Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Holiday Horror: A Visit with Nicholas Lilly


1. How did you start writing horror?
I have been obsessed with horror ever since i was little, the first movie i ever saw in theaters was Chucky. I used to draw picture stories of Jason vs Freddy vs Chucky vs Mike Myers so as soon as i was able to write that seemed the next step to me.

2. Tell us about your story in Holiday Horror. What holiday did you pick and why?
My story is about a guy introducing his new girlfriend to the family for the first time, I already had this story written so i just handed it over.

3. Name three things on your desk.
I actually don't like to use a desk but three things i would have by my side would be my phone, my Kindle, and my Spiderman water bottle.

4. If I were your favorite cookie, what would I be?
Sugar cookie

5. What authors have inspired your writing?
The biggest inspiration to me was an author that i read early on Darren shan

6. Plotter or pantster?
More than likely i would have to say a Plotter

7. Favorite horror movie?
Friday the 13th, The old ones. Cheesiest most horrible movies i have ever seen but still hands down my favorite.

8. What is one thing you would tell an aspiring horror writer?
Deadlines are the best fuel to light a fire under your ass. 

9. What kinds of characters are you drawn to write about?
I tend to write more about under dogs who have to overcome more than anyone should ever have to.

10. Tell us what you are working on now.
I am always working on multiple things at once but the two top would be an untitled vampire book and a book of 13 scary stories titled "Where we go to die" i am hoping to have it out by the end on January.



Short excerpt:

“We came here on the other side of the street; these are not our foot prints.” “So what?” Eric chuckles maybe someone came by and we missed them it’s not a private street. “Look closer.’ she whispers. Eric kneels down to get a better look in the dim light of the star and sees a small dark puddle in one of the foot prints. “What is that?” He asks aloud. Starting to panic Amanda takes a deep breath and says in her lowest voice “Its blood and the tracks stop and lead into the ally.” Slowly the both raise their eyes from the blood flied foot print and look straight into the pitch black alley.

Bio:
My name is Nicholas Lilly  and i want to be Having fun and living life one couch cushion at a time Life is simple and you should treat it like that. I am a very calm person and like to surround myself with the same, I like kids but I do not have any of my own. I am a lot like a kid that could be why I get along with them so well. I spend most of my time reading, writing, and going to see movies. I wouldn't call myself an average guy but I make do with what I've got. 

https://www.facebook.com/Wherewegotodie

Facebook party: https://www.facebook.com/events/195952477261715/

Holiday Horror: A Visit with Samie Sands


1. Tell us a little about yourself and how you came to write in the horror genre.

My name is Samie Sands, I am 27 and I live in the UK with my husband and 1 year old daughter. I am new to writing, I have always worked within the media industry - design, photography and PR, but have always wanted to use my creativity in this way. My new years resolution last year was to follow this dream, and I have come such a long way since then! I have a novel being published (which will be released early next year) and now my story in Holiday Horrors.
I have a particular interest in horror as it is such a wide ranging genre. I love the fact that when faced by really horrific situations, characters find things out about themselves that they never knew. I enjoy writing this new depth.

2. What was your inspiration for your story in the Holiday Horrors Anthology?

My story that has been featured in Holiday Horrors is actually a mini spin off story from my novel, Lockdown, which is going to be released. It's about the very beginning of what is to become a zombie apocalypse, and the main character, trying to wrap her head around a very strange occurance!

3. Tell us one thing about you that most people don't know.

I am a huge anime and manga geek. One of the best things to ever happen to me was to visit Japan and see the home of where it all comes from - I even got to visit a working animation studio.

4. Name three things on your desk.

My daughters scan photo, a Hello Kitty plush that was a gift from one of my closest friends and a long line of pens.

5. What are your favorite kinds of characters to write about?

It's always fun to write the villian! Looking from an entirely different perspective is a challenge I love. Saying that, the hardest characters to write are the ones that are similar to yourself.

6. Do you plot your work or wing it?

I always have a strong plan, which never ever seems to work out! I have found the best ideas I actually come up with, are the ones that naturally appear as the story is developing.

7. Tell us your process for working through a novel as opposed to a short story. How do they differ in your mind?

With a novel, you can flesh out your story with character and plot development and details which explain what is happeneing better, so once I have got the basics down, I write around that to make it all more interesting.
With a short story, you have to get everything across quicker and in a much more precise way, every word is vital. I plan out longer stories beforehand, whereas I always just start short stories with a small idea.

