Author Interview--Victoria Thompson

Good Friday,

It’s interview time. I have with me today one of my professors from that MFA in Writing Popular Fiction program that I talk about a lot, Victoria Thompson. She’s here today to talk about her and her upcoming release, MURDER IN CHELSEA. Please give her a warm welcome.

Edgar® Nominated author Victoria Thompson writes the Gaslight Mystery Series, set in turn-of-the-century New York City and featuring midwife Sarah Brandt. Her last book, MURDER ON FIFTH AVENUE, has been nominated for an Agatha Award. Her latest, MURDER IN CHELSEA, is a May 2013 release from Berkley Prime Crime. She also contributed to the award winning writing textbook MANY GENRES/ONE CRAFT. A popular speaker, Victoria teaches in the Seton Hill University master's program in writing popular fiction. She lives in Central PA with her husband and a very spoiled little dog.

-What book and/or experience made you want to be a writer?

Oddly enough, Louis L’Amour’s westerns were what started me on my first novel. Reading them re-kindled my childhood love of cowboys and the Old West. My first 20 published novels were Western Romances. I love writing historicals, which then led to my being asked to write the Gaslight Mystery Series.

-What genre do you write?

I write Historical Mysteries set in turn-of-the-century New York City.

-About MURDER IN CHELSEA.

MURDER IN CHELSEA, Berkley Prime Crime (A May 2013 release). Frank Malloy and Sarah Brandt solve the mystery of Sarah’s foster daughter Catherine’s birth and finally locate her real parents. All does not go well, however, and someone ends up dead. Sarah must protect the child she loves like her own while deciding if she has the courage to give her up to her real parents.

-Spoilers?

This isn’t really a spoiler, but Frank and Sarah finally declare their love for each other and Frank proposes.

-For other aspiring writers, any tips?

If you want to be a writer, first you must be a reader. You will learn more from reading extensively in your chosen genre than you ever will from a how-to book.

-What’s your favorite book/genre to read?

I love mysteries and thrillers, especially those with historical settings.

-What’s your favorite thing you’ve ever written?

The End.

But seriously, folks, my favorite scene to date is the one where Frank proposes to Sarah in MURDER IN CHELSEA.

Want more from Victoria?

Check out her website. Like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

If you haven’t, read all the Gaslight Mysteries, and keep an eye out for Murder in Chelsea. It hits shelves on May 7!

Book Tour--TWINNED UNIVERSES

Goddess Fish Book Tour

TWINNED UNIVERSES by Sandra Ulbrich Almazan
Book 2 in the Catalyst Chronicles – A science fiction novel

BLURB
Paul Harrison always wanted to play Hamlet, but he never expected he’d live the role first.

In the aftermath of a family tragedy on 21st century Earth, Paul discovers he’s the clone of Sean Lyon, his great-great-grandfather and a famous TwenCen musician. Suspecting his mother’s death was no accident, Paul comes up with a plan to trick the answers out of the great-uncle who had him cloned. But in order to make his plan work, Paul needs help from Sean himself—and Sean’s time is running out in the TwenCen universe next door. Although Paul’s family lives on the spaceship that travels between the universes, he’s never been allowed on TwenCen Earth. Now, with the help of his friends, his disguise-creating holoprojectors, and a quantum quirk, Paul must make his way to Sean while evading other time travelers who fear he’ll change the history of the TwenCen universe. If Paul is to achieve justice, he must not only risk his own life, but the wormhole connecting the universes. “To be or not to be” was a simple question in comparison....

EXCERPT
Paul didn’t care what Dad thought; Great-Uncle Jack was the most promising suspect. He hated Mom, so he’d have no problem getting rid of her, especially if it made Paul more like Sean. How could Dad expect him to forget about the matter when it was his own fault? How could he expect Paul to do nothing? He’d be eighteen in a couple more months, old enough to handle responsibility. Maybe he would be useless with the genetic research, but there had to be something he could do. But what?

All I’m good at is acting, and that doesn’t matter out here. It’s no help being in space when Great-Uncle Jack is back on Earth. Paul broke down the cardboard boxes for composting. But maybe when I get back….

