The Devil Returns with an Infernal Plot

Greetings, Fire Enthusiasts. It has taken longer than I thought, but the next chapter in my crossover vampire series is nearly ready. As of this writing, I have completed the edits that my wonderful editor had for me. All that is left is for me to do is to venture back into Writer's Cave and work through the painstakingly slow process of reading the book aloud - to make sure that every paragraph, every sentence and every word is just right. Today I have a teaser for you, hopefully to whet your appetite or capture your curiosity...

Nathaniel felt sudden remorse. “I apologize,” he said, but didn’t elaborate exactly what he might be sorry for.

“I don’t believe you,” she said quietly. “You don’t want me here. I am not welcome.” She leapt to her feet. “I don’t know why I bother.”

With that, she marched off into the woods and was gone. Nathaniel felt torn, but merely sat on the chair and waited for his clashing thoughts to clear, curious to see which side of the argument would emerge victorious. He didn’t know why she bothered, either, but tried not to worry about it. At least, that was what he told himself. After all, he had much larger concerns. Whether he would see Marie ever again wasn’t one of them.

What he could not afford to do was have her presence distract him from his mission, which was to seek God’s face and protect those under his charge. He had allowed himself to be unfocused too many times before when it had had mattered most.

Unfortunately, she had proved to be a distraction after all. The smell of sulfur hit him when it was far too late to do anything about it.

The chair beside him was no longer empty.

Satan sat there, in far finer clothing than even Marie had adorned herself with. He stared back at the vampire with the vilest grin Nathaniel thought he had ever seen.

“Greetings,” he said as he fingered the fedora in his lap. “You really have a way with the ladies, don’t you?”

Nathaniel bristled, but wasn’t afraid. It was far too late for that anyway. Satan had caught him unawares. And with an army of vampires well on their way, he never once considered the Devil doing anything but taunting him with that fact.

“Apparently so.”

“She is a fine woman, you know?” Satan chided. “There’s an opportunity there. Her perverted brother keeps her chained up inside that estate of theirs, while he does what he pleases like Caligula. Not really in chains, of course, but she may as well be. She just sits in that garden of hers.”

“So, she wasn’t lying about that?” Nathaniel asked.

“No.”

“And of course I can trust you to tell me the truth.”

Satan shrugged. “Believe what you want.”

“Why did you bring her here?” Nathaniel asked.

“Who says I did that?” Satan laughed before he could get the words out. “I’m sorry. It’s too much of a lie even for one as accomplished in the skill as me. She’s a gift.”

Nathaniel shook his head. “The level of your contempt knows no limits, does it? She is a person and not a thing to be given or thrown out with the trash.”

“She’s a vampire, but I won’t split hairs with you,” Satan countered. “So you do like her then. Good.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Yes, you did. Of course you did. She is my gift to you. Take her and do as you please.”

“Forget it.”

“And why not?” Satan asked. “You’re both alone. Why not be companions? Besides, I brought her here, but your God routinely turns things around for good, does he not? Romans eight; twenty-eight, I believe. Why don’t you ask God about it?” He leaned close. “Still not talking to you?” When Nathaniel didn’t take the bait, he sat back. “I see,” he said.

Eventually, Satan slid down in his chair in his expensive Italian suit and kicked one leg over the other. The moonlight leapt onto his polished leather shoes and held them far stronger than it had with Marie’s blouse. Nathaniel wasn’t surprised at the unearthly glow.

“Great shoes, huh?” Satan remarked, following his gaze. “It’s amazing how quickly they wear out. They last days at best.”

“It must be all the ground you have to cover,” Nathaniel said.

Satan nodded. “You would be correct.”

“Couldn’t you retire and see the world?”

“Ha!” Satan laughed loudly and some birds flew off the trees, making a loud ruckus. “Oh, I couldn’t do that. I have only my work. Seeing the world is not all it’s cracked up to be anyway. In any event, seeing it is a part of the job description.”

