New Release Alert: Deadly Intentions

Deadly Intentions by Lisa Kuehne

 

 

BLURB

Sixteen-year-old Ava O’Brian’s may have survived her ordeal with Satan, but her troubles are far from over. They’re just beginning. Her premonition nightmares only create questions about her special ability; is she really capable of influencing good or is she truly creating something else—evil. Uncovering the truth behind her miraculous survival, and choosing between the two immortals fighting for her affection will reveal far more than she is expecting and expose her to Deadly Intentions.

EXCERPT

Prologue

He is probably the last person in this world who would panic. This must be serious.

“You need to turn it on.”

The urgency in his normally smooth-as-glass voice causes a chill to run down my spine. And it’s not from the fever.

What’s so darn important?

“Alright, hang on,” I say. With trembling fingers, I place the phone between the curve of my neckline and shoulder so I can turn on the television.

“What channel?” I ask while aimlessly searching the couch and end tables for any sign of the remote.

“Any! It’s all over every local news station.”

I cringe at the sharpness of his voice. It’s totally unexpected. It’s like seeing him kick a puppy. My search becomes more fear driven.

There it is.

I yank the remote out from between the recliner’s seat cushions and nervously flip through the television channels until I’m confident it’s on a news station.

Even though she’s apparently in the middle of the report, the redheaded female anchor’s voice instantly catches my attention.

“The chaos appears to be spreading, with no immediate end in sight. There has never been so much . . . .” Her voice drops off as she stares blankly at the camera, obviously reading her teleprompter screen.

“I apologize, but I have just been given the latest breaking news update.”

She pauses again, and her brows slant into an affronted frown. I watch her carefully—wishing she would say something—anything. Her soft brown eyes widen in obvious alarm, and a green pallor takes over her face. She mouths the words, oh my God—

Chapter One—Aiden

Lucifer lies on his cedar Adirondack chair, sipping his latte. It tastes scrumptious on his lips—a mixture of vanilla and cinnamon. His guard, Edwin, comes out the sliding door, interrupting Lucifer’s pleasure. His nervous behavior clearly shows urgency; he obviously needs Lucifer’s attention.

“Master,” Edwin says with hesitation. His eyes desperately search the room as if the answer to some unspoken question would reveal itself in the aura of the balcony. Lucifer has never seen his follower so dumbfounded.

“Yes?” Lucifer says. His voice is unwelcoming. He doesn’t conceal his annoyance at Edwin’s interruption. Although curious, he considers Edwin’s lack of composure unacceptable.

“There is someone here to see you.”

“Then send them in.”

Edwin nods and walks away, not bothering to close the sliding glass door.

Lucifer rolls his eyes and climbs out of his lounge chair. Although he is annoyed with Edwin, he stares with curiosity. How could he not be interested in seeing what all the fuss is about?
A young male surrounded by a pale light comes gracefully through the doorway, dressed completely in white.

Lucifer smiles. This is no human.

“And what do I owe the Lord for this honor?” he says with sarcasm. He grins from ear to ear.

“I am not here for God,” the young male says.

“Then make it quick. I have other business to attend to.” Lucifer walks with poise back to his chair and sits back down. He takes another sip of his coffee, and then tilts his chin to the sky to soak up the sun’s rays.

When his visitor doesn’t continue speaking, Lucifer grabs the stack of paperwork sitting on the table next to him and starts flipping through a few pages.

“I’m here to bargain,” the man finally says.

“Bargain? Why would I want to bargain with you?” Lucifer asks. He adjusts his sunglasses and goes back to sunbathing.

“Because I have a gift you strongly desire.”

Lucifer laughs at the comment. “A gift, huh? What gift could you possibly possess that I would want badly enough to bargain for?”

“Do you not remember me? For it was you who had me killed in an accident last October because you feared my gift so much.”

