Another Week, Another Cover Reveal

Greetings, Fire Enthusiasts. I hope you're well. As the title indicates, this is week two of a three week stretch where I'll be revealing covers. If you missed last week, I revealed the new cover that we have put on my debut novel, Dance on Fire. That's my crossover vampire series where I explore whether a vampire can actually be used for good or not. This week I'm revealing the cover that we've just put on book two in that series. So with no further delay:

So, what do you think? A bit more professional looking? That, of course, means no disrespect to the good folks who worked very hard on the original covers. I just felt that I should really put in the effort and the finances necessary to convey a more professional look for my work. Each of my first two novels have received good reviews. They just haven't had the largest reach as of yet, and I hope these covers help them achieve that.

Next week, at long last, we will finally be revealing the cover for my newest book, Seeing Ghosts. I use the word "we" because many of my wonderful friends have kindly volunteered to become involved in this reveal. With any luck, the cover will be blanketed all over the Internet in the days and weeks ahead as we move toward the June release date. For those of you out there who don't mind a bit of horror, but much prefer a paranormal slant, you're in luck because that's just what I'm bringing you this summer. What's that? You like a bit of romance, too? Well then, such the better. Seeing Ghosts should be paranormal at its best - and include just enough romance to please everyone.

The synopsis: 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 force her to hide from daylight in order to prevent. Tiffany's reemergence is treated like Manna from Heaven; however, her story is only half true. Tiffany is a vampire and their daughter in name only. She sleeps during the day and hunts for human blood during the night, and has come back to enact a twisted revenge upon 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?

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

I'm not going to take much more of your time here. I'm in the home stretch: Cover is done, Facebook event Page is ready to go and the edits are nearly complete. This week will see me move into the last read-through stage and then formatting for Kindle. You see, well in advance of the release date I will have the book up and ready to be sent out into the world for reviews. Speaking of that, if any of you do that sort of thing and have an opening, please let me know. I would love to send you a copy when its ready.

Alright, my friends. Have a great week. I'll get back to blog visits as soon as I finish all this work.

We'll talk soon.

A Teaser from Flash Point

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. By the time you read this I will have returned from a short weekend trip to Disneyland in Anaheim, California. I pen this post Friday evening as we prepare for it. You see, our Freshman and his high school choir are performing and we are chaperoning. It will be great because it is decorated for the holidays and always very cool to visit during this time. Since I haven't offered anything of my writing in a long time, I thought this would be the time to share something. It is from the moment that Tiffany returns to her parents who have thought her long dead. If you like what you see, I have just recently lowered the price of the ebooks. Flash Point is now 2.99 and book one in the series, Dance on Fire, is now .99. If nothing else, how about adding book 1 or 2 to your Goodreads shelf?

Angie sat transfixed. There were simply too many thoughts, too many emotions, and too many memories colliding into one another in her poor brain and she was woefully unequipped to handle it all. It was no small wonder why she didn’t fall over with a heart attack.

“Mom,” Tiffany began as she hung her sunglasses on the front of her long sweater. “Are you alright?” She stopped abruptly.

“No.” Angie heard someone saying but didn’t realize who it was or where it was coming from. It did sound remotely like her voice, although but a shell of its usual strength. It was then that she realized that she was also shaking her head. “No, no, no,” she announced, her voice finding itself with each syllable.

Angie was seemingly powerless, as if she were part of an audience witnessing what was transpiring rather than a participant. “It can’t be. Don’t do this to me.” Angie closed her eyes and fought to hold them that way as she began to yell, defiantly. “I’ve lost her. Are you trying to drive me mad?”

But she lost the battle. She opened her eyes to see Tiffany approach and kneel before her, staring deeply into her eyes. “I swear, Mom,” she spoke tenderly. She didn’t touch her yet. It was too soon. “It is me. I’m so sorry that I was taken from you, but I am back now.” She leaned closer still, setting her hands down on the floor on each side of her. “I have found my way back to you and I will never leave you again.”

