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Guest Author J. P. Lantern on Dystopian Lit and DUST BOWL

12/30/2013

Today, guest author J. P. Lantern is here to share about his new release, Dust Bowl, a post-apocalyptic thriller about a future torn apart by war, disease, and social collapse. J.P. will be awarding a grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and one commenter on each stop will receive a digital download of a backlist book, so be sure to leave a comment for your chance to win.

Since Dust Bowl is a dystopian novel, I asked J. P. if he might offer his thoughts about the importance (political, social, etc.) of dystopian literature and what place it has in the current climate of readers expecting the ever-abused happily-ever-after ending. Here's what he had to say:

Can a dystopian story have a happy ending?

In some ways, the objective of the dystopian story is to rule out any possibilities for a happy ending as a sort of warning. At the end of 1984, for example, there is no hope or release for Winston Smith, just the promise of death after being driven insane. In many ways, the happy ending for a dystopian tale is closing the book after digesting it fully and walking away, knowing that the lives of the poor saps featured inside that fiction don’t resemble yours very much (or at least, I would hope not).

But I feel like there’s another reason, outside of inspiring some meta-happily-ever-after, why dystopian tales end up so grim.

I don’t know that there is something more personal about a person than knowing what they are truly scared of. Dystopian literature has always been a model for writers to express their own fears in a way that also tries to inspire change in a society. In that way, dystopian literature is some of the most personal literature that exists, perhaps even more personal than memoirs, because in a dystopian story you are given the complete unloading of an author’s fears for the future (and so, for him or herself).

I think dystopian literature is important in a societal sense because it puts a face to the fears we have. You know, the things I make up are just a response to what I interpret from the world around me—some of this includes other pieces of art and dystopian literature, but a lot of it is just what I see happening politically, economically, and societally. And if there’s one thing that I’ve learned from my time in this world, it’s that my experience is much more ubiquitous than the self-centered part of me would like to think. What I see, others see. What I am afraid of, others are afraid of. The unique portion of being an author is just creating a conceivable canvas for those fears and thoughts and stringing them all together in a linear package for an audience.

And so, because these dystopian stories are so honest about fears, I think that’s why they often tend to subvert or just do away with the happy ending altogether. Happily-ever-after endings are great, and stories that incorporate them are probably dealing with the other side of the lizard brain—the part that focuses on desire. We really want everything to have a happy ending, but we really are afraid that no happy endings exist. And I think it’s sort of easy for us to fling headfirst into one side of the spectrum or the other and to insist that one kind of ending is more “true” than the other. But they are both true, simultaneously.

So, for myself, I don’t know that I believe very much in “happily ever after” for most stories that I write, but I do believe in “happy as can be, given the circumstances.” I think probably my novel Dust Bowl follows that mold. I didn’t write it consciously thinking about a happy ending or not—I knew the right ending very early into writing the piece, and I just stuck with it. I think it has a sort of uplifting ending, but maybe that’s only because so much of the novel skates around at the bottom of human moral capability—it’s a dystopia, after all, so there’s a lot of suffering and events going horribly wrong.

I find myself drawn to morally complicated and often self-destructive characters, and so happy endings just aren’t very likely given their emotional skillsets. It would be dishonest, for example, for me to take someone like the alcoholic Clay in my Red Country Trilogy who never learns how to apologize or forgive and create circumstances that allow great things to happen to him. He wouldn’t appreciate them anyway, and I doubt the audience would either. The only time that really works is in works of satire, like Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans.

So in Dust Bowl, the protagonist Ward, a really troubled young man who is drawn into this really violent and inhumane society, has some good things and some bad things happen to him, but they are all second to his association with his problems and his inability to accept life on the terms that it’s presenting. So, by the end of the story, I feel like he’s much closer to being able to do that—which is a happy ending in my mind.

About the Novel:

With the world ending around him, Ward flounders for purpose and survival. Resources are gone, disease is rampant, and governments have all but dissolved. The only way off the broken planet is with the Order. Obsessed with technology, the Order is a cult that has developed the means for faster-than-light travel. They claim they can populate the galaxy and save humanity.

Ward joins the Order, inspired by sudden and irrational love for a mysterious beauty named Kansas who saves his life. But quickly, he finds out Kansas and the Order want him to kill adults and kidnap children from across the country. With impressionable youth filling their starships, the Order hopes for their tenets to be spread to all future generations of humanity.

The Order is Ward’s only chance for survival in the wreck the earth has become. Worse than that, those in the Order come to accept him and value his skills for their nightmarish quest across the dystopian landscape of America. But, somewhere inside of him, still, is the strength to strike out on his own and protect whatever good he can find left in the world.

