Book Tour--THE DISILLUSIONED

THE DISILLUSIONED by D.J. Williams
A mystery suspense adventure

BLURB
A mother’s suicide threatens to destroy a family legacy. Her sons, Sam and Daniel, are forced to leave their comfortable worlds behind and search for a woman they believe can unlock the secrets that have remained hidden. They are propelled into separate journeys from Los Angeles to the heart of the Zambezi where they are forced to confront a man known as Die Duiwel, the Devil. On their adventures they will find themselves in a place where death is one breath away, where thousands of children are disappearing into the darkness, and where the woman they are searching for is on the hunt for revenge. When they stand face-to-face with the forgotten slaves of Africa they will fight to redeem what has been lost.

“A fast-paced mystery…you won’t put it down until you’ve unlocked the secrets and lies to find the truth.” Judith McCreary, Co-Executive Producer Law & Order: SVU, Criminal Minds, & CSI

EXCERPT
Drops of rain turned into a torrential downpour as Danny and Sam stood drenched at the edge of a deep hole and a fresh mound of dirt. The casket had already been lowered into the ground, evident by the arm of a crane hovering overhead. A groundskeeper kept his distance a few yards away, careful to allow the boys their final goodbye.

A week ago they were living their own life, far removed from the darkness that had stolen their mother. One shouldered the guilt of a tarnished legacy while the other grew increasingly restless to return to his isolated world.

Danny was still reeling from his face to face with Bowman. How were they going to pay back the money? Where was the money? Why was it stolen in the first place? Should they even do anything, since neither was legally liable? He needed answers.

A wave of anger flushed over Danny as he thought of all his family had lost. Thousands of sermons preached by a man who now seemed as addicted to the almighty dollar as the people who passed the offering plate. He knew his father kept secrets, but nothing had prepared him for the news Bowman planted on him.

“Riveting...an indelible picture painted with suspense.” Mitch Kruse, Author of Restoration Road

ABOUT D.J. WILLIAMS

With the DNA of a world traveler, Williams was born in Hong Kong, has ventured into the jungles of the Amazon, the bush of Africa, and the slums of the Far East, to share stories of those who are overcoming incredible odds. He is the co-author of Restoration Road with Mitch Kruse and has produced and directed over 140 television episodes syndicated on NBC, ABC, FOX and various cable networks worldwide. Currently, he lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife.

Check out his website. Follow him on Twitter @djwilliams316.

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Hey readers,

“An engrossing tale…makes you think about the world we live in and your place in it.” Tony Guerrero, Founder of F.A.C.T. Alliance: Fight Against Child Trafficking

Sounds intense.

Follow the rest of the tour here.

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

One randomly drawn commenter will win a $30 Amazon gift certificate.

Writer Hell #2

Hello folks,

I’m only on number 2, and I’m already sick of seeing this title on my blog posts. I know, however, that there will be many to come.

Back in February, I wrote about Writer Hell #1. Check that out when you’re really down about writing.

Unfortunately, this one is no happier. As I’ve said many times by this point, I’m working on my MFA in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University. What does that mean exactly? It means I get a lot of headaches—today no exception.

Last month, I wrote “The End” on the rough draft of my thesis novel. Man, that felt amazing. Last week (or maybe it was the week before) I made a painful decision. My thesis is currently in three parts, aptly named “Part 1,” Part 2,” and “Part 3.” I know, original, right? I would have come up with more creative titles eventually.

Would have, yes. Because Part 1 is no longer with us. After agonizing over it, I realized/finally let myself admit that Part 1 just didn’t match parts 2 and 3. It’s the same story, but the events are too far away. Part 1 needs to be its own book. And so it was cut.

Ready for it…I’m cutting a grand total of….

39,420 words

OUCH!!!

Yes, that hurts, burns, causes pain of any kind. With the manuscript sitting at approximately 107k words, that’s almost half. The only saving grace is that the new novel doesn’t need to be quite that long. My minimum goal is 90k, which saves me 17k words to write. That’s still roughly 27k, which, really, isn’t bad.

So maybe it’s not hell in terms of production. Where it is hell, though, is in the cutting. I have so many ideas for Part 1. Up until recently, I hated my thesis with a passion. Finishing the rough draft and getting into the bones of my characters and the story made me love it. I really wanted to see the entire thing (Part 1 and all) at my thesis reading next June. Not gonna happen.

I’m telling myself all kinds of things to cheer myself up—it’s for the best; now I can give it the attention and detail it needs; it’s not a big deal.

But when will I have the time to do it? Not between now and graduation, that’s for sure.

