that hasn't been rewritten to death? I just don't understand it.

Thanks to T for an amazing job!

I was talking to a woman the other day who found one of my romance novels I’m working on. It only had a few chapters available to read, so she Googled me and saw that I write primarily YA books. When she sent me a message on Twitter, we started to chat about writing in general as she hopes to be a published author herself one day.

She asked me why did I write YA instead of romance. I’m good at romance apparently. Its not my strong suite no matter what they say…lol. Anyways, it got me thinking about why do I writer YA instead of something else. What appeals to me about the genre that I can’t find elsewhere? Why do I write in general for that matter?

Well, as far as writing goes, my Gran told me if you wake up thinking about something and go to bed thinking about the same thing, chances are that is what you are meant to be doing. God gives us all a gift and its up to us to utilize that gift and do what good we can with it. My gift? An imagination the size of Europa and a love for words. My dad says I used to make these scribbles on a piece of paper in crayon and proceed to tell him outlandish tales based on those few lines. So I guess you could say, I’ve been writing since before I could write. Plot lines are running in my head when I wake up, interrupting my train of thought through the day, and it’s the last thing I think about when I go to bed. So, writing would be what I am supposed to be doing.

But why YA? Well, I think you have a greater chance upon making an impression on a teen. The average teen today has a short attention span, so you have to be able to grab their attention and hold it. That is a challenge and I love challenges. If you get wordy, they skim and eventually throw your book down or let it sit in their cloud on the kindle. Young adult books are open, honest, and full of fun. You get to teach lessons without anyone realizing what you are doing. For me, YA is more than a bunch of words thrown together. I love the genre. I hated growing up though. Middle school and high school are HARD and if I can help a kid out, make them laugh, cry, or so angry they throw the book across the room, then I am tickled pink. YA is a no nonsense genre, a genre that you can have fun with. That is why I love it.

The Hunger Games 2012

I watched the Hunger Games and I have been thinking on how best to review the movie. I was so very disappointed in it. There were good parts, but honestly, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did the books. And I think I have just figured out why after going back and re-reading the book.

I agreed for the most part with the actors/actresses they chose to portray the parts. I can even get behind Woody Harelson as Haymitch even though in the movie it was like he didn’t care one way or the other. It was just another paycheck to him. I did really love the way they used the commentator to portray what was going on. That was brilliant and I give them brownie points for that.

What threw me off was the lack of emotion in the movie. I got no real emotion from anyone. There was one moment in the beginning when she volunteered as tribute. You could feel the panic in that moment. Then when she kissed Peeta near the end, there was a slight show of emotion there, but it was over and one with so quick that you could forget it was there.

That is what the movie was missing. The emotion that is so abundant in the book.

I would only give the movie 3 stars and I’m being generous in that.

What’s In A Name?

When I’m fashioning a character, I don’t just call it a day after a simple sketch with some good qualities and flaws noted, interests and desires, backstory and future intentions. I really dig into how certain factors from the past affect the characters in the present and take it down to how they process information, see the world, perceive others, and I explore why they act, think or speak the way they do.

Take Majesty from Kings & Queens. Originally, I had her name chosen, it just seemed right, and this love triangle idea with her two best friends in my mind. But, I’m not a romance writer, I need more plot and substance. I crave it. With months of nothing else to build on, one night I dreamt I was running for and overheard these two guys planning a church massacre, and I escaped them in this quaint town. Boom. I found my plot and location.

I was planning on writing this plain-up mystery-suspense thing, but when I got into the thick of it, my story and characters surprised me and grew into something totally unexpected and awesome. The story came to embody a living chess match actually, and there are even more royal tie-ins beyond that. So, it bugged me that her name was Majesty. I don’t like things to be that matchy matchy in books. It just comes across as gimmicky and not really cute at all. I considered changing her name, but then I realized, her being pinned with such a funky name all her life actually forced her to choose between taking on antagonists or buckling to them. Instead of shriveling from the onslaught on insults, she rose up and developed a quick wit and a pithy tongue and a desire to win.

All of these things about her, all that might, and also the vulnerability to fail and fall because she shoots so high, would be non-existent is she were an Ashley. I mean, I could certainly write them in, I could create an Ashley like that, but there’d be no true source for that wellspring of strength. It would seem fake and unreal, like I was just trying to make a kick-ass girl because that’s what’s hot right now. Majesty, the noun, is all about prominence, might, and being on top, and Majesty, my character, aspires to all that so she can represent the name she holds.