Hamlet had staged a reenactment of his father’s death to gauge his uncle’s guilt by his reaction. Perhaps Paul could do something similar. For a moment he pictured himself playing his own mother, accusing her uncle. The image made Paul smile, but he was too tall to play her convincingly. There was only one role he could manage, the most dangerous one.

If Paul proclaimed on returning to Earth that he was willing to become a Sean impersonator, Great-Uncle Jack would be so ecstatic he might let his guard slip. If he wanted Paul to write songs, he’d write one about his mother and play it for the world. Perhaps that would make Great-Uncle Jack confess. All Paul had to do was learn a role he could get trapped in.

ABOUT SANDRA
Sandra Ulbrich Almazan started reading at the age of three and only stops when absolutely required to. Although she hasn’t been writing quite that long, she did compose a very simple play in German during middle school. Her science fiction novella Move Over Ms. L. (an early version of Lyon’s Legacy) earned an Honorable Mention in the 2001 UPC Science Fiction Awards, and her short story “A Reptile at the Reunion” was published in the anthology Firestorm of Dragons. She is a founding member of BroadUniverse and a long-time member of the Online Writing Workshop for Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror. Her undergraduate degree is in molecular biology/English, and she has a Master of Technical and Scientific Communication degree. Her current day job is in the laboratory of an enzyme company; she’s also been a technical writer and a part-time copyeditor for a local newspaper. Some of her other accomplishments are losing on Jeopardy! and taking a stuffed orca to three continents. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, Eugene; and son, Alex. In her rare moments of free time, she enjoys crocheting, listening to classic rock (particularly the Beatles), and watching improv comedy.

Sandra can be found online at her website, blog, Twitter, and Facebook. Upcoming projects from Sandra include a standalone fantasy story called “The Fighting Roses of Sharon”; Twinned Universes, the second book in the science fiction Catalyst Chronicles series; and Scattered Seasons, the first book in the fantasy Season Lords series.

Twinned Universes can be purchased online at Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords.

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Hey readers,

Have to say, Hamlet is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. Love The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s rendition and love finding new books that include the play!

Want more on Twinned Universes? Follow the rest of the tour here.

And don’t forget to comment often for a chance at an awesome prize.

Sandra will award one randomly chosen commenter the choice of a $50 Amazon gift card or a gift pack of all of the following items related to Twinned Universes: two Shakespeare mugs, a Sears tower pendant, a book by Carl Sagan (Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space), and a signed copy of the first book in the series, Lyon's Legacy.

Book Tour--CHRONICLES OF MORGAINE

Goddess Fish Book Tour

CHRONICLES OF MORGAINE by Joe Vadalma
A dark romantic fantasy

BLURB
Readers who love books about magic and romance will love this special ebook "boxed set" of the first three books in a spellbinding series - all for just the price of the first book plus one dollar more! Start reading this irresistible saga of a modern witch who couldn't free herself from an ancient love. Meet the bad girl of romance, Morgaine the first anti-heroine! When they had been lovers hundreds of years earlier, Michael had sold his soul to the devil for immortality. Now that they are lovers once again, Morgaine tries to outwit the demon Asmodeus by offering him the pure soul of the woman Melody in exchange for Michael's. But when Michael falls in love with Melody, Morgaine unleashes a fury on them the like of which even hell has never seen. And Morgaine's fury threatens to shatter even the will of Hell's mighty King. "A fine, original new work of dark fantasy," raves Horror Sagas!

AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT JOE

“I've loved science fiction and fantasy from the time I learned to read. My hobbies, besides writing, are traveling, adventure game playing and do-it-yourself projects. Before I retired, I was a technical writer working for a major computer manufacturer.

I believe my love of reading stems from my parents and grandparents, who were all avid readers. As a child, one of my favorite things was hanging out at the library or browsing in flea markets for books I could afford. I also liked mathematics and science, especially astronomy. When I was twelve or so, I discovered the pulp magazines. They had garish covers and were printed on blotting paper, but the stories inside were marvelous. In these magazines, I learned to love such writers as Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Robert Silverberg and so many others.