It was Tiffany. Angie had spent perhaps a hundred sleepless nights, wondering what it might have been like to hold her daughter the night of the fire and have her die in her arms. She had wished for the most basic of human desires: to kneel against the gurney in the morgue and weep over her departed flesh; to even have a body to bury. Kneeling beside her was the subject of both her bitter dreams as well as a promised, but unlived future.

“Steve!” Angie cried out suddenly. She didn’t wait to see whether her husband had heard or not, she simply yelled once more with everything that she had. She needed him beside her now. “Steve!”

***

Steve heard his name called out the first time and had begun to swing his legs out of bed by the time that she called again. He managed to get the closed door open, but was unable to navigate through the doorway without bumping his left side in the frame because of the cobwebs of sleep on his brain. He winced as he came barreling down the hall to see what could be the matter. He could see someone kneeling before Angie but seemed to have trouble registering just what exactly was taking place there in the middle of the room. The person pulled back a little, no doubt hearing his approaching assault, and only then did he finally see her.

“Holy Mother of God!”

He stopped dead in his tracks and had to lean against the nearest wall in order to keep himself from joining the two of them there on the floor.

“Steve,” Angie said, turning to face her husband. Her expression was blank. Even her eyes seemed drugged. “It’s Tiffany,” she stated plainly.

“I see that, dear,” Steve replied, still holding his position against the wall. He stared at his long-thought-departed daughter. She looked just the same as she did the afternoon that he had last seen her, the day that they had left her home for what was to have simply been a weekend. She smiled at him warmly, as if reading his mind.

“Hello, Dad,” she said.

“Hello, Tiffany.” His legs gave out then, and he slid down the wall. He seemed not to notice.

It was the most extraordinary of reunions; the three of them sitting on the hardwood floor in the living room and mouth of the hallway. No one moved for a good ten minutes or so as if doing so would cause one or all of them to awaken to find this were but a dream. Angie stared at her beloved daughter, speechless but reborn. Steve simply studied both of his girls, taking it all in. A smile broke out on his face as he could visibly notice the color of that rebirth filling his wife’s cheeks and lips.

Finally, Tiffany stood. Her parents studied her, marveling at her, as if she were an angel suddenly appearing before them. She reached down and took her mother’s arms at the sleeves and lifted her to her bare feet.

“You’re cold, dear,” Angie whispered as she continued to simply stare at her beautiful young face.

            “I’m always cold."

 

Hmm? I wonder why she's always cold. What do you think it might be?

We'll talk soon.

Coffin Hop 2012

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts and esteemed guests. I am overjoyed to have you stop by this particular week. There are two reasons for this. As you can see, and no doubt already knew, it is Coffin Hop time. We did this last year and it was a blast getting to know new ghouls and goblins (had to throw that in there). I hope not to take too much of your time as you will not want to miss out on eveything that everybody has planned. In case you need to locate the other participants, here's the link to the CoffinHop Site as well as the list.

The second reason is - as fate would have it - my second novel is finally ready.

It has been two years in the making. During this time we've had delays, the loss of my small publisher and the decision to make whether or not to proceed full Indie. In any event, the second installment of my crossover vampire series is ready to be released this Monday, October 29th. It is called Dance on Fire: Flash Point. You can find the e-book on Amazon.com, along with my debut, Dance on Fire. However, as a special Coffin Hop promotion, I am prepared to offer several copies.

In order to whet your appetite I have chosen a teaser from the new novel. In the story, one of the villians from book one returns to enact revenge upon our heroes. She did not come alone, but brought four other vampires with her. They took hostages and our heroes once again team up to save the day...

Luis waited until the vampire had moved several houses away before he risked whispering into his police issued radio. He had to be careful not to alert him to his position; however, every moment that the monk delayed brought potential harm the chief’s way. “Coming your way, Chief Daniels,” the monk finally warned, from his vantage point in the bushes across the street from the Rosen house.

