My Silly Dreams As An Author

Every writer has them–little fantasies that dance in our heads, mostly things we rarely talk about.  Except to our besties and sometimes with other authors.  For fun’s sake, I decided to write out some of mine.

1).  Probably the most common dream for writers is to have one of their stories made into a movie.  Some of us are lucky enough to have this dream turn into a reality, but that number is very few.  Some of the best book-to-movie/TV adaptations I’ve seen recently are The Hunger Games, True Blood, Game of Thrones, all of the Lord of the Rings movies, and let’s not forget the slew of superhero movies (Comic books…they’re books, too).

If one of my books could make  it to the big screen, I’d probably keel over from shock because the chances are that slim.  However, if I could choose which one, I’d choose THE BONES OF WILLOW LAKE (to be released sometime this year).  I have no idea who I’d really want to play Celia Burne and Paul Gray, but it would be awesome to have Cloris Leachman play Velma Beatty.  Velma is the character who lives next door to Celia and knew Gray in the forties. She was one of the best characters I’ve ever written in my short twenty-nine years as a writer (I was born writing with my own umbilical cord. Just ask my mom.). Whoever played Paul Gray would need to carry certain characteristics through his expressions and, mostly, with his eyes.  Paul Gray is described as having sleepy blue-gray eyes, regardless of the time of day.  Mark Ryder (Canal +’s Borgia) would be a close choice, although his hair is too dark.  The intensity in the eyes is there, though.  Also, I just have a thing for Mark Ryder.

Cloris Leachman

2).  To be on the New York Times Bestsellers list.  I may never see my name there, but it’s interesting enough to dream, right?

3.) To have my book in hardcover.  Face facts, Jack.  Most small publishers do not offer books in hardcover.  Some do, but most do not, which leaves the majority of writers today pining away at their own thoughts, dreaming of the day when they can run their fingers across the spine of a hardcover copy of one of their own creations.  I have no clue why this is so important to so many of us, but it apparently isn’t just me who has this dream.  I consider myself in good company.

4).  To see your books at Wal-Mart, the drug store, K-Mart, basically anything else that ends with “Mart”, Barnes & Nobles, and any other free shelf space in stores. Independent authors fight and scratch to get their books on shelves.  It’s another thing many of us will never see.  Some will, most will not.  The digital age has everyone buying books online, which I have absolutely nothing against (Go now and buy THE DEMON KING from Amazon), but sometimes it’s nice to just shop in real stores and handle the books before you buy them.  I, for one, love going into a store and picking the book up, feeling and smelling the pages, and checking out how it feels to hold it. Honestly, sometimes I’ll refuse to read a book because I don’t like the way it feels in my hand and I’ll choose another format instead (I prefer trade paperback unless it’s a book I wish to collect and then I buy hardback lol).

5). To reach Stephen King status.  That man is awesome.  He has over fifty books in print, several of his books have been made into films and television series, and I see more Stephen King quotes on Facebook than any other author, alive or dead.  Why is he so important and special?  Because he writes greatness.  Some of his books I far prefer over others, but that man writes whatever he wants. He sticks it to the man. He wears tee shirts and jeans and he doesn’t care what anyone else things (at least for the most part).  He scares the shit out of people, which is powerful stuff!

6).  Whether or not I ever reach “Stephen King status” doesn’t matter nearly as much as this last thing on my list.  I want people to read and enjoy my books.  I want to hear from readers and for them to have positive experiences with my books.  I want to hear people say that my book made them feel something. Anything. I want to pull reactions out of the readers and make them want more.  I want to tell the stories in my head and leave them on this Earth long after I’ve gone.  Decades from now, I want my grandchildren to be able to read my books and say, “Wow, my grandma was WEIRD! But, I kinda like her…”

 

Anything else to add? Feel free to add your own dreams in comments!
Also, go buy my book, THE DEMON KING. (LOL!)

A chat with Eric S. Brown

Eric S. Brown, author.

Eric S. Brown is one of the busiest authors I’ve had the pleasure of conversing with.  This guy is always, always, always working on something.  From Bigfoot to comics, he’s got his hands in more than one cookie jar.  I’ve read Eric’s work and I can honestly say I’m always entertained. I was lucky enough to snatch a few precious moments of this guy’s time and I asked him some questions.

Me:  What are you working on at present?

ESB:  I am working on the script for the fourth issue of Unstoppable Origins.  It’s one of two comic books I am now the writer on.