It also kills my title. I had a great title for this book. Now it needs to be a series title, and I need a new title. Ok, that’s a small thing, but it still bugs me.

To the disheartened writer, this is what it’s about. It’s about working, cutting, rebuilding, crying, sweating, hoping, praying, pounding your laptop into the floor, jumping up and down when you hit a milestone. If I can cut 40k words and still be determined to graduate on time, you can be a writer. Yes, I’m terrified, but I like the story now. That’s important. I just need to keep liking it until I finish it.

Ready, set, go!

Book Tour--DARK MUSICALS TRILOGY

THE DARK MUSICALS TRILOGY by Laura DeLuca
A ya thriller series

Book 1 – PHANTOM

The “Phantom” was a musical phenomenon that Rebecca had always found enchanting. She had no idea that her life was about to mirror the play that was her obsession. When her high school drama club chooses “Phantom” as their annual production, Rebecca finds herself in the middle of an unlikely love triangle and the target of a sadistic stalker who uses the lines from the play as their calling card.

Rebecca lands the lead role of Christine, the opera diva, and like her character, she is torn between her two co-stars—Tom the surfer and basketball star who plays the lovable hero, and Justyn, the strangely appealing Goth who is more than realistic in the role of the tortured artist.

Almost immediately after casting, strange things start to happen both on and off the stage. Curtains fall. Mirrors are shattered. People are hurt in true phantom style. They all seem like accidents until Rebecca receives notes and phone calls that hint at something more sinister. Is Justyn bringing to life the twisted character of the phantom? Or in real life are the roles of the hero and the villain reversed? Rebecca doesn’t know who to trust, but she knows she’s running out of time as she gets closer and closer to opening night. Only when the mask is stripped away, will the twenty first century phantom finally be revealed.

Book 2 – DEMON

When Justyn and Rebecca set off for the New York School of Performing Arts, they think their dreams are about to come true. To their dismay, they aren’t in high school anymore, and the competition is steep. Rebecca must compete against accomplished singers for a role in the production of Demon Barber, including a stunning Gothic diva with her sights set on Justyn.

It doesn't help that things keep disappearing from their apartment or that Rebecca's father refuses to accept that Justyn is an essential part of her life. Yet, all this seems minimal in comparison to the serial rapist terrorizing the campus.

Consumed by fear and obsessed with revenge, Rebecca and Justyn start living the story of Sweeney Todd—both on and off the stage.

EXCERPT – from DEMON
“What the hell are you looking at?” Livy demanded.

At first Rebecca just ignored her hostility. She walked back to her cubbyhole and opened it to stowaway her bags until practice was over. She was going to forget the whole stupid idea and just walk away. But Livy was still standing there, leaning against the lockers, looking just as sad as she did angry. Rebecca couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. She was reminded of how horribly everyone had treated Justyn during the production of Phantom and thought perhaps Livy was just as misunderstood.

“Livy,” she started, “can we talk for a minute?”

The Goth just gave her a dirty look. “I don’t know what we could possibly have to say to each other.”

“I just wanted to apologize about what happened at the party,” Rebecca spoke with as much sincerity as she could muster. “No matter how we feel about each other, I never meant to … to embarrass you the way I did.”

Rebecca had never seen the cliché of flashing eyes come to life like it did at that moment. “Don’t you dare!” Livy spat. “Don’t you dare pity me!”

“That’s not what I meant,” Rebecca tried to explain, though she knew she was fighting a losing battle. “I just regret—“

“Do you want to know what I regret?” Livy interrupted and actually shoved Rebecca against her locker. “I regret not ripping every strand of hair out of that pretty little head of yours when I had the chance. This isn’t high school, Becca! We aren’t going to be friends. And I’m not going to stop until Justyn is mine and you run back to New Jersey with your tail between your legs. Is that clear enough for you, deary? Don’t try to make nice with me again.”

Livy stomped away, and Rebecca just stood there, feeling shocked and a little stung. She couldn’t believe how vicious Livy could be. So much for olive branches. Instead of trying to hand her one, Rebecca should have shoved it straight up her….

“Wow.” Frankie came up beside her, shaking his head. “It’s girls like that who give PMS a bad rep. I seriously think the next play she should star in is the Taming of the Shrew.”

“There’s no taming that one,” Rebecca replied, still shaking her head.

ABOUT LAURA

Laura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four children. She loves writing in the young adult genre because it keeps her young at heart. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the editor of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years. Her current works include Destiny, Destiny Unveiled, Phantom, Morrigan, Player, and Demon.