***

Erich saw the man walking toward the same corner that he was headed for, and then grinned to himself as he continued along the sidewalk, heading in a collision course with him. With each subsequent step, the kill appeared easier as it was revealed that the man was thin and in his golden years. The vampire’s fangs began to protrude from his mouth in anticipation.

Suddenly, the old man before him spun and ran back the way that he had come. Erich stopped and watched him for a moment, and then began to chase. From this close distance, he could predict exactly how many steps it would take him before he caught the man from behind, how many feet the man would roll when he yanked him backward, and just how salty the taste of the man’s blood would be.

It would be all too easy.

The man ran as hard as he could. Under the circumstances, he was doing quite well, considering his obvious age. He abandoned the sidewalk and suddenly cut across a corner yard.

Erich didn’t feel it necessary to go to his full speed. He wore a grin as he turned the corner, continuing to anticipate that rush of warm sustenance. He set aside his concerns about finding that blouse in the yard. When he had run across the yard and back onto the sidewalk, just as his quarry had done, something pricked him the wrong way. The old man was still running down the sidewalk, but now another figure stood between them. The other man’s expression seemed to indicate that he had been waiting there all along.

Erich hit his brakes and stopped twenty feet before him.

“You are correct. I’ve been waiting here for you,” the figure spoke.

Behind him, the old man stopped his running as well, and had begun to carefully walk back. “Oh?” Erich said. He stood tall and imposing before him, unconcerned as of yet.

“I am Nathaniel,” he said and began to slowly walk toward the vampire. “And this here is Chief Daniels.”

The old man breathed heavily. “Haven’t … run like … that in a … while.”

Erich ignored him and kept his eyes fixed on the new man, the tall one. “Nathaniel?” he repeated. “Nathaniel?” Now, he was concerned. That was the name of the vampire that Tiffany had told them about. It was he who had thwarted her master’s efforts, and himself who had been made a vampire by him in the first place. They had expected to run into him on their trip to Kingsburg, and were disappointed when they hadn’t.

He should not be here! he realized and began to backtrack. Before the vampire reached him, Erich turned and began to run.

Nathaniel had him immediately and slammed him face first into the grass in the corner yard. He dragged him hurriedly, not allowing him to get his balance, and slammed him repeatedly into a nearby tree.

“What do you want?” Erich yelled between blows.

“I want to know what happened to the two women?”

“Why?” Erich asked, weak from both the body damage and because he had yet to feed.

“Because I do!” he yelled. “They mean something to me.” He pulled the vampire close to him.

“I don’t understand,” Erich groaned. He began to wilt. If not for Nathaniel holding him, he would have fallen. “Both you and Tiffany going to so much trouble. Who was this Victor who caused so much to bear?”

Nathaniel paused, wondering whether he had heard him correctly. “What did you say?’ he asked, releasing him. The idea was simply too incredulous to be believed. “Did you say, Victor?”

“That was his name, wasn’t it?” Erich said, glancing up from a seated position there in the yard. “Victor?”

***

Feeling a sharp spike of anger beginning to swell within him, Nathaniel reached back down, grabbing the vampire by the hair and quickly hauling him to his feet. He brought his face close as he snarled through gritted teeth. “His name was Vincent! You have committed murder and brought ruin to two families and do not know the name of the monster that caused all of this to be!” Blinded by fury, Nathaniel brought his hands over the vampire’s head and slammed it repeatedly against the tree. It did little to appease his anger. Eventually, he gripped the vampire’s ears as if he were about to rip them off of his head. Instead, he gave them a turn, and twisted Erich’s head around.

Chief Daniels came walking up as Nathaniel released the vampire to the ground at his feet. He wasn’t dead, but would be soon enough. He spun. The chief raised his hands quickly in fear. Nathaniel saw the look on his face and waved him off.

“Did you hear?” Nathaniel yelled. The chief raised his hands again, this time motioning for him to watch the loudness of his voice, but the vampire would have none of it. “They don’t even know why they are doing this!”

Having said this, he turned back around, grabbed the body at his feet and proceeded to drag it behind him as he walked with a renewed purpose down the sidewalk toward the Rosen house.

