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Monday, December 12, 2011

The Dance on Fire Chronicles

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. How have you been? Are the holidays treating you well? I hope so. They can be a trying time, can't they? I wish you all the very best: good health, someone to love and to be surrounded by family and good friends.

I just discovered that I had had a few more positive reviews to add to my collection while I wasn't looking. That's always...wonderful. So, while I await the edits on the sequel to my crossover vampire novel, I thought that I would share them with you, along with the synopsis for each book in what we might be calling The Dance on Fire Chronicles. I don't know about that yet; not sure I like it or not. If you've got something better, I would love to hear it. Seriously. Let's make this place as interactive as we can, huh?

"There are some elaborate reviews (on the Smashwords site), so I don't think I need to add my own. Instead, I'll just say that this is my favorite Vamplit Publishing novel. Read it! You will love the characters, especially the vampires, and the storyline is more than enjoyable." Author Wendy Howard.

The following is the synopsis for my debut, "Dance on Fire":

Each May, the Central California town of Kingsburg celebrates its Swedish heritage with the annual Swedish Festival: a weekend event where the town puts on its traditional dress, culminating with a dance around a Maypole on Friday, and a Swedish pancake breakfast and parade on Saturday. The town with a population of over 11,000 residents draws thousands more to the event. This year, two uninvited guests also converged upon the unsuspecting town.

Nathaniel is a vampire. He wandered into town, bothering no one; feeding upon stray cats and other vermin, wanting nothing more than to have a place to rest his head. Vincent is a second vampire, and the one responsible for "making" Nathaniel. He has been searching for his long lost “son” for well over two centuries. Vincent’s goal is to take Nathaniel home or kill him. Nathaniel has often wished for death, wondering why God ever allowed this punishment: to walk the earth undead and unable to be redeemed. Does God remember the little boy from Romania who watched his parents die, was raised by the murdering vampire, only to become one himself? What does God think of Nathaniel and could there yet be redemption for one outside of heaven?

Ten days before the start of the Swedish Festival the most tumultuous week in the history of Kingsburg has begun with two vampires leaving death and destruction in their wake. Kingsburg Police Detectives Mark Jackson and Michael Lopez, Barbara and the entire Lopez family find themselves drawn into something that threatens to destroy them all or leave them scarred forever.

In a marriage of the classic horror story and the Christian themes of good conquering evil and redemption, "Dance on Fire" is the account of characters being drawn into the fire and the supernatural forces around them watching as they burn.

"I didn't like this novel at first because it started out like a choppy crime novel - you know where you get a piece of the story for each character and it goes back and forth with short paragraphs. Eventually the writing became elegant, especially when the flashbacks and vampire details were included. I enjoyed that quite a bit. I thought it was a strange combination though. It took a while to get into it, but I did end up liking it in the end." Julie from Goodreads.

Now, you might wonder why I posted Julie's review. It's because I liked it. She didn't jump up and down, shouting from rooftops that she had just read the most brilliant book ever; however, she didn't hate it, either. I choose to latch on to the parts where she wrote that the writing was "elegant" and the fact that she "liked it". She gave the story a chance, which is all that one can ask. The fact that she liked it when it was over is a win in my book. I hope many more will give it a chance as well.

The following is from the forthcoming sequel, tentatively titled, "Dance on Fire: Flash Point":

Five years after the death of their only child Tiffany, Steve and Angie Rosen receive an unexpected guest to their Morro Bay, California home: their daughter. She comes with a tale of having suffered a terrible head wound in the fire that took their Kingsburg home, causing her loss of memory and migraine headaches that she must hide from daylight in order to prevent.Tiffany's reemergence is treated like Manna from God. However, her story is only half true. Tiffany is a vampire and no longer the daughter that the Rosen's missed so much. She sleeps during the day and hunts for human blood during the night, and she has come back not to be reunited with her parents. She has come back to enact a twisted revenge upon the town of Kingsburg and those who ruined the plans of her master, the notorious vampire, Vincent. And she is not alone.    


Five years after the terrible events that reshaped the Swedish Village, Kingsburg lies unsuspecting as five vampires descend upon her with a great evil in their black hearts. 


Five years after old wounds have finally healed and the old fires were thought extinguished, Police Chief Michael Lopez and Officer Mark Jackson and their families find themselves surrounded when fires blaze anew. The good vampire, Nathaniel, has pledged his service to these people, but he is no longer among them. He lives high in the Oregon mountains near the California border, seeking whether God might have a place in His kingdom yet for him. 


When Nathaniel discovers that Tiffany has returned, will he be too late to stop her? And will his desire to protect his friends destroy what God has begun in him?
    
It will all begin with a "Flash point".


Vamplit Publishing is hoping to bring this second chapter of my story to you in early 2012. When it does, you will be the first... Okay, I'll be the first, but then you guys. *grins*

We'll talk soon.

9 comments:

  1. Congrats on the nice reviews! Always wonderful when that happens. :)

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  2. I agree. Nice when the pot that we so often watch to boil does a little cooking on its own, eh?

    I also like that you posted Julie's review. For one, I tend to wonder at all rave reviews, but also it gives me hope, as I was just talking with my wife about this very fact for my novel. I feel like there is a tone shift after the first couple of chapters and have been concerned how many readers aren't giving it a chance past the free sample.

    My only suggestion is that you take out at least part of the synopsis for Flash Point. In it, you give away the fact that Vincent has been murdered in the first book. I understand that it may not be his ending (and can you ever really defeat evil?) but it's something you might want to hold back from potential readers of the first book.

    Anyway, congrats again.

    Paul D. Dail
    www.pauldail.com- A horror writer's not necessarily horrific blog

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  3. I bet you're excited about the second installment. It sounds really good, Jimmy. Good luck!

    I don't have a better idea. Chronicles isn't a bad choice, really.

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  4. Congrats on the great reviews. That's always lovely. And thank you so much for all your support over the past year. :)

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  5. Thanks for posting my review. I'm glad you focused on the positive aspects because there are authors out there that focus on the negatives. Congrats on the upcoming second publication :)

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  6. Thanks, guys. I appreciate all of your comments and well-wishes.
    Paul - I took your advice and made a change to the synopsis of the sequel.
    Julie S. - It's great to meet you. *waves*
    Liz, Lorelei, Talli - always great to see you.

    -Jimmy

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  7. I like the Dance of Fire Chronicals! I'm also looking forward to reading the second book!

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  8. Thanks, Marissa. *bows* I promise there will be no babies in mortal danger this time... *double-checks* Whew! Yes. No babies in danger.

    -Jimmy

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  9. Jimmy, I love that you put up a mixed review, knowing that the reader giving it a chance is in itself a wonderful thing. You're setting a good example for the rest of us to follow. Have a great weekend!

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Thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate you taking the time. I'll get back to you here or on one of the other social networks. It's not like we're not on all of them, right? ;) Also, if you're here to give me an award - bless you. However, your friendship and visits are more than enough. Thanks and blessings.