Me:  A lot of writers have to have things arranged a certain way before they can write.  For example: I know a certain writer who can’t write a single sentence without her Joe Camel beer huggy (not to name any names, here).  Are there any little quirks in your writing process?

ESB:  If I am writing something strange like Jack Bunny Bam Bam and the Weeper Apocalypse, I really like to listen to Weird Al.  Al’s music is amazing, fun, and very inspirational.

My personal favorite Eric S. Brown character. . .

Me:  What was the most memorable moment you have ever had through your writing career?

ESB:  I will never forget the day I got my first two acceptance letters.  They both came in the mail on the same day and I was calling all my family and friends to say that not one but two magazines like my first short story enough to publish it.  But also when David Drake blurbed my new Military SF book co-authored by Tony Faville was a huge one too.  I grew up reading Drake and learned to write from studying his style.  I had corresponded with Mr. Drake for sometime but when he agreed to read Homeworld I was walking around on eggshells for a while.  I mean the KING of Military SF was reading my first effort in that genre.  When he wrote back and said he enjoyed it and gave me a cover blurb, well, I think I am still grinning from that.   You know you’ve made to a degree when your childhood hero blurbs your book.

Me:  Are you a plotter or a pantser? (**For definitions of these strange writer terms, see the bottom of this post**)

ESB:  I am so a pantser.  I seem to have a never ending stream of writing projects that come at plus I am a Mr. Mom with two kids.  I tend to do everything on the fly.  I also believe in letting my characters write the story as it goes rather than mapping everything out in advance.

Me:  For readers who have never read your work, which book or piece would you recommend reading first?

For those who didn’t know, Bigfoot War is a series! And how ’bout those covers, eh? Nice!

ESB:  Depends on what you enjoy.  If you like horror, I would say Bigfoot War.  It was the original Sasquatch apocalypse book out there.  It’s intense survival horror and has over 100 five star reviews on Amazon.  If you enjoy Military SF like I do and love books like the Hammer’s Slammers series or the Honor Harrington series or even just war stuff in general, I would say Homeworld.  Both are available on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback formats.  And lastly, if you’re just looking to see me at my best as a writer, I would try Jack Bunny Bam Bam and the Weeper Apocalypse.  That book is so crazy there are no words.

Thank you, Eric, for dropping by!  If any of you are interested in his work, I’ll go ahead and throw out Eric’s Amazon Author profile link (below) and also give my two cents.  If I were you, I’d go ahead and buy Jack Bunny Bam Bam and the Weeper Apocalypse.  It’s a great story, but also very nuts. NUTS, I tell ya! Entertainment, definitely.  

Also, don’t forget to give him a good, honest review if you do decide to check him out–which, you totally should–and share the links on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and any other sites you frequent.  Remember, an author cannot continue to bring you awesome books if we don’t show them a little bit of support! 

Eric S. Brown’s Amazon Author Page

 

 

**Definitions for non-writers who probably had no clue what a pantser or a plotter were–

Pantser- A person who flies by the seat of their pants. These writers just sit down and start writing with very little clue as to where their story is going, but for them, it works. 

Plotter- A plotter thinks everything out first.  They plot out every little detail from start to finish with sometimes very detailed notes and outlines.  

If ya ask me, pantsing is a lot more fun, but hey–whatever works for you!  Also, here is a neat blog post about the subject of pantsing vs. plotting. ** 

Naming characters…and I got a new book, too! WOO HOO!

I’m horrible at naming characters.  Every writer has their own method, but I figured I’d share mine since it appears I’m not the only writer having trouble with this.

When I wrote Immortal Ties, I had a perfect vision in mind for each character and had them all named except one.  The character would be a vampire that my main character, Dagan, had known for centuries and he was going to be tall, a biker, and German.  I went ahead with creating a background for him, figured out what his likes and dislikes were, created a good, thorough character sketch and THEN began researching German names.  I wanted popular names and unpopular ones, too.  I eventually settled with Simon Nikolas as his name, even though it’s not a name I’d choose for my child.  I chose a name that I knew would carry the character and serve a purpose, which it did.

But, I also chose this name because it started with an S.  No other characters in that book had a name beginning with an S.  At least not a main character and I already knew that Simon would be the hero in the next Immortal book.  I don’t like having too many characters with names beginning with the same letter unless there is a set of twins named Tim and Tom or something like that–and even then, I shy away from it as much as possible.

