Friday, July 31, 2015

Today started out to be a disaster...

Yesterday was my anniversary and the hubby and I took off to the coast for some R & R. We had a fabulous day and came home refresh and relaxed. I was so relaxed I forgot to post on the Angel blog.


I jumped out of bed first thing this morning and tried to get my post done but the computer was having a 'snit' fit and wouldn't work with me. I had a test I was scheduled for in town 18 miles away and needed to leave so I couldn't sit and argue with the dratted machine.


I got to my test and found they had free parking for motorcycles directly across the street so I was saved from having to feed a meter during the exam time. When I exited the appointment, getting the worst typing score since I left high school in the dark ages, I got on my bike and rode to a business across town. Upon arriving at the store on the opposite side of town, I discovered, immediately after I turned off my Harley, I'd dropped the key fob along the way. Harleys don't start--at all--without their key.


A phone call to my husband with the enlightening news and I was sitting and waiting [all I could do]for him to come pick me up when a young security officer entered the business and asked me if I'd lost my fob. He was standing there holding it out to me. It was as if the heavens had opened and the angels were singing.


I profusely thanked him, left the business and rode home to park my bike in the garage. I'm currently inside my air conditioned house and realizing there have been more ups to this day than downs.


How was your Friday?


Sable Angel

Thursday, July 30, 2015

It's Check In And Share Day at the Angel's blog



It's Check In Day.

Time to pay the piper! How did you do? How much did you write? Did words explode on your WIP?

This is the Rogue's Angels weekly check-in. Every Thursday we encourage the Angels and visitors to let us know how their writing is going.

How well are you doing?

Had problems this week? That's ok. Just sit down this coming week and write. Whatever you do, don't let difficulties from the week before get in your way this week.

Every word is one word closer to the finished product.

This week was a little bit better than the last one. I wrote about one thousand words. Still hoping to do better. Working on Twelve Days to Love a Christmas novella.

How was your week?

Please feel free to share, seven words, seven sentences or seven paragraphs in the comment section.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Rogue's Angels Present: Of Gods and Madness by Justin D. Herd

Please welcome Justin D. Herd author of Of Gods and Madness

Justin D. Herd will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn host.



Of Gods and Madness: The Faithful
by Justin D. Herd

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IINTERVIEW:

1. What or who inspired you to start writing?

While I don’t know what actually got me hardcore into writing, I can tell you that R.L. Stine is the person that got me into reading. His Goosebumps series definitely caught my young mind and in Elementary, I became obsessed, even getting in trouble for reading them instead of History (I attempted the old book inside the textbook trick). From there, my parents misguidedly let me read Dean Koontz instead of Stephen King and I fell further in love with Horror novels. It wasn’t until my teens that I was finally able to read King’s novels (and even then I’m not sure I was allowed).

Mel Odom was also a big force in getting me to understand the technical aspects and learn how to get a novel out.

2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?

“Raine Morgan pulled a crushed pack from his jacket, fished out a twisted cigarette. A match’s flame flickered. He took a drag, stared at the seedy bars from his niche across the street. Neon flashed through the evening haze, calling the shuffling drunks out into the dead of night for some faintly promised tail.”

Well, I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one. Fantasy Noir is a subgenre of a subgenre, really. What I would say is that it is more about the setting, the feel of the place, rather than any certain plot points or writing style. While you could focus on the stoic hero with metaphorical internal dialogue, that’s not something I’m really interested in. Instead, I’m in love with the layer of grime, the way the neon lights pour through the mist, the blood sliding through the hero’s fingers as he fumbles with his gun.

3. How did you come up with your idea for your novel?

Honestly, this book has gone through so many different jumping off points that I’m not sure how to answer that.

Originally, the idea of the novel was about a guy who has chronic migraines. He takes so many pills that aren’t helping and his girlfriend believes that he’s causing them with the pills. So, she starts switching out placebos, which causes him to start seeing demons and crossing over into another world.

