How a Horror Writer Penned a Paranormal Romance

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. No, you don't have to check your calendar. It's not yet May. I know I usually only post once a month, but I just happened to have something that needed sharing and thought I would post a quick hit and run. By the way, are we tired of the Fire Enthusiast bit? Three novels and there's fire in all of 'em. Hi, My name is James Garcia Jr. and I'm a pyromaniac... Not really. I swear there's no fire in book four whatsoever.

I promise.

But I digress.

Today I hung out metaphorically speaking over at the awesome Clarissa Johal's site. I was there to talk about my latest novel, of course. However, I addressed that subject by explaining how I went from a horror series and transitioned to a paranormal romance. It's not the typical romance, but it definitely has some very romantic moments and themes. I spoke about how I knew nothing about losing a wife and unborn child as my character does, and how I managed to channel that place. I spoke about how I rarely watch horror movies and explained what you'd find me watching instead. It may surprise you.

Actually, that kind of sums up what I'd like said about my writing: It may surprise you.

Anyway, if you find you have a moment to check out the post, I hope to see you there.

We'll talk soon.  

A Giant Celebration

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. I want to thank everyone for helping to make the release of my latest book last week as successful as it could be. It was a long road, and I thank you. I really couldn’t have done it without the help of a great many of you. For now, however, let’s talk about something else, shall we? I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of talking about me all the time.

Sadly, what I bring you today doesn’t give me that much pleasure either. You might think I would be pleased, being from California, but I’m not. I’m certainly happy for the 2012 World Champion San Francisco Giants baseball team and their fans. Being a Chicago Cubs fan, I was just really happy that a certain other team from our division didn’t win it again this year. I wish my team didn’t always have vacation plans for October, but what can long-suffering Cubs fans do but look at the Giants – and their incredible run this October – and dream of what might be one day. One miraculous day.

It really is shocking to see what the Giants accomplished. So many times they were down to their last breath, only to rise up and rise above themselves. They had great pitching, timely hitting and made few, if any, mistakes.

I told my wife on the morning of game 4 that I would be shocked if the Giants didn’t sweep. They just looked to be on a great run that no one could stand in the way of. I also thought the Tiger’s fans must be mystified. They are used to seeing powerhouse teams come into that stadium; teams like Texas, Anaheim, New York. Do they even know who the Giants are? I bet they know now, huh?

Anyway, all I can do is tip my Cubs hat to the new world champions. Congratulations.

Hopefully one day it will be us, Chicago. One miraculous day.

If baseball isn’t your thing, I visited several places this past week or so, thanks to some really cool and special people. I certainly want to thank them for having taken the time. I was over at Author Lorelei Bell’s place, where she gave me the opportunity to share my new book. I was over at Author Jane Isaac’s place, where she interviewed me and made cruise plans for some future day. ;) I was also over at Michele Chiappetta’s place for a guest post on finding time to write. The awesome Nicole Ducleroir also shared my release with her part of the world without any prompting from me. She just did it out of the kindness of that big heart of hers. I was also included in the November Issue of Supporting Authors One Read at a Time Magazine, thanks to Author Eri Nelson. The last week or so has gone that way, where awesome, talented and very busy friends took time out of their hectic schedules to offer me a part of themselves. It was very humbling, and I adore each and every one of them for it. If you have a few moments, I would love it if you dropped by those places. Hugs to them.

We’ll talk soon.

The Historian

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. How is everybody? It's a busy time, I know. On top of everything else that we always have going on, we now have the holidays fast approaching. If nothing else, I wish you all good health and safety for you and yours during this crazy-busy time.

Guesting:

Does everyone know author Red Tash? I had the pleasure of making her acquaintance during the Halloween Coffinhop this past October. Since then, I have grown to consider her a good buddy of mine. Now that I have completed reading the book above, I look forward to reading Tash's novel, This Brilliant Darkness. Before I get to today's review, however, I wanted to let you know that Red invited me over to her blog for a guest post. Noticing that my debut novel was a crossover, bridging both horror and Christan themes, Red encouraged me to discuss how the two concepts could mesh together. If you have the time, I encourage you to surf over and show her some love.

The Review:

I just completed reading Author Elizabeth Kostova's epic novel, The Historian. I realize that I am behind the trend on this, since the novel debuted in 2005; however, if you have yet to hear about this ground-breaking novel, I would like to invite you to join us as we search for Vlad the Impaler. Not the historical long-dead Vlad, mind you, but the very much alive Vlad Dracula.

Here's the description according to Amazon.com: "To you, perceptive reader, I bequeath my history....Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to 'My dear and unfortunate successor,' and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of-a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history.The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known-and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself-to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a vibrant young scholar and her mother was still alive. What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler have to do with the modern world? Is it possible that the Dracula of myth truly existed-and that he has lived on, century after century, pursuing his own unknowable ends?"

I may have done a lot of whining these past few weeks about the length of this novel, but I assure you that it was only because of my lack of time to read, and had absolutely nothing to do with this marvelous story.

The Historian takes its readers on an amazing journey for both the historical and real-life Vlad Dracula in the most charming and imaginative way: the letters and actions of three generations of Dracula hunters. These hunters are not armed with advanced weapons, nor are they muscle-bound or skilled in any way for this job. Instead, they are armed with little more than their wits, carefully evaluating and analyzing the clues of history, surrounded by dangers of every sort and passionate about ending Dracula's reign of terror.

Some might suggest that the novel is too long, but anything less would have been the cheater's way out, spoon-feeding the reader the necessary clues, and racing us through not only history, but country after amazing country.

What we have here is a wondrous adventure that is thrilling, suspenseful and, at times, very dark. Although she writes frequent moments of great horror, Kostova navigates these waters with a masterful touch that leaves us not with a simple horror tale, but a historical novel that delivers all of the goods; including humor, romance and heartbreak - perhaps in a way not seen before. Often, she would take her "camera" off of the impending violence or intimate moment. In the hands of a lesser artist, it might have come across as a poor job. I remember moving on to the next chapter in those instances, thinking to myself that what I had just read was done perfectly. I recall one moment very clearly. A character held a dagger directly over the heart of a new vampire that had once been his friend. He did the deed, but we never saw it happen. It wasn't because Kostova left the scene too soon. Instead, she held the moment for us as if it were a fine wine meant to be savored, while she described so much history that came together in one instant, leaving us more than satisfied.

Whether you believe the title of the book refers to the task Dracula sets up for some of his victims; the three generations of flawed but beautifully created characters that cast aside everything in their pursuit of the fabled monster; or Kostova herself who does a superb job of juggling adventure, intrigue and centuries of human history - The Historian does not disappoint.

Just remember to take your time. It's meant to be savored.

We'll talk soon.