I also try to choose names that are relevant to the character’s background.  For example:  If your character lives in medieval Romania, I find it highly unlikely his name would be Randy. Gyorgy, maybe. Or Fitzkobal. Or Pal. Not Randy.  However, medieval Romanian people did have a lot of names that are just earlier versions of names we have today, so you can always choose a name like George and convert it to Gyorgy for your story.  It just takes a little bit of research.  And if your character is a vampire, he may have started out as Gyorgy and lived several centuries to become George.  Finding names for historical characters can take a little bit of research (and this is where Google and Bing come in handy), but finding a relevant name is rewarding in the end.  Never settle for guesses.  Your readers are smarter than that and they deserve more.

Sometimes names for characters just sort of come out of nowhere.  When I began writing Willow Lake, the name for my main character was just the first name I thought of.  Celia Burne!  I love the name Celia, though, and always wanted to use it, so I did.  After I chose her name, everything about her seemed to just fall into place.  Of course, most of her personality was already there, but little bits and pieces I hadn’t figured out began to weave themselves into the Celia Burne fabric lol.  It’s perfectly fine to pick names this way, so never feel horrible or unprofessional because the names of your characters do not have some sort of special meaning.

A good way to find names you might like is to use Google or Bing to find baby names.  When you find a name you like, read the meaning and sometimes that meaning can help you figure the rest of the character out if you haven’t already.  If you have written a character sketch already (or developed one in your head), but you hadn’t chosen a name, sometimes the name meanings can help you write out scenes or visualize this character further.

There is one thing I want to give warning about, though.  When you’re writing a book and you choose your names, be careful about the connotation that comes with certain names.

Example:  Ellen.  Just about everybody knows someone named Ellen and there is also Ellen Degeneres.  We all know who she is also.  When you hear the name Ellen, you might think of your aunt Ellen who always wins the prize for best pie at the family reunion or you might think of Ellen Degeneres, which would take a reader’s mind away from the Ellen you want to write in your story because when you write a sentence that says, “Ellen walked down steps” your readers are imagining Ellen Degeneres dancing up and down the aisles at the studio where her shows are filmed. Be mindful of things like these–most popular names already have a connotation with readers.

This is where I’d say making sure your characters are very well fleshed out helps a great deal.  This can ensure that your readers aren’t picturing Ellen Degeneres dancing every single time they read about your main character, Ellen.  (As a side note, I’m now picturing Ellen Degeneres dancing in my head because I love her! HA! )

Go through lists of names before you decide and read through those lists until you find a name that stands out to you.  Read about that name.  Google to see if anyone famous has that name if you want to (just because it’s fun).  But, you should never think that it’s harder than it is.  Don’t get me wrong, it can be a serious pain in the butt, but when you find names you like and they work with the story, it’s great and it helps your story along.

In other news today…

I got a new book in the mail.  I won a contest recently.  Rhiannon Frater had written a new novella in the Pretty When She Dies universe, and she couldn’t choose a name for it.  The contest was that the name with the most likes (I think…) won.  Mine won. The title is Pretty When They Collide and the cover is great and I’m going to start reading it tonight just as soon as I finish helping my son with his homework.

A good book to read is what the doctor ordered, folks. Seriously, lately I’ve been running on fumes! And with that, I leave you 😀 Night, folks! ~Rhiannon Mills

Best YA Vampire Books I’ve Read

I haven’t pimped any books lately, so I thought I’d gather a list of YA vampire books I think you should check out.   Remember, these books are all on this list because they were favorites of mine at one point or another or are still a favorite of mine.

My preciousss…..

1) First, it’s been brought to my attention that there is a Thirst No.5 by Christopher Pike! How I missed this is well beyond me.  I already own the first four so now I have to make it my mission to buy the 5th and any subsequent books he brings forth to the world of vampire goodness.  The first four books are awesome and I love his female vampire lead (Sita…such a lovely, lovely name), the way he describes surroundings, and the way he moves his stories. Keep in mind that each Thirst book is made up of about three YA novels he wrote previously in the 90’s, so this is like repackaged goodness with a little bow wrapped around it.  Although, in this case, the boy may or may not have been dragged through a blood filled mud hole first (cause that’s how Pike rolls–always action packed!).  You should also consider that, though these are YA novels, there is absolutely very little young adult about them.  Adults who do not read young adult books will love them, too.  AAAAANNNNNDDDD, when compared to the Twilight books, I think Christopher Pike has better vampires and story lines.  There is something for every vampire lover in here, but no sparkling and no dancing through the treetops piggy back style.

