Cover Reveal: Four ‘Til Late by Eric Garrison

You know what’s fun? Road Trips. You know what’s really fun? Haunted road trips (or so I’ve heard, anyway…). I’m so pumped to help reveal the cover and announce a new series brought to you by the folks at Seventh Star Press!

 

I love the artwork for this, and I’m so intrigued by the concept. This is going to be a good one (though really, does Seventh Star actually do anything bad?)!

For the full press release and book/author information, go HERE

 

Cover Reveal: Boxcar Baby by J.L. Mulvihill

I love that I get to share work by talented people I know with the world. Not only is this another incredible Seventh Star Press release, but I adore the author. I met her on panels and at a signing we did together last year at Fandom Fest, and talking to her made me realize that there are totally people in the world who think the same way I do (be afraid, be very afraid)! She’s an incredibly talented writer with a big imagination, so I, for one, can’t wait to read this new series.

 

Plus, who doesn’t love a cover that grabs you by the throat? For a larger view and the full press release, go HERE

JK Asmodeus is at it again!

I haven’t talked about In the Red for a while, so it’s always fun when I’m invited to delve into the story that I love so much. This time, my friend and amazing blogger Amy invited me to do a character post about summer plans. Of course, being the media whore that he is, JK Asmodeus reared his head and jumped at the opportunity.

So what constitutes a rock star’s summer plans? Does he actually plan to take some sort of high-end vacation or is he going to go skulking off to some of the more sundry spots in the globe?

Like I’d tell. See what JK Asmodeus is getting up to and how I deal with his unique brand of answering interview questions HERE

Pole-dancing fairies

For those that are missing my writing, I am trying to incorporate more of that back into this blog – working on my novel manuscript is taking a lot out of me at the moment, which is why there are so many guests doing there thing here, but I’m hoping to get back to form soon (or at least have more of shameless me posts scattered throughout). Anywho, in the meantime, I was back at the Mocha Memoirs Press blog this month, except this time the tables got turned. Siobhan Kinkade reminded me that she didn’t get a chance to give me a writing prompt last month, so she made up for it in spades this month. Unfortunately she forgot (or maybe counted on the fact) that I tend to run with whatever I’m given.

So if you follow the link, you’ll get a short about pole-dancing fairies. You’re welcome.

TCM Presents: Vampires Don’t Sparkle edited by Michael West

Today I’m thrilled, stoked, and elated to share with you an anthology that I know many of you will get behind. Not only that, but it’s edited by a fellow SSP author and dude that I always seem to run into at every con I ever go to, though until recently I’ve been too intimidated to actually like, y’know, talk to him. All kidding aside, Michael West is a great guy and you should check out all his fiction. But enough of singing his praise – let’s get to the bloodsuckers!

Kindle   Softcover

What would you do if you had unlimited power and eternal life?

 Would you…go back to high school? Attend the same classes year after year, going through the pomp and circumstance of one graduation after another, until you found the perfect date to take to prom? Would you…spend your days moping and brooding, finding your only joy in a game of baseball on a stormy day? Or would you…do something else? Anything else?

The authors of this collection have a few ideas; some fanciful, some humorous, and some as dark as an endless night. Join us, and discover what it truly means to be “vampyre.”
Edited by Michael West
Foreword by Michael West

“A New Life” by J. F. Gonzalez
“What Once was Flesh” by Tim Waggoner
“The Darkton Circus Mystery” by Elizabeth Massie
“Robot Vampire” by R. J. Sullivan
“Beneath a Templar Cross” by Gord Rollo
“The Weapon of Memory” by Kyle S. Johnson
“The Excavation” by Stephen Zimmer
“Skraeling” by Joel A. Sutherland
“Dreams of Winter” by Bob Freeman
“Dracula’s Winkee: Bloodsucker Blues” by Gregory L. Hall
“I Fuck Your Sunshine” by Lucy A. Snyder
“A Soldier’s Story” by Maurice Broaddus
“Rattenkönig
” by Douglas F. Warrick
“Vampire Nation” by Jerry Gordon
“Curtain Call” by Gary A. Braunbeck

Michael West is the critically-acclaimed author of The Wide Game, Cinema of Shadows, Spook House, Skull Full of Kisses, and the Legacy of the Gods series.  A member of the Horror Writers Association and Indiana Horror Writers, where he serves as President, West earned a degree in Telecommunications and Film Theory from Indiana University, and since that time, he has written a multitude of short stories, articles, and reviews for various on-line and print publications. He lives and works in the Indianapolis area with his wife, their two children, their bird, Rodan, their turtle, Gamera, and their dog, King Seesar.

