Journey to other worlds with me.
The world is no longer the way we remember. Few are even still alive to recall the days when midnight didn’t mean cowered away & hidden. Out of sight became our only way to survive since the...Century Vampires. If you want to live, trust no one.
I’ve recently came across the VALKYRIE NOVEL series that immediately caught my interest because it has Norse mythology connotations such as the Valkyries. I was excited to connect with the author, TG Ayer and get this series for my TBR pile. As soon as I get a chance, I will review these books and post your reading pleasure. So without further ado, here is a special guest post from Bryn.
Used with permission from the author’s media kit
ABOUT THE NOVEL:
Title: DEAD RADIANCE
Series: The Valkyrie Series
Volume: 1
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publication Date: 25th February 2012
Format: E-Book
Format: Paperback
ISBN-10: 1469998165
Publisher: Evolved Publishing
Publisher E-Book: Evolved Publishing
Pages: 382
EXCERPT:
"That day I knew for sure. I'd lost control of my tears then. They fell in huge, mocking drops. I stared at Joshua through those bitter tears, my heart missing beats as I tried to remember to breathe. I finally knew what the glow meant. I was a freak and Joshua was going to die."
DESCRIPTION:
Bryn Halbrook had always seen the glow. But it is only when her best friend dies that she discovers the meaning of those beautiful golden auras - Death. Alone, lost in the foster system, she struggles to understand who she is and why she was cursed with the ability to see the soon-to-be-dead.
The new foster kid, Aidan, isn't helping any. Mr. Perfect seems to fit in no matter what, making her feel even more pathetic. But when his affections turn to her, Bryn finds him hard to resist. Impossible actually. A mystery himself, Aidan disappears, leaving behind a broken heart and a mysterious book that suggests Bryn might not be entirely human. Bryn stands at the threshold of a journey of discovery. Will destiny help her find herself, find her purpose and her place in a world in which she'd never belonged?
ABOUT THE NOVEL:
Title: DEAD EMBERS
Series: The Valkyrie Series
Volume: 2
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publication Date: 15th August 2012
Format: E-Book
Format: Paperback
ISBN-10: 162253798X
ISBN-13: 978-1-62253-798-3
Publisher: Evolved Publishing
Publisher E-Book: Evolved Publishing
Pages: 405
EXCERPT:
“For a shadow of a second, I stared into his eyes, shocked, horrified he'd do such a thing to me. A thousand fears filtered through my frigid brain. Was he in cahoots with Loki? Or was he Freya's dog all along?
It took an eternity for him to blink. Even longer for me to blink.
Then Fenrir pushed me and I fell off the cliff, into pure white oblivion.”
DESCRIPTION:
Valkyrie-in-training Bryn Halbrook just can't catch a break. With her boyfriend stuck in Hel and the taunting laughter of Loki still ringing in her ears, she struggles to concentrate on her training and duties in Odin's realm. The last thing she expects or wants is more adventure—but then treachery, a shocking abduction and a chilling discovery send her forth on another perilous, globe-hopping mission.
As the ultimate battle, Ragnarok, draws closer, it's a race against time for Bryn, Fenrir and their team to discover who kidnapped her foster brother from the halls of Asgard and what's causing the mysterious deaths of so many of Odin's chosen warriors.
In the exciting sequel to DEAD RADIANCE, Bryn encounters dwarfs and dragons, new friends and old foes—but the worst enemy of all may be the person she trusts most!
![clip_image004[4]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/-NOPuYsmI9N8/UIdIGSWzAmI/AAAAAAAAMB8/MbCufOtTX4M/s1600-h/clip_image004%25255B4%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "clip_image004[4]")
![clip_image006[4]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/-bPQomfs67IY/UIdIIQITynI/AAAAAAAAMCM/BGN581mUd_I/s1600-h/clip_image006%25255B4%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "clip_image006[4]")
Name:
BRYN (Brynhilde) HALBROOK, 17. Bryn hates her given name and hopes nobody will ever find out what a dorky real name she has. Little does she know the history behind the name and how it will rewrite her very future.