 

2)  Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde.  This author is wonderful and writes beautifully.  The book that comes to mind when I hear her name, however, is Companions of the Night.  It’s not a long book (more novella length than novel length), so you can possibly read it in one sitting, but the story is built incredibly.  The characters are wonderful and the terrifying at the same time.  Vande Velde’s vampires are absolutely horrible monsters, which is a plus in my book.  

 

3) The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klaus.   This book is the one that made me really think about writing vampire fiction.  I’m still thinking about writing more vampires and vampires are creatures I’ll never shy away from all because of this little gem of a book.  I’m told this was the author’s very first book, which makes sense because every single little detail is absolutely meticulously thought out.  The story centers around a young girl named Zoe and a somewhat brooding vampire named Simon.  I don’t want to give out spoilers because that’s just not nice, but I will say that vampire authors everywhere could learn a thing or two from this story.  It doesn’t have a fairy tale ending–and who says all books have to have a fairy tale ending anyhow?  What it does have, however, is a satisfying ending because it’s more real than most.

Also, from Annette Curtis Klaus is a book called Blood and Chocolate (werewolves this time).  Sound familiar?  That’s because some genius made it into a movie, although the movie isn’t exactly like the book. It still ROCKS.

 

 

Also, I’ll be posting something other than book listings and suggestions in the next few days.  The last few weeks have been hectic and I’ve had little blogging time 😀 ~Rhiannon.

Horror Books Not To Miss

This week’s genre in the spotlight is horror. Since folks seemed to love the post I wrote on Alternatives to 50 Shades of Grey (spotlighting erotica and erotic romance novels and stories), I’ve decided to spotlight a new genre bi-weekly on Thursdays.  I love horror in most sub-genres and there are a lot of awesome Independent authors you should check out as well as the more established authors.  Without wasting too much time yacking, here is the list I’ve compiled:

 

Long Voyage Back by Luke Rinehart. — I don’t know this author and I have not read this book, but Permuted Press posted the link this morning because the ebook is on sale at $1.99 for Kindle.  Also, the book is available for Nook and Kobo.  “Nuclear Armageddon” was mentioned in the description, so I can imagine it’s probably pretty great for those action seeking horror lovers. But again, I have not read this book so I won’t know until I read it lol.

Among the Living by Timothy W. Long— I do own this one so I can vouch for the book and the author.  Right now, the kindle price is at $3.99 and the print copy price is $12.78.  Also, you can get the audiobook from audible for $1.99.

In Darkness We Must Abide by Rhiannon Frater— Folks, don’t forget that there are a lot of awesome, awesome female horror authors out there, too. Rhiannon Frater is one to keep watching.  This particular book is .99 for Kindle download right now.  Snap it up, folks.  This is book one of a serial!

Cthulhu’s Daughter and Other Horror Tales by Rhiannon Frater is also available on kindle and the price is only $2.99.

Also, check out Rhiannon’s Amazon Author profile and scroll around and find more books she’s written.  There are TONS of goodies to choose from.

Domain of the Dead by Iain McKinnon— $3.99 is the kindle price.  Iain Mckinnon is a pretty awesome author and I personally give him a big recommendation.

The Night of the Beasts by Eric S. Brown— I haven’t read this particular book, but I have read others by Eric S. Brown and have enjoyed them quite a bit and this one is priced for Kindle at .99 😀 Enjoy!

Cannibal Corpse by Tim Curran–I don’t know Tim Curran and I’ve never had a conversation with him, but he must have poured magic sprinkles into the pages of this one because EVERYBODY has it on their kindle, either waiting to be read or being read right now.  As a matter of fact, it’s on MY kindle as well lol.  Anyhow, the Kindle price is $7.99 and it IS available for print as well at $14.95.

 
Nurse Blood by Rebecca Besser— This book goes on sale TOMORROW (3/21/13) until the end of the month for .99, but right now is listed at $3.99, just in case you can’t wait until tomorrow lol.  Also, what a beautiful cover!

Tygers by Brenna Lyons is a horror erotic romance, Undead Embrace is zombie fiction ranging from horror-comedy to straight horror,  Undead Underway is vampire comedy, and Monsters of Myth is a  mix of everything 😀  I haven’t read any of her books, but I just may check out some of these.

–FREEBIES–

Lost Girl of the Lake by Michael McCarty and Joe McKinney— FREE for Kindle download for PRIME members and I have this already and am confident in giving it my recommendation.  If you do not have an Amazon Prime membership, the ebook is still only $3.79 😀 Enjoy!

