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  Helen Alexander

Interview with David K. Bryant

2/7/2015

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Tread Carefully on the Sea by David K. Bryant

Solstice Publishing



1. Greetings, can you tell us a little bit about your history and how your work has evolved up to this point?


One of the biggest thrills of my life has been taking up my new pastime of writing books. I would never have guessed it could be so stimulating and satisfying. I was a journalist and public relations executive so I should have realized earlier in life that my penchant for the pen could be extended to authorship but that actually took until I was 68 years old.

2. What genre, or genres, do you write?


Historical fiction.

3.  What is your latest book called and what is it about?


My only published book is Tread Carefully on the Sea. It’s set in the pirate-infested Caribbean of the 1700s. The Royal Navy is just beginning to get the upper hand when the worst of the buccaneers, Captain Flint, commits his worst crime – and makes his biggest mistake – by kidnapping the Governor of Jamaica’s niece. That leads to all sorts of drama including conspiracy, murder, cannonades, bare-knuckles boxing, disease and a devastating storm.

BTW – Anybody who recognizes the name Captain Flint will have guessed that Tread Carefully on the Sea is a prequel to the great classic Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.

4. What was the inspiration for your book? When did you first get the idea for
Tread Carefully on the Sea?

I had my first go at a book some time in the 1970s. It had been in my head since childhood that a prequel was needed to Treasure Island. So I wrote one. I wasn’t impressed with it, put it in a drawer and forgot about it. Then years later, my schoolboy son Matthew read Treasure Island and I told him I’d written the prequel. At his request I read it to him. When he was in his 20s he asked to read it again. I was ashamed to give him the old sub-standard job so I started re-writing. This time I did all the historical research and gradually put together a bunch of characters and a plot that, I thought, worked. It became my first published book, Tread Carefully on the Sea.

5. How long did it take you to write it? What is your writing process like?


I think the writing took three years. It did flow reasonably well but a lot of that time was spent on research. There was so much to get right: places; 18th Century events and customs; clothes; ships; weapons; currency; food; medicine. The list goes on.

My writing process is to grab time when I can, which can be anytime during night or day, but I work in two-hour stints. I don’t have a longer concentration span. Whenever I get stuck on something, I escape to emails or social media, then return to the book.

6. What can we expect from you in the future?


Three more books. (Yes I’m working on them all at once.) They’re all historical novels but the similarity ends there. The one nearest completion is a story set in ancient Rome. Like Tread Carefully on the Sea, it took an enormous amount of research. It’s based around actual events as recorded by the Roman chronicler, Livy. Another of the books is set in the 1960s, a decade rightly known for its social revolution. But there was a darker side: everyone thought the world was about to end and the drama takes place against the background of the UFO hysteria of that time. The third book is a police/crime thriller set in the 1970s.

7. Among your own books, have you a favorite book?  Favorite hero or heroine?


Hard question. I’ve enjoyed writing all four books that I’ve worked on so far. I will tell you my favorite character. When I wrote my Roman story, “The Dust of Cannae” (not yet published), I had this nagging feeling that there was something missing. Then I realized that it was not something, but somebody. This woman came into my head and told me she should be in the narrative. So I obliged. She then told me by telepathy what her role would be and she just kept on driving the story. I don’t think I have a psychic receptor but it really was like someone else had taken control to the extent of becoming a co-author. Maybe she was real and had waited more than two thousand years for her story to be told (?)

8. Do you plot ahead of time, or do you let the plot emerge as you write?


I get an idea for the premise, then think about the people who would be involved. From that, I start writing – with no idea where the story’s going to go. Half the fun is finding out for myself what’s going to happen. I try to draw believable characters, put them in situations, and then I talk to them. I ask them how they would react in those circumstances. They answer me and the action follows from that. It might lead to tragedy or a happy ending. I won’t know until I get there. So it’s rather like writing the book and reading it at the same time.

9. Who are some of your favorite authors to read? Favorite books?


My favorite author is the oldest one in the world (I think). He was Homer, writer of The Iliad and The Odyssey. I believe those works set the standard for what a book should be and it’s still today’s formula. Scenario, heroes, villains, ups and downs, love, cruelty, tragedy, triumph, conspiracy, tension, what’s gonna happens, fast-flowing prose, all wrapped up in a beginning, middle and end.

My other favorite books are:

·       The Early History of Rome by Livy (fascinating and the best historical record of the kingdom, republic and empire)

·       Warriors of the Dragon Gold by Ray Bryant (my brother)

·       Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

10. Where can we buy your books?

http://amzn.to/1zs9ebu

http://solsticepublishing.com/tread-carefully-on-the-sea/

Any links you'd like to include:

website/blog:
www.davidkbryant.com
twitter: @DavidKBryant
Facebook:
facebook.com/DavidKBryant.author
Buy link: http://amzn.to/1zs9ebu


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Character Interview

Character name: Captain Flint
Book name: Tread Carefully on the Sea


 
“Captain Flint, it’s good of you to give time to a journalist. Do you mind if I ask you some blunt questions?”