“Are there not wars being waged that you need to attend to? Famines? Mankind being woefully unprepared for the next hurricane, earthquake, drought, tsunami?”

“Yes,” he replied. “And infinitely more. However, I have everything covered, thank you so much. I have more than enough time for all of that, to handle what goes on here as well as what transpires in the central valley of the State to our south.”

Nathaniel blinked, but said nothing. He crossed his arms and did his best to fight the urge to take his sword off of his lap and run the Devil through with it. If only it were that easy.

“What’s the matter?” Satan asked. “Don’t you worry about Barbara and her children? Especially with Michael being here with you?”

He said nothing.

“No, of course you worry.” Satan nodded. He took his hat and set it back on his head. “You shouldn’t bother. Soon there’ll be nothing to worry about.”

Nathaniel began to pray in his mind, but showed no outward appearance of it.

“Stop that!” Satan ordered as he climbed to his feet. He threw an arm out as if tossing something away. “I was afraid you were going to start praying!” He spun around and faced him.

If Satan became riled and decided to kill him, there was really very little he could do about it, he knew.

“Look around,” he spat. “What has God done for you? I mean, really? What has he gained you?”

Nathaniel stared up at the Devil. This was perhaps his defining moment and he knew it. His chance to stand in the face of the greatest threat to God and man, and declare his allegiance. Satan leveled his cold, dark eyes at him, as if he fully anticipated what was coming.

“I am nothing without the Lord.”

Satan sighed and merely smiled. “Soon, you will be only nothing.”

If this is the first you have ever heard of my series, I hope you'll take a look at the first book, Dance on Fire. The e-book can be had for 99 cents at any of the major e-book stores. Here's the Amazon link. The series is definitely crossover or edgy, if you will. I don't label it Christian, though the themes are obviously present. You're going to find some language and a whole lot of blood being shed. Sometimes you will find your nose in the stuff. On the other hand the horror isn't so gratuitous that it turns all except the die-hards away.

Anyway, I hope you'll like it.

We'll talk soon. 

Looking Forward

Greetings, Fire Enthusiasts. Happy New Year to you and yours. I trust the holidays were a good one, and that Santa brought you at least one good thing. I had an iTunes gift card in my stocking as well as a small stack of BluRays under the tree, so my Christmas was a good one. #brat

See, everything gets decorated in my house!

The holidays were also good because I am on vacation and don't go back to the day job until January 5th. In addition, I had no writing projects and did nothing but sit back and enjoy them. My current work in progress is in the able hands of my wonderful editor - unlike 2013 when I was actually writing the thing. I wrote that first draft over four months (Nov. '13 to Feb. '14) and practically missed Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Years. *laughs* #writers So, no. I finished my 3rd draft in early December, spoke to the three beta readers (all were very pleased) and sent it off. Since then, I have simply been enjoying the season and hanging out with family.

This time of year media outlets typically spend a lot of time looking back at the year that was. In terms of writing I now have three novels self-published. The reviews have been very good and I can't complain. My latest novel - Seeing Ghosts - seems to have become everyone's favorite. That makes me very pleased. That book has everything in it that moves me. It's dark, haunting and very sweet. The only problem has been the chorus of readers who have told me they would love more of that story. Sadly, the book makes a perfect circle, with a lovely red bow on it, and milking it for another book seems wrong to me.

2014 has been my best year so far. Since my stories take place where I live, I have spent the bulk of my free time focusing on reaching that built-in demographic. I have my books in a local store, and have attended every event in town, doing my level best to get the word out. It's been working, but there's still more work ahead in 2015.

That is why I have titled this post: Looking Forward. 2015 needs to build on the previous year and propel me onward. I will publish my 4th novel this year, the third book in my crossover vampire series. Although I assume I will begin writing the next thing at some point, my focus will be to market the books I already have. I really hope to see them begin to pay for themselves. We all do, right? *sigh*

I'm going to keep this short, my friends. I wish you you the very best in 2015. I hope I encourage you the way you have encouraged me to keep pushing forward. I greeted many of you bloggers and writers before Christmas because I miss you all. If you did not hear from me, drop me a line here or on one of the other social networks and say hello. If not for you guys I might have quit this a long time ago. It isn't easy, is it? Not while our books float in a virtual sea of others out there.

