Book Tour--CASSIE SCOT: PARANORMAL DETECTIVE

CASSIE SCOT: PARANORMAL DETECTIVE by Christine Amsden
An urban fantasy

BLURB
Cassie Scot is the ungifted daughter of powerful sorcerers, born between worlds but belonging to neither. At 21, all she wants is to find a place for herself, but earning a living as a private investigator in the shadow of her family’s reputation isn’t easy. When she is pulled into a paranormal investigation, and tempted by a powerful and handsome sorcerer, she will have to decide where she truly belongs.

EXCERPT
My parents think the longer the name, the more powerful the sorcerer, so they named me Cassandra Morgan Ursula Margaret Scot. You can call me Cassie.

I've been called a lot of things in my life: normal, ordinary, and even a disappointment. After the Harry Potter books came out, a couple of people called me a squib. Since I haven't read them, I have to assume it's a compliment.

Personally, I prefer normal, which is why the sign on my office door reads: Cassie Scot, Normal Detective.

You have to understand that around here, when your last name is Scot, people are easily confused. Not only are my parents powerful practitioners, but I have six talented brothers and sisters. Plus, my family hasn't always been known for its subtlety. When weird stuff happens around here, the people who are willing to believe in magic are prone to suspect the Scots.

The day I opened for business I got a call from an old woman who swore her cat was possessed by the devil. She also swore she'd read my web site, which clearly stated the types of work I did and did not do. Exorcisms were on the No list, and while I hadn't specified pet exorcisms, I would have thought it was implicit.

ABOUT CHRISTINE

Award-winning author Christine Amsden has written stories since she was eight, always with a touch of the strange or unusual. She became a “serious” writer in 2003, after attending a boot camp with Orson Scott Card. She finished Touch of Fate shortly afterward, then penned The Immortality Virus, which won two awards. Expect many more titles by this up-and-coming author.

Check out Christine’s website and blog. Follow her on Twitter @ChristineAmsden, and like her Facebook page. Connect with her on Goodreads and on Google+.

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Hey readers,

When I was in kindergarten, I hated having to write out my name because “It had three capital letters.” I think I would have quit if I had Cassie’s full name.

Like what you see? Follow the rest of the tour here.

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

Christine will be awarding a $10 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Conventions vs. Tropes

Genre conventions? Genre tropes? Different? Same?

I say different, but feel free to argue with me.

First, definitions.

Conventions. They’re not those things writers go get drunk (I mean, learn stuff) at. (Well, they are but not in this particular situation.) Conventions n. things that make a genre a genre. They occur in the big five as I’ve begun calling them—science fiction (sf), fantasy, horror, mystery, and romance.

Examples: SF – advanced tech. Fantasy – magic. Horror – something disturbing. Mystery – serious crime committed. Romance – happily ever after (HEA)

If you take these elements away, a book doesn’t fall in the genre anymore. So conventions are defining fundamentals.

Tropes. Not those things you vaguely remember from high school chemistry. (Those were isotopes and not related to writing.) Tropes n. things that often appear in works of a certain genre but are not necessary to said genre.

Let’s use those conventions to look at this.

-SF/advanced tech - There are lots of possibilities for advanced technology in a sf world. Tropes are the ones we see most often—faster-than-light travel (FTL), lazar weapons, teleportation chambers, group think machines, etc. Cool, but not necessary. Avoiding these and finding new potential tech (or even putting a new spin on the existing tropes) makes the story more interesting.

-Fantasy/magic – Magic is pretty broad and, really, pretty vague. George R. R. Martin’s “Song of Ice and Fire” series is fantasy, but for anyone who’s read “Game of Thrones,” you know there isn’t a lot of magic. By contrast, the wizards in “Harry Potter” use magic for everything from chopping vegetables to fighting. That’s a big spectrum.

What are some magic tropes? Well, the “magic school” is one—Hogwarts, Hex Hall, Earthsea, etc. It appears in quite a few places, but not all fantasy novels need incorporate it. The “chosen one” is another trope. Harry Potter, Garion, Richard Cypher, etc. All have been set up for greatness by elements outside their control, and none can shirk their duties because if they do, humankind will perish. Again, seen pretty often but not mandatory.

-Horror/something disturbing – I don’t just mean blood and guts. Actually, I don’t mean blood and guts at all. While that may be part of a horror book, it’s not all there is to “disturbing.” Psychological horror relies on breaking down the reader’s mental defenses. Sometimes horror is more affective when it’s not gross.