Lucifer grins as he remembers in vivid detail. He widens his eyes with delight as he takes another sip of his latte. He loves that Aiden, innocent, wholesome Aiden, is so easy to read and even easier to play. Sighing with glee, he notices Aiden’s hands are clenched at his sides. He notes the hatred emerging from Aiden’s pale green eyes. Lucifer fights back the smile teasing the corners of his mouth.

“Yes, I remember you.” Lucifer takes another sip from the glass, then inhales the sinful smell of his latte. “And I remember your twin sister, Ava, too. Soon, she will work for me.”

Aiden stares at him, his eyes intense. “I know you will soon control my sister.” He pauses, seems nervous, as if he’s choosing his words carefully. “There is something you didn’t consider. She is with Sam now. Theo is dead. Once her transformation is complete, she will run. You will spend your time chasing them, until you have no choice other than to destroy her for good. Sam is too smart to allow you to get a hold of her power.”

Lucifer can feel Aiden watching him intently. The young man’s comment has given Lucifer some things to consider.

“That’s where I come in,” Aidan continued. “I’m willing to bargain with you. If you spare my sister and keep her human, I will give you my soul. I will leave heaven, leave God, and follow you. You are well aware my sister and I have the same powers. Yet, with this deal, you’ll have complete control over mine. Think of all the opportunities you will have with my ability.”

Lucifer closes his eyes. The boy is right. If he takes this angel’s offer, he will have complete control. The possibilities are endless. He can immediately go after the leaders of mankind: the American President, celebrities, even the Pope. Aiden would be able to influence them with ease.
Plus, there is the fact this Ava is obviously more concerned about Sam Perry’s well-being than her own. Their love for each other is sickening. He can still pursue Sam and her and get her soul at a later time. Surely, there are plenty of humans in this world willing to trade; if one of them gives up his or her soul and kills Ava, Lucifer will fulfill the assassin’s every desire. Because Ava has so much power to influence for good, there aren’t very many of his dark angels with the ability to destroy Sam in her presence. She could surely influence them toward good, making them powerless.

There is one more problem to consider; Aiden might try to help her in the future. That could end up being a problem for eternity.

Lucifer glances back at his latte; the vanilla-cinnamon aroma causes his stomach to turn. Without saying a word, he motions for Edwin to get the drink out of his sight.

Another thought enters his mind. The deal should include a clause. If Aiden ever contacts his sister in any way, Lucifer will make sure he destroys the two people the boy loves most. He will make Aiden watch as his mother and twin suffer a painful death. Lucifer would enjoy that
immensely.

Of course, if he desires, he can still send some of the local, dark angels to the fraternity house, have them apprehend Ava before the transformation is complete. While Ava changes from a human into an immortal, her powers are significantly weaker. She won’t be able to stop any dark angels from destroying Sam.

Lucifer can’t leave the safety of his New York City loft; his beauty would cause a scene and alert the humans to his presence on Earth. So he stays put and allows his dark angels to do all his dirty work. Even now, he can easily keep control of the situation.

Decisions, decisions . . . . What’s a prince of darkness to do?

 

New Release: Reluctance

Reluctance by Cindy C. Bennett the first in the Young Immortals series.

Blurb:

Twenty-year-old Dahlia hates the life that she is forced to lead. But the time is quickly coming when she must make a decision that will shape the rest of her life. She’s set her sights on Jace. He is someone her family will approve of, someone that will finally gain her acceptance among her people. Then Cam comes into her life, making her question what she assumed was her inevitable destiny, giving her hope that she might be able to lead the normal existence that she longs for. But fate has its own plan for Dahlia. Now she has to find courage she didn’t know she possessed to fight for her own future.

Excerpt:

Cam Taylor watched, amused, as Dahlia stumbled and nearly launched her lunch tray into a table full of brainiacs. She was new—she had only been working at Grave’s Community Center Hospital for a couple weeks. Cam had noticed her right away. She had a headful of curly, brown hair that fell to her waist in the back, pinned up on top with an unfashionable barrette. The barrette was studded with sparkling rhinestones, excepting the large center stone, which was missing. She wore no makeup; her pale face was clear and blemish-free. An unfortunate, brown floral pattern as outdated as a rotary-dial phone covered her lumpy, brocade dress which was at least two sizes too big for her. She was tall, gangly, awkward—the biggest klutz Cam could remember seeing—and he was smitten.