Check out Laura’s blog. Connect with her on Facebook and Pinterest. Follow her on Twitter @authorldeluca, and find her on Goodreads.

If you haven't read the first book in the series, now is a great time to get your copy. To celebrate the release of DEMON, PHANTOM is now on sale for only $1.99 exclusively on Amazon! It’s also available at Smashwords and B&N.

And after you read PHANTOM, pick up DEMON!

-Amazon
-Smashwords
-B&N

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Hey readers,

I had to host this tour because I’m a musical theatre nut. These look amazing!

Interested? Follow the rest of the tour here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour--HIDDEN

HIDDEN by M. Lathan
A young adult fantasy

BLURB
Sixteen-year-old Leah Grant has given up on being normal. She’d settle for stopping the voices in her head, intrusive visions of the future, and better odds of making it to her seventeenth birthday.

That’s the thing about pretending to be human in a world where magic used to exist – at any moment, her cover could be blown and she’ll be burned to death like the rest of the witches.

Everything changes when she loses control of her powers and flees the orphanage she grew up in. She desperately wants to be invisible but finds her face plastered on every news channel as humans panic over the possible resurgence of her kind. And now the hunters won’t give up until they find her. Making friends for the first time in her life and falling in love with one of them drives her to discover why she is unlike any being she’s ever met – human or otherwise. The dangerous powers inside of her that would repel Nathan, her new, handsome reason for living, are priceless to some. The locked up forever kind of priceless. And to others, they are too dangerous to allow her to live.

Let’s hope she can stay hidden.

EXCERPT
Sienna snatched last week’s Chemistry test from my desk. I hadn’t turned it over. I knew it was a D minus.

She cackled and passed it around.

“Leah, you would think someone who spends most of her time alone would have better grades,” she said. Her birds laughed on cue. “What do you do all day? Obviously not study.” She gasped slowly like she’d gotten a revelation in that blonde head of hers. “You fantasize about us, don’t you? You probably sleep in Whit’s old bed to feel close to her.”

Laughter spread around the room like an airborne disease. Disease. I shivered. That was an intriguing thought; I could almost hear the sound their bodies would make against the floor when it hit.

“Leah, come on. Say something. Scream at me, it’s been a while. At least cry,” Sienna said, laughing and leaning into my desk, closer to danger.

I didn’t cry. I never cry. And if I were going to, it wouldn’t be because of Sienna. I had bigger problems. I’d just broken a promise I’d made to God to not think about hurting His people, His children. And today was not the day to piss Him off.

My old roommate, Whitney Nguyen, graciously returned my test as she cackled with the rest of the birds. She liked the idea of me pining over her, but she knew I didn’t spend my free time thinking about her or sleeping in her old bed. After fourteen years of hard labor as my roommate, she’d given up on being friends or me being remotely normal. The current theory to explain my oddness was that I was in love with all of the girls and consumed by lust.

As long as they didn’t know it was magic.

ABOUT M.

M. Lathan lives in San Antonio with her husband and mini-schnauzer. She enjoys writing and has a B.S. in Psych and a Masters in Counseling. Her passion is a blend of her two interests – creating new worlds and stocking them with crazy people. She enjoys reading anything with interesting characters and writing in front of a window while asking rhetorical questions … like her idol Carrie Bradshaw.

Check out her website. Follow her on Twitter @hiddenseries, and connect with her on Pinterest.

Buy HIDDEN on Amazon.

And use Twitter hashtag #GF_Hidden.

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Hey readers,

Let’s indeed hope Leah can stay hidden.

Check out the rest of the tour here.

And comment often for a chance at a prize.

One randomly chosen commenter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal--THE REVELATIONS OF PRESTON BLACK

THE REVELATIONS OF PRESTON BLACK BY JASON JACK MILLER

Coming June 2013 from Raw Dog Screaming Press

Cover Art by Brad Vetter

Preston and Katy face a new darkness....

Sometimes a battle between good and evil doesn't look much like the ones they show in movies. The good guys don't always wear white, and they don’t always walk away with the win.

And sometimes you're better off with the devil you know.

The last time Preston went down to the crossroads, his best friend died and he nearly lost his brother. But Old Scratch doesn't take kindly to fools, especially not those who come knocking at his front door. And before all is said and done, he's going to teach Preston a thing or two about what it really means to sacrifice.