I ran into some difficulties plotting that out, so I got the idea of this society with multiple living gods, all living in the real world. My main character would have the migraines, a variation of the original idea, but with a fantasy flair. There would be a murder, the gods would be involved directly in it, and I’d have a cop character that was investigating my MC. The problem I ran into there was something that the first season of True Detective was able to sidestep: how would a detective not be able to put together that the majority of the people involved in the case were named after the gods people were worshiping in the streets.

So, at least for the initial story, I had to reset the setting to decades later, where the gods were no longer believed in. They still existed, but the society had become atheistic, which allowed my cop character to be able to investigate without looking like a complete idiot. Add to that a mob family that controlled the city and were the only ones to believe in the gods still . . . you’ve got a story.

4. What expertise did you bring to your writing?

The only thing I’ve really brought is my technical proficiency. I’m able to look at a document and completely reformat it and fix it within a few minutes. I also have a creative, but logical mind, so when I’m writing, I focus on a goal (like doing 15k words in a week), then blowing past it to 20k.

5. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

I’m an open book, as cliché as that might sound. The biggest thing from my past that still affects me today is that I had a couple fingers cut off my bully when I was seven. I’ve adapted and actually type faster than most people I know, but, as a result of the surgeries and drugs administered, I do not remember much before Junior High.

6. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

I have three completed novels that are all in various stages of editing. You can read more about them on my website, JustinDHerd.net. I think the next one that will be available will be The Magician.

As for continuing plans with the Of Gods and Madness: The Faithful story, I have ideas that could split the story off into a Of Gods and Madness series and a The Faithful series. I’m currently developing those ideas.

7. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

It’d probably have to be Theon, the Trickster god. He’s someone that keeps showing up in my writing, just for how callous and carefree he is. He will just as soon cut your throat (or worse) as he would go out on a bender with you. He’s constantly getting into trouble, but it’s only in this story that he might actually have to face the consequences of what he’s done.

8. Can you give us a sneak peak into this book?

Of Gods and Madness: The Faithful is about Raine Morgan, the right hand of the dominant mob family, and his struggle becoming a new god, even as the old gods return home and break out into divine civil war once they realize they can die too. There are several points of view, ranging from an Officer to a streetwise artist to the gods themselves.

Angry flies attacked the flickering light. The small bathroom reeked of decay. Offerings from the filthy and unclean coated the walls. Raine managed to keep himself there through sheer necessity. He had nowhere else to go.
As the hot water struck his face, crimson cascaded onto the white basin. His knuckles screamed in protest, the foul air doing nothing to help the steady burn. He wiped his hands on his tainted suit, but found his skin still stained. Surely he’d wiped away all trace of her, but more blood kept appearing.
He looked up, caught a glimpse of his haggard face. Blood speckled his pores, his shirt, though his vest appeared untouched. He didn’t dare hazard a look into his eyes. Their surface burned too bright — too alive — to belong to the man he saw before him.
By Oki, he’d killed her.
His stomach flipped and the alcohol he had earlier no longer belonged to him. Skull pounding, he fought tears back. He couldn’t lose it here.
Someone knew what had happened. Two men in fact.
Jaiden and Turrell.
He couldn’t forget them. They’d raped that girl. He’d tried to save her. He’d just lost control.
His resolve strengthened. He had to find them, stop them from spreading lies, tainting his good name.
From telling the truth.
He shook the bitter thought away. No, he had to make this right.
He scooped up dirty water, threw it on his face.
In the spinning emptiness behind his eyelids, he glimpsed something eager lurking on the periphery of his vision.
When he opened his eyes, it was waiting.

9. Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?

I am currently in search of a critique group. I had been a part of one for the better part of ten years, but we had about a three to four year hiatus where we became a drinking group that occasionally talked about writing. They worked with me, chapter by chapter, on Of Gods and Madness: The Faithful, but, at the end of the day, I had to go with my own gut.