Excerpt:

“Would you be willing to kill a thousand parents so that there might be a thousand million more in the future? Would you orphan a thousand children just so they could foster thousands of their own? That is not a name put to courage. That is not something you don’t understand. That is something very simple to understand, you just don’t have the will to do it yourself. That is a name put to strength. To resolve. That’s what a set is.”

There was a light in the office behind the booth, flickering every so often and casting strange, tentacled shadows into the room. Joe looked at Ward and his face was sagging with fear. Maybe understanding had not quite dawned in the liquored canals of his mind but it showed in his eyes, and Ward felt satisfied for the first time all day.

Joe shook his head. “Why you telling me this?”

“I thought you should know what’s going to happen here.”

“Just what exactly is that gonna be,” asked Joe. “Or have you told me already?

Ward looked at him for a moment and took his gun out of its holster. He laid it on to the table with his hand resting on it, just in case he needed it. In his imaginings, usually people tried to run.

“Every adult here is going to die. One by one, mostly. Some of this will be done by me.”

The eyes of Joe stayed fixated on the gun on the table.

About the Author:

J.P. Lantern lives in the Midwestern US, though his heart and probably some essential parts of his liver and pancreas and whatnot live metaphorically in Texas. He writes speculative science fiction short stories, novellas, and novels which he has deemed "rugged," though he would also be fine with "roughhewn" because that is a terrific and wonderfully apt word.

Full of adventure and discovery, these stories examine complex people in situations fraught with conflict as they search for truth in increasingly violent and complicated worlds.

To learn more about J. P. Lantern and his writing, visit his website, stop by his Facebook page, or check out his Amazon author page. Dust Bowl is available in both paperback and Kindle.

Remember, he's giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one commenter at the end of this tour, as well as a digital copy from his backlist to one commenter at each stop. For more chances to win, go to Goddess Fish Promotions for links to the other stops in this tour.

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So Long (and Thanks for All the Fish)!

12/27/2013

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It’s been quite a year. I don’t know about you, but 2013 was pretty extreme for me. On the positive side, I made some good friends, saw a few of my short stories get published in some great anthologies, wrote both a prequel and sequel to World-Mart, and joined the Horror Writers Association. On the not-so-positive, I endured the deaths of three very important people in my life and struggled to overcome the challenges related to some annoying and terrifying blind spots that had taken over about 10% of my left eye.

2013, despite the good that came with you, I’m glad to see you go. Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on your way out.

I really do have to say that this year has been by far the most trying I’ve ever survived—and that counts the nearly five years of physical and emotional abuse I suffered at the hands of a mentally ill ex and the eight months I spent bedridden with Lyme disease and Lyme-induced lupus. Still, I’ve learned a lot this year. I learned that I’m even stronger than I thought I was. I learned that sometimes you don’t get to forgive someone who’s hurt you on your own terms (because death strikes on its time, not ours). I learned that life and the connections we make are far more precious than I’d previously believed.

For those who don’t know me, thanks for reading. Some pretty personal stuff is coming, stuff that probably won’t interest you. It’d be pretty cool if you kept on reading, but I’m not going to hold you to it. For those who do know me, those who have some kind of emotional investment in who I am and where I’ve been, I thank you for your love and support. What follows is a doozy. Here goes:

Christmas day marked the six-month anniversary of my mother’s untimely death. She’d been 57 when the heart attack had struck. My youngest sister found her lifeless body the following morning. I had not been on speaking terms with my mother for a few years. I’d felt the need to punish her for being … well, for being her. More specifically, I’d felt the need to punish her for the mental illness that had made her a sub-par mother and sometimes an even worse friend. Still, she’d had a good heart. She’d meant well. She really hadn’t ever had the chance to develop the skills needed to be a well-rounded adult. Her mother had died when she was 19; her father, too caught up in his own grief, had abandoned her and her two sisters shortly thereafter. She’d had to play life by ear. In many ways, she never stopped being a child. She’d hurt me more times than I could count. I’d refused to forgive her. I will have to live with the resulting lack of closure for the rest of my life.

Nearly eight months to the day, I lost someone who’d filled in for the empty spot most would designate as “son”; he’d have turned 15 the month after his death. Some of you might stop reading here when you learn that he was a cat. Those of you who ever knew him will know he was so much more than that. “Kitty” (he named himself—another story for another time) would have given you the stink-eye if you’d treated him like a feline. While he knew that’s exactly what he was, he strove to overcome species and form. Tommy and I used to jokingly call him our Pinocchio Cat—there was no question he’d longed for nothing more than to be a “real boy.” He’d taught himself to use doorknobs.