She has to go all Veronica Mars when she overhears two fellow students planning a church massacre and cops don’t believe her, and her inner strength is what pulls her through the ebbs of betrayal and danger on her way to the truth. So, I really couldn’t rename her. She wouldn’t let me. Because of everything it embodies and fashioned within her, I love her name. It is both her persona and her quest. And I can’t see her as anything else.

Where you can find Courtney:

my site: http://www.courtneyvail.com
book site: http://www.kingsandqueensnovel.com
FB: http://www.facebook.com/kingsandqueensnovel
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cvwriter
Blog, Gotta Have YA: http:www.gottahaveya.blogspot.com

About Me

I am 24 year old Business graduate living in the UK. My interests include martial arts. I have studied a few disciplines including Karate and Muay Thai. I have a big interest in MMA though I don’t practice it. I like poetry, aside from novels and short stories I write poems and I am working on two anthologies at present. I have a novel that has been published by Hellicious Horrors Epublishing owned by Nina Hobson. If you would like please visit the website for details on my book. I studied philosophy a few years that gave me a new perception on life. I used to be an amateur film maker and I have a YouTube channel. I love theology and find it a fascinating subject and finally I am a bit of a gamer and love my PS3.

About the book

Title - Memoirs of the Damned
Genre – Horror/Fantasy/YA
Available – online only
Publisher - Nina Hobson - Hellicious Horrors Epublishing
Website - http://www.hellicioushorrors.com/

Blurb

A Vampire epic set in a timeless gothic medieval backdrop with the palpable sensation of rage and loss.

Andross Ameliyo’s world is constantly beset by tragedy. On a stormy night he is given a choice that will ultimately spell damnation for himself or for those around him. Will he choose revenge or redemption?

When and why did you begin writing?

I would have to say I began writing at the age of 12/13 but that was mainly poetry. Around about 16/17 whilst I was at college I began writing stories but they were very poor and ill written pieces of work. However my imagination is a wild phantom that doesn’t let me sleep sometimes and it propelled me to write more and more. My poetry got better and more exuberant, my writings became more believable. Its funny actually as the ill written stories I’m talking about were the foundations of the story I have just got published. If ever the cliché was correct then its – Practice does indeed make perfect. I write because my friends like my work and well my imagination is a lot better than most stuff out there, yes I have a grand ego.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Simple answer Never, it was my friends who helped me realise this revelation. I wrote because it kept me entertained, but when my friends read my poetry or stories they were like “whoa, you’re a good writer” and then I had the epiphany, “Me, Writer??” So I guess I do now especially since I’ve been given a chance but really I never did.

What inspired you to write your first book?

Haha, whoa how long have you got? Ok I’ll keep it short and sweet. My imagination is one wicked device, it has its own mind and I am not in control. Basically I wanted to see a real vampire, allow me to elaborate. In my opinion twilight is not real vampirism, 30 days of night kind of misses the mark too. Blade almost had it but lost it eventually. I have a pre-set notion of what I think a real vampire is and only one thing satisfied that notion, a game. Legacy of Kain is a well known computer game franchise, its main character Kain is what I consider to be a “Real” vampire unfortunately there weren’t more like him. My imagination craved more so I had a brain wave, I’ll just make my ideal vampire up, everyone else has. No disrespect to authors and visionaries it’s just I don’t see them that way. This is my first time writing a fictional literary piece, the market may be saturated by tales of vampires. My tale is designed to rock the senses of the reader and bring back some dignity to the myth of vampires conjured by Vlad the Impaler’s tyranny. Games, books, films and heck everyday life was the inspiration for my book. Bare in mind this story isn’t totally whole rather it’s an amalgamation of those early stories I used to write, a series basically that I was sentimentally drawn towards and had to see developed.

How did you come up with the title?

This story of mine is actually a collection of old stories I wrote in my college days rolled into one. The old stories were called hang-man, they followed the same basic linear path of the book but the book is far more comprehensive and better structured than the stories. I took the old stories mashed them altogether into one and did minimal research. I realised that if I’m doing such a big project then I need to do the title justice as “hang-man” just seems feeble compared to the newly written content. So lo and behold Memoirs of the Damned rose from the embers of the old stories like a demented phoenix.

Do you see writing as a career?

Totally, absolutely, hey if I knew I could support myself by making stuff up with the gunk in my head I would. I have a degree in business and I never studied English in college. I don’t like rules that inhibit imagination such as grammar haha but I totally love to entertain, a career in writing would be AWESOME and I confess it’s a coveted aspiration.