LINKS:
Read the first 100 pages of The Revelations of Preston Black - http://jasonjackmiller.blogspot.com/p/the-revelations-of-preston-black.html

Pre-order The Revelations of Preston Black at Raw Dog Screaming Press - http://www.rawdogscreaming.com/books/the-revelations-of-preston-black.html

Beginnings and Believability in Dystopias

Good Thursday,

Today’s post might be a bit of a rant. I love urban fantasies and dystopias. They are what I read and, mostly, what I’m interested in writing. This post is more about dystopias.

I read an interesting article a few days ago that talked about why some dystopias don’t “make it.” One point was that we (the reader) are thrust into this post-apocalyptic world where every freedom known by Americans has been suddenly and completely “forgotten.” The rich live the good life, and the pour live in the equivalent of work camps. And there is no explanation as to how the world got this way. The reader is expected to just accept it.

Over the long weekend, I picked up a couple of dystopias. For each, I read 3 or 5 chapters before putting them down and half-heartedly telling myself I’d go back to them. No such thing will probably happen.

Why? Partly because of what the previously mentioned article said—the believability was flawed. More, though, because of how the stories began.

A paradox—if you will. In studying the craft of writing, I’m told to “begin in the action.” In the same breath, I’m told to “show the character’s normal world before launching into the earth-shattering events.” There’s a problem here. Many characters’ “normal worlds” are not filled with tension and conflict. Yes, conflict comes in all types (see this post for specifics on the argument), but starting with an unrelated conflict for the sake of beginning with a bang just seems…unnecessary. As a reader, I personally want my first chapter to establish the world. It doesn’t bother me if we’re not jumping off of buildings or fighting fire-breathing dragons in chapter 1. I want to get to know my character and my world, especially if it’s a fantasy or sf story.

The two books I put down over the weekend jumped into conflict. The first started with the main character in the back of a truck with a bunch of other girls. Very quickly, the girls were out of the truck and either being killed or sold. The main character was sold (because having her killed would have made for a really short story) and taken to a house where the story unraveled all-too-quickly. I felt like I was drowning in the speed of events.

What really made it a tough sell, though, was the massive amount of flashback-type scenes. There is a time and a place for flashbacks. They are usually used sparingly and show events long before the story in order to help see critical points in the character’s life. These flashbacks showed events that happened, as far as I could tell, almost right before chapter 1 started. Why didn’t the author just write the flashbacks as chapter 1 (thereby showing her main character living in poor conditions and being kidnapped)? Instead, I was tossed into a situation with no idea how I’d gotten there and forced to watch, what would have been awesome scenes, flit by as afterthoughts.

It’s a shame because the concept behind the book was good. But the choices and pacing just lost me.

The second book—I don’t know what to say. It began with a conflict that ended very quickly—too quickly. The chapters were twice the length of a normal chapter. While there isn’t a set-in-stone page count for chapters, 3000-4000 words is a good range to aim for. Too much more and the book just drags.

There was no real explanation of how the world got to its current state. The reasoning behind the battles to the death, though, was established. It was a bit overdone—“we are weeding out the weak in order to build a powerful army”—but at least it was there. My problems really started in chapter 2. Characters, organizations, and plot twists started flying and didn’t stop. By the time I gave up the character had joined a secret society, been told she needed to kill her “clone,” watched her family die, told her brother’s best friend/her best friend/I’m not even sure to get lost, and murdered a teenage girl without any feelings of regret. That was a lot to swallow in such a short time, and I just couldn’t do it.

Things to take away from this:

-When they say “start with action,” they don’t mean “skip any form of introduction and launch straight into the earth-shattering moment.” If we don’t see “normal life,” we can’t judge how life has changed.

-Balance the beginning chapters. Introducing too little causes stagnation and loses readers. Introducing too much causes confusion and loses readers. It’s said of the entire manuscript “if it’s not necessary to the story, odds are good it doesn’t need to be in there.” That applies to the opening chapters as much as the rest of the book. And just because it doesn’t belong in the opening chapters doesn’t mean it doesn’t belong in the story. Chapter 2 just might not be the right place to casually let it slip that your main character is an alien and part fairy…and an assassin…and has DID (dissociative identity disorder)…and has a drug problem…and—you get the idea.

Book Tour--ANGEL OF SYN

Goddess Fish Book Tour

ANGEL OF SYN by Mertianna Georgia
A paranormal urban fantasy

AN INTERVIEW WITH MERTIANNA
-What book and/or experience made you want to be a writer?

So many! The more recent fantasy writers like Laurell Hamilton, Anne Rice, Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, and others. But also the writers I grew up reading…Orson Scott Card, Frank Herbert, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C Clarke, Ursula Le Guin, Tanith Lee, Anne McCaffrey, Robert Heinlein, and the list goes on. They have all inspired me to one degree or another.