Description:
Green eyes, red hair and eventually a pair of hot red wings
Traits:
Bryn is a loner. She sees herself as a freak and is happy to navigate the outskirts of school society. She's stubborn, headstrong and lonely, but longs for friendship.
Food:
Ms. Custers fried chicken tops her list even when her appetite mysteriously disappears. Chocolate comes a close second. The Mead from Asgard soon becomes Bryn's favorite drink though she wonders at its power to intoxicate her senses.
Music:
Green Day and Linkin Park, with a secret love for Melody Gardot.
Favorite things:
Amber pendant given to her by her father. Golden leaf given to her by the Glasir tree. The rose-petal encrusted soap from the Asgard Baths.
Dislikes:
Hamburgers, menthol sweets, cigarette smoke, Astrid, Loki
Ambivalent about:
The sword of Brunhilde, the Eye of the Dragon. Freya. Bifrost (bridge of the gods)
Skills:
Bryn has always been able to see the strange golden glow around people around her. It's not until someone close to her dies that she realizes the meaning of the glow is Death.
Bryn also discovers that she is a skilled fighter - both hand to hand combat and weaponry, as a band of thugs soon find out when they try to attack her.
In Asgard, training and fighting come easy for Bryn, but soon a mysterious power begins to blossom within her when she fights. Will Bryn's own courage and strength win out, or will the berserker rage that threatens her eventually overcome her in the end?
Special place in her heart for:
Ms. Custer, Brody, Joshua, Sigrun, Njall, Thor, Fen, Steinn
Romance:
Aidan Lee - son of her fathers arch-enemy. It's instant attraction. The kind she has no control of. Hormones, chemistry, who knows but Aidan gets Bryn all hot and bothered from Day 1. The couple barely get a chance to get to know each other before they are thrown into a life-threatening mission on the hunt for Freya's necklace. Bryn battles her feelings for Aidan and the guilt she feels for having put his life in danger. Little does she know there is much more than one obstacle to her relationship with Aidan. Can she come to terms with who he really is? Or is there someone else who deserves her heart more?
Character:
Bryn is sensitive, though impulsive. She is caring but sometimes selfish - a result of not having people around her who truly care for her. she is very independent, often refusing the help offered to her. Will she learn that it takes far more strength to trust than it does to walk alone?
Accepting change is ones life is not easy, especially when part of that change is accepting the existence of a mythology as reality. Can Bryn successfully transition from normal teen to Valkyrie?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
I have been a writer from the time I was old enough to recognise that reading was a doorway into my imagination. Poetry was my first foray into the art of the written word. Books were my best friends, my escape, my haven. I am essentially a recluse but this part of my personality is impossible to practise given I have two teenage daughters, who are actually my friends, my tea-makers, my confidantes… I am blessed with a husband who has left me for golf. It’s a fair trade as I have left him for writing. We are both passionate supporters of each other's loves – it works wonderfully…
My heart is currently broken in two. One half resides in South Africa where my old roots still remain, and my heart still longs for the endless beaches and the smell of moist soil after a summer downpour. My love for Ma Afrika will never fade. The other half of me has been transplanted to the Land of the Long White Cloud. The land of the Taniwha, beautiful Maraes, and volcanoes. The land of green, pure beauty that truly inspires. And because I am so torn between these two lands – I shall forever remain cross-eyed.
CONTACT DETAILS:
Mark S. Bacon 622 words
Your quick, daily dose of literature
By Mark S. Bacon
Tired of wading through that ponderous novel? Wishing authors could get to the point a little sooner than page 589? Try flash fiction.
In the time it takes you to brew a cup of coffee or wait on the phone for tech support to answer, you could read an entire story, start to finish. Maybe two.
Although short stories may even predate the novel, flash fiction is a relatively new form of literature. Hard to define, because many editors, writers, bloggers and others have their own ideas of how long they should be, flash fiction stories are generally under 1,000 words. A popular form of the genre is 100 words; some editors tell writers to stop at 50 words. Flash fiction is a short, short, short, story.