I married a girl who went to the same high school as I did, and we've been married over fifty years now. We have four wonderful girls, ten grandchildren (who are now adults ) and one spunky nine-year-old great-granddaughter. In 1993, I retired. That's when my fiction writing career really started.

Three series of paranormal fantasy novels of mine, called The Morgaine Chronicles, Raven Lenore, Psychic Investigator, and my humorous fantasy saga The Books of Retslu have been published as ebooks by Futures-Past Editions. Futures-Past has also published all my novels including, The Isaac Project, For Love of Kumiko, Pawns of Tomorrow, Star Tower, Out of Time, Takeover, The Artifact, Pawns of Tomorrow, The Laws of Magic, Castle Darkest Night and Dinner with Dracula. All are available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble, as well as other online ebook sellers.”

EXCERPT OF CHRONICLES OF MORGAINE
Michael stood not six inches away, and I became lost in those wonderful, terrible eyes of his. My heart beat wildly, and I gulped. At that moment I would have done anything – absolutely anything, regardless of how outrageous – that he asked. For one instance I was his absolute slave only waiting for his command.

Thank God, it was a simple one. "Please stay a while, Melody. Have a brandy with me.”

We conversed about various subjects as we slowly sipped our drinks. When I finished, I set the glass down with some finality. "I really must go now. Work tomorrow." The last drink made me feel strange after the others we had throughout the evening, not tipsy or anything, just strange. I certainly did not want to get high at this point. "Could you call a cab, please?”

"Parting is such sweet sorrow," he whispered. His tone was only slightly mocking. If those had not been the words to a corny old song, I believe he meant them literally.

In the cab, my thoughts were in a whirling disarray. Was I falling in love? C'mon, I told myself, a grown woman does not fall in love after seeing a man twice. But I was lying to myself, and knew I was lying. What was it about him? His charm? His rugged good looks? Something. Maybe his eyes. Whenever I thought of him, they were the first thing I recalled. There was a hypnotic quality about them. But there was something else. He mentioned reincarnation. Was that it? Were we lovers in some past life? I shook my head to clear it. The thing was, when he had planted that light kiss on my lips, it was as though an electric shock had jolted my heart.

WANT MORE FROM JOE?

Visit his website, and connect with him on Facebook.

Want to buy CHRONICLES OF MORGAINE?

Find it on amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Hey readers,

Looks pretty neat. Thanks for joining us today, Joe!

Follow the rest of this book tour here.

And don’t forget to comment for a shot at a prize.

One randomly drawn commenter will win a $25 Gift Certificate to Renaissance EBooks, Inc.

Writing in this World

Hello folks,

This post will relate to writing, as indicated by the title, but first please join me in a moment of silence for all those affected by the Boston Marathon bombing this past Monday.

***___***___---___***___***

Thank you.

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I grew up 15 miles north of Boston. I was a kid in Massachusetts. I played, ran, fell, wore band aids from falls, and laughed on a small street in a small city 15 miles north of Boston.

I also cried there. I shed tears for no reason. I shed tears because of physical pain. I shed tears for emotional hurt. I shed tears for others.

When 9/11 hit, I lived in Massachusetts. I was only 11—days from turning 12, actually—but I remember. I remember finding out the planes came from Boston. I remember thinking the crashes were accidents. I remember not understanding. I remember feeling safer because I didn’t live in New York or Washington D.C. I was a kid. Not living in the places affected was a world of difference to me.

Two days ago, my home state was attacked. It doesn’t matter the source. My home state, my home, was attacked. People died running the Boston Marathon, an event that I always knew about but never attended. An event that made up part of the state I resided in until a little less than a year ago. A state that is still and will always be my home.

None of my friends or family members were injured in Monday’s events. For that I am more thankful than words can express. I also cannot put into words the feeling you feel when your home is attacked. I used to live 15 miles north of where the bombing took place. 15 miles. That’s not a long way when you look at the size of the planet. I walked Boston’s streets, rode its subways, sampled its restaurants, browsed its stores. I performed at its concert halls. I lived under its sky. I made it and that small city 15 miles north of it my home. That feeling never leaves.