"Not if you don't mind some sharp answers."

“Okay, I see you have your cutlass there and I wouldn't want you to answer me with that. Anyway, first question. Could you describe yourself?”

"I have black eyes and I'm told they're quite intimidating. They're on you now."

“Yes, uh, they're quite charming. Could we change the subject? I hear you're quite a sportsman.”

"I enjoy archery. I'm a bit tired of conventional targets. In “Tread Carefully on the Sea” I shoot a man in the head."

“Oh, that must have been in self defense.”

"No, I just wanted to make an example of him."

“It must be hazardous being a pirate but I expect you get a lot of fan mail.”

"Quite a few ghosts seem to have a sneaking respect for me."

“Well that is unusual. Who do you most admire?”

"Anyone who's still alive after I meet them."

“Um, Captain Flint, you don't mind me being here, do you? I mean, I'll leave if I'm taking up too much of your time.”

"Too late. We've up-anchored since you arrived."

“Oh dear, where are we going?”

"Ultimate destination - Hell. But before that we'll be making a stop at Purgatory."



Biography
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Tell me a little about yourself.

I had a good career. I was in the team that launched one of the UK’s first computer-prepared daily newspapers. Later I moved from journalism into public relations and had the privilege of working on behalf of Margaret Thatcher. I promoted one of her revolutionary parliamentary Bills and I also handled communications with the world’s media after the bombing in Brighton that so easily could have killed her.

Where do you live?
 
A small town called Frome in Somerset, England. It’s a traditional market town with quaint streets and a lot going on. One of England’s best cities, Bath, is 30 minutes’ drive away and I’m quite near the famous Glastonbury. It’s a lovely spot.

Who is the most important person in your life?


My wife, Stephanie.

What was your childhood like?


My parents were the best of people. I felt secure, although we moved around a lot. I spent some of my early years in England, some in Australia. I was good at English but dumb with numbers. I use a calculator for anything beyond 1+1. My two brothers were much older than me and frequent moves meant that I didn’t establish many friendships, so I think I became quite self-sufficient and a bit of a loner.


Here’s an anecdote which I think captures our family atmosphere:

I was once sent to bed without my night-time drink for some misdemeanor at an early age. My parents independently took pity on me and met each other on the stairs, both having decided to sneak that night-time drink to my bedroom.

Of all the people you've met, who would you LEAST like to be stuck in an elevator with?


I won’t name names. The answer is any except three of my former bosses.

What is the most important thing in your life? What do you value most?


I am blessed with a wonderful family. My wife Stephanie and I have been married for forty years. We are proud of our two children Matthew and Melanie, grandsons Henry and Toby, son-in-law Jamie and daughter-in-law Fleur.

I have a big brother Dennis and I cherish the memory of my other brother, Ray. He was also an author, his biggest accomplishment being a story based on the Bayeux Tapestry called Warriors of the Dragon Gold. It’s still available and is a damn good read.

His daughter, Jenny, is one of my favorite people.

What is your biggest fear?

Being stuck in an elevator with any except three of my former bosses. I’d probably murder the others.

What is the most important thing that ever happened to you? Why?


Going into journalism. That led not only to a satisfying career but also to meeting Stephanie, who became my wife. That led in turn to the births of our children and of our grandchildren. That career choice sparked a lot of good things.

Do you have any special talents or abilities?


I’ve dabbled in all sorts of stuff – guitar playing, horse riding, cycling. Never been any good at any of them.

How do you see your future?


Writing (and re-writing, what a chore) and traveling as much as I’m able.

If you could spend the day with someone you admire (living or dead or imaginary), who would you pick?


Elvis Presley. Then I’d be with someone who had a positive nature, a great sense of humor, would buy me a car, and keep me entertained all day with his songs.

If you had a free day with no responsibilities, how would you spend it?


·       Get up late.

·       Breakfast and coffee in dressing gown.

·       Bathroom stuff around midday.

·       Go to beach, forest or mountains.

·       Have lunch (around 4pm) in a pleasant but not expensive restaurant.

·       Go home and have a nap (maybe 5.30-6.30).

·       Do two hours marketing.

·       Dinner at home at 8.30.

·       Do three hours writing (9pm-midnight).

·       Read a good book, sitting up in bed.

·       Go to sleep at 2 or 3 a.m.

Where can we find out more about you? 

www.davidkbryant.com All the aspects of me are there, including the crazy side. (See the page “Nonsense I Have Written”.)