Can you really tell a story in, say, 100 words? That’s what I wondered when a friend challenged me to try it. He came across the 100-word story idea as an exercise in a writers’ group.
Writing a complete story in exactly 100 words is harder than it sounds. It was a challenge and one that I tinkered with for months. Finally I got the hang of it. I insisted that each story have a beginning, a challenge to the main character and a satisfying conclusion. After some time, I realized I had enough stories to fill a small book, and “Cops, Crooks and Other Stories in 100 Words” was born. Since I’m a mystery/suspense fan, many of my stories take the form of very small mysteries or cop stories. Here is one sample:
Honor Among Thieves
The darkened home looked empty. Pete tried the front door. Locked. Around back, he jimmied open a patio door with a credit card.
Immediately, he saw a man holding a pillowcase full of something.
“Shit. You startled me,” the man said. “First time I ever seen two guys break into the same house. I came in the window. But hey, I believe in professional courtesy. I’ve got jewelry and laptops. Rest is yours.”
Pete opened a drawer, reached inside.
“Hold it,” Pete said, pointing a revolver.
“What about professional courtesy?”
“I forgot my keys,” Pete said. “I live here.”
Flash fiction is a sometimes quirky but immensely popular art form. Here are a few measures of its popularity:
Dozens of colleges and universities, including Stanford, University of Virginia and Washington University in St. Louis offer courses or seminars on flash fiction. The Virginia course description calls flash fiction, “an emerging genre of ultra-short creative writing.” Flash fiction is also taught at Brown University, UCLA, SUNY Plattsburg, New York and many other institutions.
More than 300 print and online publications are dedicated to flash fiction. Duotrope, a website that matches writers with publishers, lists well in excess of 300 journals, magazines and other publications that feature flash.
Hundreds of flash fiction contests are held annually. The contests range from impromptu competitions hosted by bloggers to official awards ceremonies such as the annual Micro Award, founded in 2008 by author Robert Laughlin to recognize outstanding flash fiction. Editors as well as flash fiction writers themselves enter stories for the Micro Award.
Flash fiction anthologies by nationally known writers are climbing the sales charts. Lydia Davis, Etgar Keret, Margaret Atwood and Raymond Carver are among some of the more accomplished professionals in the genre.
Smith Magazine has published a series of popular books containing 6-word stories or memoirs. The publishers invite people to submit 6-word life stories. The latest book in the series is called, “Six Words About Work.”
If six words seems inadequate to tell a story, but you still don’t have time to digest volumes, flash fiction, from 50 words on up, can be your daily bite of literature.
###
BIO
Mark Bacon began his writing career as a southern California newspaper reporter covering police and general assignments. Since then he’s written several business books, one selected by the Library Journal as one of the best business books of the year and printed in five languages. His articles have appeared in many magazines and newspapers and most recently he was a regular correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle.
CLICK BOOK COVER FOR THE BUY LINK ON AMAZON
Today I’m welcoming S.M. Reine to my blog for an insighful interview. She is author of the Descent Series and the Seasons of the Moon series.
Did you always want to be a writer? If so, what medium did you start with? Poetry, Short Stories, Novellas, Novels??
I’ve been passionate about writing my entire life. I’ve always been most interested in novels, although my “books” when I was a child were really more like short stories. I wrote my first full-length novel (over 100,000 words, or 400 pages) when I was in sixth grade. It wasn’t any good. But I’ve been writing books ever since. :)
What was the inspiration for your book series, The Descent Series
The Descent Series evolved from a variety of sources. It’s kind of the spiritual lovechild of Joss Whedon TV shows (like Buffy and Angel), The Last Vampire series by Christopher Pike, and Anita Blake. I had this idea about an exorcist character when I was a teenager, and after a few years of fermenting, it turned into Elise and The Descent Series as it is now.
Who are your top 5 favorite authors??
Edgar Allan Poe, Tamora Pierce, Jacqueline Carey, HP Lovecraft, and Stephen King.
What is your favorite genre to read and why?