Now, tropes. Blood and guts have been done in their various forms. Zombies—oh man. So many zombie books/movies. Heck, even the “nice” zombie has been done. Essentially, the scary creature/scary ooze that will make everyone into scary creatures thing, among others, crops up a lot.

-Mystery/serious crime – Usually murder. Why? Because it needs to be something serious enough for the reader to invest interest, and murder is pretty serious. It doesn’t have to be murder, though. Grand theft of extremely valuable possessions or cash also works, as does child abuse in its various forms. So the serious crime is the convention. Murder is an often-used trope that can be replaced by an equally serious crime.

-Romance/HEA – You need a HEA in a romance. If you do not have a HEA, it is not romance. End of story. How you get there and who you get there with may vary, and there are plenty of often-used options. Alpha males, guy/girl from wrong side of the tracks. I don’t read a lot of romance but setting up a group of guys/girls and then showing a HEA for each of them throughout a series seems pretty common. Just make sure you have the HEA. Once you have that, be creative with the how. I’ve been told by people who have much more experience reading and writing romances that it’s very easy to fall into patterns and formulas but that it’s not impossible to be original.

Side note: Romance actually shows an interesting case of a convention being broken-ish. There’s a new thing going for ya or this “new adult” thing—HFN, happy for now. The idea is that younger characters might not stay with who they end up with at the end of the book. I’m not saying this is a good or bad variation. I’m just saying it exists. Debate at your own risk. It’s just an interesting example of how such a necessary convention of a genre can be altered. “Follow the rules till you make it. Then turn the rules on their head.”

I was up at my June residency for Seton Hill University’s MFA in Writing Popular Fiction program the week before last. Every res, the head of the program poses a question that becomes the residency theme. This time, it was “What are you sick of seeing in your genre?” We spent a lot of time that week talking about tropes, and it occurred to me that tropes and conventions often walk a narrow line. Sitting down to write this post, however, I have revised that statement. Conventions and tropes often can walk a fine line. There are some elements of a genre, though, that just are.

So what am I sick of in my genre (fantasy)?

I feel like a game show host. That will be the topic of next Monday’s post. “Find out…after the break.”

Until then, have a good week and maybe try to guess. Heck, leave a comment with a guess. Five bonus points to anyone who gets one right. (I don’t have a purpose for “bonus points” yet, but I have an exceptionally good memory. Someday, those bonus points might translate into cool stuff.)

I Have Returned

I have returned. Late, yes. But better late than never.

For those who celebrated yesterday, I hope you had an enjoyable Fourth. I went to see fireworks last night. They were awesome.

I was up at Seton Hill last week for residency. I learned a ton. Some of it will work its way into posts to follow. Some of it is irrelevant to writing—for example watching two people eat a peanut butter, bacon, cheddar burger. One loved it. One hated it. It was an awesome moment.

In any event, I will be back in full swing next week. I spent this week recovering from lack of sleep and organizing my jumbled thesis thoughts.

Happy writing, reading, living, and other. Have an excellent weekend.

Cheers.

Messed-up Gifts

Good Friday,

I’ve been absent this week because I’ve been preparing for next week—June res!

Unfortunately for you, this means I’ll be MIA next week. Try not to cry too much. I’ll be back the first week in July.

As always, I leave you with some gifts. In an effort to keep myself writing every day, I resorted to some rather strange writers block elimination methods. I wrote some really weird flash fiction. I give this to you for two reasons...

-So you can see just what writing does to the brain.

-So, the next time you think you’ve written something completely off the walls, you can think of this and know there’s still hope.

Enjoy, and I shall see you upon my return.

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Once upon a time, on a farm long long ago, there lived a demonic butterfly and his gofer, Jack. The butterfly, Mike, spent most of his days eating, flying, fluttering, bothering pizza delivery boys for no apparent reason, and pollinating rhododendron plants. Jack, by contrast, spent most of his days digging holes.

One day, Mike decided he wanted to do something different. He fluttered to Jack and perched on his nose. “Sorry to bother you,” he said. “But I’m on the hunt for foreign activity, and you seem like the perfect person to ask about a lifestyle change.” As soon as Mike said this, he questioned it. What did a gofer that did nothing but dig holes know about a lifestyle change?

“Well,” Jack said. “You could dig a hole.”

Mike spread his tiny wings, indicating himself. “And what would you recommend I dig a hole with? I don’t exactly have hands or claws.”

Jack gnawed on his lower lip. “True. Never mind.”

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Addlebon Jacobs Frankforter IV stormed out of his build-it-yourself web and crawled at a rather slow speed toward the giant, fish-shaped creature on his lawn.