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Tread Carefully on the Sea


The Governor of Jamaica organized a splendid 21st birthday party for his adopted daughter, Jessica. However, the best surprise for her came the following day when her admirer, Captain Michael Townsend of the Royal Navy, asked her to marry him. Meanwhile, Captain Flint, one of the most successful buccaneers of the colonial era, decided to take the fortune he had made from twenty years of piracy and retire to a secret place where he would be out of the reach of justice. That’s what should have happened. But Flint was persuaded to raise yet more money through one last crime; a crime more daring and dangerous than any he had previously committed. His men would kidnap Jessica and add her ransom money to their pensions. The kidnap leads to a desperate chase across the Caribbean and all the horrors of 18th Century life at sea for Jessica and those who try to help her, while Captain Flint himself must face the threat of both the hangman and those within his own crew who plot against him.

COVER ARTIST- jerry@authorsupport.com

EXCERPTS from Tread Carefully on the Sea


As the shirt was removed, her eyes came level with a huge tattoo of an eagle on his chest. Ridiculously, that gave her renewed terror, as though the tattoo was worse than the man. There was certainly menace from the eagle. It stared at her, its talons outstretched and its wings spread wide. It looked prepared to pounce right out of his chest and claw at her face.

**

The cry that would have brought forth a dozen soldiers was about to leave the governor’s tongue – but remained unleashed as the pirate warned: “I wouldn’t do that, Governor, for the sake of your niece’s health.”

**

“Did you get the name of the ship?” demanded the governor.

“It was the Walrus, Sir,” the messenger replied.

“Captain Flint,” said Trelawny, and for the moment that was all he did say.

**

One of the stories that had evoked within the Royal Navy a sneaking admiration for the pirate chieftain was that he had captured a big Spanish galleon and made it his own. Now Townsend could see in front of him the confirmation of that audacity. The big ship sat on the ocean like she owned it.

**

“Britain came to this part of the world to find riches. It was very successful in doing so but it had a major problem. It was shipping around so many slaves and so much merchandise that it didn’t have sufficient military resources to protect its new-found wealth. So what did it do about the policing of its trade routes and the protection of places like Jamaica? It found it convenient to encourage the people you would call pirates…You had better hope that the King never turns against the Royal Navy in the same way that he turned against the privateers.

**

Reeling and with blood dripping down his face, O’Hara got up on one knee, then the other. By the time he was on his feet, Hugh was charging forward like a stag in the rutting season. Another head butt was imminent.

**

Flint bent his knees and placed his hands on them so that his face came level with Townsend’s. “That’s it, then” barked the pirate captain. “You don’t agree to my proposal. I don’t agree to yours. Our fates are intertwined.”

**

She didn’t close her eyes and her brain pitifully tried to distract her from reality by registering that the gunman was left-handed. His finger was going back with the trigger. Spontaneously, she said a few words of her native Ashanti. The phrase had been taught to her by Queen Nanny: “Do not fear death any more than you fear life.” If Libby was going to die, she wanted those to be the last words she said.


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Tread Carefully on the Sea
Solstice Publishing
www.davidkbryant.com
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Interview with Lincoln S. Farish

2/4/2015

0 Comments

 
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Junior Inquisitor

Book One of the Inquisitor Series
Available 1 March 2015
Pre-order now at
Amazon and Smashwords
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Brother Sebastian is halfway up a mountain in Vermont, hell-bent on interrogating an old woman in a shack, when he gets the order to abandon his quest for personal vengeance. He has to find a missing Inquisitor, or, more likely, his remains. He’s reluctant, to say the least. Not only will he have to stop chasing the best potential lead he’s had in years, this job—his first solo mission—will mean setting foot in the grubby black hole of Providence, Rhode Island. And, somehow, it only gets worse…


If he’d known he would end up ass deep in witches, werewolves, and ogres, and that this mission would jeopardize not only his sanity but also his immortal soul, he never would’ve answered the damn phone.


JUNIOR INQUISITOR

Today, I would like to introduce you to Brother Sebastian, supposedly a monk of the Poor Brothers of  Gethsemane, a minor order of the Benedictines, but really part of the secret Order of Inquisitors. Sebastian is able to see magic and has been recruited, trained, and charged with protecting innocents from witches,  warlocks, their minions, and the death and destruction brought about by magic.

Having had a normal life, which was destroyed by a witch, Sebastian is carrying a lot of anger; he also has doubts about himself and what the life of an Inquisitor entails. Still under mentor-ship, Sebastian is sent to Providence, Rhode Island, his least favorite city in New England, to find out what happened to Brother James, the Inquisitor for the area who has gone missing. What was supposed to be an easy mission for him turns deadly, and Sebastian finds himself on the run, without back-up and ass deep in witches, werewolves and ogres. All because he answered the phone...

EXCERPT
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I took another step into the shop, pushing against the waves of evil. On the next set of shelves, I saw a severed hand in a large clear jar. The hand of a slain witch contains the knowledge of the deceased. The possessor then has that knowledge, all her spells and tricks. It’s one of the reasons witches were burned years ago...