He watched as Dahlia finally slid to safety on a bench, once again nearly dropping her lunch as it clunked to the table. She laughed at herself, but the other women at the table, mostly nursing assistants, met her laughter with sneers. They exchanged meaningful glances, then stood as one, leaving without speaking a single word. Cam felt a moment’s anger at the unfeeling women as he saw Dahlia’s face fall. He decided to go sit with her himself, no matter how much crap he might get for it.

As Cam moved toward Dahlia’s table, she turned her attention from her tray toward Jace McMahon, who sat across the lunchroom. With a wistful sigh and dreamy eyes, she propped her chin in her hands, a smile curving the corners of her mouth upward. Cam stopped in his tracks.

Jace was an orderly like Cam. He was athletic, muscular, and better looking than most of the stars in Hollywood. The most popular guy at GCC, Jace was arrogant and cruel and loved by all the women anyway. Cam suspected most of the other guys really hated him, as Cam did, but they wanted to be near him anyway, hoping his charm and luck with the women would rub off on them. If nothing else, being Jace’s buddy got them girls who would do anything to get closer to Jace, even if it meant dating one of his lesser friends.

Cam and Jace had attended the same high school. At that time, they’d been best friends. Back then, no one could touch the popularity of the two tall, good-looking, enigmatic boys. Then Cam found out exactly what Jace was.

Cam had distanced himself from Jace after that, making him something of an outcast his senior year. He didn’t care. Being on his own was better than being part of Jace’s world. He’d hoped GCC would be different, even with Jace there, but work turned out to be nothing more than an extension of high school. Jace was still the star. Cam sometimes wondered why no one thought it strange that Jace, with his athletic prowess, was working at GCC to pay his way through school instead of attending a prestigious college on a fantastic scholarship. But Jace knew. Not only poor grades, but also the thing that created the rift between Cam and Jace had caused colleges to run the other way when it came to Jace McMahon.

Cam glanced over at Jace, jealousy and anger burning within his chest. Tabitha Heron, who now went by the ridiculous nickname of Tabby, had draped herself across Jace. Tabby was absolutely beautiful, the perfect counterpoint to Jace’s good looks. Until Cam’s falling out with Jace three years earlier, Tabby had been Cam’s girlfriend. Then Jace pursued her relentlessly, just to prove he could take her if he wanted. And prove it he did. Jace even talked her out of accepting an admission offer from Harvard to join him at Grave’s University. Even now, when Jace treated her with nothing but disdain and kept her dangling at his whim, Tabby refused to admit Cam was right about him. She hardly needed to work to pay her way, not with her wealthy family, and yet she’d even followed him here, to work a crappy job as a receptionist for crap pay.

They deserved one another.

And, now, the newest object of Cam’s attention was drooling over his nemesis. Dahlia didn’t have a shot with him; anyone could see that. Unless Cam managed to hook up with her—then he’d bet Jace would turn his sights on the strange, new girl. Cam would see Jace burn before he allowed him to hurt the fascinating Dahlia.

* * * * *

Dahlia stood in the freezing wind, watching as Jace McMahon climbed into his fancy, red Mustang. He turned the key, the engine growling fiercely as he peeled out of his parking spot, cutting off an old, rusty beater and nearly running over a group of interns. She knew well enough Jace was not exactly a kind, caring person, but she also knew what he could do for her. He was perfect—beautiful, graceful, popular. In other words, everything she was not.

“Hey.”

Dahlia turned to see Cam Taylor standing next to her, smiling at her. She glanced behind her to double check, but as no one else was there, she supposed he must be speaking to her.

“Hey,” she said back, wondering why someone like Cam would speak to her on purpose. Cam was every bit as good-looking as Jace. But where Jace was dark—dark hair, dark eyes, olive skin—Cam was light. His blond hair was practically white, his eyes translucent blue, his skin nearly as pale as Dahlia’s. He, too, was graceful and beautiful, and popular among many of the nurses, aides, and volunteers. But he did not have the power Jace had to transform her.