He’d taught himself to say a limited number of words—in English. (Tommy had thought me insane when I first shared our little secret, as before then Kitty had only spoken for me—until shortly after we’d moved in with him, Kitty led him to the sink and very clearly asked him for “wa-er.”) If you treated him like a cat, he’d slink away, mortified and hurt. He’s the reason Tommy and I got together, and telling this story always makes me smile.

As I shared above, I’d been in an especially brutal relationship. More specifically, I’d left said relationship with a cracked skull, split lips, and bruises covering at least 90% of my body. Needless to say, I’d left the man with some trust issues, issues so severe I didn’t date for three years. Then came Tommy. He was the neighbor across the way, a really neat guy my twin sister (with whom I lived at the time) had taken to inviting over regularly for dinner. She and Tommy were far from a decent match (much to her dismay), but the two of us were a perfect pair. I kept the walls between us though, terrified that he too might transform into a monster if I were to open myself up to him. Enter Kitty. Just as broken as I’d been from the abuse, Kitty had become deathly terrified of nearly everyone, but especially of men. In fact, my twin sister and her daughter were the only people other than me who could so much as touch him. That all changed the night Tommy and I were hanging out—and Kitty plopped down in front of him and offered his stomach for Tommy to rub. They were best pals from that moment on. Moreover, Kitty’s trust in Tommy said something to me. He saw something I’d refused to let myself see: Tommy was a kind, gentle, loving man—and my perfect match.

When Kitty died from an incurable infection he’d caught at the local veterinary clinic, life seemed to stop. Everything changed. Tommy and I (and Kitty’s sister, Kadie) still grieve his loss. It’s so unfair such a special person—and I mean that in the most definitive of terms—left this earth in such a terrible way. His illness was horrific. No one, the least of whom being someone like him, deserved to die in such a terrible way. But life had to go on.

Last month, a close friend of mine also passed away. Her death was deemed undetermined. Her husband simply found her dead. They say things like this come in threes. I truly hope that is true, because I don’t think I’d be able to handle any more.

Despite all of the loss, I’ve clung to my will to write. I’ve allowed the pain to fuel me just as much as it’s held me back. Some decent stories have arisen from the horrors, and for that I’m grateful. Horror comes from various inspirations. Sometimes the greatest horror comes from places that are deeply personal, painful, and life-changing. Much of my horror comes from a place very deep and real. Perhaps one day I’ll share the inspirations behind some of my darkest stories.

Anyhow, I’ve rambled on long enough. I commend you if you’ve actually made it this far and thank you for taking an interest in my bizarre world. In a nutshell, it’s been a crazy life. This last year has been particularly trying. I survived, though, and I’ve emerged stronger, smarter, older.

And do I have some stories yet to share with you … 2014, hold onto your hat. We have some important business, you and I.

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Building a Novel

12/22/2013

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I finally wrote those two magic words on the bottom line of my most recent novel: THE END. Although the 60,741-word manuscript took me less than two months to draft and I’d already gone through the blissful hell of writing thirteen previous novels, I’m basking in the relief. Finally, the entire story is out of my head and on the page!

I’m not really sure if those who’ve never written a novel can understand how important—how calming—this sense of relief is, so I’d like to share a little about the process.

What drives you to write?
If you're not a writer, have you ever felt
the desire to write a book?
What's stopping you?

Step One: The idea

Either it begins with a “What if?” or a mental image, perhaps a character or a particular theme, but no matter where that first spark comes from, the seeds have been planted. They begin to germinate. What was once a vague thought becomes a limited series of events. Scenes begin to manifest. Characters become more defined. A story slowly begins to form.

Step Two: Development

Some writers skip this step, but it’s an important one for me. This is the time when all those bits of characterization, short scenes, and general ideas first find their way onto the page. For me, it begins as 1) detailed character sketches, a different page for each main character that identifies name, age, sex, occupation, likes/dislikes, recreational activities, social status, personal quirks, and 2) an initial outline of the main plot points that have been haunting me for the past days, weeks, or months. The outline is not detailed, and sometimes it lacks a specific beginning, middle, and end.

Step Three: Page One

No matter how many times I’ve done it in the past, every time I sit down in front of that blank first page, I find myself riddled with reservation, hesitance, and excitement. How will my opening sentence define the rest of this book? Am I approaching it from the appropriate starting point? Do I have it in me to pursue this story to the end (which at this point seems so far away)? Those first words eventually come, however, and page one soon gives way to page two.

My latest novel is a sequel
to my dystopia World-Mart.