Chief Daniels watched the incredible sight before him, but quickly went over to the fence and fished for his radio. “Michael,” he said when he had it back on. “Two down, but I think Nathaniel’s just gone off the reservation!”


Thank you for taking the time. I didn't want this post to be too long, so I didn't post the full synopsis. I will do that next Monday which is the day of the big release. In the meantime, I have several copies of the ebook to give away. I would love for you to follow all of my pages, etc, but want to keep this as painless as possible. If you would simply join my Facebook Event Page and then share it with your friends, that will be more than enough. Just leave me a comment that you did and wish to be included in the giveaway. Leave me your e-mail address in a way that the spambots won't find it. Mine is rapture22 (at) hotmail (dot) com for example.

The giveaway will last through the end of the Coffin Hop. I will then contact the winners.

Thanks again for stopping by. We'll talk soon.

One Night with the Vampire Nathaniel

Greetings, Fire Enthusiasts. Today I bring you a rare treat. Although I have written two books about the events that occurred in Kingsburg concerning vampires (the sequel is nearly ready for your eyes), I have always done so in third person. Recently, I was visited by Nathaniel himself, and I thought I would share that experience with you. He allowed me to share those details, but not the date, for whatever reason.

Nathaniel: Wake up, James.

Me: That’s cold! I hate it when you do that! [He touched me on the neck with his cold hands].

Nathaniel: Yes, I know. Luis doesn’t like it either [you'll meet Luis in book 2]. You wished to see me?

Me: Well, yes, but you didn’t have to come in the middle of the night!

Nathaniel: Ah. What time would you have preferred? 3 pm?

Me: Good point. I didn’t realize you were in town.

Nathaniel: No one does. However, since the events of your most recent book on the matter, I have decided to remain closer to home [His tone here was sarcastic. He would prefer that I did not document these events, but does nothing to stop me].

Me: Well, that’s good.

Nathaniel: Is it?

Me: Of course.

Nathaniel: Why? Does this give you fodder for further books? [See what I mean?]

Me: Nathaniel, it’s not like that.

Nathaniel: No?

Me: No! I wrote the stories so they wouldn't be forgotten, and to explain things.

Nathaniel: Some things are best left untold, James. There are many mysteries that have been left unsaid.

Me: Like what? Aliens? JFK? Secret societies? Vampires?

Nathaniel: Especially vampires.

Me: Don’t you think it’s good that people realize there are some good vampires in the world?

Nathaniel: There are no good vampires in the world. Surely you must realize this? You know the stories, although you seem to employ creative license in the telling of these tales of yours.

Me: Oh? So you don’t think I have the events correctly?

Nathaniel: I did not come here to quibble with you about these silly books you write. I only came to see what you wanted. We have a nice relationship, you and I. Let us not sour it with ridiculous arguments that serve no purpose. Now, what did you wish to discuss with me?

Me: I believe you've already answered my question.

Nathaniel: Which was what exactly?

Me: I didn't mean to summon you down from the mountains… [Book 2 explains where he's been].

Nathaniel: I have already told you that I did not come down for you. I am here now and will remain so. Please. What did you wish to know?

Me: I was curious what you thought of my books. Now I know. You clearly don't like them.

Nathaniel: James, I am sure they are fine. Have I seen them? Yes, I have. Have I read them? A little. I believe skimmed is the operative word. I try and read the Bible only at this point. I have read a great many books in my lifetime, and have enjoyed them. What I need now more than anything, however, is the book that gives not pleasure, but life. I need this very much.

Me: I see. I wish you well with that, Nathaniel.

Nathaniel: Thank you. If I may ask, where is your Bible, James?

Me: In the library.

Nathaniel: Bottom left shelf, is that right?

Me: Yes.

Nathaniel: There are two there.

Me: That sounds right.

Nathaniel: Covered in dust.

Me: Sadly, I think’s that’s right.

Nathaniel: You know it is.

Me: Yeah.

Nathaniel: Good night, James.