And so when that home is attacked, there’s a feeling of breaking. You repair it. What else can we do but repair damage? But you don’t forget. 12 years ago when 9/11 hit, I didn’t understand. I do now. I understand in more ways than I thought I could in 2001. Your childhood home is a place that lives inside you. At least it is for me. It hurts beyond pain to see it broken.

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I write fantasy. I’m writing the last few chapters of my thesis for Seton Hill this month. There is violence. There is death. There is loss. I’ve heard it asked of writers “How can you write about such terrible things when you live in this world?”

Let me offer my answer. I prefer my violence, death, and loss on the page. I write to tell a story. I write to deal with life. I write to hopefully give others a way to observe life. I write violence because it is a part of life. Do I like it? No. The world has known war since it began. I think it’s time it knew peace, but I’m not so much of an idealist to believe that will happen soon.

Live every day like it’s your last. Write every scene like it’s life. Read every story like it’s great.

If we kept the violence on the page, the world would be a better place. But this is the world we have. Don’t destroy it. Live in it. Do what’s right in the face of what’s wrong, in the aftermath of what’s wrong, and (most importantly) before what’s wrong happens.

Boston—my heart to you always.

Book Review: UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi

Title:Under the Never Sky
Author: Veronica Rossi
Publisher: Harper Collins – 2012
Genre: young adult dystopia

Amazon|B&N|Goodreads

Aria has lived a sheltered life in the enclosed city of Reverie, where she spends her days hopping from simulated realm to simulated realm. When she is banished to the outside for a crime she didn’t commit, Aria is ripped from her pampered life and forced to survive. She forms an unlikely alliance with Perry, a hunter who sees his opportunity for redemption in Aria.

Rossi creates a rich, detailed world. The sky, known as the aether, is a character. It’s roiling colors and powerful storms reflect the action, shifting through different types of turmoil as tensions increase.

Aria and Perry are thrown together from the very beginning. This is made more apparent by Perry’s sire abilities—he can scent emotions. In a way, this gives a deeper insight into Aria’s character, as we see her emotions both from her chapters and from Perry’s interpretations of her feelings. As the two journey across the land to find Aria’s mother and Perry’s nephew, their relationship grows. Things begin rocky and eventually blossom into young love. The transition seemed a little too fast and lacking in believability.

I also would have liked to see more of the realms. Through the course of the book, Rossi has Aria fling around terms like “in the real,” and while the words themselves fill out her world, we don’t see anything of the realms until several chapters into the action.

Sunshine Award

Thanks to author Sheila Boneham, writer of Write Here, Write Now, for giving Out of the Lockbox a Sunshine Award, which is for “bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere.”

Like many such online honors, the Sunshine Award asks recipients to do a few things:
-Thank the person who gave you the award in your blog post.
-Answer a few questions (see below)
-Pass on the award to deserving and inspiring bloggers, inform them and link to their blogs.

Sunshine Asks & I Answer.

Favorite Color: Too many—red, purple, and silver are my top three but not together.

Favorite Animal: Wolf. They are sleek, graceful, powerful, and independent—everything I want to be.

Favorite Number: Is this the part where I get ridiculous and fill the next four lines with a 200-digit number?

Favorite Non-alcoholic Drink: Toss-up between lemonade and cranberry juice.

Facebook or Twitter: I use both, but I like Facebook a lot more.

Your Passion: How about a few passions? Writing, singing, striving to live and be happy.

Giving or Getting Presents: I love finding the right gift for a person and watching their eyes light up when they open it. But getting is fun too. Lol

Favorite Day: Every day I wake up and the little green men haven’t taken over. ;)

Favorite Flowers: They all make me sneeze, but irises are pretty. They lined my family’s driveway when I was growing up.

Finally, these are the fantastic authors I’m tagging for this award. Check them out!