The End by MW Huffman  FREE for Kindle download.  Four star rating with fifteen reviews.

 

Well, that’s it for today, folks! If you have any book suggestions you’d like to share in the horror genre, please feel free to list them with or without links in the comments below so that others may enjoy your suggestions. I’d also like to mention that I do realize today isn’t Thursday, but tomorrow I have a dentist appointment and I have no idea if I’ll feel like blogging when I get back.  Enjoy!

 

 

To Travel Or Not To Travel…That Is The Question. Or is it?

Sometimes it’s fun to look at artwork from different ages and think about what it would be like to be the subject of said artwork.  For example, if you could be one of the ladies or gentlemen in Louis VII’s court. Or if you could be an Egyptian Pharaoh. Think about all the differences in the world that have taken place from one age to the next–from the beginning of time where we (human beings) basically wandered about in loin cloths with no shoes to Ancient Egypt where everyone wore golden neck pieces and worshiped cats to the Victorian Era when everyone wore corsets and it just wasn’t dandy without your brandy.  And then now, when we are all hooked into the interwebs, still worship cats, but wear clothing that is much more comfortable and easy to come by.

I’m not saying that we all have closets full of top designer labels, but it’s so easy to walk into a JC Penny and pick up some jeans and tee shirts, whereas a few centuries ago (or less) people made their clothes.  Making clothes, depending on the era, was a bit of a difficulty.  The cloth and other materials had to come from somewhere, right? Animal pelts, cotton, and other fabrics had to be made and conditioned before you could even start on your new dress or shirt.

There are other differences in time and place that astound me, also.  Like food.  Today, we shop in grocery stores and drive right through eateries to get what we want, but in times past, that wasn’t so. You had to either kill or grow your food, or both. People still kill and grow their own food, but in a much easier way than before.  Cavemen clubbed their dinner and many a caveman lost his life or a few limbs to hungry critters in the process.  Today, hunters have guns and bows.  Also, grocery shopping has changed.  During the first years of the United States history, colonists could trade with each other for things they need or venture out into small general stores for grains and goods, but today everything is shipped in big trucks.

Holy crap! There I am. Well, that’s it. I can’t go back in time NOW…

So, let me ask you this.  Knowing that today you have grocery stores, air conditioning, and comfortable, easily accessible clothes, would you travel back in time to another age when things weren’t so easy?  If you were given the chance to stay here or go there, would you go out of curiosity?

And if you DID go, where and when would you go?

I could think of a million reasons to stay right here in the 21st century, but I can think of a million more reasons to go back to medieval times, even though it’s likely I’d get myself burnt at the stake within a month.  Life is a journey and I prefer to explore it rather than stay tucked safely inside my little house. And knowledge is power, right? So maybe I could avoid the plague and keep myself healthy enough to avoid being burnt at the stake, also.

Thoughts welcome.

My Real Life Horror Story With A Panther…

**I wrote this post a few years ago for a horror blog I was involved in called Splattercore.  The blog is no longer active, to my knowledge, so I decided to recycle the post because the story is very, very true. 😀 Enjoy, dearies. **

 

My mother grew up on a mountain (Barker’s Ridge) in West Virginia, and we moved back up there when I was about 13. I moved first and lived with my Grandma and then a year later my mom followed and we moved into a house right below my Grandma’s place. Mountain life was unlike anything I’d ever dreamed of before, and getting used to it was a big issue for me, but I took to it like a fish to water. Probably because mountain living is in my blood.

Contrary to popular belief, not everyone in West Virginia lives way back in the boogey woods. My dad’s family lived on a hill-what others (not from WV) would call a mountain, but what mountaineers see as smaller than a real mountain. I live on that same hill now (in Itmann, right below one of my uncles and my paternal Grandmother), so life on a hill is even way different than life on a mountain.

Barker’s Ridge has bears, deer, coyotes, and all kinds of other creepy critters, and that was a big adjustment too. I loved to walk from my Grandma’s place (quite possibly the highest point inhabited on that mountain) to my great uncle’s house below a bit, and then out the strip and back. That was a great work out! I hated, however, making the trek from my grandma’s house to my great uncle’s house in the dark at six in the morning to catch the school bus. Then, when I moved in with my mom, right below my grandma, it was basically the same walk, except that my mom lived in this little holler-closer to the woods and even more out of the way of modern society.