“Need a ride home?” Cam asked.

“Uh . . .” Dahlia hesitated. She didn’t really want anyone to know where she lived. The wind chose that moment to blow its icy fingers across her exposed legs. She shivered at the sensation, and Cam laughed.

“Come on. I can’t have you freeze to death on my watch.” When she still hesitated, he held his hand out toward her. “It’s just a ride, Dahlia.”

She looked at his extended hand, wondering vaguely how he knew her name. This was one of those socially awkward situations she had no idea how to handle. Should she take his hand?

“Okay,” she said, turning toward the parking lot. As she took the first step, she managed to put her foot onto one of the few spots with a disc of ice clinging to the cement, and squealed as she felt her foot slide away. She prepared for the pain that would come with the fall.

But then Cam grabbed her by the elbow, halting her descent.

“Whoa, there,” he said, steadying her. “Gotta be careful of these slippery steps.”

Humiliated, Dahlia looked up at him. “Thanks,” she mumbled.

“Yup,” Cam answered. He kept hold of her elbow all the way to the car. Once inside the vehicle, she fastened the seat belt—one of the few devices that could guarantee her safety and that she had full control over, so used always—he turned the heat on high, directing all the vents her way. She wondered idly whether Jace would have done the same if she were seated in his Mustang rather than in Cam’s Honda.

“So . . . how do you like working at GCC?” Cam asked when the silence began to stretch out uncomfortably.

“It’s the same as any other job, I guess,” Dahlia said.

Cam couldn’t argue that point. “Oh, yeah? Is that a bad thing, or good?”

Dahlia shot him a look as if to say You’re kidding, right? and Cam smiled.

“I understand,” he said,but somehow Dahlia doubted he truly did understand. She doubted that Cam, with his golden looks and infectious smile, had ever been shunned, that he had ever sat at a table only to have others leave just to avoid being seen with him, that he had ever been called doggy, beastly, or nerdy. She doubted he’d ever looked around a room and known the only people who would accept him as a friend were those who completely understood all those things.

“Turn here,” she said, directing him up Draper Avenue. He lifted his brows a little at the turn, but didn’t say anything. When they reached the end of the street, she said, “You can stop here.”

He looked out the window. With surprise in his voice, he said, “This is where you live?”

Dahlia knew how it looked. The house was the largest in the neighborhood—ostentatious, overbearing, shouting wealth at the tops of its lungs. She really wished her family knew how to blend in.

“Yeah.”

She waited for the sarcasm, the cutting remarks, but, instead, he simply said, “Nice place.”

“Um, okay . . . thanks for the ride, I guess,” she said, pulling on the door handle—to no avail.

“Oh, here, let me get that. It sticks sometimes.” He leaned across her to grab the handle, and Dahlia flattened herself against the seat. She’d never been this close to a boy she wasn’t related to . . . and definitely never this close to one who smelled so delicious. For one crazy second, she had the urge to reach up and—

“There you go,” Cam said as the door swung open and a wintery blast of air drew her attention from her fantasy.

Dahlia climbed out, then looked back. “Thanks again.”

He gave her a charming smile in answer. “See you tomorrow,” he said as she slammed the door. With a wave, he turned his car in a wide U and drove away. Dahlia watched him go, and then, with dread, turned back toward her house—or as she’d come to think of it, the “monstrous mausoleum.”

Rejections

A fellow writer was asked which magazine ran her articles and stories. “Oh, I write mostly for rejections,” she joked. The inquirer responded seriously, “I don’t think I’ve read that one.”

None of us have. That’s the problem. With the increase of multi-media entertainment, and the spiralling cost of books, publishers are far less likely to gamble with new writers. The buzzword is “marketability.”

To be fair, there seem to be more new writers than ever, many victims of unemployment. A popular or prestigious magazine may only have space to publish one out of hundreds of submissions. The competition for books is even worse.