The next time you hear from me you should see the blitz begin for my latest novel. There will be a cover release; blurbs, teasers and announcements - although I have not exactly been secretive when it comes to what's coming for our hero Nathaniel and his extended family. There will be other announcements, too.

In the meantime, Happy New Year!

Apparently I had yet to have my coffee in this photo...

We'll talk soon.

The Devil is Alive and Well

“What is that?” Luis asked, trying to compose himself while his body seemed bent on bringing up the remaining undigested contents of his stomach.

“One of our brothers,” Nathaniel stood and said.

“What?” Luis managed to ask. “But how? Who?”

“I am uncertain.”

Nathaniel was out of sorts. He was as confused as he had ever been in his life, going back all the way to his home in Cimpulung, Romania. The object at his feet was clearly a burned human form, and one of the monks of the monastery. How he had been dispatched was unclear. There was no wind about them, though the monastery was high in the mountains. It was as if everything was dead - human, animal, plant, atmosphere – everything.

“What’s that other terrible odor?” Luis asked.

“Sulfur,” Nathaniel answered. And then he began to wonder.

“Sulfur?”

“Yes. It used to be called brimstone.”

Greetings, Fire Enthusiasts. *glances around, sighs* Still summer, huh?

This is the traditional end of summer weekend, and how I wish it were Halloween already. At least then the heat would be long gone. If you enjoy summer then I hope the season finds you enjoying all that is left. Me? Not so much. That's central California for ya'. *grins*

I led off with a snippet of book 2 in my Dance on Fire crossover vampire series. The series that begs the question whether a vampire can be used by God. It's not a Christian novel, necessarily, but it does ask those questions and plays along those lines. The reviews have been good for Dance on Fire and Dance on Fire: Flash Point. I'm sitting on book 3 at the moment, patiently awaiting word from my betas as to how I'm doing so far. I've actually heard from one of them already, and she couldn't be happier. She says it's my best so far. That's always great to hear. It does have a title that I am not yet ready to reveal. The amazing Maria Zannini is also whipping up her cover magic at the moment. I'm still taking my time and hoping for an early 2015 release. We'll see... 

Cautiously, they walked inside the monastery. The sound of the door opening and closing behind them was loud. The monastery, which had always been a place of quiet reflection, now reminded Nathaniel of a crypt.

He would soon hate himself for having thought so.

When they turned a corner they stumbled upon two more smoldering heaps of human remains. In the candlelight they could make out more of the details, but it did nothing but succeed in making them further sickened in both stomach and heart—and for good reason. Not only did Nathaniel fully expect to see more of these, but now he was certain that Luis might be the last of his brothers left alive.

At the end of the corridor, there was another.

They walked through a doorway and were met by yet another. Luis covered his nose with both hands. They began to walk faster now. Their footfalls echoed harshly against the stone and wood building.

Outside the sanctuary, they found another. They had to slide it out of their way in order to open the door. When they did, they found precisely what they expected to find. The place was filled with rolled up charred remains. In the light of the sanctuary, the smoke and heat could be seen wafting off.

“My God!” Luis whispered.

“No, it isn’t.”

At the front of the sanctuary was a figure. At first glance, he appeared to be a tall man with a medium build, although he stood with his back to them, his hands clasped behind him. “I know you’re not referring to me,” he laughed. “But I appreciate the sentiment.”

The man wore slacks and a dress jacket. His dark hair was slicked back. The candlelight reflected off gold jewelry on several of his fingers as well as his left wrist.

“You know,” he continued, but still didn’t turn around to face them. “There’s something about this architecture that I’ve always liked. I don’t know what it is. I guess it’s familiar.”

“Whatever happens,” Nathaniel instructed. “Do not speak.”