I got used to it and it got to the point that bats flying ahead sometimes and deer sometimes stirring in the woods didn’t scare me. I could sometimes even hear the occasional bear moving around further into the woods. I learned to identify which sounds could be threatening and which ones weren’t. Bobcats scared me the most, but I learned that if you stamped your foot at them – if you see one – they scurry back into the woods scared to death of you. Problem solved.

When I was in the 9th grade, though, something very different happened. Something I never expected, and no one even told me about until about two years ago-long after high school had ended.

I got up one morning at 4:30 as usual so that I could take a shower and blow dry my hair and get ready for school as usual, in time to be to the bus stop by 10 til 6 (so that gave me ten minutes to sneak and smoke in my uncle’s driveway). At ten til, I walked out the door of my house and up the driveway, hem hawing around with my backpack and carefully avoiding mud puddles so that I didn’t get my shoes dirty. I think I even stopped once or twice to adjust my shoes and shift my super heavy backpack around.

When I got to my uncle’s house, he was waiting for me on his porch, shotgun in hand. Usually, he was asleep because he worked night shift in the coal mines. When I made it to his porch, he had already anticipated my arrival and had the sliding glass doors open, quickly ushered me inside, and then said, “There’s a coyote in your driveway. Don’t go out there this morning. There’s a whole pack of ’em in the woods. Stay in here until the bus comes and I’ll wait with you.”

One coyote doesn’t scare me nearly as much as a pack of them, so I listened. The idea of being ripped to shreds by a pack of wild dogs before school didn’t appeal to me very much. When the bus came, I got on-with my uncle standing at the door with his gun at his side-and I went to school a little shaken by the news of the coyotes, but the next day I walked to the bus stop as usual and no coyote activity. That meant I could smoke outside in peace.

Years later, I learned the real story. Sure, I was there to experience this, but apparently there were things I didn’t know.

Apparently, the real story went something like this…

I left my house, through the front door, as usual. I stopped in the driveway to adjust things, and stopped to do whatever it is teenage girls do. I hem hawed over puddles and through rocks in the road. Meanwhile, I was being stalked.

By a big freakin’ cat. 

I’m sure to him I’d be rather tasty…

I’d heard my mom and grandma talking about the panther sightings on the hill and I’d totally rolled my eyes at them. A panther? On the mountain? Nah…

I couldn’t have been more wrong. My uncle watched it stalk me and he held his gun at the ready in case the damn thing tried to grab me. He didn’t make a sound for fear of spooking the cat. If the cat were spooked, I would have been a goner for sure. Panthers are just gigantic kitty cats. They play with their food first. It would have grabbed me from behind, went for my neck, possibly snapped it, and then played with me while I tried to get away. It would have left a blood trail from the overgrown driveway into the woods, and my mom would have just thought somebody or a bear maybe had killed a deer there in the middle of the night. Until I didn’t come home from school that night, she’d have no way of knowing what happened to me.

About two years ago, my uncles finally told me about the story. I thought they were kidding at first, but then my mom confirmed that it was true and that they didn’t tell me cause they didn’t want me to freak out and never go to school again. It makes me wonder if they kept an eye on me after that, though lol. I’m sure that they did. I think…

Knight Watch Press Closes

Knight Watch Press, publisher of THE DEMON KING, has officially closed its doors, which is big news for me because this means THE DEMON KING is homeless once again and will be needing a publisher.

Correction.

THE DEMON KING doesn’t need a new publisher because I’m going to self publish it myself. This wasn’t an easy decision to make, but at the same time it made perfect sense.  The book is only a novella and right now I have my hands full with other projects, so I see no reason why I can’t just upload it and market it as an ebook by myself.  This will give me the option of making the book FREE sometimes, which I love because I want people to read it and like it and be able to enjoy it as long as they want to. So, in a way this is good news and could possibly help me out tremendously.  The book will not be released, however, until I retain full rights back from Knight Watch, which will not be a problem, and until I have the opportunity to get a cover made and I also want to go through the book again with a little red pen and actually there’s a paragraph in there I’d like to change.

IN OTHER NEWS…

I’m also editing an anthology for a new publisher, and there will be details released about that soon, but if you’re a vampire fan, you may want to pay close attention because I’ll have submission guidelines for you asap.

Also, Willow Lake is being rejected over and over again, but I haven’t lost hope with it.  I’ll eventually find a publisher.  If I don’t find a home for it and TDK does well on its own, I may push it out there myself, too. We shall see.