His children are convinced that spirits move through the woods near their home.

***

Today I’m lucky to have a guest post by Bob Freeman, author of Dreams of Winter, which is in the anthology.

Bite Me: A Short Discourse on Vampires by Bob Freeman

“I like my creatures of the night a little nocturnal. My next big novel was going to have a vampire. Now, I’m probably not. They are everywhere, they’re like cockroaches.” — Neil Gaiman

It is no secret that vampires have been largely defanged, their mystique unceremoniously scuttled by Young Adult authors writing their angst-ridden Gothic fantasies for lovelorn teenage girls.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. It is a force to be reckoned with, to be sure. There is an audience for this vampire-lite branding, and more power to them. It’s a money making machine, and we’ve all got to eat.

That I prefer my creatures of the night to have a bit more bite should come as no surprise, but even I was first enthralled by the likes of another angst-driven bloodsucker — Barnabas Collins of Dark Shadows fame.

For all the vitriol spilled toward writers such as Stephenie Meyer and L. J. Smith, they were certainly not the first to ravage the vampire’s dark nature.

Remember when Bela Lugosi’s Dracula appeared alongside Bud and Lou in Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein? From Sesame Streets’ The Count to General Mills’ Count Chocula, or The Munsters’ Grandpa for that matter, the vampire has been used for comedic effect for the greater part of the 20th Century, much to my personal chagrin.

For every Near Dark there is a Love at First Bite. Show me ‘Salem’s Lot and I’ll point you toward Vampire’s Kiss. Drag out Let the Right One In and I’ll expose you to Dracula: Dead and Loving It.

Vampires, as much as I hate to admit it, are not sacrosanct.

And maybe that’s the best thing about these bloodsucking fiends. They’re versatile as hell. They’ll scare the crap out of you, have you rolling on the floor in laughter, or make you weak in the knees.

There’s a vampire out there for everybody — be it ghoulish revenant, campy dark jester, or star-crossed soul-mate.

So, take a deep breath. I get it. Sparkly vampires aren’t your blood type. They’re not mine either. But it’s a big graveyard we’re playing in. There’s room enough for everyone.

Let Meyer, Smith, and their ilk play over there in the well-manicured Garden of Memory, while you and I do our dark business in the overgrown boneyard.

When the sun comes up, let them prance about with their sparklers and their rings of Vervain, while we embark on a dance of death and our vamps burst into flame.

 — Bob Freeman is an author, artist, and paranormal adventurer who hails from rural Indiana. His short story, “Dreams of Winter” appears in the Seventh Star Press anthology Vampires Don’t Sparkle, edited by Michael West. He can be found online at http://occultdetective.com

***

A great post by a great author! He makes a lot of good points about the genre, doesn’t he? I know as a writer, I love the fact that vampires are so versatile (though my personal tastes seem to gravitate to The Lost Boys type rebels or American Vampire’s Skinner Sweet, who’s so completely vile but also hilarious.) What about you? What kind of vampire do you prefer?

***

You can check out info on this and other anthologies by Seventh Star Press in the following places:

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/seventhstarpress

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/7thstarpress

Website:  http://www.seventhstarpress.com

Blog:  http://seventhstarpress.blogspot.com

There’s also a tour-wide giveaway going on, and you can access the Rafflecopter for that HERE

Author Profile: Serban Andrei Mazilu

I love it when authors are really articulate in their interview answers and have a good sense of who they are and what they write. That, plus the fact that Serban’s bio is so interesting, made me really want to feature it on a separate day to give him more time in the spotlight. Plus, it gives me a chance to feature his trailer for Crux!

So (in case you haven’t already figured it out), today we’ll be learning more about Serban Andrei Mazilu, author of Crux!

 

Name: Serban Andrei Mazilu

Born: February 11th 1983

From: Constanta, Romania

Likes: Books, cats and being a geek.

Food for thought: Coffee.

Andrei began expressing his talent on paper ever since grade school, but it was the high-school years that shaped his style and vision. The high-school paper represents his jump-start and the winning of several regional prizes encouraged him to press on.

2001-2003: He attended the Romanian-Canadian University of Journalism in Brasov for two years, showing a keen interest in radio. Sadly, he was forced to drop out and follow a more financially wise strategy.

2003-2004: Andrei took his chances with a new college, attending courses at the Ovidius University, specializing in technical engineering and welding, back in his home town by the Black Sea.