Luis turned as if to ask why, but Nathaniel gave him a sharp look. He turned back just as the figure before them turned. He was still holding his hands behind his back.

“That’s right, dear Luis. Don’t speak. Truth be told, none of your brothers said anything either and it didn’t save them. Who’s to say what may happen?”

The reason I'm offering up what happens at the end of book 2 is because it is a fantastic tease as to what will be the entirety of book 3. Satan is not pleased that there is a vampire seeking God and thwarting his plans at seemingly every turn. It gets under his skin, as it were. And he will not put up with that...

“What do you want?” Nathaniel asked.

“What do I want,” the figure mimicked. “Hmm? I wonder. No, wait. I know. I want you to stay out of my affairs!” With those words, he swatted a smoldering ball of remains that was on the pew beside him. It rolled along the pew and collided with another, causing both to fall onto the wood floor. “I want you to quit killing my creations! How’s that? Is that clear enough for you to understand?”

“I have only become involved when it had to do with my friends.”

“Not true,” he said, and his voice was suddenly lacking the vile anger of just a few moments before. “When you leaped through that nursery window and interfered with my son, they were not yet your friends.”

Nathaniel saw Luis out of the corner of his eye. The man looked awestruck, but he couldn’t worry about that now. It was obvious, however, that Luis knew who this was.

The devil walked up the center aisle and stood before them in all of his twenty-first century splendor. He was impeccably dressed in a double-breasted grey suit, grey slacks and black Italian dress shoes. He removed his hands from behind his back and clasped them before him.

“So,” he said. “You boys have done well: four vampires dead. And let’s not forget about Angie.”

Nathaniel said nothing.

The devil looked away as if remembering something. “Make that five vampires. I forgot about Mark.”

The devil tried to tempt Nathaniel into reacting negatively. He wasn’t taking the bait.

“I mean, those were your bite marks on his neck, right?” he sarcastically asked.

“Yes,” Nathaniel answered through clenched teeth.

“I’m sorry,” the devil asked. “What was that?”

“Just what is it that you want, Devil?” Nathaniel asked, trying to get the conversation away from that nerve that the devil had begun to scratch.

The devil straightened up his posture. “I really don’t like that name,” he said. “I prefer Satan. You may call me that.”

Nathaniel said nothing. He knew enough about the devil from what he had read in the Bible to know that he needed to speak as little as possible. Anything more and he risked getting drawn into something that this evil force might be able to use against him, or risk becoming angered such that all of his control might be lost. As it was, things were tenuous at best.

And Satan knew that.

“What may I call you, is the question.” The Devil walked up to Nathaniel and didn’t stop until he had come before him, nearly touching his nose with his own. “I created vampires. You are a vampire. I imagine that you won’t quibble with this. That must make you my son. What do you say?”

So there you have it. I took a break from the series and these characters I have known so long when I wrote Seeing Ghosts. I was pretty burned out. It was such a wonderful break that I came back to my series, renewed. I wrote 143k words in four months. Soon I will take another pass at it before sending it off to my fantastic editor, Natalie G. Owens. If you have yet to sink your teeth into the books, I hope you'll take a look at them and give them a chance. Perhaps you'll like them enough to get caught up before Satan steps out of the shadows and attacks the vampire Nathaniel and his extended family with all that he has up his diabolical sleeve. Get the e-book that starts it off for only 99 cents.

Have a great September.

We'll talk soon.

Things Are Getting Hot This Summer

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. It's good to see you. It's been a while, hasn't it? I apologize for this, but those of you who know me are well familiar with the drill. I just continue to be super busy, juggling the demanding day job as well as doing all that I can to keep pushing this writing career. And, no, the title of this post does not mean I have begun penning erotic. *laughs*

My wife & I at Union Square

I swear I didn't plan to write during the summer because I can't stand the heat. Unless it's some subconscious thing, it really just worked out that way. It is true that I am hiding inside the air conditioned house and avoiding the 100-plus degree Central California summer, but it's because I'm working on the second draft of Dance on Fire 3. I should be revealing the true name of the book sometime in early fall or so. I'm fighting the urge to begin revealing teasers like synopsis and title, but I think I should wait a bit longer. The book is really beginning to come together quite nicely and should speed up very quickly in the coming months.