8. What is one thing you would tell aspiring horror writers that has helped you in your writing career?

Start with what interests you. It sounds simple, but if you don't like your story, it's unlikely others will.

9. Do you listen to music when you write? What does your soundtrack look like?

I prefer to work without noise as I can focus better. However, that is impossible with a 1 year old so my soundtrack has become childrens songs - something she can sing along to whilst playing so I can have 5 minutes to myself!

10. What's next in your writer horizon?

Lockdown will be released in spring, and the sequel wont be long behind! I am currently working my butt off at the moment to get it done.

Twitter: @SamieSands



Bio:

Samie Sands lives in a small seaside town in England with her husband and daughter. She has a degree in Media Studies and has spent her career working as a Graphic Designer. She enjoys reading books from all genres, particularly horror and spends far too much time with her head in a book. Her debut novel, Lockdown, is a Sci-Fi story that will be coming out soon.

 

Website: http://tri-pub.com/authors/samie-sands

Facebook Party: https://www.facebook.com/events/195952477261715/196867143836915/?notif_t=like

Holiday Horror: A Visit with Mark Parker


1.     How did you get started writing horror?

Ans: When I was fourteen years old, I came across a tattered copy of Stephen King’s Carrie.  For some reason I was absolutely fascinated by it.  Not only was the whole ‘horror’ thing cool, but it amazed me that someone could create a world with words.  It was love at first sight, and I never turned back. 

2.     Tell us about your story in Holiday Horror. What inspired you?

Ans: I have two stories featured in Holiday Horror.  I recently wrote a Halloween-themed short story titled, Halloween Night, which I’ve tagged as, “not your average Halloween story,” because it isn’t what it seems on the surface.  It’s based more on the ‘real life’ creeps that can confront us.  Then I reworked a story I’d written several months back, Lucky You, which is a psycho-sexual short story that considers what might happen if someone accidentally kills another person through an act of exuberant sex, only to find out that the act of killing—accidental or otherwise—leads the killer to become even more sexually aroused after having committed the accidental crime.  The rework was to shape it into a Saint Patrick’s Day-themed story.

3.     You designed the cover for your anthology, Wrapped in Red. Tell us a little about the book and your story.

Ans: Wrapped in Red – Thirteen Tales of Vampiric Horror is not my anthology, but rather an anthology I have a story in (The Scarlet Galleon), which is a story set aboard a 17th century Spanish Galleon.  The cover design was not made by me, but rather was based on a concept I proposed.  The anthology title was something I came up with one day when several of the contributing authors were kicking around possible titles for the anthology with the publisher.  It was later that day that I was told that my title had been chosen to represent the collection, which of course, was both a thrill and an honor.  This spring, Sekhmet Press LLC will offer the second volume in this ongoing series: Wrapped in White – Thirteen Tales of Ghosts, Spirits, and Specters. It’s slated for a March 2014 publication, and promises to be a ghoulish read.

4.     Plotter or pantster?

Ans: If you’re asking whether I plot my stories, or fly by the seat of my pants, I would have to admit to the latter.  I generally go into a story with only a concept in mind.  I know that many writers opt for a more organized approach, and perhaps they are right in doing so.  For some reason the process, for me, has always been an organic one.  I remember reading an interview with Stephen King years ago, where he was being asked the same question and replied, “I generally look for the whole in the page and fall in,” and that’s very much the same for me.  I find myself saying, “I pull a string and see what unravels,” but they both equate to the same thing in the end.  It is more of a surprise to me if I don’t know what’s going to happen until it does.  The only drawback to this approach is that the rewrites tend to be a bit more complicated.  I have to make sure all the bits make sense, which isn’t always a given...especially when a piece I’m writing is historically set.  I am not the greatest researcher, so I oftentimes have to change things along the way do to the fact that certain details either didn’t exist yet in the period I’m writing about, or things happened in a different sequential fashion.  Writing in a ‘see what happens’ manner is causing me to become better at researching, which isn’t a bad thing at all. 

5.     Have you done mostly short fiction or have you also taken a foray into novels/novellas?  How are they different for you?