A flash of movement from the other side of the room caught my eye. Two handmade Raggedy Ann style dolls were each held fast to the counter by a small black iron chain. The dolls were sitting slumped, as though alive and waiting for release. High-pitched, girlish voices came from them, full of hate, malice, and insanity. A sign in front of them said they were Hogaana Dolls.

A summoned spirit—a soul called from Hell—can be captured and enslaved by a strong or skilled witch. Trapped between here and Hell, the spirit can act as an oracle and tutor—a guide for witches trying to learn and experience new levels of power and what I’d call madness but she would refer to as “clear thinking” or “a deeper understanding.” The drawback is that a spirit is still ethereal and can escape easily unless tightly contained and constantly fed power to keep it here. The bound spirit can be transferred into a vessel to contain it in a form, a body...

My hands were shaking, my stomach roiled, and my eyes stung from the candles and incense. I wanted to flee...

I needed to leave and report back. This was beyond my abilities.

When I looked up, a tall, thin woman was staring at me from behind the counter. Her gray hair grew in clumps between patches of gnarled burn scars. She was dressed in a tight jumpsuit, stained with blood. Rings covered her hands, and I saw the deep purple of porphyrite in one.

Her face had an odd twist to it, as though someone had taken a screw, driven it into her nose, and turned it. She was a Screwface—a witch who thrived on pain and torture. A witch I wasn’t capable of breaking, or even dealing with. And now it was too late for me to escape.

Only a very special type of Inquisitor—a man without empathy, one who would be called a sociopath in the regular world—could deal with them. Formed into teams called Hammers, they’re elite, but they die even faster than regular Inquisitors. Not only do they train longer and harder than my regular Brethren, they receive special instruction on how to deal with Screwfaces. And despite all this training and conditioning, they’re still sometimes reduced to a pitiful weeping mess after one of their Purges.

Her smile reeked of madness and pain.

One of the dolls moved and shrilled, “Make it bleed.”

She glanced at it then raised the hand with the porphyrite ring, which was glowing and snapping in a purple and black nimbus. She was unleashing some spell; only magic was that mind-bending color. “Goodbye, false monk.”

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Interview with Lincoln S. Farish


When did you start writing?

On this series I started the first one about ten years ago. I'm not sure if I will ever use it, it is a kind of Origins story. But once I wrote it I was kinda hooked, I realized there were many many more stories about Sebastian that needed to get out. I wasn't in a hurry, and I took my time, hence the slow pace. Since then I am almost finished with my fourth novel in the series.  It's funny I wrote my first book long before I'd ever heard of any of the other authors that write along similar lines. The first time I read Larry Correia,  Junior Inquisitor was with my editor. I wish I'd read him earlier, his creation of a useful silver bullet is better than mine.


What research did you have to do?


Quite a bit on Providence, it's been a long time since I've been there. And lest anyone think I hate Providence, I do not. I just needed a decent sized town for creatures of madness and mayhem to run around in. I could have picked Worcester, New Bedford, even Hartford. I went with Providence. I also spent time learning about the different orders of monks, so that part of the story would be authentic. On weapons I had a lot less research to do since I've used weapons ever since high school and quite a bit through out my twenty-eight years in the military. I've been over to Iraq twice, Afghanistan, three times for the military, and spent about a year in Afghanistan working for a private security firm. Every bit of equipment the Inquisitors use I have experience with, the same with their tactics, which made it easy to describe but boring to read. Most of the time when there is a fight people focus on what is right in-front of them. To give a story any kind of continuity and avoid “Well  if you remember Bob,” or “Tell me again what happened when the Ogre attacked,” dialogue I had to expand Brother Sebastian's peripheral awareness. At the same time I didn't want to descend into omnipotence, so it was a balancing act.

Why dark urban fiction almost horror?

I was really stuck trying to shoe-horn in my story into a genre, because it just didn't quite fit. I'm not trying to scare anyone, act as a warning to the populace at large on the dangers of Cthulhu, or teach a moral lesson like horror usually does. At the same time if you have a group of people who have powers that can and usually do harm regular people, your story is not going to be a happy one. Bad things will occur, people will die, and mayhem will run rampant. It's not dystopic, for most people magic never enters their lives and they go about quite happily unaware it actually exists. Those that do, however, experience all kinds of terrible events and traumas. Set more or less today that kinda makes it urban fiction, minus the romance. So dark urban fiction almost horror.

Are Wiccans witches?

Not in my books; completely different types of people and motivations. In my world witches are unrepentantly evil, more or less crazy, sacrifice innocents to gain power, and generally nasty all around. Witches will sometime prey on Wiccans, but they could just as easily go after a Girl Scout Troop, or the Moose Lodge.

Are there only evil women?