When in the day/night do you write? How long per day?

I can’t really concentrate in the day, my mind hasn’t warmed up plus I feel groggy (like a bear out of hibernation). The night inspires me, especially when writing ominous horror passages or deep seated love poems. There’s something about the night that fills me with fantastic fright. I look out into the cold alleyways from my bedroom window. The pondering of what dangers lurk out there, the feeling I have is real and is transposed into my writing. At night I am at the peak of my philosophical prowess and it is in the twilight that I excel. I can only write between 800 – 1000 words before I get bored.


How do you describe your writing style?

Classical in a word, I am a real sucker for the days of yore. I have a certain quaint understanding of things and I guess it’s reflected in my writing. When I have debates with my friends they find what I’m trying to say difficult to understand. The reason being I use words they’re not familiar with. I asked them why this is the case, the response was that I talk in poetry.

Typical, my gift is my curse.

But I’m not too bothered, I have a talent and I will flaunt it.

What are you passionate about these days?

THIS! developing a career in writings and becoming a phantom in books. I’m only a fledgling at the moment but want to be a colossal force in the literary world. I have high aspiration but enough heart to see it through. The only thing lacking is opportunity but even that is becoming more frequent. I have a penchant for the dramatic and I am ever trying to further my dream and live my passion. I want to reach those immaculate eiderdowns of thought. I want to bask in the sweltering everglades of inspiration, those shining symphonies that resonate throughout all of history. I want those sun-kissed petals of reason to touch my soul. I want to fully immerse myself in the literary arts. I want to live my dreams.

Do you have any suggestions for beginning writers? If so, what are they?

The writing world is harsh and cruel; at every turn there is someone there to put you down. Meeting that adversity head on is what will define you as an author, as a writer.

Don’t despair because of the level hypocrisy because every cloud has a silver lining. There are gems in this world too; people out of selflessness want to help you. People like Apryl who through her own kindness wants to help. If you can find these gems of people then half your work is done. They will help you, reinvigorate your standing and help you re-establish the confidence that may have been lost.
Find these gems, these bloggers and reviewers and watch your world change. Hey, even you might change in the process.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Only to those who will read Memoirs of the Damned

I am not a horror author, that sentiment conjures ideas of boring old men writing stories. I am not a horror author.

I am the puerile insanity Sigmund Freud fantasised about. Cerberus was mine to begin with; I raised him from when he was a puppy. Jack the ripper was my Masonic manservant before I fired him. The muse for David Berkowitz wasn’t my demon cousin possessing the neighbour’s dog, IT WAS ME. Dante Aligheri got the idea for writing his inferno after visiting the 7 levels of my house.

I am the evil reflection in your mirror that imitates as you are looking, but keeps staring at you as you look away. I am the villainy behind your eyes before you sin. I am the evil that resides in your subconscious. I am NOT a horror author, I am Horror!

What are you working on at the moment/have in the pipeline?

• A Martial arts play for a competition
• Trying to get my book published traditionally
• Compiling 2 poetry anthologies concurrently
• Writing a romance novel
• I want to write a collection of multi-genre short stories
• I want to write a trilogy of novels in the sci-fi genre
• I want to make a film based on one of my book

Ok and all that whilst maintaining my sanity and trying to find full-time work. Honestly speaking if I got paid just make stories and stuff (sigh) I think my soul would receive some measure of peace.

Where to find me?
https://twitter.com/darkbiggie

Where to find my book?
http://www.hellicioushorrors.com/vampires.html

Excerpt

The man spoke, “Cease Emmanuelle!!” The beast snarled before looking up briefly and saying, “Yes Master”. The beast disappeared like a wisp of air, I crawled out onto the grass on my chiselled elbows, breathing heavily. I said to this mysterious man, “thank you sir”. He replied, “Rise child, tell me your name”. I shakily stood up and took a long hard look at this man. He was wearing long black pants with leather frills down the side. He had a long black cloak and a sickly pale face hidden behind a bandana he wore over his mouth. To complete the picture he wore a strangely styled hat. His eyes however looked most menacing of all. They were not human eyes, they couldn’t be. Orange pupils with blue iris’ and it looked as though his eyeballs pulsated within their sockets. I replied to his question, “Andross Ameliyo, and you good sir?” He looked at me with those demonic piercing eyes and replied, “You may call me Master Sereigravo”

I asked this ‘Master’ about the beast.