I love strange, unique contemporary fantasy--like Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. But I have a very big soft spot for urban fantasy in general.
Do you prefer to be indie published, self-published, or traditional published?? Why?
Self-publishing is exhausting, but it really appeals to my control freak side. Ideally, I think it would be nice to have a hybrid career: some books traditionally published, and some published independently.
Did you ever experience a major life changing event that impacted your writing?
It probably sounds cheesy, but the birth of my son really gave me a kick in the pants. Watching his explosive growth from tiny newborn to pudgy baby and lanky toddler gave me a whole new appreciation for how valuable and precious time is. So after wanting to be a professional writer for years, it was the entrance of my son into my life that made me finally take charge and get it done. The first book I published, Six Moon Summer, was started when my baby was just two weeks old. (If that book is kind of nonsensical, it’s because of the delirious new parent hormones. Sorry, readers!)
If you could be any book genre, which one would you choose and why?
I would be memoir. It’s pleasantly boring, but you only write memoirs about the interesting lives of successful people. ;) Failing that, I would love to be high fantasy adventure.
Name a song(s) that define(s) you as a writer.
Coconut by Fever Ray. Go look it up. It’s a really weird song! But the tone really captures my bizarro head space while I write.
If the world was on the edge of extinction, how would you survive??
I would do everything my husband says, because I am hopelessly incompetent where such things are concerned, and I know he would take care of me.
What advice would you give to other aspiring writers like myself??
Focus on the writing. There is so much other stuff surrounding publishing: agents and publishers, if you’re going the traditional route; marketing and social media once you’re published; lots of other flotsam. It’s distracting and time-consuming. The easiest thing to control is the quality of your writing, and the frequency with which you finish projects. It also happens to be the most fun. So when in doubt, write more books!
What other projects do you have on the horizon??
I have a few things brewing. Most of my focus in the first half of 2013 is going to be wrapping up the main arc of The Descent Series (which has three more books). I’m also publishing a serial novel in the Seasons of the Moon series. The latter half of 2013 will be a new series--I’m thinking paranormal mysteries. I’m really excited about it.
Tell us about 5 books that changed your life in some way??
1. The whole Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. It was my introduction to high fantasy (yes, before Lord of the Rings!). The depth of his world building, the huge cast, and the epic story lines shaped the way I write in a significant way.
2. The Last Vampire by Christopher Pike. Just the first six books. I don’t like the new ones. The heroine is awesome, his writing style was so lean and mean, and I love how he didn’t back away from the tough ending.
3. It’s a short story, but The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe. My mom used to read that one to me as a bedtime story (which should probably say a lot about me). It gave me an obsession with the dark and strange.
4. The Handmaiden’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood. I read it for the first time in sixth grade, and it was my introduction to feminist theory, as well as what later would become an extremely popular genre among teens: dystopian fiction.
5. Peter Pan. It becomes more meaningful as I grow older. The Peter Pan character as a psychopomp, and the way it addresses the concept of aging--it’s very profound.
If you could time travel, what time period would you go to and why??
I would go a few hundred years into the future. I’m so curious about what’s to come.
And a fun one, what would you do if there was a zombie apocalypse?
My husband’s grandparents live a few miles from us at the top of an isolated hill. They have a basement full of canned Spam and shotguns. It would be easy to pick off zombies as they staggered up the road, and we could live on that nasty salted meat for at least a few months.
Feel free to add any social media links you have and anything else you felt I should have added to this interview.
I can be found on Facebook at http://facebook.com/authorsmreine. :)
Thanks for joining me and being a part of my blog!
Thank you for inviting me!
This is a short novella but it packs a punch....psychological horror with elements of Hell in it.
This was a slippery ride into the psyche. It will keep you guessing until the end and then you will say.. man I should have figured this out.
I wish it would have been longer and hope he continues the story.
Literally…
Multitudes are seeing the numbers 11:11. Are you a part of this phenomena?