Of course not, in my first book, the two biggest sources of pain for Brother Sebastian, the protagonist, are both male; warlocks. There are different types of magic users, ones that have different skills or focuses, that I will reveal in due time, and some of the sub-types of magic users may be more male or female centric, but they are all nasty vicious people bent on blood lust and chaos. Evil is pretty much an equal opportunity recruiter.

Why aren't there good magicians like Harry Dresden or Harry Potter?

Those are differently worlds with different rules. Jim Butcher has within his series, The White Council and the Laws of Magic to reign in true evil. That kinda sorta works for Harry Dresden, but that does leave a lot of room for abuse as Harry's mother pointed out. If you notice in Harry Potter, Arthur Weasly, as nice as he is written, makes remarks about how clever Muggles are for inventing things like electricity and phones because they don't have magic. Like they're an occasionally bright child, there is a kind bigotry of low expectations. This is shown pretty clearly when the Minister of Magic visits the Prime Minister, and of course how Dolores Umbridge acts towards non-humans. There is some real nastiness in the margins of Harry Potter's world, and I think the stories are better for it. The other difference is in both of those worlds, one is born into magic or not, and they grow into their power, no one reads a strange book and has magic unleashed upon them as in my world.

I took, I think, a harder, and more realistic approach as to what would happen if there was magic. It's power. People rarely handle power well, especially if they get it suddenly. A decent comparison is when people win the lottery. They tend to go a bit crazy with all of the new possibilities open to them now they are a millionaire.

Imagine you had the power, magically, and from across the room, to slap someone who was rude, maybe they're yammering away on their cell-phone in public, perhaps they're driving like a jerk, maybe talking during the movie, cutting in line, whatever. Now if you could do that, and no one would know that it was you doing the slapping, and there was no way you'd be punished by the law for doing so, would you be tempted?

Even if you never slapped anyone, but knew you could, how would your attitude change towards regular people? Would you start to hold them in contempt, just a little, because you had abilities they did not? How would your attitude change towards following the law knowing you were above it?

Now toss in some evil entities encouraging you to do more than just slap around people who get in your way and you have a real monster being created.

Does the Government know about witches?

No.   First off remember most people can't see magic, just the aftermath. Could you see a politician getting up in front of the cameras and saying, “magic is real,” and not be laughed off the stage? What modern government could admit there was a problem that most people can't directly see, can't measure, and that the government couldn't fix? They deliberately turn a blind eye to magic and engage in willful ignorance, and will silence those who point out that there is a problem. Bureaucracies are very self-protective, ask any whistle-blower, pointing out the Emperor has no clothes leads to punishment, not acceptance.

Even if you did convince people there was magic, witches, and evil made manifest,what do you think would happen? Would people pick up their pitchforks and start weighing suspicious characters to see if they weighed as much as a duck, or would they seek witches out hoping for favours and power?

Why can't the Government hire those that can see?


I had thought about it. Larry Correa's does this with his Monster Hunter series, the protagonists are in league with a shadowy part of the government to eradicate monsters and suppress monster uprisings. Works for him, I'm more cynical. In my mind if you have ten government employees who know about monsters and it'll be news in a week. Governments and conspiracies just don't work out. Remember if two people having consensual sex in the White House can't keep it secret, how would it be possible that an entire agency, or bureau, or department could hide the existence of the supernatural?

With Rick Gualtieri's Bill the Vampire series, the vampires have bribed off cops and various important government officials to keep quiet, and that could work to a point. However, I'm not cynical enough to think that would work well long term either. Now these are their worlds and they say what does or does not work, but for me I figured that a shadowy guerrilla war between evil and the Church worked. Witches stay out of sight because they fear being captured/enslaved/ sacrificed by more powerful magic users, and the monks do so because no one would ever believe them, and some would actually work to keep them from spreading fear or exposing government incompetence.

Why wouldn't people believe in magic?

We live, for better or for worse, in a culture that follows scientific principles, and reason more or less. How would you even measure magic? “I'm going to sacrifice ten kittens and compare how much power our trapped witch receives versus the ten puppies we sacrificed yesterday?”

Why Catholic Monks?


I needed a group that was world-wide, large enough that they could have a secret society with in them and old enough that they could have been battling evil for a very long time. I also need to explain from where the darkness comes with out copying anyone. Larry Correia uses the Cthulhu mythos, Harry Potter is fairly agnostic, religion is rarely mentioned, except Christmas.  Rick Gualtieri has a hint of Catholicism with the Templars protecting the Icon from the icky vampires. Jim Butcher has a bit more Catholic mythos with Angels and Knights of the Cross, so I went further; full on Catholic.

So where are you now in your series?

Of the ones I decided to move forward with, The Soulless Monk, the next in the series is with my exceptional editor Danielle Fine and I am finishing up The Witch's Lair now. With luck that will happen in the next week or so.

When are they coming out?