“That thing before, it was a vampire. Am right? How did you get him off me?” Sereigravo began to circle me before saying, “very perceptive, he is my pupil as I want you to be. Poor child you have suffered many hardships in your animation have you not? So I think it’s appropriate that you get some much deserved recompense. I give you a choice Andross, to live my kind of life as a detested vampire, eternal life without suffering to drink from the necks of human in a endeavour to become more or…….” I waited on his every word, I was transfixed by his bulbous eyes as if I were in a trance, “……or you can turn around and walk away but if you do. You will not live to see another day, not another dawn. No flowery meadow or brisk air will ever caress your skin. Make your choice Andross! Choose”.

Greetings and felicitations, I'm Natasha Duncan-Drake (Tasha to my friends); I'm a full time author and publisher and help run a small UK indie press publishing eBooks, Wittegen Press. Please feel free visit our site at http://www.wittegenpress.com to see all of our titles.

Firstly I would like to say thank you very much to April for having me on her wonderful blog.

My latest title Cat's Creation came out last week and is book 2 of The Chronicles of Charlie Waterman. It is the sequel to the five star rated Cat's Call and follows the trials and tribulations of Charlie, a somewhat hapless British teenager.

Charlie is an ordinary 18 year old whose whole life is turned upside down when he is attacked by a two inch cat figurine. Magic was not in his plans, but he soon learns reality is not quite as straightforward as he thought.

Charlie discovers that in his new reality, there are seven great spirits: Cat, Dragon, Horse, Dolphin, Wolf, Hawk and Spider and these spirits seek to maintain the Balance of Existence. As their agents travelling to multiple worlds they call on seven young people to be their Questors. These Questors are granted the Spirits' powers and use them to prevent the forces of Chaos from destroying life.

Link to Wittegen for the Chronicles of Charlie Waterman.

Link to G+ for the series.

Link to Facebook for the series.

In Cat's Call we first meet Charlie as he visits an old shop where he almost worked a summer job. Here he encounters a cat statuette that sends his whole life onto a new path which, he soon finds out, he should have been on two years previously. He's not overly happy about any of this, but when he manages to grow a tail in his sleep he has no choice but to accept it. Thus follows his discovery of magic, his introduction to a magical realm called Between, trying to make friends with six other young people who actually seem to be prepared for the whole situation and the first task for the Questors in the service of their Spirits.

Link to Wittegen page for the Cat's Call.

The book is full of action and adventure with a side of humour at some of the situations Charlie manages to get himself into. I do like to tease my characters and poor Charlie takes the brunt of it in this series, which results in some amusing situations. This was my first novel when it was published last year and it's full-on contemporary fantasy, because that is my all time favourite genre (thank you J.K.Rowling). It will appeal to the YA reader range and upwards into an adult readership. There are also bonus short stories available with the title for those willing to tweet about and review the book. Please see Cat's Call's Wittegen Press page for details.

Five star review from Amazon.co.uk by Matisse: "A fantastic read which I couldn't put down. A fast moving plot and believable characters - even when one grows a tail. When I finished reading it, I wanted the next one in the series! I thoroughly recommend this book."

Cat's Creation continues Charlie's adventures, following him as he struggles to deal with the aftermath of the events of Cat's Call and solve a new task for the great Spirits. Their team is struggling thanks to the consequences of the trials that could have destroyed everything they had created. As one of the leaders of the group, Charlie feels it's his duty to bring them back together. The only problem is he doesn't know how. On top of that they are sent to a world run by mafia-style families where sorcerers and vampires are commonplace. Forced to play a role that could cost him his life and plagued by a vision of death, Charlie must struggle to overcome his own insecurities and, with his friends, figure out why they have been sent to such a dangerous world.

Link to Wittegen page for the Cat's Creation.

Cat's Creation is just as packed with tension, action and magic as the first book in the series. I also had a wonderful time thinking up even more embarrassing situations in which to land Charlie so that my readers could have a giggle every now and then. This book advances the inter-team relationships and deals with the mental scars created by the difficult events of the first novel, as well as having an exciting new task. Mafia types with swords and knives instead of guns and vampires with some very odd ideas about humans are just a couple of the things Charlie and his friends face.

The third book in the series is currently in the planning stages.

Other books of mine suitable for an older YA audience and adult readers are Sacrifice of an Angel (contemporary fantasy/crime. i.e. Harry Potter/Midsommer Muders/CSI) and Advent (paranormal fantasy/vampires). Most of my short story/novella titles are only suitable for a mature audience and may be found on the Wittegen Press site.