Riley (20) in the background, Rian (16) in the foreground.

I find myself half way through the second draft, and not changing too much in regard to plot. That's a good thing, because it means I haven't been second-guessing myself, in spite of the hard questions I'm asking. You see, I really don't want to simply write another chapter in the lives of these characters, but want to really push the envelope here. I want these characters to grow, and I want to take my readers beyond the comfort zone that I have staked out for them thus far. I don't want to turn them off; however, I do want to push myself, too. I hope we can all grow together, and come out with a fantastic story that moves all of us.

No smiling until after I've had my coffee. ;)

It hasn't been all work. We did take a weekend and visit San Francisco last month. We saw Jamie Cullum at the legendary Fillmore, and had a great experience. My oldest son turned me on to Jamie's music, and we've been huge fans of his ever since. As soon as word dropped that he was coming to California, we had tickets. We usually end up in southern California, so visiting the north was relatively new. We did some sightseeing, shopping and bonding as a family. My oldest son will be 20 next week and my other son is already 16, so it won't be long before taking off together will be out of the question - or simply too difficult to plan with all the schedules. I ran across a bookstore while there (you remember those, right? *winks*) and picked up the Keith Richards bio, Life. It was so good, and not just for fans of the Stones. It was a walk through the history of rock n roll - old Keef remembers if all - and brutally honest. It was a hell of a read. The only way it could have been any better was if I sat on a chair beside him, drink in hand and had him tell me the whole thing in person.

The book store where I came away w/ ole' Keef.

What's next? As I said, I'm half way through the second draft of my fourth novel. I have already begum reaching out to beta readers, and look forward to getting a near-final draft into their eager hands. This coming week I am being interviewed for a podcast - I'll have to update you when that goes live. In a week I am being interviewed at my church for the service we call Outpour. It's aimed at the youth and has the loudest worship service of the week. We live in a small town, so they'll be curious how all of this works. We'll also discuss how a Christian could possibly write about all things horror and paranormal. I've done this before, and am sure to survive the experience... I hope. *laughs*

This is for all the Mel Brooks fans out there.

Once I get through this process I'll look to get more involved in blogging again. I miss all of my writer/reader pals out there. *hugs to you guys* I also look to working a lot less hours, but God knows when that might be. If nothing else, my friends, I'll see you in August.

We'll talk soon.

Dance on Fire...3?

Happy mid-September, Fire Enthusiasts. It's very cool to see you here. You should know by now how much I appreciate you dropping by. There are millions of other sites you could be visiting. It humbles me that you chose this one, whether you leave a comment or not.


I'm pleased that fall is fast approaching and summer is losing its dominance as the season of the power. Of course you know I'm not concerned over winter's arrival since Central California winters are mild. Thick fog is the only worry here. If I had to shovel snow every morning I might be mourning summer a whole lot more than I am.


Thank you to all who visited last week. If you missed it, I'm all about the music, so I celebrated classic albums that just had to be played from beginning to end without skipping a song or two. Lots of people agreed with me, but many shared albums that they would have listed. I love that! I'm still trolling iTunes, hunting for many of those to add to the 7000+ songs on my iPod. See, I told you I was all about the music! It's not too late to join the discussion. You'll find the post just below this one.