-Rachel Robins
-Heather Sedlak
-Tiffany Avery
-Matthew J. O’Dwyer
-Teffanie White

Algebra, Eighth Grade, and an Okapi

Good Monday,

This post is a promise to some people who commented on a Facebook status of mine last night. The status read as follows: “I have a short neck. I’d never make it as a giraffe.” A friend then commented that I could be an okapi. I responded that I had an awesome okapi story but that it was rather long and would be better as a blog post.

So here’s that blog post.

Algebra, Eighth Grade, and an Okapi

***All names, except my own, have been changed to protect the innocent. This is a from-memory account. Dialogue and events are accurate enough but perhaps not exact.***

“Morning, class.” Mr. Nelson rushed into class like he did every morning. He closed the door and ran to his desk at the back of the room. “I have a competition today.”

I groaned and hoped desperately that it wasn’t a math challenge. Math used to be my best subject, but algebra was kicking my teenage butt. It didn’t help that Nelson wasn’t the best teacher.

“What is it?” Kevin said. He was our class genius and probably hoping to show off.

“It is a guessing game,” Nelson said.

It was Kevin’s turn to groan. By contrast, I perked up. I had a chance now.

“Ah,” Nelson said. He rushed back toward the front of the room. “This is my favorite animal. Who knows what it is?”

My hopes died. I couldn’t see what I assumed was a stuffed animal, and there was no sign of my classroom aid.

“Llama,” Kevin said, his voice brimming with confidence.

“Wrong,” Nelson said.

The pre-class chatter stopped for a second. Kevin, wrong? Kevin was never wrong.

“What do you mean?” Kevin said.

“I mean it’s not a llama,” Nelson said. “Any other guesses?”

“Deer,” one of the girls said.

“No,” said Nelson.

“Zebra?”

“No.”

“Moose?”

“No.”

“Llama-moose?”

“No.”

The guesses kept coming, each more ridiculous than the one before.

“Sorry I’m late, Mary.” My aid, Ms. Heckman, said as she took the empty seat behind me. “What’s going on?”

“Guessing game,” I said. “Nelson’s holding up his favorite animal.”

“Ah,” she said. “I’ll describe it for you. It’s—“

“All right,” Nelson said. “That’s all the time I’m spending on this. We need to move on to today’s lesson.”

Half the class groaned. The other half continued to yell out animal names.

“Enough,” Nelson said. “Today, we’re discussing FOIL.”

And so class dragged on, Nelson yammering about first-outer-inner-last.

I took my typical detailed notes. Usually, they were completely useless, but I actually understood FOIL.

“Homework,” Nelson said after about a half hour. He rattled off a page number and instructed us to only do the even-numbered problems. “Because the answers to the odd are in the back of the book.”

I wrote down the homework and closed my notebook.

“Time to switch classes,” Nelson said.

I gathered up my stuff and shut off my magnifying machine. Even moving pretty quickly, I was the last one out of the room.

“Nice animal,” Ms. Heckman said to Nelson as she wheeled my machine toward the door.

“I thought so,” Nelson said.

“Do you know what it is, Mary?” Heckman said. “It has a black body and a black and white face. Its rear legs are black and white striped.”

“Oh,” I said. “I know what it is.”

“Oh yeah?” Nelson said, his voice doubtful. He was probably positive no one would get it right.

Little did he know just how much time I’d had to myself over the years. Or how much of that time I’d spent playing the computer game for the TV show Amazing Animals.

I moved beside him and lowered my voice to a whisper. “Is it an okapi?”

Nelson made that teacher-is-irritated-because-student-knew-something-he-didn’t noise. “Hold out your hand.”

I did, and Nelson counted out five mathbucks—the reward point system he used for people who got tough questions right or got a certain number right on their homework.

“Oh yeah,” I said, fist pumping. Five mathbucks was a homework pass, and with my recent grades in the class, I hadn’t even seen one mathbuck in weeks.

“Don’t tell anyone what it is,” Nelson said.

“I won’t,” I said, almost skipping out of the classroom. In the hall I grinned to myself and slid the mathbucks into my folder. Oh no, I wasn’t telling anyone. I was going to relish in the fact that I’d known something Kevin didn’t and that I’d outsmarted Mr. Nelson.