Me: Good night, Nathaniel. I apologize for bothering you.

Nathaniel: It was no bother.

I haven’t seen Nathaniel since that night, although I'm fairly sure that I have felt his presence a time or two. It’s a bit unnerving, but I don’t fear him. The key is respecting him and his power. I should have his second set of adventures available in October. I'm calling it Dance on Fire: Flash Point. When I told him once what I was calling it, he stared at me for a moment before shaking his head. "Aren't you getting rather tired of the whole fire thing," he asked me. I went on to explain why I liked it so much, but by the time that I was done, I found that he had already left.

We’ll talk soon. If Nathaniel stops by again, I’ll be sure and let you know.

Dance on Fire: Flash Point Cover Revealed

Greetings and salutations, Fire Enthusiasts. I really love to talk about anything other than me, unless I really have something new to say. Today I have something new to show you.

There really hasn't been much to discuss in the last year while I waited on others with regard to my writing career. Now that I no longer have anyone but myself to rely upon, I have been busy pulling myself up from my own bootstraps, as they say. My debut ebook is on Amazon now. The reviews have been great so far, and I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to post one. I am currently busy getting this second edition of my vampire debut released as a paperback. At the same time, my sequel Dance on Fire: Flash Point has been line-edited and beta-tested, and is now in the hands of a professional editor. I should be hearing back from her in the next few weeks. I am pushing for an October release for the ebook and shortly thereafter for the paperback version.

Without further ado, here - at long last - is the cover:

Many thanks to Author and Artist Sue Midlock for taking my words and turning it into the cover art. Well done, my friend.

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 force her to hide from daylight in order to prevent. Tiffany's reemergence is treated like Manna from Heaven; however, her story is only half true. Tiffany is a vampire and their daughter in name only. She sleeps during the day and hunts for human blood during the night, and has come back to enact a twisted revenge upon 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.

 

We'll talk soon. 

Have I Been Stalling?

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts... Wait! There are still Fire Enthusiasts out there, right? Hello?

Hello, my friends. This is precisely why I have come before you this week; to talk to you about my writing. You may have noticed that I have spent more time this year talking about the books that I have read more so than the books I have written. There's a story behind that; however, it isn't a very good story. Suffice it to say that there has been some drama behind the scenes which appears to have ironed itself out.

If you've been coming by periodically you know that there were some corrections that I wanted done to my first novel, Dance on Fire. Those are being done now. Both the e-book and the softcover will be corrected. The regulars may also realize that we've been stuck in the editing stage for quite a long time for the sequel, Flash Point. You would not be wrong, but that, too, is nearly complete. Those should be hitting my inbox in a matter of days and then I will pull a 24 hour shift and get those sent back out to my publisher. *Thinks again* Ok, perhaps not a 24, but as close as humanly possible.

In the meantime, I have begun editing the third novel that I have told you about entitled, Ghosts, and am very pleased with it. That book wrote itself very quickly this spring. I should be asking for beta readers at some point in July, if all goes well. I've never used betas before, but am looking forward to it. I have had a couple of wonderful people already offer to do that, and I love them for it. It has been a long time since my first release, and although I still don't exactly know when this second one is releasing, I do not want to wait as long for this third one to come out.

If you are unfamiliar with Dance on Fire, here's the blurb:

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.

Here's the blurb for 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 force her to hide from daylight in order to prevent. Tiffany's reemergence is treated like Manna from Heaven; however, her story is only half true. Tiffany is a vampire and their daughter in name only. She sleeps during the day and hunts for human blood during the night, and has come back to enact a twisted revenge upon 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.


If you have yet to grab a copy of Dance on Fire, give it a week or so until I announce those corrections. I'll be sure to let you know.


I apologize for all of the delays. The next few weeks should be very exciting. I hope to have specific announcements and reveals for you. I will also be conquering that last peak: Amazon.com. The book has been everywhere else and now finally will be available everywhere. I thank you all for standing by me during this process and for always being good to extend me some encouragement. I hope I have done likewise.