Ans: At the moment all of the pieces I have published are shorter in length.  This hasn’t entirely been intentional, although there was a bit of method behind my madness, in entering the indie market as I have.  I thought it would be a cool way for folks to become familiar with my writing, my style, my choice of subjects to cover, etc.  I have several longer pieces ‘in-process,’ which include several full-length novels.  I am working on a suspense thriller titled HINDSIGHT, and also a novel I’m tagging as a ‘psycho-spiritual thriller’ that is set against the backdrop of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Boston, where I studied for a time.  That book will be titled PERFECT DARKNESS, and is only in its first draft at present.  It is my hope to follow it up with a sequel, titled PERFECT LIGHT.  There must be balance…always!

6.     Name three things on your desk.

Ans:  I have a Lucite angel in the corner of my desk that (for me) represents my mother watching over me.  She passed during my senior year of college, and never got to see me published.  In this way, she ‘sees’ the stories before anyone else does.  Only seems fitting.  I also have a copy of Stephen King’s Carrie close by, because it was that story after all that started this whole journey for me.  And I also have a photo of my sister.  She is generally the first person who reads anything I’ve written.  She is a tough critic, and is brutally honest in her responses to my stories.  If she likes it, I know it’s going to be a cool read.  She isn’t afraid to tell me if it sucks.   

7.     Tell us one thing that most people don't know about you.

Ans: That I studied for the Roman Catholic priesthood.

8.     What is your favorite holiday?

Ans: That’s a difficult one.  On a spiritual level, I would have to say Christmas.  But on a writing level, I would have to say Halloween.  I have always loved the month of October, and the sights and sounds of Halloween have always had an enduring effect on me.  The chills linger, you know what I mean?  I don’t know why, but orange and black have always been two of my favorite colors.  Purple and fluorescent green, too.  When writing, it’s admittedly always the chill I go for.  No screaming necessary…

9.     Tell us about your favorite kind of character to write about.

Ans: I always come to characters for the enduring impression they leave.  For me, it is always about someone’s motivation… what has made them the way they are or caused them to act in the manner they do.  It’s always about the puzzle beneath the puzzle for me.  Causation is everything—the cause that ‘causes’ the cause—if you will.  For it is in the past that the deepest secrets are buried.  I love characters like Stephen King’s Dolores Claiborne and Annie Wilkes…or even the devil in his novel, Needful Things, who, at his core, is such a coward.  King got that character spot on!  

10.  What music do you listen to when you write?

Ans: I am mostly one of those writers who needs total silence when writing.  But if I was to listen to music while writing, it would have to be something heavy.  I like balls-to-the-walls rock with a sharp edge to it when writing.  Takes me to that place of menace, where the truly awful things happen.  (LOL)




Current Projects:







Upcoming projects:






Check out Mark's amazing story in Holiday Horror.



Join us for the Facebook Release Party on December 31st for a chance to win $850 in prizes!

Monday, December 30, 2013

Covet Release Party


Covets have all the sexiness, emotion, and happily ever after that readers have come to expect and love from Entangled. They are firmly grounded in the contemporary world, but each novel brings in supernatural twists, breaking the contemporary and paranormal rules, alike. To find out more about their titles, chat with authors, participate in special events, and to find out what books you’ll be coveting next, visit the Entangled website, follow them on Twitter, LIKE their Facebook page, and join the Book Club.

Check out the Facebook party too!  https://www.facebook.com/events/655747377781974/
Today I'm happy to be featuring Covet's December releases:


Beg Me to Slay by Lisa Kessler

He’ll slay her demons, but it may cost her heart…

Four years ago Tegan Ashton was attacked. Determined never to be a victim again, she devotes her life to martial arts and self-defense. When her assailant returns to finish what he started, only one person can help her.

Gabe is a private investigator by day and demon slayer by night. After losing loved ones, he vows to defend people from a threat they don’t realize exists.

The relationship is supposed to be strictly business, but fighting demons together stirs up emotions they never expected. Turns out demon slaying is a breeze compared to facing their scarred pasts and even worse - hearts.




Ashes by Sarah Gilman

Journalist Ambrosia Pellerin accepts an assignment involving the legendary phoenix, expecting, if nothing else, a little entertainment. Instead, she winds up pregnant—by a surprisingly human-looking firebird, Reece Bennu.

As the Phoenix prince, Reece is next in line to the throne and expected to marry a purebred royal. A common human such as Ambrosia is not in the cards. He swears, though, he’ll never be an absentee father.

As Ambrosia’s due date grows closer, so do the soon-to-be parents. But will their tentative love survive the prejudice of Reece’s grandmother, who will stop at nothing to tear the two apart?