Take a look at what’s available in children’s books today. There are still incredible works of art and charm, but they are competing fiercely against the “market-driven” fluff generated by kids shows. Not only does every super hero, cutesy puppy, and valiant pony cartoon generate lunch boxes, stuffed toys, action figures, and clothes, but books as well. Many of these books have as much art, depth and originality as the cereal box.

Sadly, the scene is not much different for adults. The public’s voracious appetite for talk shows has spilled over into writing. (By the way, you’ll know they run dry when they feature TALK SHOW HOSTS WHO INTERVIEW TALK SHOW HOSTS.) Magazines run more sensational pieces than they used to, as in “Women who cheat on their husbands…and don’t feel guilty,” followed up by, “Husbands who know their wives cheat…and don’t feel angry.” Spill your guts novels are rampant, as in “The Life Story of The Girl Next Door: Alcoholic, Sexual Compulsive, Self-Mutilator and Collector of Hood Ornaments.” Many of these are written with the same slash and report style as a talk show.

Any celebrity, who is famous for any reason, will be rushed to the front of the publishing line – he or she already has a “brand” name. Add to that the proliferation of cheap self-published books, and you have a glutted market.

Still, there are editors and publishers who’ve managed to keep their standards intact. Swamped by submissions, they do not have time to personally critique a writer’s work. You may find it strange that an “emerging” writer will be happy to receive a private comment on a rejection form. The personal connection can be enough to spur a three month rewrite. There are those, though, who find it painful because they still don’t know where to head.

For example, Lisa Powell’s fictional biography of Elizabeth Tudor has received the following rejections: “This is indeed an outstanding historical and lives up to all the fine things you said about it…as I admired it, I didn’t feel we could do the right job with it in the current market.” And “You should not be at all discouraged by the fact that we will not be making an offer for the book, because this is an extremely publishable novel, and a more commercial publisher, I’m certain, will positively leap at the chance to publish it.”

Some editors try to soften the blow with humour. Here’s one I received - “Congratulations! You have been chosen to receive this beautiful hand-lettered rejection slip! We know you will be proud to add this attractive notice to your personal collection. For additional copies, send your contributions to:… Note: In the event that your next contribution is accepted for publication we cannot send you another card, and you will just have to be satisfied with money…Sorry. -The Editor.”

Thankfully, there are editors out there willing to satisfy me with a contract.

So, if you haven’t read Dawn’s End and Dawn’s End: Poisoned, there’s still time before the final book in the trilogy becomes available.

Sex, Drugs and Teen Pregnancy in YA Fiction

It seems movies and books for teens are getting more graphic these days. A few years back I read one of the Alex Rider books and was shocked by the violence. One scene gave an in-depth account of a bad guy being shot in the head at point blank range. Violence in children’s books is nothing new. In Roald Dahl’s The Witches, the baddies, described as demonic, bald creatures in disguise, basically go around murdering and torturing small children. But what about sex and drugs? These topics seem far less common, even in teen fiction. Why are we more inclined to let our teens read about murder and monsters than we are to let them read about sex in fiction?

Because our protagonists are generally a little older, Noble Young Adult address any topic a young adult might encounter in their life, including but not limited to, sexual orientation, sexual experimentation, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, drugs, drinking, peer pressure, school, gangs, etc.

For Instance, Real Boys Kiss Boys, is a coming of age GLBT romance that tackles serious issues like bullying and HIV in a way that is realistic and heart-felt.

Jocelyn’s Choice by Ella Jade confronts the consequences of sex and the decisions that a teenage girl has to make when she becomes pregnant.

KIMBER AN
I believe in keeping it real and that not everyone is going to have my values, lifestyle, or make the same choices I would.  It only makes sense to me that my characters will find their paths in life too.  A good book can enable a reader to explore things without getting hurt or put things in perspective after getting hurt by reality.  Sugar-coating or sensationalizing things would mess with that, I think.