Part of the issue came with it helps me to have someone else read my stuff out loud, so I can mark oddities in speech patterns or pauses in the text. Others didn’t find that helpful. I also have several issues when it comes to editing, where I believe the text should reveal things about the characters rather than having me state explicitly that the character doesn’t care what another character is saying. Our group tended to be brutal in their honesty, which I respect, but it also meant we had trouble attracting new members.

But, at the end of the day, I have odd notions and, as I previously mentioned, certain impossible ideas that I like to try to form into reality. I’ve run into the same problem with critique groups as I have with development edits: if you don’t subscribe to the base concept, you’re going to have issues with the product overall.

10. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

Of Gods and Madness: The Faithful has been on submission since May 4, 2013. I had been submitting my first novel, Between the Shadows, for years before that, but I finally got Of Gods and Madness: The Faithful to a point where I felt confident in it. I had about a 10% request rate, which is pretty good considering, but after over 100 rejections, I felt it was time to take it into my own hands.

To be completely honest, there was more pushing me to not take control, just with subpar products I’ve seen in the past. However, the many authors at OWFI (Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc.) promoting the current Indie Revolution. Jerry Simmons had a lot of great things to say about opportunities you can take as an indie writer that traditional publishing cannot compete with.

But, overall, I’d say the Authoress (of Miss Snark’s First Victim) has been instrumental over the years with keeping me in the game. She has always been a big supporter of writers, even if her site leans more traditional, and has given me many breaks over the years I’ve been following her blog.

11. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

The best advice is the one that no one believes. It’s simply “Do not edit while writing your novel.” It’s a great temptation, but the only way you’ll get it out there is to get words on the page. Now, there’s the occasional typo or you wanting to add something cool in earlier to set up what you’re currently writing – that’s fine. But do not get bogged down in hard edits. It’s not worth it and will just get you second guessing yourself. Unfortunately, I tell every new writer this and have yet to have anyone listen to me at first.

The worst advice . . . this is two-fold. One was “Put it off-world.” Long story, but essentially I was told to put the original concept of this book off-world to give it a reason to happen, even after I explicitly told the person that I didn’t want it off-world.

The other was probably my own telling me to hold off on the story, to make it perfect before putting it out there. I should’ve released this behemoth three years ago, but issues with other writers not taking their time caused me to put my nose to the grindstone and ferret out every issue in the novel. It’s a better book for it, but I’m not sure the extra time would translate into better sales.

12. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I tend to open up a document and do a rough outline of the society I want to put in there, maybe a magic system or two, then go character by character and write one or two things about them and their histories with the other characters. For Of Gods and Madness: The Faithful, the document is 22 pages long. One thing to note though is that it never holds up to the writing of it. If you read my original writeup, it’d be unrecognizable. I also have not modified it since 2009.

When I am writing, I attack the story linearly. Any other attempt causes continuity issues and leaves me struggling to make sure everything fits in. I keep descriptions of characters in a separate document to easily be able to jump back to. If I run into a particular patch where I cannot seem to continue the story, I will loosely plot out the next three chapters to give myself some direction, but often the characters will take over and lead me astray.

13. How do you maintain your creativity?

I use art websites, places like DeviantArt and the late CGHub. I try to save anything that inspires me while I’m writing, whether it’s the lighting of a particular piece or the creatures shown by the artist. I save the pieces by original name and the artist and occasionally feature them on my website so people can see what I’m going for with the current title.

When I’m writing, I use Hard Rock to keep me focused (right now I’m listening to Seether’s Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces). Without music, I’m left searching for words, stumbling over simple concepts, and generally tripping with any document. My favorite bands to listen to are Hurt, Slipknot, Nine Inch Nails, and Karnivool.

14. Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?

