CHARM CITY: Get hooked on a new #urbanfantasy series!

CHARM CITY Kindle release day!

There are demons all around us, legions of the dark that break loose from Hell's restraints to prowl the mortal plane. Most people can't see them and will never suffer their torments. They are the lucky ones.

Guess that makes Simon Alliant the unluckiest man alive.

He's learned that the only luck a man has is the luck he makes for himself. Call him exorcist. Call him master of the dark arts. Call him dime-store magician. Most names don't matter, not when Hell knows yours.

Armed with his spells and his amulets and his desperate drive toward redemption, he fights the rising darkness and sends those demons screaming back into Hell, one minion at a time.

But not all demons can be exorcised. Some dwell too deep inside a man's bones to be so easily banished. Simon is smart--or, at least, cynical--enough to know which battles are worth fighting.

It takes more than a fistful of charms to stay alive in his line of work. And staying alive is the only way to avoid giving the Devil his due...

Welcome to the world of The Demon Whisperer.

It kicks off today with the Kindle release of

the first book in the series: CHARM CITY.

Now available on Kindle!

CHARM CITY (The Demon Whisperer #1)

The darkness is rising and one man stands against it: the exorcist mage Simon Alliant. But in Baltimore, he finally meets his match...a part-mortal divinity with the power to whisper away demons.

Simon Alliant is an exorcist who battles demons, whether he wants to or not. Sometimes it's not so bad...he gets to play with magic, after all. But for Simon, magic represents a demon of another kind. He's addicted to magic and it takes more than a handful of charms to keep that particular demon at bay.

Chiara is part Light, part Dark, and stubbornly mortal. The woman has a way with words: she literally talks demons into abandoning their human hosts. Simon thinks that's not the only trick she has up her sleeve-and that's pretty high praise coming from a mage like him.

As intriguing as that may be, Simon has too many reasons to distrust her...one of them being his more-or-less partner, an angelic Watcher. Amidst all the celestial warnings of the rising dark comes a new prophesy that makes him wonder: is Chiara a threat to him and all of mankind?

Or will she be his salvation?

Join the legions and pick your side: Light or Dark. Just know this...decisions like this are never easy, because there's no black and white when it comes to good and evil.

Grab your lucky charm. You might need it.

QueryTracker Blog: The Establishing Shot & Your Novel

Recently I blogged about setting and the novel--specifically, that bit of setting that pinpoints the novel's place in space and time.

I once sat in on a panel at Baltimore Comic Con. (#geekWIN) An artist/writer was discussing the basics for getting one's own comic off the ground, and one of the first thing he'd discussed was setting. The setting should be detailed in the first frame or two. Once we see where the action is to take place, we can zoom in on the action itself.

Later, I realized that what the writer was describing was what film makers call the establishing shot. I also realized how it was a perfect way to approach the writing of setting into a novel.

Here's a bit from that article...you can follow the link to read the whole piece at the Query Tracker blog. Enjoy!

QueryTracker Blog: At the Scene: The Establishing Shot & Your Novel

Are you a visual writer?

As you sit and write your novel, do you imagine the action unfolding as clearly as if you were watching a movie?

That’s the kind of writer I am. Images and words are inextricably joined, inseparable until The End. I tend to visualize the action, the characters, the scenes, mulling them over and “watching” them interact and unfold, then take mad notes when I “see” something that works. The notes turn into manuscript pages and the pages into chapters.

Although novel-writing and screenwriting are two completely different animals, I have picked up more than one pointer from the film makers. By far, the most useful tip I’ve taken is the use of the establishing shot.

In film, the establishing shot is the opening shot that sets the scene—the location, the time, the spatial relationship between characters, even the concept of the story. Traditionally, this was accomplished through the use of a longshot or extreme longshot, although today’s film makers often skip it in order to get right into the action to establish a quicker pace.

Think about how many times we are chided to start in media res—in the middle of things—so that our first pages hook the reader. Those first 250 words are crucial if we want to catch the attention of an agent or editor. We can’t let readers fall asleep on the first page, can we?

However, that doesn’t mean there is no longer a place for an “establishing shot” in our books. You don’t need a lengthy scene set up to run as long as opening credits to an eighties romantic comedy but you do need a way to anchor the reader in each scene in order for them to become submerged in the story. Even in the case of the more modern action opener, the reader gets a strong sense of who and where when you establish the scene....