The years 2004-2009 took him on a different path, as he enrolled at the Maritime Academy, to become a deck officer in the commercial navy. Although forced to focus his mind on subjects like mathematics, physics and all sorts of navigational and engineering disciplines he never lost his love for writing.

During that period, Andrei started several blogs, approaching many and different subjects; literature of course was always one of them, but trained now as a real editor, he also chose to speak his mind about pressing political and social matters, attracting the attention of quite a few local public figures (who still follow his works today) with his stinging articles.

His passion for fantasy stories also drove him to continue creating and even start several projects. In 2006 he started writing a horror-fantasy novel in Romanian, hoping to be the first to approach this style and publish in his home country.

In the autumn of 2010, while on board a ship called S.P. Auckland, Andrei started writing a short fantasy story. It started as a way to pass the time and soon transformed into a serious project on which he worked on and off for almost two years. With the support of his readers, friends or just acquaintances, who reassured him that the novel’s worth the time, Andrei forced himself to finish it…

And he did! On May 24th 2012, his first (and definitely not the last) novel was complete. Crux, his debut novel, is the first book of a fantasy series called The Angellove Society. Two weeks later, the novel was registered with full copyright under the Romanian laws.

Visit his current blog for teaser stories, silly comics, recommendations and updates about Crux:

The Cat Factor

  For further information, you can directly contact Andrei at:

 E-mail: andrei.mazilu@ymail.com

 Facebook: Serban Andrei Mazilu

 Literary Agent: Andreea Sterea (sterea_andreea@yahoo.com)

 

Book Genre(s): Dark fantasy
Book(s): The Angellove Society: CRUX (first book of the trilogy)

The mysterious planet Crux suffers silently with a terrible ancient curse. Holy entities and scheming lords of Hell manipulate their children like pawns in an agonizingly long game of chess, while the first Cherub Innanna, creator of the realm and savior of the Nephalem, is shackled inside a pocket dimension in eternal exile. Meanwhile a savior – the mysterious Nilithar – is summoned to Crux.

The events to follow haven’t caught only the attention of the Cruxians, but the Angellove Society’s as well. The fabled group investigates the ancient prophecy through Thomas and Andrew, a powerful half-vampire and a mage of unthinkable potential, who travel across galaxies to find the girl.

Forces beyond imagination will clash in an epic battle of Light versus Darkness, as Crux changes not only its landscape, but its inhabitants as well, and the strangest and most unlikely of heroes will rise and stand against complete annihilation.

Purchase links

Amazon: http://wlmpr.us/TAS-Crux-k

Barnes & Noble Nook: http://wlmpr.us/TAS-Crux-nook
Kobo: http://wlmpr.us/TAS-Crux-kobo

Author Interview: Serban Andrei Mazilu

SJ: Every writer has some sort of process. Give us a glimpse into yours. Do you meticulously outline? Do you write depending on what calls are out there?

*Bonus question – Do you put on a cape and do a chant before hunkering down to work? Sacrifice anything? Along with your process, what’s your quirkiest writing habit?

SAM: Well, it’s really a long ritual, but if you insist… It starts with three days of prayers to the Dark Gods of the Underworld. During this period, I sacrifice as much time as needed to poking my cats with a large wooden spoon until they go berserk and attack the nearest living creature. Also, each night I light a candle and use my warlock powers to curse the people responsible for Twilight to the Fiery Pits of Doom… I’m not sure it works so well. And on the fourth day’s morning, I wait in my balcony and try to target three elderly people to spit on. If they show up, it means the Unholy Lords have heard my prayers and accepted my gifts, and only then I start writing…

…Oh, you wanted the short version? I just make myself a cup of coffee and have it with a cigarette or two. Nothing gets those creative juices pumping like caffeine and nicotine.

 SJ: Are you a meticulous planner or do you believe in the muse? Where do your ideas come from? Do they filter in through your dreams? Do they show up at inopportune times and whap you upside the head? Do they result in a shady deal with a dark power?

* bonus question – If your muse had a physical manifestation, what would he or she look like and how would she or he act? Is it a sexy superhero version of Callisto? A sharp-tongued rogue? A reptilian alien? Do they have a catch phrase?

SAM: Oh, right, the muse or… yeah. Truth is I’m somewhere in between. It starts with a concept and I just write until I get the story going. After that it all comes to me and I create in my mind a skeleton of the entire thing, then I start building on it. I tried to stick to the plan before and it didn’t work ‘cause all these characters and sub-stories popped up, so now I just draw the outline and fill it as I go.