That’s it for today, but more later 😀
~Rhiannon

My Frequently Asked Questions…

Since it is now 2013, I’m going to let everyone in on a little secret.  From January 1,2012 to December 31,2012, I kept all of my emails–even hate mail– and kept a list of questions folks have asked me about myself (as a writer).  I figured one day all that stuff may  just come in handy.  Today, I went through them and thought they really would come in handy as a neat little blog post.  I’m only sharing ten, though, because some were just very personal.  Those were filed away elsewhere lol.

Yes, smoking is bad.

1– Where do your stories come from?/How do you come up with your stories/plots?
Well, I’m sure this is the question most authors are asked most often.  In fact, I’d put money on it.  The answer isn’t so simple, though.  Sometimes a plot can come from a lightning bolt type stroke of luck from the plot goddess(lol) and sometimes they come from elsewhere.  Sometimes, I can just tell a story off the top of my head from scratch.  I do this often. I have kids who enjoy bedtime stories, as it is.  I began writing my Immortal books more from frustration than anything else. I’d read the Twilight books and didn’t agree with them and they didn’t agree with me, either. I had problems with the characters of those books.  They just weren’t believable to me and I decided one day to write my own vampire story.  A friend of mine, Joanna, egged me on.  She told me to keep going and that’s how it happened.  I’d wake up every morning, begin writing, finish a chapter, send it to her, and wait to see what she thought of it.  And, thus, two books were born.  The Demon King was different. I had finished watching The Tudors and thought to myself it would be nice if Jonathan Rhys Meyers was a vampire. And then I laughed to myself that some demon King Henry VIII would be one heck of a vampire.  And then I said, “Well, self…he should be a demon, rather than a vampire, then.”  Draken was born from JRM’s performance as Henry VIII in Showtime’s The Tudors.

Willow Lake was written quite differently than my other books, though.  The characters are very dear to me and the plot was wrapped around them. Celia Burne is an alternate version of myself.  Paul Gray was based on a fallen soldier from my dreams.  I’ve had recurring dreams since the age of fifteen involving an old white house on lakefront property with a willow tree in the yard. I know every inch of the property and the willow tree is usually where I see the fallen soldier in my dreams. Over the years, the fallen soldier has sort of become my conscience. Yeah. Crazy, right? lol. I expanded on Celia and Gray’s personalities, gave them backgrounds, and created more characters for the story.  To date, Willow Lake is the book closest to my heart.

All this being said, every writer creates their stories differently and are inspired by different things. More often than not, music is a big inspiration for me as well as artwork.

2-Why don’t you just skip the book business and turn your work into movies?

Because sometimes it just doesn’t work that way.  I do not write screenplays or scripts (I’m horrible at it), so unless someone decides to buy the movie options from me for one of my books, I guess I’m just going to have to wait and see if it ever happens lol.

3- When is the sequel to The Demon King coming?

Probably never.  Or, maybe never. I don’t honestly know that I’ll ever finish writing the sequel.  It’s been started, but in the midst of my writing, the publishing company that published The Demon King has apparently downsized and are now no longer accepting novel or novellas for submissions.  This means that if I write it, I have to find someone else to publish it. And heck–I’ve even toyed with the idea of writing it chapter by chapter and pushing it myself in a blog somewhere specifically for The Demon King. So sorry for those who were looking for a sequel. I really do apologize. I had every intention of writing one and then everything on earth got in the way. I promise you all this, though–If and when there is one, I’ll make sure you’re all the first to know.

4-How much money are you making from your books?

Next to none. Everybody knows writers starve.

5-“Can you please write a zombie novel? Pretty please!!!” -Kate in New Orleans via email. <–That one isn’t even paraphrased. It came straight from the email, but I’ve been asked this question quite a few times as many of my writer friends actually do write zombie novels and short stories. Even my own child wants me to write a zombie novel.

Kate (and everyone else), I love zombie novels and movies. Unfortunately, I write what I know and what is in my heart and on my mind.  If one day a few characters are created in my head and make me feel like they need to live in a zombie apocalypse type setting, I’ll definitely write a zombie novel, but if that doesn’t happen, I won’t force myself to write it just because zombies are hot right now.

6- Why don’t you write a ________ book instead of writing about creepy weirdo stuff? 

My mother has told me she thinks I should write a Western.  My mother-in-law once said I should write a children’s book.  Others have asked that I write anything else.  Some people are just not paranormal fans.  I am a paranormal fan and I love reading about other worlds, paranormal creatures, unrequited loves, lost loves, and anything creepy in general.  Also, this question goes along with number 5, but I felt it deserved its own number because I need to explain that I can’t just pick and choose what I write.  It chooses me.