 

Read more at the Query Tracker Blog!

 

Share it!

Tweetables:

 

"Create the scene before diving into action or dialog using an establishing shot"

 

"Anchor your reader in each scene in order for them to become submerged in the story"

 

 

Whipping Out A Novel

I’m going to finish this novel.

I say that a lot these days. Right now, I’m completing Wolf’s Bane (Demimonde #3). I’ve technically been completing it for some time now, but recently I imposed my deadlines. It’s time to get down to business.

Problem is, there are too many distractions.

I can’t be the only writer holding her own horsewhip, threatening a stinging blow, if that’s what it takes to get the job done.

I’ve been getting some decent word counts done on my writing days. However, my enemy right now is time. I have a full-time job outside the home, I have a family that works me over-time, and all the responsibilities of a multi-book author that seem to be on my mind all-the-time. I’m terrified that I’ll look at the clock one day and there will be a fist-full of hands, sweeping away the precious hours, reducing my writing time in favor of duties that claim priority.

But those mornings when I’m home alone…out comes the horsewhip. Get typing! Put down the phone! Close out the Internet! And, for the love of editors, shut off the TV!

I’m a stubborn lady. I don’t like to be bossed around, not even when it’s myself doing the bossing. That’s why I spent time charting out my deadlines on my calendar. It’s not bossy; it’s simply enforcing work guidelines.

I also recently picked up a copy of “90 Days To Your Novel” by Sarah Domet. Although I am about 60% done with the first draft of Wolf's bane, I thought that this book may help me stay on track with my own deadlines (although I definitely don’t have 90 days to finish this book!) I have a subplot to flush out so I’m looking forward to re-writing my outline—yes, rewriting it, because the book had the nerve to go off on its own half-way through writing.

In addition, a few days ago I got an email from my writer friend SK Falls (she’s also published under the name Adriana Ryan). She and another author are going to embark on a Fast Draft—a summer camp buddy-write—and she invited me to join in. When I saw that the proposed dates for the Fast Draft fell right smack-dab in the middle of my first draft writing time, I could have squealed.

Serendipity, I love ya, you little muse! This is exactly what I needed. We’ll get our word counts in, we’ll encourage each other, and we’ll Tweet about the process. I can’t wait to see who else joins in.

So, this is where it begins. Currently I have 56622 words into Wolf’s Bane (goal is 90k for the first draft). I have my deadlines marked in Sharpie, I have my outlining tool (90 Days To Your Novel), and I have my buddy write that will cement it all together—because a buddy write means, above all things, ACCOUNTABILITY.

I’ve got a solid plan to finish this novel. I’m feeling confident that I can leave my horsewhip in the closet.

And, because I’m a pay-it-forward kind of writer, I’ll be blogging about my Journey to the End of the Book in the hopes that I might encourage another writer to do the same thing.

Give us a shout out—are you writing? Are you reading? Closer to the Fast Draft, I’ll let you know who else is writing it so you can follow our progress on the social media.

Don’t give up and don’t let us give up. We might just be writing the books you really want to read.

Sarah Pinneo: Surviving Book Cover Drama

Sarah Pinneo--author of Julia's Child and host of the Blurb is a Verb blog--is talking book covers: surviving the drama.

She asked me the story behind my debut's cover--the beautiful face of BLEEDING HEARTS. It's no secret I ADORE my cover--and the artist who created the beautiful artwork that graces my novel.

Definitely no trauma in my past--the entire process was fun and exciting...I think that's because I am lucky to be working with an amazing editor and superb publisher who is as passionate about my novels as I am.

Here's something I didn't tell Sarah--Duncan Eagleson, the artist, said the painting of the bleeding hearts flowers is based on a photograph taken by his life partner, Moira Ashleigh.

Read Sarah's post on her blog:
Blurb is a Verb


Check out Sarah's beautiful cover for her book, Julia's Child, and learn more about Julia's Child at Sarah's website.

Do you have a cover story? What was it like putting a face on your book?

Every picture tells a thousand words...let's hear yours!

You Never Forget Your First...

…vampire sweetheart, that is.

What is it about these creatures that haunt us, possess us, and draw us away from the well-lit safe places of our everyday lives?