With so many point-of-view characters, I have to love them all in some way or another. At the end of the day, I think my current favorite is the Shade. He’s an enigmatic figure that is playing behind the scenes, directly interacting with only one character and he’s not a POV character – which might make him more fun to write because he’s a mystery, something that is revealed in contextual clues rather than explicitly detailed.

15. Are your plotting bunnies angels or demons?

I think they’re more Nephilim. I tend to spend days agonizing over the next movement of a certain character, what logically they would do, rather than falling to my whims. Sometimes they are helpful, but other times they’ll help me realize that I need to cut out a ten page chunk and add fifty pages in its place.

16. Anything else you might want to add?

I’m a firm believer in free distribution of ideas. My site itself is under a Creative Commons license, so you can share my writing as long as you attribute it to me. I also have a podcast called The Dubious Consumers where my friends and I talk about everything from novels to mo



BLURB:

The right hand of the dominant mob family, Raine Morgan is tasked with hunting down two miscreants messing with the bottom line. He finds them on the docks, but, in the confusion of the fight, accidentally kills their victim and lets them escape. Horrified at what he's done, Raine seeks redemption as well as revenge.

Things spiral out of control when a greedy middleman overthrows Raine's mob organization. It's only with the help of a friend inside the crumbling mob as well as a streetwise artist that Raine remains undetected as he searches for the men who started this all. Raine doesn’t realize, however, he has caught the attention of a disparate conclave of gods in the process.

As the pantheon returns to the city they'd abandoned, old conflicts re-emerge, causing divine civil war. Both sides try to pull Raine to their side, expecting to find a naive god for them to manipulate. Instead, they find a man stripped of everything, intent on playing both sides as they learn an awful reality - even gods can die.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

Turrell planted his hand on the table as he leaned in, allowing Raine to fully inspect every flaw in his wretched face. His features had been rearranged multiple times and looked all the better for it. His ragged beard helped hide this from a distance. He smiled, a grin of shattered teeth, and let out a deep breath, wafting over Raine like broth bubbling from a cauldron. “Take a big whiff.”

Raine made a big production of inhaling deeply. Not bad actually, a familiar mixture of hard liquor and tobacco. His breath probably smelled similar at this point in the night. “You should really go see a doctor, Turrell.”

“Why's that?”

Raine drove the glass into Turrell's hand, twisted.

The room fell silent as his scream hit the air.

Raine pivoted back, planting his foot on Turrell's chest and shoving with all his might. Turrell's hand shredded as the glass ripped through the flesh. He hit the floor.

Jaiden swung with his left; Raine raised his arm, deflected the blow. He pressed forward as Jaiden attacked again. Raine ducked under, throwing his whole weight into Jaiden's body. Jaiden slipped past as Raine toppled over Turrell. A whimper accompanied the contact as Turrell cradled his hand.

Raine hit the ground, scrambled to his feet, rebounded off a table. He spun on his heel, avoided Jaiden's fist, returned with one of his own. It connected with his jaw. Jaiden crumpled.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~


AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Justin D. Herd is a Fantasy Noir author, who has been writing novels for ten years. He absolutely loves dark, twisted stories that take readers into unexpected places. Horror movies are his passion and he often takes stories to task for not logically thinking out their concepts. His home has been invaded by three eccentric cats, one of which is obssesed with all things digital. He is married with two children.

Website:          http://www.justindherd.net/
Twitter:            http://www.twitter.com/justindherd
Patreon:           http://bit.ly/1cLVobm
Amazon:          http://www.amazon.com/author/justindherd

You can buy his books at the following links:

Amazon:          http://amzn.to/1z2xC51
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1HJhacW
Nook:               http://bit.ly/1dH2q1H
iTunes:            http://apple.co/1K5I0tg
Google Play:    http://bit.ly/1FJIeHf
Kobo:               http://bit.ly/1zGWboy
Createspace:  http://bit.ly/1cf04qv
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Justin D. Herd will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn host.