We'll talk soon.

A Blurb and the Blur

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. It's me. What? It's me, Jimmy! What do you mean you don't remember? You haven't heard from me? *sigh* Well, I guess that's my fault, isn't it? Allow me to explain.


First, allow me to thank many of you who have wished us well with our two graduates this graduation season. Our oldest graduates high school next Thursday. Our other son just graduated from Junior High last week. Yesterday (I'm writing this post Sunday morning), we celebrated by throwing a party for both of them. With all of that going on, I have had to ignore my trusty laptop. I think there were two days where I didn't even turn it on. I peeked in on my trusty iPhone, but that was all. In fact, my laptop is barely speaking to me at this point. *laughs* So that's where I've been hiding.

On the publishing front, we're still mired in the editing process for Dance on Fire: Flash Point. No, that doesn't mean the book is bad or anything negative like that. Instead, it's more reflective of life getting in the way on both sides of the ocean (my publisher is in England, don'tcha' know?). In any event, we should have news on that front very soon as well as some kind of schedule of events with regard to the cover release, release date and promotion.


On top of that, you haven't heard anything from me with regard to my debut, Dance on Fire, because I have asked for some changes since the discovery of some issues that I told you about back in March. Once those are completed, I will resume promoting it as much as isn't nauseating for everyone around me. Sadly, we all can name a few of the those author friends who only seem to promote themselves and to do so incessantly. Am I right? I'm not trying to be mean. Lord knows, most of us are learning as we go, making twice as many mistakes for every brilliant idea; me most of all.


While I have been awaiting my edits for Flash Point, I started writing again. I believe I mentioned something about this recently. I backed away from the vampires with this one. I have always wanted to write a haunted house story, but refused to begin one until I thought I had an idea which presented itself as being fresh and one that would not fall flat in the end, as many films and books have done, in my opinion. This is not to say that my idea will be the next big thing (I'm hoping it is, I'm just not saying it. *laughs*). I'm really only saying that until I was excited about the project, I wasn't going to start writing it.


With that in mind, this past new year, I began sitting down and writing again. Please remember, I had only been doing promoting and networking, and hadn't written anything new since Flash Point, which was written over two years ago. I started out only writing on weekends, but recently abandoned my reading schedule and began writing nearly every day. In only about 4.5 months I knocked out the first draft of a 70k word novel that is currently entitled Ghosts.


The day after I finished, I spent a few minutes penning a blurb for it. I will leave you with it. The ink is still fresh and I have yet to whip out the fine toothed comb, but here it is:

            Paul Herrera hasn’t worked, left town or done much of anything since the untimely death of his wife two years before. He suddenly finds himself bequeathed a mysterious old house near the California central coast by a deceased aunt that he never knew. The woman who showed it to him and handed him the keys is the spitting image of his dead wife, taken from him two years before in a senseless car accident which also took from him his unborn son. While he deals with the ghosts of a past that he cannot let go, there are new ghosts as dead Aunt Flora is not content with eternal sleep, but continues her unholy quest to be rejoined with her dead husband on this side of the grave.

Flora isn’t the only ghost that Paul must deal with, alone for the week in the expansive two-storey house that he will soon discover holds many secrets. Eventually, he will see that he is surrounded by ghosts, both the ethereal and those that only haunt his memories, as he struggles to hold onto the only thing that he has left in this world: his sanity.

           Ghosts is the 72,000 word novel that mixes Paranormal, Horror and Romance to come up with a story that should appeal to everyone who likes their dark genres paired with reality that we can all relate to such as the feelings of terrible heart-wrenching loss and our search for a love that might outlive us.


We'll talk soon.

Back at Work

Greetings, Fire Enthusiasts. As always, it is very good to see you... Hmm? Yes, I can see you there. See. *waves* You look great, by the way.