Because my father was in the military, our family moved every couple of years. The base libraries became my favorite place to be and reading my favorite thing to do. I especially liked reading about animals, SciFi and Fantasy. Those books helped me expand my horizons and develop a life-long desire to create worlds of my own through writing. I still get excited when I see one of those books, knowing the emotions they can still elicit in me – from wide-eyed wonder to pull-the-covers-over-your-head shivers.

-What genre(s) do you write?

I write Urban/Paranormal Fantasy, Mystery, and Literary Fiction. I may wander into other genres, but not at the moment.

-Book title and blurb.

ANGEL OF SYN. Book Two in the Synemancer Series.

Contemporary witch Cara Augustine goes international and inter-dimensional, from San Francisco to France to an alternate Eden-like dimension, in this second book of the Synemancer series.

Cara is a fugitive, pursued by the Portalkind police for breaking a major covenant. When she accidently made a werewolf her witch’s familiar, it amounted to enslaving a human. And the punishment is death. On the run for her life, she and her companions stumble into a strange paradise dimension. But they quickly find the dangerous world is filled with strange creatures, deadly and beautiful. And, because she’s quickly learning a Synemancer’s life is never simple. Cara has to deal with an amorous Nephilim (half-angel half-witch), a dangerously deranged French werewolf, and the darkly handsome Nightkind she just might love. Each powerful supernatural man has his own reasons for wanting to possess Cara, body and soul. But if the Portalkind police catch her, she’ll be in a fight for her life.

-Spoilers?

“Bart straightened from his defensive semi-crouch, still eyeing the Hounds warily. I glanced around the room to see if the orbs were here, but they were nowhere in sight. The mirror chimed and shimmered for the umpteenth time since I’d come into the room. A tall, pale man dressed in black and wearing a black backpack walked into the room. Azrael stood silently on Amelia’s hardwood floor, and by the expression on his beautiful face, he was angry enough to chew spells and spit out hexes. He quickly scanned the room. His ice-blue eyes focused on me and I had his full attention. All Hades was about to break loose. With two weres, two Hellhounds, and a Nightkind in the room, the situation was about to get bloody.”

-For aspiring writers, any tips?

Keep writing, finish your stories, never give up, and learn as much about the craft of writing as you can. Watch a little less t.v. or spend a little less time on the internet and use that time to write. Now if I can just take my own advice, I’d get a lot more done.

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

It’s been changing, but I love to read urban fantasy and YA paranormal. I also like mysteries if they have a good dose of humor thrown into the mix or a few ghosts or maybe a grim reaper.

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

My favorite story is called The Cat Maiden, a paranormal twist on an Aesop’s fable. It’s my favorite because not only was it the first short story I had published, but my son liked it too. That was important to me.

ABOUT MERTIANNA

Mertianna currently lives with her husband, son, and three dogs in Northern California. At a young age, while traveling the globe with her military family, she discovered the joys of reading. Armed with a fascination for science fiction, the paranormal, and fantasy, she amused, shocked, and impressed her teachers with her imaginative stories.

“I currently live with my husband and dogs in northern California. I have a son who attends college in San Francisco. After years of working in the business world while secretly wishing I could be a writer, I finally took a leap of faith, stopped working (in business) and started writing. My first book, SYN IN THE CITY, was published in 2010 and I haven’t looked back since.”

As an adult, reality reared its boring head, and she joined the business workforce. After many years working as a professional manager while secretly wishing she was a writer, she took a detour from the corporate world to immerse herself in the fictional worlds of her own making.

Mertianna has accumulated multiple graduate degrees in business and survived years of doctoral studies in psychology, all of which undoubtedly has influenced how her characters behave or don’t behave as the case may be.

“I have a website at mertianna.com. My blog is on the website. I hope to get my author Facebook page up soon (which should have been done long ago). Unfortunately I have a huge streak of procrastination in my nature. I think I may have a new pair of pants to hem sitting in my closet from 2010.”

Buy ANGEL OF SYN on amazon in print or ebook form. The book is also available on ImaJinn Books website.

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Hey readers,

I know I’ve said this before, but I’m an urban fantasy junky. Thanks for an awesome interview and amazing-looking read, Mertianna!

Interested in ANGEL OF SYN? Follow the tour here.

And don’t forget to comment often for a chance at a really cool prize.

Mertianna will be awarding a canvas tote bag printed with the book cover on one side and a saying on the other("Are you a syn-er?"), and filled with goodies plus a $20 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US ONLY).