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Monday, December 23, 2013

Over the River Blog Tour


Over the River
Isles and West
Book 1
October Weeks

Genre: Dark fantasy, horror, paranormal

Publisher: Musa Publishing
Date of Publication: 10/25/2013

ISBN: 978-1-61937-647-2
ASIN: 


Number of pages: 210

Cover Artist: Kelly Shorten


Book Description:
Joslyn Faust passed away in 1940, after losing all but one of her children to death. The Weatherby Mills history books paint her as a kind, generous woman, willing to lend a hand to any one of her neighbors. Weatherby Mills lore, however, blames her ghost for the deaths of at least four men.

That’s where Delilah Isles and Milly West come in.

Working for the New England Spirit Society, the women have seen many violent and cruel attacks by human spirits and non-human entities. After all, the most violent and disturbing cases come to them. They know the myths about Joslyn Faust, so when the case comes their way they are both anxious to start investigating and uncertain whether or not it’s a case for N.E.S.S. But the first time they set foot on the Faust property that uncertainty is vanquished, because Joslyn Faust turns out to be a whole lot darker than they anticipated.



Short Excerpt:

Delilah Isles was certain of two things: pork roast in the slow cooker was the best in cold weather, and the woman in her kitchen was dead.

The elderly woman, around seventy-five or eighty with a slim build, lifted the cover of the slow cooker, leaned slightly forward, and inhaled. Her gray hair was in a neat bun and she wore a long lemon-yellow sleeveless nightgown from the nineteen forties. The woman smiled as she inhaled again, closing her eyes.

Delilah hated to interrupt, but it was eleven thirty, and she was tired. She could see, sense, and speak to the dead—amongst other abilities—but she never would have known this ghost was in her house if she had not been awake. The woman was quiet, calm. Benign.

Delilah cleared her throat, hoping not to startle the woman. The gray-haired lady motioned with her free hand but took her time looking back at Delilah, taking a last inhale and putting the cover back on the slow cooker. When their gazes finally met, the lady’s light blue eyes struck Delilah—they were much like her own.

“Hello there, dear,” the lady said. “Did I interrupt your sleep? I hope I haven’t…”

Delilah smiled and walked closer to the woman. “No, I was just getting ready for bed. I’m going somewhere tomorrow.”

“Oh, good! That I didn’t wake you, I mean. I was being very careful to be quiet.” She waved a hand at the slow cooker. “My husband used to cook all the food. He loved to cook, my Nathan.”

Delilah laughed softly. “My name is Delilah Isles.”




A Few of My Favorite Things

Paranormal things, that is J
I’ve been reading and writing the paranormal since I was a teenager, devouring and creating words as if my life depended on it. I find the paranormal fascinating and still gravitate towards the genre in both my writing and my reading. Here are a few of my favorite books and movies:
Books:
The Shining and Carrie by Stephen King
My collection of Edgar Allan Poe short stories
The Jill Kismet series by Lilith Saintcrow
The Downside series by Stacia Kane

Movies:
Carrie (the original)
The Ring
Underworld
The Conjuring

And just for fun!

TV:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Charmed
Haven
The Walking Dead

What are a few of your favorite paranormal things?


Review:

This book hooked me from the first line. The characters reminded me of people you might have in your own life, with idle talk that was comforting and had me smiling often. The only difference is the ghosts. This town seems to have an over abundance of them. With murder and mayhem on the loose, the paranormal investigations go from lightly funny to darn right intense. If you are looking for a good read to keep you warm this holiday season (or anytime) give this book a try. It has something for everyone-romance, ghosts, murder and a very tasty smelling pork roast.

4/5


About the Author:
I’m a dark fantasy/horror writer and a reader with too many books and not enough shelves!

I live in Vermont. Autumn is my favorite season- October and November are my favorite months.

Loves: reading, writing, movies (horror, sci-fi, and fantasy especially), taking walks, fishing, and family

Obsessions: Lindt dark chocolate, the SyFy Channel (Haven and Warehouse 13!), The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, The Walking Dead!







 Follow the tour!

December 16 Spotlight
Annette Gisby

December 16 Spotlight
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy. Too! http://3partnersinshopping.blogspot.com

December 17 Interview
The Simple Things in Life

December 17 Spotlight and review
Deb Sanders

December 18 Guest blog
Mythical Books

December 18 Spotlight
Pembroke Sinclair.  

