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Clarissa Johal: STRUCK

2/24/2014

Today, Clarissa Johal is here to share about her recent release, Struck. She will be giving away electronic copies of the novel to three random commenters at the end of the tour, so make sure to leave a comment for your chance to win.

About the Novel:

The shadows hadn't been waiting.
The shadows had been invited.

After a painful breakup, Gwynneth Reese moves in with her best friend and takes a job at a retirement home. She grows especially close to one resident, who dies alone the night of a terrific storm. On the way home from paying her last respects, Gwynneth is caught in another storm and is struck by lightning. She wakes in the hospital with a vague memory of being rescued by a mysterious stranger. Following her release from the hospital, the stranger visits her at will and offers Gwynneth a gift--one that will stay the hands of death. Gwynneth is uncertain whether Julian is a savior or something more sinister... for as he shares more and more of this gift, his price becomes more and more deadly.

Excerpt:

A loud ‘crack’ sounded and an iridescent white light surrounded her. Two things registered: a searing pain that ripped down her back and the ground which seemed to be pulled away from her at an alarming speed.

* * * *

Blackness.

Pain shot through the back of Gwynneth’s head as she opened her eyes. Somebody was standing over her. She tried to focus on the face, but it hurt too much. A cool hand slid across her forehead. She opened her eyes again.

Pale, almost white eyes. High cheekbones, aquiline nose, and a well-shaped mouth. Long, white hair. Ageless. Beautiful, like a Michelangelo. All of those details registered with clarity before agony ripped through her body. She arched her back and cried out. The man murmured something into her ear which she couldn’t understand. She could feel the vibration of his voice and his breath on her neck as he gathered her in his arms. She opened her eyes and saw lightning fork to the ground silently behind him. She blacked out again.

Clarissa Johal has worked as a veterinary assistant, zoo-keeper aide and vegetarian chef. Writing has always been her passion. When she’s not listening to the ghosts in her head, she’s dancing or taking photographs of gargoyles. She shares her life with her husband, two daughters and every stray animal that darkens the doorstep. One day, she expects that a wayward troll will wander into her yard, but that hasn’t happened yet.

For more about Clarissa and her writing, see her website, stop by her Facebook page, Twitter page, Goodreads page, and Amazon Author page.

Struck is available through Amazon, Musa Publishing, and Barnes and Noble.

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Writing Process Blog Hop

2/16/2014

1 Comment

Yes, it's time for another viral author showcase. My thanks this time to Bryan Murphy for inviting me to participate in this most recent round. Here's how it works: one author, after receiving an invitation by another, answers a set of questions before inviting a few other authors on board to answer those same questions the following week. Those authors then continue the cycle. The questions:

1) What am I working on?

I’m currently redrafting my most recent novel, a sequel to my dystopia World-Mart, and the process has been painstaking. I’m also working on a dramatic horror novella series, for which I’ve completed two installments.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

My work differs from most other horror stories in its literary slant. While literary horror is not entirely rare, I think what I write is particularly loyal to the style. I want my work to be artful without being pretentious, to send chills down my readers’ spines while also leaving them with important questions in mind—haunt them with provocative language portraying frightening concepts and imagery, but also haunt them with disturbing put pertinent issues seeded between the lines.

3) Why do I write what I do?

I write what I do because I have so much I want to say, so much I need to share, and writing is the only way I really know how to express it all. I’m the stereotypical introvert: I’m at my most comfortable sitting behind a keyboard; I feel awkward conveying my thoughts in person; and I am often at my happiest during times of silent reflection. Said reflection often results in observations I feel the need to share, and so I do it in the best way I know how. How clichéd is that? ;-)

4) How does my writing process work?

It usually begins with that big what if?—a thought or question that refuses to leave me. From there, I start seeing scenes in my mind’s eye, and with that, characters begin to emerge. Language begins to swirl through my thoughts until I’m left with a whirlwind that will only continue to grow in momentum until I face it, which of course requires that I address the intrusion and appease the muse imposing it. I move on to the next big questions: How does this issue affect these characters? What horrors might result from them? Are there any monsters of greater evils that might represent this horror? What can they do to fight it? Is said fight fruitful or futile? Why it all of that so important, and how does it relate to the world as we know it? From all of that, a story begins to emerge.

I begin writing character sketches—a page on each of my main players specifying name, age, profession, likes, dislikes, personal quirks, interpersonal relationships, and a brief history. I also write a basic outline, which is really a skeleton for the story that merely places an order to the main plot points, hidden bits of personal agenda, and literary devices I will cover. When I begin the actual writing, I tend to jump head first into the deep end. I let the muses decide upon the tone and how the story first unfolds.

From there, I write mini-outlines for chapters I know will be especially complicated while opting to let the story tell itself in others. Often, the muses will take the storyline in an unexpected direction, which requires I revise my outline accordingly and do my best to continue moving forward. I think it’s a good system. It works for me. For more about my personal process, see my previous blog posts “Building a Novel” and “We Write What We Will.”

Thanks so much for stopping by! Look forward to the next authors to participate in this blog hop on February 23:

Dan O'Brien
Allison M. Dickson
Jaime Johnesee

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Clarissa Johal: STRUCK

Writing Process Blog Hop

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