Uh… Sometimes, very rarely, the ideas do come through my dreams. I believe it’s not happening more often because I do A LOT of my dreaming during the day and quite awake. I don’t dream, I get flashes of images that just look too damn cool not to be shared with others. I get ideas by watching a movie or reading a book – don’t get me wrong, I don’t borrow others’ ideas and work with those, but one word that I notice and it resonates in my head can become a full concept within minutes. Hell, in the last 2 days I got an idea for two whole series about pirates and Steampunk apocalypse survivors…

As for the demonic pacts… No, not my style. I leave that to my characters and other authors who are desperate for ideas. I’m pretty original, I think, even though I make use of concepts that are as old as the world. The thing is: at this point in history, it’s almost impossible to come up with something TRULY original, so I believe it’s how you make use of what you already have.

SJ: What’s the book/story that’s closest to your heart? Is there a piece that you clearly feel is a piece of you? Do you play favorites?

SAM: Many consider I’m arrogant when they take a shallow look at me and the things I post online. Sometimes I am and I regret it, but most times it’s just me being honest about who and what I am. And what I am is a maritime officer, a writer, a cook, a painter, a linguist, a gamer, a reader, a DJ, a dependable friend and a real man. And those are just a few I listed off the top of my head… What people fail to realize is that they too are, and if not, can be very special, very talented and be good at more than 1-2 things if they just tried to do it! I am not arrogant, I am lucky to have had the opportunity to do all those and discover I love them… So here’s your answer: how could I pick just one? I loved the “Vampire Lestat” and “Queen of the Damned” books, I loved “Hotel New Hampshire”, I loved a “Confederacy of Dunces” and I loved all the Terry Pratchett books I had the honor to read. But… If I were to choose one to describe how my soul looks like, I would definitely go with a Shakespeare sonnet or “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”. The Master’s is impossible to beat or replace, that’s for sure.

SJ: If you could only write one genre ever again upon pain of being sacrificed to Cthulhu, what would it be and why?

SAM: Pfft! First, my Akaba can kick Cthulhu’s butt any day. But supposedly he doesn’t… I’d write fantasy. I think somewhere along the way, a party grenade exploded in my brain and it’s like the Looney Tunes are going crazy in there. And they have been doing that for years… Could I write a deep story, full of meaning and feeling? Sure. But throwing away all the potential fantasy has would be a real shame.

SJ: What’s your biggest frustration as a writer? What do you consider the downside, or is there one? Is there any cliché that makes you want to wring people’s necks?

SAM: I said it before: correcting. Going over my own text over and over and over again is driving me crazy. I hate the routine! Plus, I have ADHD and OCD, and that combination in the context of trying to fix everything and hating it at the same time… You can imagine. As an author though I have another frustration which is really bothering me these days: it feels like I sold the rights to my freedom of speech. As a published writer, I can’t afford to say things that might upset potential readers / fans. Which pretty much restricts the topics I want to chew in public… That’s really hard for me to accept.

Clichés? Yes, there is something and I hope the people involved won’t hate me for it. ENOUGH with the fantasy-erotica flicks! I’m sorry if you love them, but it’s just too much! My Facebook feed is flooded with either authors who write those or girl reviewers who swoon over them. Seriously, enough! “Gorgeous vampire falls in love with confused teen”. It was fun when Buffy was running and Twilight ruined it for everyone, so change the bloody subject already!

SJ: If you had to be stuck in one of your own books/stories for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? If you had to stick a loved one in one of your own books, what would it be and why? An enemy?

SAM: I haven’t had the chance to write the story I want to live in. I know it sounds like I don’t trust my own novel and stories, but that’s not it. I write about werewolves and vampires and demons, and quite frankly, as fun as it is to read about them and as cool as my visuals are, I’d rather not force luck’s hand and die prematurely. On the other hand, the world I’m going to write about also has its dangers, but it’s more colorful, exotic and it has pirates! Gotta love pirates! And sure, I’d take the loved ones with me. I think they’d have a blast on those tropical islands, sipping rum cocktails and talking about treasure. Enemies? Nah. I wouldn’t banish them to any of my stories – they’re too excited. It’s more satisfying to let them struggle with the boredom of every day’s life, heheheh...

SJ: Do you think it’s possible to develop a sure-fire recipe/formula for success as a writer? Would you want to, or does that compromise the art or the fun of it?

SAM: Yeah, I do think it’s possible to write something that’s a sure sell. It has been done and, every time that happens, many other authors try to copy the formula. I can’t do that and I don’t need to. If I want to make big money, I can sail for a few more years, take my exams, become a captain and get a salary of at least 10,000$ / month, so I don’t want or need to copy anyone’s success. I want to make it through something special that I write and I believe CRUX can be the next big thing if only given the chance.