As for the day job, I'm still working way too many hours. There's a possibility that they may be shortened a bit, but if it does happen it won't be for a couple months. *crosses fingers*


I have been faithful to my trusty treadmill. In the summer I found myself at 187 pounds. *laughs* "Found," he says. Okay, what happened was I spent every free moment during the spring and summer with book promotion and wasn't paying much attention to the garbage going in the tank, or the amount of hours I was spending sitting on my [CENSORED]. It took about a month to reverse that situation. I have been consistently below 180 now. Sunday I hit my low of 177 pounds. I eat and drink what I want, but know that I have to work it off. It's all about portion control and watching/reducing the amount of garbage that goes in. I was power-walking/running 3-7 miles as often as I could, much of that time in the late afternoon after work when it was 100+ degrees. The treadmill sits in the garage, so it wasn't fun. That's another reason why I can't wait for cooler temps.


I'm working on the outline for my next WIP. It's still early. So much of that is me doing nothing but spending my days allowing the ideas to percolate. This will be book 3 in my Dance on Fire, crossover vampire series. I know where the characters are, how many years later it will be, and some of what is begging to tale place. I just need the plot to clear in my mind and for that said-plot to excite me. When it excites me, that's when I will begin. It's getting there. If you are unfamiliar with this series allow me to explain...

Nathaniel is a vampire, wanting nothing more than to have a place to rest his head. He 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?

As you can see, my series is a crossover, marrying the best features of classic horror with the Christian themes of good conquering evil and redemption. I try not to hit my readers over the head with the church stuff. I just figured that if I was going to be adding to the vampire mythos, I needed something a little off the beaten path. It's getting good reviews. If curiosity gets the better of you, the e-book can be had on Amazon for 99 cents.

We'll talk soon.

Vampires Hunting for an Audience

Greetings and Salutations, Fire Enthusiasts. So glad you could take a moment of your time to drop by. Life has been hectic, as I know it probably has for you as well. Work at the day job has continued to be crazy busy, but who wants to discuss that? Certainly not me. *frowns* I don't even want to think about that when I'm there. ;)

Thanks to my being on vacation for those two weeks at the holidays - and the little part about me eating and drinking everything in sight *laughs* - I have been hard at work dropping the extra ten pounds I gained in December. I have faithfully been climbing upon my trusty treadmill and am pleased to report that I am down to 182. Of course it takes 60-90 minutes (4.5 to 6 miles and 800 to 1000 calories reduced) nearly every day to get me where I want to be. How about you? Any of you fighting the month of December?

I have been getting more reading done. I just finished the second installment of author Stant Litore's wonderful Zombie Bible series. This one was What Are Eyes Have Seen and it was very, very good. You may recall that I don't care for zombie tales, but what my friend Litore is doing is not to be missed. One wouldn't think there could be anything beautiful in and around zombie action, but you'd be terribly wrong. Then on Friday, author Greg Sisco released the second chapter of his Blood Brother's saga: The Wages of Sin. The book was so good that I had it done on day two. I drank from it like a fledgling vampire takes his first drain. What's a "drain" you may ask? It's what Sisco's vamps refer to their victims. If you've never heard anything like this, I can assure you that what Sisco is doing is altogether new and there's nothing like it in the marketplace; and if he shortly reports that some big six publisher has made him an offer he couldn't refuse, it will come as no surprise to me at all.

I labeled this post the way I did because it has been very slow going it terms of sales. The past couple of years I spend much time on promotion, doing the blogs and sending out Tweets and Facebook updates, etc. on promotion with little to show for it. This year, I plan on letting the work do the promoting. The reviews are trickling in, but when they do form a pool, they are glorious. I just received one yesterday by the awesome Lindsey Clarke. Click on her name there if you wish to see it. Among other things, she said: "With edge of your seat action and nail-biting events, (Garcia) leads you on a chase around town, where you're desperate to find out where the evil will strike next, and as it turns out, the danger is always closer than you might think... These days when you can't turn the page without bumping into a hot sparkly vampire or a bit of paranormal erotica, it's refreshing to find a novel without either. What I liked about (it) is that it leans toward the original vampire legend where vampires are more likely to drain you dry and rip your head off than sleep with you."

Not too shabby, huh? The series is available on Amazon Kindle and can be had for $4.00.