“What is the matter with you?” he said, cranking his eight legs in a grotesque parody of the tango. “What makes you think you can just appear here after six months of no contact whatsoever?”

The fish-shaped creature shrugged, or at least tried to. “I’m sorry. Next time I’ll knock first.”

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It was a sad day when Jackarab ran out of food. He lived alone and went by the species title of autodigestiveicious. Eating himself was the norm, which means he’d recently lost himself. Pity.

Book Tour--ISLAND SHIFTERS

ISLAND SHIFTERS: AN OATH OF THE BLOOD by Valerie Zambito
A fantasy novel

BLURB
When your family, your home, and the very land you stand on are destroyed, what do you do? If you are a shifter of Massa, you turn around and fight. You fight, because the blood oath will have it no other way.

The idyllic lives of four elemental shifters living in the exiled land of Pyraan are shattered when a tour of legion duty gives witness to a brutal enemy invasion. Despite the heroic efforts of the shifters, the land falls to the invaders. As the only survivors, the four friends are forced to flee south into the lands from which they were banished to warn of the invasion. Heartbroken and weary, the shifters soon learn that the safe haven they hoped to find is cloaked in danger. Throughout a journey fraught with prophesy, betrayal and peril, an enduring friendship prevails, love blossoms, and a riveting saga unravels.

EXCERPT
The three Dwarves pushed their way back into the pitch-blackness of the palace.

“Dillon, where is the torch?” asked Janin, and Rogan could hear her fumbling around.

Dillon sounded panicked. “I left one right here and it is gone!”

Now that his eyes were adjusting to the gloom, Rogan could see the outline of the two Dwarves feeling around in the dark for the torch. He called forth a flame of light. “Does this help?”

They both looked up at him with a gasp, a mixture of both surprise and anger on their faces. “Do not do that!” snarled Janin.

Shaking his head in confusion, Rogan said, “We need light, do we not? This is light.”

“It is light created from magic which, in case you have not heard, is outlawed on this island,” retorted Dillon.

“Yes, well, the world has changed, Dillon. The Magical Kingdom of Pyraan has been destroyed, we are under threat of slavery at best and annihilation at worse by a rogue Mage, and we are running for our lives from a King who wants to murder me. Against that, you are worried about a flame to light our way?”

“Good point,” murmured Dillon with a shrug.

Rogan turned away from them in frustration. “I do not understand this fear of magic. Please tell me so I understand!”

Dillon shuffled his feet, at a loss as to how to answer his question. Janin had no such qualms. “Have you forgotten that you were exiled in Pyraan for a reason, shifter? Did they not teach you anything about the legacy of magic use?”

“As a matter of fact, yes, and the legacy of magic before three evil Mages decided to destroy the world was inspiring. Magic was used to heal the dying, to create cures for the sick, to defend the weak. Does having magic automatically make you an evil person? If a Dwarf kills another, does it make all Dwarves murderers? If a dog bites a child, does it mean all dogs bite people?” He shook his head in frustration. “You cannot confine the legacy of magic to the Mage War, you just cannot.”

Janin gazed at him with a look he could not identify. “No, and I will admit that there are valuable uses to magic. But, there is also the ability to cause great harm on a very large scale. If one Dwarf kills another, it is one person. If a dog bites a child, it is one child. If an evil Mage decides to use magic for sinister purpose, he can destroy the world. That, my friend, is why we are afraid.”

ABOUT VALERIE
Fantasy author, Valerie Zambito, lives in York, New York with her husband and three sons. After having been involved in a busy sales career for twenty years, a passionate love for great storytelling, world building, character creation, and all things magic have led to the release of her epic fantasy series, Island Shifters, and young adult, paranormal romance series, Angels of the Knights.

Books:
Book One: Island Shifters - An Oath of the Blood
Book Two: Island Shifters - An Oath of the Mage
Book Three: Island Shifters - An Oath of the Children
Book Four: Island Shifters - An Oath of the Kings
Angels of the Knights – Fallon
Angels of the Knights – Blane
Classroom Heroes

Check out Valerie’s website.

Buy ISLAND SHIFTERS on Amazon, B&N, iTunes, and Smashwords.

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Hey readers,

Smart dwarves. I’d be afraid too.

Follow the rest of ISLAND SHIFTER’s tour here.

And don’t forget to comment for a chance at some cool prizes.

Valerie will be awarding several print copies of her book to randomly drawn commenters during the tour (US only) and a grand prize of a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

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!