So, a little bit about me then. I started writing when I was a pre-teen and I have never stopped. Most of my writing was just for fun in the online fanfiction arena for many years and I am an avid supporter of fanfiction. I think it is a fantastic medium for people to practice some of their writing skills and you'll never find a better critic than some of the fanfic readers out there: brutal, but fair in my experience and great for learning.

My original career after I finished my PhD was as a techie; I was a software and database designer. In 2010 I was made redundant thanks to my team being shut down, but having 10 years with the company I had a very nice settlement and decided to branch out and go for my dream rather than more practical things. I am lucky enough to have a wonderful husband with a fantastic job who can support me through the lean times as I do the 'struggling author' thing.

I love writing with a passion and I am determined to make it my life's work. There is nothing more magical than sharing the creations of my heart and having readers enjoy them.

If you would like to find out more about me, I chatter about all sorts of things on my Livejournal (beren_writes) and my Dreamwidth (beren_writes) accounts. That's also where to find my fanfic, as well as on my AO3 account (Beren). In case you were wondering, Beren is my pseudonym for fanfic, because once upon a time, way back when, I couldn't get my real name on a Harry Potter archive. All book-related chatter and reviews of books and movies and music can also be found on my blog: Tasha's Thinkings.

I'm active on twitter at @beren_writes and welcome all new friends. My company twitter is @wittegenpress and we're running a competwition at the moment to win Cat's Call and Cat's Creation: Link to competwition.

If you prefer interacting through Goodreads, this is my Goodreads author page.

We have a company mailing list if you would like updates about our publications and competitions: Wittegen Press Announcement Mailing List.

My twin sister, Sophie Duncan, is also an author and the other half of Wittegen Press. She co-wrote Sacrifice of an Angel and is just about to come out with another YA title in the paranormal fantasy genre, so check out Wittegen Press for details.

I don’t hide behind the words I write.
I live them.
I breathe them.
I am them.
What you see is what you get.
Maybe.


As it is, I should think, with every writer. We speak from our souls, and like the air that we breathe in order to live, we need to write in order to stay sane. There’s always a certain something simmering just below the surface that keeps us keenly aware of our surroundings and has us listening to our hearts. Be it personal experiences or our interpretation, we take it all in and file it away for another day.

I read something on Facebook some time ago that pretty much sums it up: “You know you’re a writer when you’re about to pass out from pain and all you can think is, ‘At least I’ll be able to write something like this realistically now.’”

So we write what we know. This is what I did with my first novel, Again, a story of two women, born centuries apart, who accept lives of obligation and responsibility; lives without passion, with men who would claim them for their own. Until, that is, a chain of events complicates things in ways they never imagined, all because of one man’s love for a woman…a love that crosses through centuries to find her again.

I know this story, because I lived it. Well, most of it anyway. I’ve always been fascinated with reincarnation and have had recurring dreams and visions, which compelled me to write this novel. This was me, and I was her.

My next soon-to-be-released novel, Souled, is also based on personal experience. I’ve always known about soul attachments, in which an earth-bound spirit, benign or malevolent, can attach itself to a person. My ex had one (and probably still does) as did my young son (who has been cleared). A fascinating and sometimes chilling experience, I had to write about it.

Here is the blurb for the novel:

Power and Control…

What 17-year-old boy wouldn’t be tempted by the promise of power and control - no matter what form that promise came in?

Seth knew exactly what he would do with power and control. He’d be well on his way to a wrestling scholarship, his dad could stop working so hard to make ends meet, and he’d forever have the heart of his girlfriend, Sandpoint High’s most beautiful girl.

For Seth, the temptation was much too strong to resist. And why should he? The way he saw it, he had everything to gain.

But when he unknowingly invites another soul to share his body, Seth discovers that not all power is good – especially when it was never his to wield. And when the soul reveals its true intentions, will Seth have the strength to fight it or would death be less painful?

~ ~ ~

Everyone has a story to tell. Some choose to live it. Some choose to write it. And some choose to read about it. Which one are you?

Again available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Again-ebook/dp/B003PPD93M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332648471&sr=8-1
My website: www.dianamurdock.wordpress.com
Souled to be released Spring 2012
Connect with me: Twitter: @Diana_Murdock https://twitter.com/#!/Diana_Murdock
or on Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4078383.Diana_Murdock