Step Four: The Next 200+ Pages

Here is where the story must unfold, beginning with a solid foundation and continuing with one layer after the next of structure that must build upon itself. Move too slowly, and the story will stagnate and die; move too quickly, and all I’ll have is a skeleton that may or may not be worth fleshing out. The task feels daunting, moving forward each day with just a little more to show for it. Think of it as tantamount to taking on a mission to build a skyscraper, one brick at a time. At the end of each day, I’ve raised the walls a little higher, and yet the top of that massive building is still so far out of reach that it feels like I’ll never get there—and yet the drive to continue is so overwhelming that I have no choice but to continue.

Step Five: Getting to the End

I’ve developed my ideas, laid the foundation, and finished building the walls. Now all that’s left is the roof. I still need to take my time to make sure what I leave behind is solid, but I’m tired. Images of the finished product have been bouncing through my head like a bucketful of super-balls from hell, and I long for nothing more than to release every last one of them so finally I can rest. So what do I do? I work on that roof nearly day and night, forgetting to eat, foregoing that much-needed shower, setting aside physical health by persevering like a little Energizer bunny until I feel like I might just die. I must finish; at all costs, I must finish.

And then comes that moment that had felt so far away for so long, those final two words: THE END. Now I can relax; I’ve thwarted the insanity once again by emptying my head of all those maddening super-balls that were assaulting my hapless brain. What sweet relief! I walk away from the computer, take a shower. I throw myself into that special circle of hell by editing the damn thing—but it’s okay because my mind once again belongs to me. I’m free.

And then, sooner than I’d like, a new idea hits me, begins to consume my every thought, and I begin the process all over again. As the great Kurt Vonnegut used to say, “So it goes.”

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A. William Benitez: The Stigma Self Publishing

12/20/2013

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Today, author A. William Benitez is here to share his thoughts on self publishing. He will be awarding a $5 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter at each stop and a Grand Prize of a $50 Amazon GC at the end of the tour, so make sure to leave a comment for your chance to win.

There are varying viewpoints on self publishing. Most self publishers seem to view it as a business and publish with the intent of profit. That is my motivation for every book I write or simply publish for someone else. As a one person business efficiency and effectiveness is critical so I try to handle every step myself and use POD (print on demand) printing. On the books that I write I also handle the editing, design, and publicity. On the books of others I take their final manuscript and do the design, layout, and print file creation and my POD printer handles the printing and the fulfillment of all book orders leaving me free to write, which is what I really enjoy, while still selling books.

The question is, does this process still involve a stigma? It would be great if the answer were no but, in spite of the ever growing popularity of self publishing, it's still a negative to many. A good friend of mine still seems pessimistic about self publishing even after publishing his own book. I helped him publish and the book turned out quite good even though it isn’t selling well. He is appreciative of my publishing help and the quality of his book but still seems to view self publishing as a stigma.

At dinner recently, after complimenting my wife on her children’s book, which I published in 2007, he said she needed to find a traditional (real) publisher to market it successfully. I know he meant well but, as publisher of the book, it bothered a little. Since it was high praise for the book and a wonderful evening, I avoided starting a discussion about the merits of self publishing.

Obviously, my friend really believes a traditional publisher would do things with my wife’s book that we didn’t do, perhaps not realizing that traditional publishers do little marketing for books by unknown authors. After a few preliminary actions they turn it over to the author to market alone, unless he or she is famous.

I was learning when I published my wife’s book and we both learned fast and worked hard to get her book noticed, including sending out press releases, contacting media, and conducting book signings. Because my wife is a retired educator, we went even further and collaborated with a reading specialist to create a Teacher’s Guide which we made available for download to teachers at no cost. We followed that by contacting every school librarian in the state about the book and the Teacher’s Guide. We did manage to sell quite a few books but it’s never been a big seller.

I don't believe her book, “Lottie’s Adventure: Facing The Monster,” (formerly “Lottie’s Adventure: A Kidnapping Unraveled”) suffered because it was self published. Perhaps a professional publicist could have done more with it since I was just starting out at the time and lacked publicity experience, but another publisher was not the answer and still isn’t.

I don’t believe my friends concern is about marketing or the number of books sold. I think it is about the prestige of being selected by a traditional “real” publisher. For him and many others, to be a “real” author your book must be published by a traditional publisher. Regardless of the quality of the book, self publishing does not qualify you to be an author.