December 19 Guest blog and review
Vailia's Page Turner

December 20 Guest blog
Cherry Mischievous 

December 23 Guest blog and Review
Zombie Girl Shambling

December 23 Spotlight
Booklover Sue 

December 23 review
The Book Review 

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Green: The Virtual Book Tour


Green: A Life Force Novel
The Life Force Trilogy
Book 1
S. Briones Lim

Genre: Paranormal Fiction

Date of Publication: 7/1/13

ASIN: B00DQ8GZCA

Number of pages: Approx. 307
Word Count: 83,748

Cover Artist: S. Briones Lim

Amazon       Nook

Book Description:

Her family believed Immortality was a gift, but to Mattie it was a curse. Being a Life Hunter was nothing she would have ever wished upon herself, yet here she was, forced to hunt human Life Forces to sustain her life.

With no memory of her past or how she became such a monster, Mattie stays hidden in the backwoods of Brookesville with only her family to keep her company.

Despite the loneliness of her eternity, Mattie has grown to love her life - that is until she crossed the path of a human she couldn't bear to hunt.

With Hunter in the picture Mattie's life is turned upside down. Was love with a mortal possible? Unfortunately, Mattie has no choice but to find out.






 GREEN: A LIFE FORCE NOVEL
Excerpt
“Why is that?” Oddly, it did hurt to hear him say it, though I couldn’t really blame him for feeling that way. I hated being immortal, myself.
“It’s just not natural. I don’t think I’d want to live more than one life. I mean living one life is hard enough, why put you through the misery of living multiples?”
“How is your life so hard?” I asked without thinking. I tensed up, feeling flustered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
“No, it’s okay,” Hunter assured me, still continuing to ease my aching muscles. I immediately relaxed. He stayed quiet for a bit, making me wonder if I really had offended him. I was just about to apologize again when he said, “Everyone’s lives has hardships, Mattie. Sure mine are probably nothing compared to yours, but that goes to show you why I don’t think immortality is for me. I want to pay my dues and rest.”
“How are you sure that wherever the soul goes after death is better than this life?” I asked curiously. It was something that always bothered me, especially after Aunt Lucinda passed.
“It can’t be worse.”
I remained quiet. It probably wasn’t worse for people like him and it was probably a whole different story for Life Hunters like me. I licked my lips before speaking. “I don’t necessarily enjoy immortality, you know that. Yet, I’m afraid of what life after this holds for Life Hunters. We have killed, you know.”
Hunter let out a deep breath and then said the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. “I wish I knew what the afterlife holds for you, Mattie. I may not know for sure but I can almost guarantee that such a loving, gentle, genuine and sweet person, who loves her family more than her own breath, could only see the sweet promise of a paradise. No entity or being could ever think to condemn someone like you – someone as beautiful inside as she is outside.”
I was completely hushed. Even more so when Hunter removed his hand from my shoulder and brought it to my chin. He shifted slightly behind me and gently nudged my chin, turning my head to the side. My breath caught when I found him inches away from my face. We stared at each other intensely, self-consciousness completely absent. I felt the warmth from his breath bathe my lips, which I licked in response. Hunter’s eyes flew to my mouth where it lingered. I could have sworn I felt my lips tingle in anticipation. I waited impatiently for what may come only to be disappointed when Hunter sucked in his breath and turned away as if waking up from a distant dream.
I blinked a few times, trying to register what had just happened. Confused and concerned, I asked, “Is it because I’m a Life Hunter? Is it because I’m immortal?” I didn’t need to expand my thoughts because he knew exactly what I was talking about.







About the Author:

Thanks to her mother’s unwavering devotion to read a bedtime story to her every single night, S. BRIONES LIM's love for books began before she could even speak. Author of the Life Force Trilogy, S. Briones Lim's other obsessions include time with family, POPCORN, sketching, movies and her pug, Tobi. She currently lives on the East Coast with her husband and continues to write every day.







December 16 Guest blog
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom

December 17 Interview
Pembroke Sinclair.  

December 18 Interview
Roxanne’s Realm

December 19 Spotlight
Lisa’s World of Books

December 20 Spotlight 
Ramblings of a Book Lunatic

December 20 Spotlight
The Writerly Exploits of Mara Valderran

December 23 Spotlight
Zombiegirl Shambling

December 23 Spotlight
Fang Freakin' Tastic Reviews