Not sure. Should be later this year, but I'm sure The Soulless Monk will be out by fall, if not sooner, but there are lots of factors like re-write time, outside influences like the wife and helper dog and their willingness to put up with my antics that will have an impact on timing. A big one is, obviously, how many copies and how quickly they are sold of Junior Inquisitor. From those sales I'll be paying my editor, to work on the other two. I'm hoping to sell a lot as she gets real cranky when it comes to her money, and she does such a good job it feels wrong to try and pay her in kindness and with my good looks.


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About the author

Called an adventurer and quite possibly insane, Lincoln has traveled to many continents and countries on his own and at his country’s behest to determine from whence the darkness comes. Despite persistent rumors, Lincoln maintains that he had nothing to do with the tiger, was not involved in illicit wiener dog races, and has never used his knowledge of genetics to create a better life form.


online:

Twitter: @LincolnFarish
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lincoln.farish.7
Email: lincolnfarish@gmail.com


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Junior Inquisitor


Brother Sebastian is halfway up a mountain in Vermont, hell-bent on interrogating an old woman in a shack, when he gets the order to abandon his quest for personal vengeance. He has to find a missing Inquisitor, or, more likely, his remains. He’s reluctant, to say the least. Not only will he have to stop chasing the best potential lead he’s had in years, this job—his first solo mission—will mean setting foot in the grubby black hole of Providence, Rhode Island. And, somehow, it only gets worse…


If he’d known he would end up ass deep in witches, werewolves, and ogres, and that this mission would jeopardize not only his sanity but also his immortal soul, he never would’ve answered the damn phone.


Junior Inquisitor
Book One of the Inquisitor Series
Available 1 March 2015
Pre-order now at
Amazon and Smashwords


Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Junior-inquisitor-Inquisitor-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00S4BZLTW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421509763&sr=8-1&keywords=lincoln+farish

Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/507866

Barnes & Noble Nook coming soon!

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Interview with Alec from Second Nature, a novel by Marie Lavender

2/4/2015

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Interview with Alec Sullivan
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Character name: Alec Sullivan
Book title: Second Nature


Tell me a little about yourself?

I am an investor in the real world. And in the Other realm, I have a dark secret. I am not human.

Where do you live?

Baltimore.

Who is the most important person in your life?

(Clears throat.) Once I might have said my family or my old flame Lily, but they have all passed. Desiree is the most important now.

What was your childhood like?

I lived in a middle-class household with my father, mother and brother. I was the oldest, and my father was grooming me to succeed him in business before I enlisted in the war.

Of all the people you've met, who would you LEAST like to be stuck in an elevator with?


My sire.

What is the most important thing in your life? What do you value most?

Survival. I must keep the secret at all costs.

What is your biggest fear?

Putting someone I love in danger.

What is the most important thing that ever happened to you? Why?


It was an ordinary day, but it wasn’t at the same time. I was at the annual Jazz & Blues Festival when my entire life changed. I won’t go into any more details, though. I’m a private person.

Do you have any special talents or abilities?

I can move very fast, and I can heal quickly.

How do you see your future?

I’m just trying to make it from one day to the next.

If you could spend the day with someone you admire (living or dead or imaginary), who would you pick?

I would pick my father, God rest his soul.

If you had a free day with no responsibilities, how would you spend it?

(Clears throat again.) I have an allergy to the sun so I would enjoy a night on the town, maybe go to a café and sample a fine bottle of wine and one of their specials.

Where can we find out more about you?


I think you need to read the book to find out.

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Second Nature

She never expected it… 

Desiree Edwards has a problem. She’s been attacked, kidnapped and forced to get along with a vampire of all things. It’s something right out of the story books she reads, or her worst nightmare. But, sometimes he’s not the monster he appears to be. He seems so human like that she can’t help it when her emotions betray her, when her body betrays her. To make matters worse, she finds out more about herself than she ever wanted to know. 

She was unlike any other… 

Alec has a problem. The animal in him wants Desiree. But, so does the man. The more he learns about her, the harder it is to deny what he wants. But, he’s a freak, and she’s just a human. The two species don’t mix that way. Then an old enemy surfaces and Alec is forced to make a choice. His life or hers. 

Can Alec’s soul be saved by this unique human? Or will it be far too late?

Excerpt from Second Nature

Desiree rose on shaky legs to look in the mirror. She looked the same. When she tilted her head, she saw the blood. Damn, that man really had bitten her! What kind of freak did that? “Shit,” she muttered, and grabbed a washcloth to wipe away the blood. What met her gaze next was startling, and even as she cursed once more, she backed away. Two single red puncture marks stood out in sharp contrast to her skin tone. Two holes. Two holes instead of a tooth pattern. She shivered, aware of the implications and how ludicrous it was. There was only one word for it really.  

“Shit,” she whispered as reality glared at her.