As long as even some who self publish view it negatively, self publishing will face a stigma. Nevertheless, if done professionally, self publishing equals and can even exceed traditional publishing and some, admittedly few, self publishers have already become millionaires and famous, in some cases receiving substantial offers from traditional publishers because of the fame. So, in spite of the stigma, it would seem that the most important thing about a book is still the quality. If it is informative or entertaining and well marketed, who published it isn't important.

Below is not relevant to the article above but does relate to self publishing.
My book, Self Publishing: Writing A Book and Publishing Books and Ebooks For Yourself and Others, includes complete and comprehensive details, illustrations, and instructions on a proven method for writing and self publishing books and ebooks that I have used for more than a dozen print books and a half dozen ebooks. There is no theory or fluff only the exact proven method that I have used repeatedly.

For complete information on Self Publishing: Writing A Book and Publishing Books and Ebooks For Yourself and Others check out: http://selfpublishingworkbook.com or email me at bill@positive-imaging.com. Thanks.

About the Book:

Frustration With Traditional Publishers Leads To Self Publishing

In 2007 my wife Barbara completed a wonderful children’s chapter book called Lottie’s Adventure and begin sending it to traditional publishers. Despite some great preliminary reviews, all she got was rejections and lack of response. This was quite frustrating for her and I wanted to help.

As an IT professional, I had read a lot about print on demand and made up my mind to learn all about it and then publish Lottie’s Adventure. It was a lengthy learning curve and I made lots of mistakes including the selection of a POD company that was more expensive than necessary. Nevertheless, we produced a high quality book and in spite of our lack of knowledge we sold quite a few copies of Lottie’s Adventure.

After this success I realized that self publishing had potential for some of my own writing and began developing effective, efficient, and lower cost methods to publish the books that I wrote. Since then I have written and published six books and a few ebooks of my own and established a publishing company that has published six books plus several ebooks for other writers.

After consistently producing and marketing quality books worldwide I decided to share these proven methods in a new book covering every step from idea through book creation to worldwide sales. That book is Self Publishing: Writing A Book and Publishing Books and Ebooks For Yourself and Others.

Excerpt:

Planning The Book - The Outline

The Plan

Step one for any book, after the basic idea appears, is to create a clear and concise plan. Knowing why you are writing the book is important to developing a viable
plan. If you are writing simply for your own enjoyment and to share some knowledge or an experience with anyone who may be interested, with little concern for potential profit, then the first step should be creating an outline for your book.

The Outline

You begin this outline by writing down all the major topics you wish to convey to your readers. Put them all down without attempting to flesh them out or placing them in particular order. At this early stage, spending too much time on individual topics could cause you to lose focus of the main topics. After you have listed them all, organize them in the best possible order so that each topic logically follows the previous one.

Now is the time to flesh them out. Go back to each topic one at a time and add whatever thoughts come to you. There is no certain length for this and don’t worry about structure. You are still at the thought development stage to cover as much as you can before actually beginning the writing. As you write down all these thoughts, new topics and ideas will come to you. Don’t dismiss them; write
them down as they come to you even if they belong elsewhere. You can move them later. The important thing at this stage is not to lose the thought. Read the section on creating and using an outline to see the simplest way to take full advantage of an outline to create your book.

Your Objective

If profit is the main objective of your writing, another method may be more appropriate for you. Once you know the niche or topic of your book, find the market for that particular niche. That is, determine whom will purchase your book and where you can find these prospects. This is a critical step because if you are unable to locate readers interested in your topic, it may be that a niche doesn’t exist or is so small as to make reaching it difficult and unprofitable. Since your intent is to profit from writing your book, this is a good time to revisit your concept and perhaps alter it for better marketability or perhaps abandon the idea and look for a marketable niche.

Knowing Your Market

While this book doesn’t deal directly with marketing and promotion, the odds of a book selling are increased considerably if you know your market and write your book to fulfill their needs. This is not possible if you have no idea about those interested in your book and how to reach them.

While it may seem that this knowledge is about marketing and not writing or self publishing, it’s just the opposite. This knowledge will help you write the book so it’s of real value to your potential buyers and to create a cover that conveys a strong message indicating clearly that the information these book buyers want is in the book. This will make your book marketable and contribute to increased sales before you even publish.

The Final Format

In this early planning stage you must decide on the final format. Is it just going to be available as an ebook? Kindle is really popular but it doesn’t work for some books that require a much larger page. There is a larger Kindle available but it is considerably more expensive then the standard model or the Kindle Fire which is the one to which you should aim your ebook. There are other kinds of ebooks that work perfectly well even with letter size books. Learn more about publishing for the Kindle in chapter fourteen.

Is the book going to be available as a paperback? Are you going to come out with both paperback and ebook at the same time? Making these decisions should be part of your planning. All of these various formats and how to take full advantage of them is covered in other chapters.