RAFFLECOPTER CODE: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f1141

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Rogue's Angels Present: Silk & Scars by Cassandra Dean

Please welcome Cassandra Dean author of Silk and Scars.

Cassandra Dean will be awarding an ebook copy of either Silk & Scandal or Silk & Scorn, a signed Silk & Scars postcard and Silk & Scars magnet (International giveaway) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.



Silk & Scars
by Cassandra Dean

~~~~~~~~~~~~~


INTERVIEW:

1. What or who inspired you to start writing?
I’ve always been a writer. As soon as I could pick up a pen, I wrote, and I’ve been crafting stories even longer. I don’t think there was any one thing that inspired me, it’s just who I’ve always been.

2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?
Well, two people who fall in love in historical times helps! Seriously, though, that’s all that’s required. Two people meet, think the other is awesome, spend some time together, and fall in love. It sounds pretty basic, but I think it IS pretty basic. Putting your own spin on it is what makes your story unique.

3. How did you come up with your idea for your novel?
Two of my favourite tales are Beauty and the Beast and Jane Eyre. So, with those tales in mind, I came up with the idea for SILK & SCARS, about a reclusive duke with an estate in the wilds of Dartmoor and a plain, subdued woman who finds strength and love.

4. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
I really like photography and have eleven cameras. Yeah. It’s a bit of a sickness
J

5. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
I would love to write a steampunk/paranormal series and have tentative plans to do so. Watch this space!

6. Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?
Sure thing! Here’s an excerpt:

Crossing her arms over her stomach, Gwen leaned forward, pressing deep. Good heavens, she was nervous, and excited, and nervous. She was going to meet Edward. One moment soon, he was going to open that door, and she would see him. She would see the man she’d corresponded with for over a year, to whom she’d expressed every thought, and who had expressed his to her. It did not matter that he was a duke, so far above her in consequence as to be laughable. He was her friend, and, at last, they would meet.

Foot tapping wildly, she leaned her head back against the wall. This was all so ridiculous. She was ridiculous to have this unbridled excitement rioting through her. Exhaling, she caught the stare of the gargoyle. The gargoyle knew how ridiculous her thoughts. Its stone features laughed at her, and in a fit of pique, she poked her tongue out.

The study door opened. Leaping to her feet, she swayed as the blood rushed from her head.

Lord Beecham appeared in the door way and, his eyes lighting upon her, crooked a finger. “Miss Parkes. Come.”

Heart beating a rapid tattoo, she bent to grip the handle of her carpet bag. Lord Beecham had abandoned the door by the time she had gathered herself enough to approach, the worn wooden handle of the bag pressing deep into her palm.

Passing through the doorway, Gwen stopped, her jaw slack as she looked about the chamber. Lit only by the flame of the massive fireplace dominating one wall and the wan flicker of a lamp seated on the enormous desk, the room was huge, cavernous even, and dark. So dark. The faint light picked up rows upon rows of books while heavy drapes of an unidentifiable fabric covered what she could only presume were windows. The floor was the same stone as the hall, the only carpet appearing before the fire under the clawed feet of a large armchair.

Her gaze returned to the fireplace. A man stood before it, his back to her, right hand held by his left.

Her heart, already racing, started a wild thud against her ribs. That was him. The duke. Edward.
He did not turn, though she willed him to. Willed him to turn so she could utter that most important of phrases, the one she’d longed to say for an age now.

Hello, Edward.


7. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?
Once I completed my second published novel, TEACH ME, I started shopping it around. That was an exercise in perseverance, let me tell you! In the meantime, I wrote the short story that became ENSLAVED which was lucky enough to be accepted for publication by Decadent Publishing. The rest is history!
I couldn’t have done it without my critique partner and friend 4 eva, Lucy Clark. Lucy is a multi-published, award-winning author of Mills & Boon novels and has encouraged me every step of the way. Thanks, Lucy!