Vampire, her mind screamed. But, how was it possible? She shook her head. It couldn’t be. She looked at the puncture marks again. Vampire. Vampires existed? It went against everything she’d previously believed. Vampires. And it was so much worse than she’d thought. She’d had sex with one.  

Vampires. The air left the room and her knees gave out, sending her toward the hard tile. She was faintly aware of a soft landing, a ragged curse and a hint of aftershave before she blacked out. 



Second Nature is available at Solstice Publishing, Amazon, CreateSpace and Barnes&Noble.

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Biography

Bestselling author of UPON YOUR RETURN and 19 other books. 2014 BTS Red Carpet Review Nominee. Finalist and Runner-up in the MARSocial's Author of the Year Competition. Honorable mention in the January 2014 Reader's Choice Award. Liebster Blogger Award for 2013 and 2014. Top 50 Authors on AuthorsDB.com. Winner of the Great One Liners Contest on the Directory of Published Authors.

Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for over twenty years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands. Marie has published twenty books in the genres of historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance/fantasy, mystery/thriller, literary fiction and poetry. Lavender just released Second Nature, a paranormal romance/urban fantasy, in December of 2014. She released Magick & Moonlight, a romantic fantasy, back in March. Upon Your Honor, released in late April, is her second historical romance. Her current series are The Heiresses in Love Series, The Magick Series and The Blood at First Sight Series. Feel free to visit her website at http://marielavender.com/ for further information about her books and her life. Marie is also on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.



A list of her books and pen names are as follows:



Marie Lavender: Upon Your Return; Magick & Moonlight; Upon Your Honor; Second Nature



Erica Sutherhome: Hard to Get; Memories; A Hint of Scandal; Without You; Strange Heat; Terror in the Night; Haunted; Pursuit; Perfect Game; A Touch of Dawn; Ransom; Leather and Lace



Kathryn Layne: A Misplaced Life



Heather Crouse: Express Café and Other Ramblings; Ramblings, Musings and Other Things; Soulful Ramblings and Other Worldly Things

Links

Website:  http://marielavender.com/
Blog:  http://marielavenderbooks.blogspot.com/
https://iloveromanceblog.wordpress.com/
http://marielavender.blogspot.com/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/marielavender1
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/MarieAnnLavender
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6938764.Marie_Lavender
Amazon Author page:  http://www.amazon.com/Marie-Lavender/e/B00C10Q94I/

Trailer for Second Nature

http://youtu.be/CaD_-pJ0fE8

Buy links for Second Nature

Universal Amazon:  http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00Q7FWIWA
Publisher:  http://solsticepublishing.com/second-nature/
Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/second-nature-marie-lavender/1120879883
CreateSpace link: https://www.createspace.com/5131233
0 Comments

Interview with Marie Lavender

2/3/2015

0 Comments

 
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1.    Greetings, can you tell us a little bit about your history and how your work has evolved up to this point?

Hello. I have been writing stories since the age of nine; that’s well over twenty years. I studied Creative Writing in high school and college. I started out writing short fiction and moved to full-length novels, though I still occasionally write short stories and novellas. In college (2005), I published two stories in a university publication. I began self-publishing in 2010, and was traditionally published in 2013.

2.    What genre, or genres, do you write?

I have published twenty books in the genres of historical romance, contemporary romance, paranormal romance, fantasy, romantic suspense, literary fiction and mystery/thriller. My works in progress span anywhere from contemporary romance to time travel romance to dystopian fiction, really whatever comes to mind. I am more comfortable with writing romance or its subgenres, but I am not afraid to try something different. Recently, I attempted children’s fantasy.

3.    What is your latest book called and what is it about?

My latest release is titled Second Nature, and it is the first book in the Blood at First Sight Series. It is a paranormal romance/urban fantasy. Second Nature is about a young woman, Desiree, who finds herself kidnapped and confronted by a creature that should not exist. This fanged creature, however, is not a beast, but has more humanity than she ever imagined. She also must come to terms with some hard truths about herself, about her origins.

4.    What was the inspiration for your book? When did you first get the idea for Second Nature?

The idea for the book randomly came to me in the form of a scene. I pictured Desiree tied up in the backseat of a car, not knowing who the hell had taken her and what he wanted. It built from there.

5.    How long did it take you to write it? What is your writing process like?


Well, technically I began writing Second Nature a very long time ago. That scene was a seed in my mind, and it sat on the backburner for a while until I decided to resurrect it from my archives last year and make something out of it. When I really began to focus it, I would say that it took me a few months to write and perfect it. The ideas for the sequels came not long after that.

My writing process is fairly random most of the time. Ideas or scenes come to me and I have to write them down or it will drive me crazy. I also do it for fear that I may lose that crumb somehow. LOL. When I am ready to take on a new project, I will select a work in progress and write as many scenes as I can (I always have a loose plot idea in my head) before I have to break down and write a full outline. Then I do more writing, and the research comes after that. Or sometimes I research just to jolt me out of writer’s block.