When I was going to publish my first book, which was a children’s book my wife had written, I spent several hours at a large bookstore going through similar books. I must have looked through at least fifty different children’s books to find out if there was some standard formatting that I should use for my first attempt at publishing a book. I learned something very interesting that day. There were no two books formatted the same way. There were some similarities but many more differences. The important thing was to make the book look professionally published and there were obviously many ways to do that.

There is an easier way for you to do the same thing using the Amazon.com web site. Just go to the site and search for books in your niche. Most of the books will have the look inside feature and you can take a look at the layout without going to a bookstore. You can even print out pages for closer examination. There are also some excellent books on the subject of book design. However, don’t believe that you are stuck with one certain format as right or wrong. Strive to make your book original and professional and there are as many ways to accomplish that as there are publishers.

If you decide to read one or more books on book design or visit book design blogs, remember that the information you are reading is of value but not carved in granite. Your ideas also have value so use the information to learn the things that look obviously wrong but remember to be creative while maintaining professionalism. For an inexperienced self publisher it can be difficult to choose the correct format for a book. That’s the reason studying the work of others is so helpful, at least while publishing your first book.

About the Author:

From age twelve, A. William Benitez spent his summers and weekends working with his dad, a general contractor, building homes and buildings. He contracted his first home at age nineteen and built his own home by age twenty. For more than 30 years he has operated one-person businesses. Twelve years of his life was spent working for local government managing federally-assisted housing programs. He started as an inspector with a three month assignment and was Director of Community Improvement with 78 employees when he resigned to do writing and consulting.

Writing, Publishing and Consulting

During the 80’s, he established Rehab Notes Library, a publishing company that published a monthly newsletter (Rehab Notes) with subscribers in all 50 states, Canada and England. He also did consulting and public speaking on housing related topics for agencies and organizations in cities across the country and testified before the U.S. Congress on housing issues.

He wrote and published nine guidebooks on the subject of housing rehabilitation. After 1980, when most federal funding was pulled from housing activities, he took advantage of his construction and business experience and started a handyman and woodworking business.

Positive Publishing

In 2007, he established Positive Imaging, LLC, to publish a children’s book for his wife and then begin publishing his own books and that of other using methods he calls positive publishing. To date, he has published twelve paperback books, a half dozen ebooks, and presently has several books in various levels of completion.

He was born and raised in Tampa, Florida and moved to Austin, Texas in 1986, where he now lives with his wife, Barbara Frances. They have three adult children, eight grand-children, and two great grandchildren.

For more information about A William Benitez, check out his website and the following pages:
Main Positive Imaging, LLC Site; Self Publishing Support Blog; PublishingSimplified Blog.

You can find his book through CreateSpace.

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Guest Authors Killion Slade: EXSANGUINATE

12/9/2013

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Today, guest author Killion Slade is here to promote new release, Exsanguinate. The novel is an innovative work that combines the written word with the online world, Second Life. The e-book version, just released, has optional, interactive links to the World of Blood website that allow readers to navigate the world from a phone, tablet, or PC and read the extras, check out the pictures, and learn more from each character’s dossier. The printed book has a QR code is embedded in the text inviting the reader to experience more if they so choose to explore.

Each version of the book stands alone on its own. A reader need not use the website to enjoy the story, but because it contains extra little goodies such as cut scenes, it will enhance the reading experience.

Killion, thanks so much for sharing about your intriguing new release!

Killion: It’s funny, Leigh. I once read a popular vampire series and thought to myself how much fun it would be to write a paranormal story. From there a rough draft outline formed in my mind about technology, social media, survival, and serial killers. What Exsanguinate morphed in to was an entirely differently beast.

In preparing research for this book, I personally have learned how to prepare for many different types of apocalyptic situations – including zombies. When the outline of this book series was drafted, I had no conceivable notion that I would learn how to melt down and cast my own bullets from lead tire weights, hunt for my own food, prepare my own canned meals, or even learn how to organic garden in a sixty day growing cycle. Living in Montana has become an every day adventure as to what new challenges we might need to face. As I write this post, it is negative fourteen degrees today. Would we be prepared to keep warm if the power went out? Do we have enough firewood? What other alternate forms of energy do we have in order to maintain survival? We often ask ourselves, are we prepared for what might be thrown at us?