7- Do your piercings hurt?/Why the heck did you put holes in your face?

No, they do not hurt.  When I got them done, they hurt a little, but not much.  Frankly, I like them and that’s why they’re there. I do not intend to get any more piercings, though I’ve flirted with the notion.  I do, however, intend to get one more tattoo.  It’s on my bucket list, anyway.

8- How do your parents feel about what you write?

My dad encourages me.  My mother thinks I should write a Western, though she buys my books lol. Other family members are skeptical.  I have a few relatives who laugh about me being a writer as if it’s the most hilarious thing on the planet and have been accused of writing porn (romance does not equal porn, folks). However, even if I did write porn, I bet I’d write good porn 😀 For the most part, though, my family is supportive. They’re more supportive now than they were when I was first starting out, though! Slowly gaining a fan base apparently equals acceptance from relatives. Not quite sure how I feel about that…lol.

9- What are you reading?

Anything I can get my hands on, though I’ll probably reread some Edgar Alan Poe this week for research purposes.

10- Who did that thing in The Demon King (the thing I can’t publicly mention without giving a big spoiler)?

Demon King readers will know what that thing is because, in the book, I never wrote who did it! Ha! I will not tell you because I may write a sequel soon. MAYBE. I will tell you that you won’t expect it, but several people will die from the king’s wrath because of it.

2013 Television

2013 will probably be a pretty exciting year for me because I’ve actually allowed myself to enjoy a few television shows.  I haven’t gotten into this big of a tizzy about television since I was 9 and discovered Luke Perry on 90210.  Here are the shows I’m looking forward to in 2013!

BORGIA– Not “The Borgias” on Showtime.  Borgia features every single horror you could possibly imagine ever actually happening in history.  Before the mafia, there was the Borgia family–and that’s not just a gimmick.  It’s true.  Life was brutal for them, but more brutal for those who got in their way.  The Borgia family, headed by patriarch Rodrigo Borgia, handled their social climbing by any means necessary, including (but not limited to) a never ending string of murder and betrayal.  Rodrigo, practically seething to become the next pope, is absolutely depraved in his climb to the top.  Depraved, but also (for some strange reason) lovable. If you want more information about the Borgia family, Wikipedia’s article on the odd but addicting bunch is here. 

Some say the actors in Borgia are not as good looking as the actors in the crap Showtime series, but I’ll debunk that rumor quite quickly.  I give you exhibit A, Cesare Borgia:

Ohhh, Cesare. If only you didn’t have such a thing for your sister.

Also, exhibit B, the rest of the amazing cast:

Keep in mind that Lucrezia Borgia was not all sweet and innocent.  On Showtime they do a decent job of portraying her as a damsel in distress who just has to have a smirk when she does something naughty.  In Borgia (the good one), Lucrezia is portrayed very much like every other young lady in those times until she’s thrown into the world of politics and then she really begins to show her strength and her true ruthless character.  I hate to say it (since history tells us that Lucrezia just loved to poison folks for the hell of it), but I love her.

Lucrezia Borgia

The new season of Borgia starts soon, but I’m not altogether certain when. I’m sure I’ll be gushing about it the moment I find out.

NBC’s DRACULA–

There is very little information about this show, but it is said to start sometime in early 2013.  The cast is also very nearly a mystery, however we do know that Jonathan Rhys Meyers will be none other than Dracula himself.  Now, when I first saw him spout out the infamous words “I’m the King of England!” on Showtime in his portrayal of Henry VIII, I thought to myself, he really outta be a bloodsucker… And now he is! I should make my wishes and thoughts known much more often. Now, my absolute love for JRM aside, I have to admit that this is going to either be absolutely epic or a total flop.  I wanted him to be a vampire, but I have a hard time seeing him as Dracula.  We shall see what happens there soon enough.

So, that’s pretty much all I’ve got for ya.  I know, right.  Total ripoff of a post lol.  Actually, I loved the BBC’s version of Being Human, too, but my favorite vampire is no longer on the show and it got dull for  me after about the fourth season, so I’ve abandoned it for now. I may watch more later, but not until after the second season of Borgia and the first season of Dracula are completely watched.

Which shows are you interested in this coming year?  I hate that there is an absolute lack in proper entertainment these days.  I hate reality shows with a passion! Yeah, so you won’t find Honey Boo Boo on my television set any time soon.