8. Do you outline your books or just start writing?
I outline a book, start writing, and then chuck the outline out the window! I like to have a plan when I start, but usually it completely changes by the time I’m done.

9. How do you maintain your creativity?
I’m not sure…it’s something I’ve always had! I’m lucky enough to be cursed with too many ideas and not enough time – a good position to be in.

10. Are your plotting bunnies angels or demons?
Sometimes they’re angels, sometimes they’re demons – depends on their mood!




BLURB:

For over a year, Miss Gwendolyn Parkes and the Duke of Sowrith have corresponded. At first an error, the letters quickly became something much more, a friendship forged on like minds and perhaps the hope of something more…

When Gwen is compelled by her employer to attend the duke at his Dartmoor estate, she is devastated to find her beloved friend cold and imperious, even if he is the most handsome man she’s ever seen – despite his scars.

Edward, Duke of Sowrith, has longed to meet Gwen. Arranging her passage to his estate, he is tongue-tied when confronted with her quiet beauty. All too aware of the twisted ruin of his face, he allows fear to hold him silent…until Gwen’s safety is threatened.

Finally together, they grow closer until it seems they can never again be apart – but can a commoner and a duke find a happily ever after?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

Crossing her arms over her stomach, Gwen leaned forward, pressing deep. Good heavens, she was nervous, and excited, and nervous. She was going to meet Edward. One moment soon, he was going to open that door and she would see him. She would see the man she’d corresponded with for over a year, to whom she’d expressed every thought, and who had expressed his to her. It did not matter that he was a duke, so far above her in consequence as to be laughable. He was her friend, and at last they would meet.

Foot tapping wildly, she leaned her head back against the wall. This was all so ridiculous. She was ridiculous, to have this unbridled excitement rioting through her. Exhaling, she caught the stare of the gargoyle. The gargoyle knew how ridiculous her thoughts. Its stone features laughed at her, and in a fit of pique, she poked her tongue out.

The study door opened. Leaping to her feet, she swayed as the blood rushed from her head.

Lord Beecham appeared in the door way and, eyes lighting upon her, he crooked a finger. “Miss Parkes. Come.”

Heart beating a rapid tattoo, she bent to grip the handle of her carpet bag. Lord Beecham had abandoned the door by the time she had gathered herself enough to approach, the worn wooden handle of the bag pressing deep into her palm.

Passing through the door, Gwen stopped and, jaw slack, she looked about the chamber. The room was huge, cavernous even, and dark. So dark. Lit only by the flame of the massive fireplace dominating one wall and the wan flicker of a lamp seated on the enormous desk, the light picked up rows upon rows of books while heavy drapes of an unidentifiable fabric covered what she could only presume were windows. The floor was the same stone as the hall, the only carpet appearing before the fire under the clawed feet of a large armchair.

Her gaze returned to the fireplace. A man stood before it, his back to her, right hand held by his left.

Her heart, already racing, started a wild thud against her ribs. That was him. The duke. Edward.

He did not turn, though she willed him to. Willed him to turn, so she could utter that most important of phrases, the one she’d longed to say for an age now.

Hello, Edward.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Cassandra Dean is a best-selling, multi-published author of historical and fantasy romance. Her latest novel, SLUMBER, is part of Decadent Publishing’s Beyond Fairytales and features Cassandra’s take on Sleeping Beauty. Her next novel, SILK & SCARS, is part of her popular Silk Series, featuring Victorian Era lawyers and their happily ever after.

Cassandra is proud to call South Australia her home, where she regularly cheers on her AFL football team and creates her next tale.

Visit Cassandra’s website at http://cassandradean.com 
Join Cassandra’s mailing list at http://eepurl.com/kzesP 
Contact Cassandra at cassandra@cassandradean.com

Social Media Links:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Cassandra Dean will be awarding an ebook copy of either Silk & Scandal or Silk & Scorn, a signed Silk & Scars postcard and Silk & Scars magnet (International giveaway) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f1097