Lastly, I have been hard at work on draft two of my paranormal romance ghost story. Now, before you start picturing scantily clad cover models, you can sit back down. I'm aiming for that audience, but at it's heart it is a ghost story that deals with love and loss. I wrote this a year ago and am making it priority one. If you haven't seen me around the blogs, this is why. I'm hoping to have it ready for beta readers next month sometime, and this is where you come in. I will leave you with the working blurb that I have for it. Last year I had a couple of people tell me they'd be interested, but I'm asking one more time as I build a list of potential readers. Please let me know if you might be available to read something in the 70k word range that I can have ready for my editor in the spring. I could really use the help.

Blurb for Ghosts:

Paul Herrera hasn’t worked, left town or done much of anything since the untimely death of his wife three 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 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 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.

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.

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. 

Tweep Nation Podcast

Hello, Tweep Nation. How is everyone? I’m doing fine, thank you very much. Things are still a bit crazy as I continue to pick up the pieces of my publishing life, but they should begin to settle down very soon…

I’m sorry. What? Yes, I did say, Tweep Nation. Why am I suddenly deviating from my normal greeting, you ask? Why, that’s because I was just a guest of the hit podcast, Tweep Nation. Last Friday, I flew to Dallas, Texas and visited the Tweep Nation North American Studios… Ok, I’m kidding. It wasn’t like I could fly to Sidney, Australia and visit Headquarters! *sigh* Okay, you’ve got me on this one. I actually just plugged into Skype, but I’m really on the program, you guys. Trust me on that part at least!

Australia's greatest export to the world, the multi-talented Dionne Lister.

When you get some time and can plug into iTunes, take a listen to the podcast. I join hosts Dionne Lister and Amber Norrgard as we discuss all sorts of important topics, and some of it even about writing and books. *grins*

My newest coffee-drinking buddy: the awesome author, Amber "Rockin Red" Norrgard.

On the show, you will hear me begin to discuss what I've been up to. I haven't been sharing a lot of that with you good people yet, playing it close to the vest, as they say. The reason behind that is I didn't know myself what avenues I would be taking. Now I do. You will hear me reveal what I'm doing at the moment, what I'm working on, what my plans are and when my book will begin to be available once again. Not only that, but the status of book two and book three. I hope you will come by and give us a listen. Perhaps you will decide to become a full-time member of Tweep Nation. I know I am.

This has been a wasted year, I'm afraid. Not much of that was my fault, but it is a lot of cubic feet of water under the proverbial bridge, so all I can do is carry on. I've been picking up those pieces and we've got many irons in the fire. You can trust me on that point, too. Take a moment, if you can, and give Tweep Nation a listen. It will be an hour out of your life, but hopefully a good hour. I usually listen while I catch up on the blogs I've neglected to visit. I'm typing this on Sunday morning, so that's what I'll be doing later. Here, you can find the Facebook page, Dionne's blog where she mentions the show, and the iTunes preview link.  

I should be getting more specific with details very soon. I realize that I have been making promises like those all year, but during that time I was waiting on others. Now it's only me. I can assure you that Dance on Fire will be up on Amazon.com in early August once I finish going through it one final time, making minor changes. Once that happens, my attention will return to Dance on Fire: Flash Point. It has been sitting on a virtual shelf for nearly two years. The cover is nearly done and I have begun hearing from betas and have spoken to professional editors.

I hope you Fire Enthusiasts have a great week. I mentioned Skype. I don't do it often. In fact, I just started using it, really. However, if you'd like to look me up there, you can find me rather easily, I think. My Skype name is: jamesgarciajr

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.

Dance on Fire 2 Teaser

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. How have you been? I'm well. I survived last week, which was our stressful yearly audit for food safety at the day job. I hear we did very well. For those who recall me talking about the left knee, it continues to improve. I have been getting great workouts in, 4-6 days a week. I have lost 14 lbs or so and feel great. I eat more fruit, watch my portions and drink light beer. *grins* If I overdue it over a weekend (Food, not alcohol), I know how long I have to run in order to burn off those calories.