6.    What can we expect from you in the future?

Well, currently I am working on the final book in the Heiresses in Love Series. That is a Victorian romance, and the second book in the series came out in April of 2014. Anyway, the work in progress is titled Upon Your Love, and I hope to finish that soon. After that, I will probably take a small break before I work heavily on the other books in the Blood at First Sight Series. I also plan to write a new romantic fantasy sequel to Magick & Moonlight, as part of the Magick Series. And I have plans for a future series of six books called The Witches of Moonhaven Series.

7.    Among your own books, have you a favorite book?  Favorite hero or heroine?

Usually, I tend to favor the book I’m most familiar with. So, Second Nature wins. But, I do have a weakness for two specific books. I will always feel close to Fara Bellamont of Upon Your Return because of her spirit and, of course, the trademark red hair. I also have a soft spot for the characters in A Touch of Dawn, which was published under my alternate pen name Erica Sutherhome. Jack and Caitlyn are such special characters. Tragedy should have destroyed them, but it only made each of them stronger.   

8.    Do you plot ahead of time, or do you let the plot emerge as you write?

I do both. I let the plot play out, though I have a basic idea of how it flows. I never know the details until I get there. When I finally do my outline, that’s when everything starts to fall into place. Do the characters sometimes resist me? Of course. I have to honor them. So, even if I do create an outline, the book may not end up the way I originally planned it.

9.    Who are some of your favorite authors to read? Favorite books?

I have so many! J.R. Ward, Nora Roberts, Chloe Neill, Kris Tualla, Tessa Dare, Kerrelyn Sparks, P.C. Cast, and the list keeps going. Favorite books? I love the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward. Sexy, alpha warriors? How can I say no?

10. Where can we buy your books?

You can buy them on Solstice Publishing, Amazon, CreateSpace and Second Nature is also available on Barnes&Noble.


Picture
Biography

Bestselling author of UPON YOUR RETURN and 19 other books. 2014 BTS Red Carpet Review Nominee. Finalist and Runner-up in the MARSocial's Author of the Year Competition. Honorable mention in the January 2014 Reader's Choice Award. Liebster Blogger Award for 2013 and 2014. Top 50 Authors on AuthorsDB.com. Winner of the Great One Liners Contest on the Directory of Published Authors.

Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for over twenty years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands. Marie has published twenty books in the genres of historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance/fantasy, mystery/thriller, literary fiction and poetry. Lavender just released Second Nature, a paranormal romance/urban fantasy, in December of 2014. She released Magick & Moonlight, a romantic fantasy, back in March. Upon Your Honor, released in late April, is her second historical romance. Her current series are The Heiresses in Love Series, The Magick Series and The Blood at First Sight Series. Feel free to visit her website at http://marielavender.com/ for further information about her books and her life. Marie is also on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.



A list of her books and pen names are as follows:



Marie Lavender: Upon Your Return; Magick & Moonlight; Upon Your Honor; Second Nature



Erica Sutherhome: Hard to Get; Memories; A Hint of Scandal; Without You; Strange Heat; Terror in the Night; Haunted; Pursuit; Perfect Game; A Touch of Dawn; Ransom; Leather and Lace



Kathryn Layne: A Misplaced Life



Heather Crouse: Express Café and Other Ramblings; Ramblings, Musings and Other Things; Soulful Ramblings and Other Worldly Things

Picture
Second Nature

She never expected it… 

Desiree Edwards has a problem. She’s been attacked, kidnapped and forced to get along with a vampire of all things. It’s something right out of the story books she reads, or her worst nightmare. But, sometimes he’s not the monster he appears to be. He seems so human-like that she can’t help it when her emotions betray her, when her body betrays her. To make matters worse, she finds out more about herself than she ever wanted to know. 

She was unlike any other… 

Alec has a problem. The animal in him wants Desiree. But, so does the man. The more he learns about her, the harder it is to deny what he wants. But, he’s a freak, and she’s just a human. The two species don’t mix that way. Then an old enemy surfaces and Alec is forced to make a choice. His life or hers. 

Can Alec’s soul be saved by this unique human? Or will it be far too late?


Links

Website:  http://marielavender.com/ 
Blog:  http://marielavenderbooks.blogspot.com/
https://iloveromanceblog.wordpress.com/
http://marielavender.blogspot.com/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/marielavender1
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/MarieAnnLavender
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6938764.Marie_Lavender
Amazon Author page:  http://www.amazon.com/Marie-Lavender/e/B00C10Q94I/

Trailer for Second Nature

http://youtu.be/CaD_-pJ0fE8

Buy links for Second Nature

Universal Amazon:  http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00Q7FWIWA
Publisher:  http://solsticepublishing.com/second-nature/
Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/second-nature-marie-lavender/1120879883
CreateSpace link: https://www.createspace.com/5131233
0 Comments

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