Without getting preachy or weird, we wanted to find a way to introduce a bit if disaster preparedness in our stories. Most people hardly blink an eye at having enough water or food if something goes wrong. It takes a disaster to prompt action and that can cost lives. Our heroine, Cheyenne, begins her journey not far from this station in life. She has taken a conscious leap in setting up her own backyard chicken coop to have fresh, cage-free eggs and lives an alternate virtual life. Throughout the World of Blood series, the Earth increasingly tips out of balance, and Cheyenne learns how her preparedness, or lack thereof, impacts not only herself, but her family. She also learns how other supernatural beings are closely watching the humans destroy the planet, and they don’t like it. What happens when intervention steps in and the two realities merge?

We had a lot of fun writing this particular book. It gave us an opportunity to truly get to know the characters of the series and storyboard their tales inside Second Life. We build their avatars and allow the story to evolve. Having a dimension image for the character helps us to truly look at a scene, read over their dossier, and determine if the words or actions are true to them. When it feels off, we re-read the dossier, ask more questions from them, go deeper, and discover something hidden to help justify the words. Often times, they shock us - but that might also be determined from the amount of whiskey I consumed before writing. ;)

Overall this book series has been more than words on pages for us. It has been a journey which has changed the way we view our lives. We have actively begun purchasing one or two extra items every time we go to the grocery store and tuck it away in case of an emergency. In watching the television series, The Walking Dead, viewers constantly ask themselves – what would I do if I were in that situation. We realistically think about the “what would you do” type of survival questions and ask ourselves to answer those hard questions. Our answers manifest through our characters story in the World of Blood series. Some of them aren’t pretty. We hope you’ll join us on our journey!

Excerpt:

“Feck it!” I decided it was time to lose the race. My right foot let off the accelerator.

I grinned at him. “Do you wanna blow off some steam, or do you want me to win the race?”

He looked at me for a moment and then planted a slow, sweet kiss on my cheek. That was all the answer I needed.

The door handle above the window completely broke off in his hand with a clang. Accompanying a sheepish, questioning grimace he said, “I guess I’ll need to get that fixed.”

I smiled, relaxing my face. I loved this man. What the hell was I waiting for? Instantly, color flooded back into his face and his grip on my leg relaxed. I slammed on the brakes, shifted down into second, and pulled the car off into the orange grove where there was an opening in the fence line. I drove about a half mile in between the trees and shut down the engine. I was ready.

I grabbed a blanket out from behind the seat and met his gaze. Without another word, Khaldon jumped out of the car and in a flash, had me out of the car and in his arms.

He kissed me with quiet whispers. His mouth still tasted of the tangy bloodwine we had drunk at dinner. I reached my arms up around his shoulders and felt for the steely frame under his silken skin. Never in all my dreams had I envisioned him this vivid, this complete. I nestled my head into his shoulder as he kissed me deeply and thoroughly. This time there was no holding back, no niggling of guilty feelings. Here was the man of my dreams who had been in my dreams for so long, literally. His hair was soft as it tangled in my fingertips. He had hair I could kill for. Long, black, thick waves. I couldn’t wait to see it falling around his shoulders.

Our song came on the radio as if by magic. “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel. I had visions of an actor holding up his boom box serenading me outside my bedroom window. But instead Khaldon began to dance us in the headlights. It was wonderful to get lost in his breath, to get lost in his kisses, to simply just get lost hoping he would find me.

Back Cover Copy:

A Halloween scream night theme park adventure for software gaming developer Cheyenne O'Cuinn reveals a hidden supernatural reality she never dreamed existed. Recovering from a vicious attack and her sisters’ abductions, Cheyenne must rescue her sisters from vampiric kidnappers before they’re used to breed warmongering dhampirs.

Betrayal lurks in every corner. Cheyenne must evade attackers by unconventional means through her online role-play game. She must navigate through virtual, tortuous clues and mailed body parts, which cross over from her virtuality into reality. Can a team of dragons, vampires, and werewolves come together to help her? Who can she trust? Will the help from her virtual lover become compromised when he learns of her new immortal existence and crush the fragile love they share?

Amidst an impending vampire apocalypse, Cheyenne finds herself both in conflict for survival and for her heart. Will her immortal self derail any hope of solving the multiplying puzzles before time runs out to save her sisters, herself and her humanity?

About the Author(s):

Killion Slade is a married writing team who met in the virtual realms of Second Life, and virtually enjoy everything. Members of the Horror Writers Association and the Paranormal Romance Guild, they storyboard their characters inside Second Life as their avatars reveal their stories. Tucked away in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Northern Montana, they stay busy chasing kids, corralling horses and cats, and enjoying the harvest from their garden.

Exsanguinate, published through Draconian Publishing's Spirit Imprint, is available on Amazon Kindle and will be released in paperback later this month. Enhance your reading experience by visiting the Interactive Second Screen Website.