To fulfill his destiny, Theodore Baldwin must bring Eve Applegate into REALIZATION before the Mayan Calendar countdown year of 2012. The fate of the world depends on his successful mission! However, Eve is not cooperating; she wants nothing to do with him. He needs to come up with a plan, and quick! Will she fall for his scheme, or is the earth doomed to the same fate as Atlantis?
Eve Applegate is avoiding her new neighbor like the plague. He’s too good looking and too nice and too everything. The problem is, every time she turns around…he’s around.
Join Theo and Eve in a breathtaking journey of discovery spanning the globe. Explore the mysteries of the 11:11 enigma, the year 2012, Giant Rock, Crystal Hill, the Denver Airport, crop circles, the Illuminati, Atlantis, and much more!
Do you like metaphysical books?? Then this is the book for you. You have Atlantis references, numerology elements, past lives, and the Mayan prophecy connotations. I like this book because it made me think outside of the box and really ask myself....what if???
I hope Verna continues writing more metaphysical books because I will be first in line to buy them.
5 FAIRIES FOR THIS METAPHYSICAL GEM!!!
Today, I’m welcoming Vanessa Williams to my blog for an in depth interview. She is author of three books, Drowned Sorrow, The Strangers Outside and A Good Man.
Grab a chair and get a virtual drink from the bar as you read Vanessa’s thoughts.
Was there anything about your upbringing that influenced your love of paranormal subjects?
I was an anxious child. Even the news scared me. When I was a toddler, I saw an ad for The Planet of the Apes on television. The images from that movie scared me so much that the apes materialized in the living room and continued to 'visit' me for several months. They looked as real to me as my friends and family. Despite my fears, I very quickly became attracted to anything horror and paranormal. I guess it was a way to process those fears. In any case, my fears disappeared as soon as I showed an interest in the genre.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Happy.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Eating out, cooking, going to film festivals, watching movies, reading, cuddling my cat.
What are your favorite writing snacks?
Cheesecake, marinated olives and tea.
What does your family think of your writing?
Most of them don't understand English, so they can't read my books (I'm originally from Belgium and my native language is Dutch). At first they were a bit hesitant about my career choice, but now that I'm starting to be on television and in magazines, they're rather proud.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
Believe it or not, but most letters I get from my readers are from men telling me that I'm beautiful.
What do you think makes a good story?
It depends from person to person, but good characters and a exciting beginning and ending are a good starting point, because people will always remember the beginning and the ending.
Biography
Screenwriter and novelist Vanessa Morgan is known as the 'female version of Stephen King'. She has written three books of supernatural suspense: Drowned Sorrow, The Strangers Outside and A Good Man. You can find out more about Vanessa Morgan and her work by going to her personal blog http://vanessa-morgan.blogspot.com.
Books by Vanessa Morgan
A Good Man
Do you like Dexter and American Psycho? Then chances are you will love A Good Man.
Louis Caron is a good man – he's a vegetarian, feeds homeless people, takes care of animals and is converned with the ecological well-being of the planet. But his altruism has a sinister edge – he's a vampire and local detective Taglioni becomes increasingly suspicious of him. Louis' attempt to escape the police will take him on a journey into his own private hell where he is not only forced to confront his worst fears, but where he will also destroy the lives of those he cares about.
The Strangers Outside
Two sisters, Jennifer and Louise, return to their remote holiday cottage after a day at the seaside. But little do they know they're being surrounded. Soon after their arrival, the girls will come face to face with the strangers outside. When the assailants make their intentions known, things take a shockingly terrible turn and an intense battle for survival will begin.
Drowned Sorrow
Megan Blackwood has just lost her son in a terrible accident. Now she has come to Moonlight Creek with her teenage daughter Jenna, hoping that a change of scenery might help to put her life back together. But something odd is going on in Moonlight Creek. When rain falls over the village, the inhabitants commit grisly murders, leaving the village deserted with the first rays of sunshine. Beneath the lake's surface, an eerie presence watches... and waits... Waits to reveal a tragic past drowned in mystery and fear. One that doesn't bode well for visitors. By the time Megan realizes that her daughter is in danger, it might already be too late.