Wow! That wasn't creepy, was it? Practically everyone's got one of those cameras now, so you never know if someone really is staring back at you. I promise that I'm not. In fact, that was what I was trying to tell you. If you're reading this, then that means that it is a new week, second week of January, and I am back to work. Two glorious weeks off and I was sick! Sad, isn't it? Oh, well. There's no use crying about it. My allergies kicked in, as you probably already know. That was Christmas evening. Soon the fever hit, knocking me to the couch for days. I got a lot of dvds watched, but not a whole lot of writing done until week two. You would have thought that I might have caught up on blogging at least, but for several days I couldn't seem to keep too many cognitive thoughts together. So, no; not really.

Actually, I did manage to get some blogging done, and hopefully, many of you noticed me hanging around. I have been putting into practice what I learned at the tail end of last year, which was how much more efficient it is to have posts actually delivered to my e-mail. Now I no longer have to go hunting through time lines, looking for points of interest. Of course, now every time I check my my e-mail I end up having 50 new messages! *laughs* The good news is I can easily manage all of that. Since I can't visit 20 sites a day (certainly not while I'm back to work), I simply visit the posts that speak to me, or perhaps ones where I feel guilt for not having visited in a long while.

When I did feel better, especially during the second week, I began getting up at 7:00 am and hitting trusty laptop while the house was still very quiet for a few hours. While we're waiting for those edits to come in on Dance on Fire: Flash Point, I have set the vampires aside for a while while I work on something to do with ghosts. I have mentioned it before, but I have always wanted to tackle the subject, and things seem to have aligned wonderfully for this to be my next project. I managed to get about 10,000 words done, plus a bunch of research, so we'll see how it goes. For the most part the book is writing itself.

Lastly, I did manage to get a little reading done, too. Last week, I reviewed books by Red Tash and Jerry McKinney. This week, Author Erin Cole's Grave Echoes.

As Amazon's synopsis reads, "The nightmare is real…Kate Waters suffers from narcoleptic hallucinations, which recently involve her unreachable sister, Jev, and a mysterious key. When Kate receives the terrible news concerning Jev's fatal car accident and acquires the strange key from her visions, she unlocks her sister's world of perilous secrets involving witchcraft, poltergeist, and a heartless killer determined to get back what is his. The danger lies in whom to trust.Terrifying paranormal encounters, a trailing wolf, and an attempted murder of one of Jev's friends, forces Kate to turn to the one she fears most, the priestess of Jev's coven, Thea. She challenges Kate's beliefs and provides her vital clues about her sister's murder, but will Kate overcome her fears before anyone else dies? To do so, she will have to trust in a world where the possibilities are unbelievable and the consequences are deadly."

Cole does a masterful job of pairing a paranormal ghost story with a good old-fashioned whodunit. Her protagonist Kate finds herself surrounded by ghosts, a fine mystery and enough potential candidates for our unidentified subject responsible for her sister's death than we can shake a witch's broom at. When I read, I tend to fly through a novel in hope, not of deciphering the mystery, so much as simply enjoying the ride. Perhaps some of you might pace yourself, endeavoring to attempt to solve the puzzle before Kate does. Good luck. Cole does a great job of dangling enough circumstantial evidence and red herrings about that, if you're anything like me, will find yourself convinced of guilt from nearly every character in this novel at one point or another.

I have read quite a few paranormals as well as a few mysteries in my adult life; however, this very well may have been the first time that I have seen the two joined. I worried at one point that the paranormal was going to take a hard left turn toward the end, but that did not prove to be the case. At it's heart, this story is definitely a mystery. There just happens to be enough of the ghosts and dark magic to keep the paranormal fans interested, all the while taking the reader along for a well-written, well constructed and well-plotted ride.

One last thing. Today is the 68th birthday of guitarist, song-writer, producer and Led Zeppelin founder, James Patrick Page. I was a late-bloomer when it came to rock music, missing out on the mighty Zep until introduced at Live-Aid in 1985. After that, I immersed myself in their music and never looked back. They are my all-time favorite band. Because of that, while in high school, many of my friends called me Jimmy Page. One or more still do, all of these years later. So hilarious!

Happy Birthday, Jimmy. Long live the king!
We'll talk soon.