Sometimes, I think adults make more of these subjects than they need to and they don’t really know what they think they do.  For example, in the Ophelia Dawson Chronicles, Bianca has a reputation as a slut when, in fact, she’s a virgin.  And Ophelia’s the one you think will stay a virgin into her twenties, but she’s in an intense, committed relationship with Adrian.  If they go all the way, no one else is going to know, because they’re both very private people.  Except for maybe Grandma.  Like in a lot of families, when the girls can’t talk to Mom, they have another strong female mentor in their lives that they can talk to, and I think that’s very important.

I’m always annoyed when people about my age and older talk about ‘the good ol’ days,’ because I really believe, as a history buff, that there is no such thing.  These sensitive topics simply were not talked about and the consequences were different.

Rape, molestation of children, premarital sex, alcoholism, drug addiction, dating/domestic violence, all of these things happened, just as much as they do now.  It’s simply that the victims had no or very little chance of healing, escape, or justice, so most of them stayed silent.

A hundred and fifty years ago, it was illegal to send contraception through the mail and a teen girl probably knew nothing about it anyway.  She was pretty much coerced into marriage at 14 to 16 years on the frontier, maybe 18 if she was a well-to-do girl in the city.  And she proceeded to get pregnant and, more often than not, die during that or in childbirth.  Doctors didn’t know to wash their hands first.

A hundred years ago, a teen girl might have the opportunity to go to college, but was more likely channeled into marriage anyway.  She still knew nothing about condoms and the Pill was decades away.  My grandmother was forced to marry at age 14 and was raped on her wedding night with absolutely no previous knowledge of sex.  She’d thought penises were just for pee.  She was not allowed to leave her marriage, even though her husband abused her.  And this was America.

Fifty years ago, a girl might go visit family across the country for a while, secretly give birth and ‘give up’ the baby for adoption, and then return to her old life, not knowing who adopted her baby or what happened to her.  This was if she was lucky.

Now, a girl has many choices in life, so I lean towards ‘the good ol’ days’ being right now.

Although, it’s still true that people will restrict a girl’s knowledge of her choices in order to control her decisions.

Kimber An, author of Sweet Bytes.

Leave a comment about Kimber’s post for the chance to win a copy of Sweet Bytes. Or let us know your views on sex, drugs and other taboo topics in YA fiction.

Writer’s Inspiration

Writers Inspiration

by Saewod Tice

Being inspired to write isn’t something you can plan for- it just
happens.  I didn’t expect to ever write a
young adult book, let alone a trilogy in progress, from vegetating on my couch.  But the marathon showing of ‘Life After
People’ on the History Channel did just that.
It got me and my daughter (9yrs old) talking.

9yr old: “What happened to
all the people?”

Me:  “Not sure, they haven’t said.”

9yr old: “Are they dead?”

Me (nervous to answer my overly
imaginative and easily freaked out offspring):  “The narrator just says that they all
disappear.”

9yr old:  “Oh….” Silence, silence, silence… “Do you
think they are hiding somewhere?”

{Inspiration Sparked}

From that point we fell into a discussion of where they could be
hiding, why they were staying hidden, and what caused them all to seek shelter
to begin with.

My point is you can’t plan inspiration like this.  I know most of you probably already know
this, but I often hear other writers mention stoking their muse and often
wonder if you really can.  No idea seems
to be better than like the ones that just happen.

However, perhaps the below Writer’s Prayer, written by Sandy Tritt will
inspire you today:

The Writer’s Prayer

By Sandy Tritt

 

Open my mind, Lord. Grant me the
talent to write with clarity and style, so my words go down rich and smooth,
like fine wine, and leave my reader thirsty for more.

 

Open my heart, Lord. Grant me the
sensitivity to understand my characters—their hopes, their wants, their
dreams—and help me to confer that empathy to my reader.

 

Open my soul, Lord, so I may be a
channel to wisdom and creativity from beyond my Self. Stoke my imagination with
vivid imagery and vibrant perception.