Now, many of you may have noticed that I haven't been promoting much of Dance on Fire, nor has much been said about Flashpoint, it's sequel. There have been some bumps in the road, but those appear to be over. 'Nuff said! I will tell you that it shouldn't be long now. It's in that spirit that I would like to offer you this teaser of the forthcoming novel. This will be edited once more before it's published, but it's pretty close. Many thanks for all who have continued to ask for the next book. Now, allow me to quickly set it up...

It is about five years later since the events of Dance on Fire. Michael Lopez is now the Chief of Police. He has started his workday just as he always does. He gets to work and turns on his computer to find a note from Nathaniel. The vampire has moved away to a place of solitude and introspection, hoping to find out whether there might yet be a place for him in God's plans. Being a creature of the dead, he had assumed there was not.

            As soon as his Hotmail account had downloaded, something three mails down in his inbox on the left side of the screen jumped to his attention. The width was not long enough to see the entire message, but he understood the gist of it.

            Facebook. New message from NathanielL...

            The look on the chief’s face that presented itself there upon reading the line was neither a frown nor a look of glee. It was one of interest to be sure. Without pause, Michael opened another window and logged into his Facebook account. As it downloaded, the chief took a glance toward the open door and into the hallway beyond. He felt a pang of guilt as he waited. All but the cadets and Community Service Officers had access to the internet in the Police Department, and yes, he would be upset to find that his officers and detectives spent department time and resources fooling around on networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter or even the new Google Plus, just as he was doing now. He continued anyway.

            When the page came up, a snapshot of he, Barbara, Jerod, Robbie and Rebekah posing merrily before Snow White’s castle at Disneyland taken this past Christmas stared back at him. It was a ten month old picture, and although the twins looked as if they were a full two years older by now and Jerod had begun shaving, he loved it because it was a beautiful time that he did not want to take for granted.

            He moved his mouse to the top left corner of the page and clicked the Messages Icon. He then went to the new message and opened it. The tiny photo at the top left hand corner of the message was not a face but a vista of what appeared to be a tranquil water garden somewhere. He guessed what it was because he had visited it once before, although then it had been in the middle of the night, and it had been a rushed visit.

            Michael, how is everybody? I trust all are well. I am well. I still struggle at times with demons, as you well know, but for the most part things are going well for me here. Tell Barbara to continue praying. Her prayers have been extremely effectual. It takes me forever to use this contraption, but I have the time. That is a joke. Was it amusing? How is the town? Quiet? I hope so. How is Mark doing? I fear his relationship with Vanessa cannot stand, but I would not want him to know about this. What of their child? Thank you for the photographs that Barbara sent to me. They just arrived. I believe that I was the one who asked for a remote location, is that right? Another joke. The photographs are glorious to behold and I do so often. Jerod reminds me of you. Do I detect a shadow of growth on the young man’s face? It is very faint, but please do not tell him that I said this. Tell him I cannot even look upon his face by candlelight because his dark beard blinds me. Joke#3. How do the young ones like school? I am particularly intrigued to hear how they do there. They have such spirit, those two. I do not wish to take up too much of your time. The monks tease me that I take so long at the computer. They say that they could rewrite whole books of the Bible by dipping a feather into an inkwell and writing on parchment before I could but answer one tiny e-mail. They are extremely fortunate that I do not believe in shedding human blood or else they would not be so cruel to me. Joke#5. Very well, my friend. Blessings to both you and your family. Nathaniel L.

            Joke number 6, Michael thought as he reread the message one last time before closing it and logging out of the Facebook page. Nathaniel used an additional “L” at the end of his user name as if his full name had been Nathaniel Lopez and he was their eldest child and away at college. Michael shook his head with a grin as he closed down the internet and reached for some police reports and duty logs that needed his approval and final signatures. He planned to reply to the message before he went home for the day. He had time. After all, it was 8:30 am and the vampire would not be up for another thirteen hours or so.


We'll talk soon.