Is it…eternal love? The promise of an eternity of dwelling in another's eyes, of being loved to the point of consumption. To quench the desire of someone who would starve without us. To become their life, their reason to exist.

Yeah. That's probably it.

Or…is it the danger, the rush of treading that silver blade between life and death, pleasure and pain?

But then again, with vampires, there is no "line between". Life and death, pleasure and pain, light and dark, good and bad. They are everything, all at once.

Heroes with unimaginable power, undone by a brush of sunlight. Strength and weakness, entwined.

No wonder vamps ensnare us: we do like our men complex, after all.

WELCOME TO THE V4V GIVEAWAY HOP! Be sure to enter to win...the entry form is at the end of the post...
I have to go back a long time to remember my first vampire crush. I cut my teeth on Anne Rice when I was in college. My boyfriend had an English assignment on Interview with a Vampire and wanted me to read it so I could help him with the paper. (Come to think of it, I read a LOT of extra novels in college for the same purpose.)

I balked at first. Vampires weren't my thing.

Then, Boyfriend turned big baby brown eyes on me and fluttered those long lashes. Seriously. He had eyes like the puppies on those rip-your-heart-out animal fundraiser posters. So, I heaved a sigh and read it.

I WAS BLOWN AWAY. Louis had such depth, such tragic humanity. And Lestat? What an ass. I hated him. He was cocky, he was mean, he was so in love with himself that he eclipsed the sun. That jerk had little regard for anyone else, no matter how much I wish he would.

I didn't realize he was setting himself up to be a Bad Boy. Uh oh. My first human crush was a Bad Boy. Unrequited love all the way for six solid years. I listened to more miserable music over him than I did for the boys I actually dated. That crush was my secret agony.

Lestat didn't disappoint. And, unrequited? Heck yeah. I still ache a little inside when I think of him (or when I see old Reutger Hauer movies.) I'd never invested myself in a character the way I did Lestat. I hadn't known it was possible.

It was tough but eventually I moved on and found other vampire crushes. Jean Claude: I never wanted him more than the way I did in the very first Anita Blake installment. That hint of a suggestion of a tease was a complete PHEROMONE. Eric Northman: I have not the words. (The suggestions, I got a million of them, but when I open my mouth, nothing comes out.)

There's Eric chum Bill Compton but he's off limits. That's Sookie's first vampire love. I understand the sacredness of that bond. Sookie needs to keep that all to herself, to keep it in her heart-shaped box and cherish it always. Eric, on the other hand, is free game. =)

Not all vampires aren't loveable. I know there are some really bad ones out there and some of them are downright Nosferatu. Some of them—like Still-Heart in my upcoming release BLEEDING HEARTS—are beautiful creatures but don't be fooled: inside is a demon. He may act like a Bad Boy but deep down, he's just bad.

In fact, all the vamps in my book are bad, bad, bad. But the Demivampire? Another story altogether. *wicked grin*

But don't worry…that story will be told when BLEEDING HEARTS: Book One of the Demimonde is released on March 15th through Pink Narcissus Press (http://pinknarc.com)

Follow this blog to stay up-to-date on release news—we'll be going on a Bleeding Hearts Blog Tour in March, with lots of fun giveaways and visits to incredible blogs.

And although the vampires in my book are better off left alone, there's plenty of crush-worthy vamps in countless other books to love. I mean, have you visited any of the other stops on this blog hop? ;)

Which leads me to…the CONTEST! I am nothing if not an enabler. Everyone has their own favorite flavor of vampire. It was really tough to decide what to give away on this blog hop. So I decided to give away a build-your-own-vampire-sundae of sorts by offering an ebook spending spree at Amazon!

You can enter to win a $25 gift card to that monstrous online bookstore—that way you have a little cash to pick up some of the other vampires you've met along this blog hop. The cherry on top of said sundae is an eARC of my soon-to-debut urban fantasy BLEEDING HEARTS: Book One of the Demimonde. You can visit my demivampires any time you want. ;)

What did I tell you? I'm an enabler.

You can enter to win my goodies by Liking my Facebook page. You can get up to three extra entries by following me in other places (you'll see the links on the Rafflecopter form.) If you've never entered a Rafflecopter giveaway, it's really easy: you sign in with either your Facebook profile or your email and just follow the easy steps to Winning Land. Good luck!