To learn more about Killion Slade, check out their website or follow them on Facebook. Thanks for stopping by!

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Guest Amy Eye and National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

12/6/2013

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Today, Amy Eye, the editor of newly released Christmas Lites III, is here to share about the anthology and the great cause it's supporting. Thanks for stopping by!

Amy Eye: The Christmas season is upon us yet again. Yes, my friends, it is a time of giving, loving, and sharing. Within these pages is a way you can help many people desperately in need of love, support, and goodness: the victims of domestic crime. By purchasing this anthology, you are sending every last dime made off this book to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The NCADV is an amazing charity that saves these people and lets them know there is still hope, still goodness, and still a reason to carry on.

Twenty-one authors have joined in this year, giving their time and their stories to these people – and to you. We all hope you enjoy our holiday tales captured in bite-size pieces. Whether you read this on the bus, before bed, or snuggled by the fire, please, do read – and share.

Participating authors:
Addison Moore
A.F. Stewart
Amy Eye
Angela Yuriko Smith
Ben WardenCassie McCown
Elizabeth Evans
J.A. Clement
JG Faherty
Jonathan Tidball
M.L. SherwoodMonica La Porta
Ottilie Weber
Patrick Freivald
Phil Cantrill
Robert Gray
Ron C. Nieto
S. Patrick Pothier
Tricia Kristufek
Vered Ehsani
Brandon Eye bonus story
C.S. Splitter bonus story

Christmas Lites III is available on Kindle.

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Guest Excerpt: LIKE MOM by Cheryl Robinson

12/3/2013

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Today, I have guest author Cheryl Robinson here with an excerpt from her recent release, Like Mom. Cheryl will be giving away a $50 Amazon gift card to one random commenter at the end of her tour, so make sure to leave a comment for your chance to win. For more chances to win, stop by the other blogs hosting her. You can find the list of links here.

Excerpt:

Nicole

I stared across the booth at my mom with a blank expression on my face and told her what I felt she needed to hear, what I’d never heard her husband say. “You look pretty.” And she did—prettier than I’d seen her look in a long time. She looked like she’d lost a few pounds. Either that or bought a better girdle. And I had an instant vision of my mom losing half her size, like the people on The Biggest Loser.

We were at Red Barrel, celebrating their three-year wedding anniversary on Halloween with a bunch of people dressed up in costumes. Who gets married on Halloween? Better question: Why did they get married at all?

Mom was wearing a long-sleeved purple and black dress that she got from Macy’s. I remembered when she got it last year, because as soon as she came home, she tried it on and asked me a bunch of times if I liked it. Each time I told her I did, but she didn’t believe me, so she took it off, put it back in the bag, drove to the store, and returned it. The next week she saw it on sale online and ordered it, but this was her first time wearing it. I wanted a more glamorous mom, one who looked like she could be my sister. Someone who could teach me how to put on my makeup and do my hair and had a sense of style I admired—someone like Beyoncé.

About the Novel:

Determined to lose weight, Nevada Pearson participates in a twelve-week clinical trial for a new diet pill. Nevada thinks if she’s slim, her life will be so much better. She won’t have to wear dark clothes to hide her big belly and can kiss the plus sizes good-bye. Her husband will stop ogling every skinny woman in sight, and she’ll stop accusing him of cheating. She won’t have to worry that he’ll leave her the way her dad left her mom. She can stop ranting on her YouTube channel about being fat. She’ll get promoted at work. Her fifteen-year-old daughter will want to lose weight, too, instead of staying holed up in her bedroom eating junk food and surfing the Internet for a cure to her social anxiety. But Nevada isn’t prepared for what happens next and how quickly her life changes—and it has nothing to do with her amazing weight loss.

About the Author:

Cheryl Robinson is a native Detroiter currently residing in Central Florida. She started her literary career as an independent author, publishing two books before eventually landed a publishing deal with Penguin/NAL Trade. She published six novels with NAL Trade and two more novels as an independent author. She is currently working on her next novel. Visit her Website at cherylrobinson.com, where you can read her blog and enter her monthly blog contest.

Like Mom is available through Amazon. For more about the novel, visit Cheryl Robinson's Like Mom webpage.

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Guest Author J. P. Lantern on Dystopian Lit and DUST BOWL

So Long (and Thanks for All the Fish)!

Building a Novel

A. William Benitez: The Stigma Self Publishing

Guest Authors Killion Slade: EXSANGUINATE

Guest Amy Eye and National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Guest Excerpt: LIKE MOM by Cheryl Robinson

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