SJ: Everyone has words of wisdom for young writers, so I’m not going to ask you about that. With a few unknown writers becoming success stories, a lot of people seem to think it’s an easy career choice. What would your words of wisdom be to these people?

SAM: Hey, I just turned 30 two weeks ago – you make it sound like I’m an old Chinese Kung-Fu master… But you’re right: I do have something to share on that topic. I don’t know if it’s wisdom, but it’s just as good because people need to know this is not just fun and games Oftentimes it is believed that writers have it easy and what they do isn’t a job, but a hobby – WRONG! Fun as it may be to write, it takes a lot of patience and focus and physical effort even to write a good book. It takes 4 hours for me to write 2 pages and be satisfied with it. It takes hours and hours to go over a whole novel and fix what you did wrong. And it takes months for a story to go through proof reading, text analysis, reviewing, editing and formatting before the final product can be found on virtual and actual shelves. So don’t think we have it easy! Even after a book is ready to be sold, you have to promote it, attend / organize events and actually give interviews as I’m doing now – this one’s my 8^th or 9^th. In conclusion, my advice is this: if you’re serious about it, then make sure you can commit to your project and stick with it ‘cause, my friends, you are definitely going to be tested.
SJ: It seems like everyone likes to gang up on certain genres as being inferior, less meaningful, or cheap entertainment (especially if it’s speculative in nature). Make a case for the genre you write.

SAM: I don’t have to. I write Dark Fantasy mixed with what I’ve been told is Christian influence. You can’t pick on the genre I chose – it’s too exciting and better authors than me have made a case for it long ago. Come on, everybody loves Tolkien, Rowling and Pratchett! Not to mention “Game of Thrones” is one of the most successful TV shows out there. Sure, mine is a mixture of medieval, steampunk and modern fantasy, but all the better since it includes concepts used by the writers I just mentioned plus it has that “World of Darkness” (White-Wolf game series) feel to it. I have it all and it will keep you reading until the last page. That’s a promise!

SJ: What do you want people to instantly think of when they hear your name or your work mentioned?

SAM: Wow, good question… Well, sure, I want people to like me. Who doesn’t? But… I don’t care about them liking me as a person as much as I care about them enjoying my writing. I want people to say “Oh! Him? I loved his last book! I can’t wait for the next!” Or “I hope he lives forever and never stops writing ‘cause I’m addicted to his series!”  …Which is kind of what I said about Johnny Depp in regards to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series.

SJ: Please tell us about your latest/favorite work or a little bit about what you’re working on right now. It’s plug time, so go for it!

SAM: Oh, okay… I’m working on a sequel for CRUX. The novel’s called HELLBENT and it’s meant to take the characters even further, while revealing their dark side, their secrets and pushing them to their limits. I thought my series – The Angellove Society – as a trilogy, so while CRUX is epic, HELLBENT it’s meant to be dramatic and offer some insight, so then I can write the third part which is… more fantastic and fun, even though the ending will shock everyone. I’m also writing some short stories, including the second intro story for CRUX. My publisher suggested that I should add these as bonus material to the novel so the readers will get a taste of things while also understanding the characters’ backgrounds better. Unfortunately, the first story is still not up for some reason. I hope it will be added to CRUX on Amazon and the other websites A.S.A.P.  In the meantime, since it is and always will be free promo stories, if any of your readers are interested, they can contact me and I will send them the PDF version immediately.

 

 Book blurb

The mysterious planet Crux suffers silently with a terrible ancient curse. Holy entities and scheming lords of Hell manipulate their children like pawns in an agonizingly long game of chess, while the first Cherub Innanna, creator of the realm and savior of the Nephalem, is shackled inside a pocket dimension in eternal exile. Meanwhile a savior – the mysterious Nilithar – is summoned to Crux.

The events to follow haven’t caught only the attention of the Cruxians, but the Angellove Society’s as well. The fabled group investigates the ancient prophecy through Thomas and Andrew, a powerful half-vampire and a mage of unthinkable potential, who travel across galaxies to find the girl.

Forces beyond imagination will clash in an epic battle of Light versus Darkness, as Crux changes not only its landscape, but its inhabitants as well, and the strangest and most unlikely of heroes will rise and stand against complete annihilation.

Purchase links

Amazon: http://wlmpr.us/TAS-Crux-k

Barnes & Noble Nook: http://wlmpr.us/TAS-Crux-nook
Kobo: http://wlmpr.us/TAS-Crux-kobo