 

But most of all, Lord, help me to
know the Truth, so my fiction is more honest than actuality and reaches the
depths of my reader’s soul.

 

Wrap these gifts with
opportunity, perseverance, and the strength to resist those who insist it can’t
be done.

 

Amen. ~ Sandy Tritt

www.inspirationforwriters.com/writinglife/prayer.html

An Asian Hero? And the Release of SWEET BYTES!

An Asian Hero?  And the Release of SWEET BYTES!

By

Kimber An

Good morning, Blog Buds!  I’m extremely busy these days, wrangling my massive herd of offspring and bracing for the release of Sweet Bytes, the third book in my Ophelia Dawson series, on Monday, October 17^th. 

From the start, I’ve struggled about what to call Tristan Li.  The Hero?  Well, not exactly.  Ophelia is the Heroine and this entire series is her story.  And her soul-mate is Adrian, a ‘Non,’ a non-addicted Newblood (vampire-like alien/human hybrids.)  Early in Sweet Bytes, a Malevolent Oldblood ( bad vampire) informs Ophelia that he’s destroyed Adrian.  Even though she’s an empath, she believes the lie in her terrible grief.  To protect herself from forced turning and mating, Ophelia chooses Tristan, a Benevolent Oldblood (good vampire,) as her Claimant.  This means all other suitors must stay away from her, until she decides to accept or reject him as her mate.

It’s like the ‘marriage of convenience’  trope in the Romance Genre.

The thing is Tristan’s kind of sweet on Ophelia.  You can go back and read the first book in the series, the novella (only about fifty pages) Crushed Sugar to find out what I mean.  Isn’t this always how the trope goes?  Either the couple starts out hating each other or one secretly has the hots for the other, but doesn’t dare tell.

Anyway, besides being Ophelia’s bodyguard and Claimant, Tristan is also the most highly advanced *telepath* of the Benevolent Oldbloods.  This leads into some dynamics that were interesting for me to write.  An Empath and a Telepath, how would they get along?  What sort of communication problems might they have in their relationship?  Of course, a romance ensues as Ophelia works through her grief over Adrian’s ‘death.’

And that brings us back to the title, ‘An Asian Hero?’  You don’t see many of them outside martial arts movies and Star Trek, do you? I’ve seen a handful, like in Kit Forbes’ Falling Through Glass. 

That book was one of the things that drew me to Noble YA in the first place.  I figured, hey, if they like Kit’s heroine accidentally kidnapping the future emperor of Japan, they might like Tristan too!  My Asian Hero is Chinese American, by the way.  Being a Trekkie (the new Mr. Sulu is so cute) and loving movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and being fascinated by ancient and medieval Asian history and mythology, I just had to have an Asian hero at some point in my stories.

And now I do, Tristan Li.  His first name means ‘sadness’ by the way.  If you read the story, you’ll learn why and it’s not just because Ophelia’s still hung up on Adrian.

So, technically, Tristan is not the hero.  I guess in the strictest sense he’s the next most prominent protagonist. 

Nevertheless, to me, he’s the Hero of this book.

FYI, Osric Chau was the visual inspiration for Tristan Li.

Okay, deep breath and exhale, my daughter, a professional teenager, will be posting the first review of Sweet Bytes, tomorrow, Sunday, October 17^th at Fabulously Young ePubs.  The celebration launches at that point.  Pop over, read the review, and comment to win the Grand Prize, a plush toy Alaskan moose, a wooden Alaskan bear keychain, some AK postcards, and a free eBook of Sweet Bytes.  My other guest posts and reviews are also giving away free Sweet Bytes.  Visit my main site’s Calendar to see where I’ll be, so you can enter those drawings. 

.

Finally, here is the Sweet Bytes blurb-

*

Ophelia’s escape from Martin, an Addicted Newblood, came at a terrible sacrifice.  Adrian, the boy she loves, is now infected and hunted like vermin.

As her new Protector, Tristan Li represents the Oldblood determination to destroy Adrian, along with all the Newbloods, addicted or not.

In her grief, Ophelia hates everything about Tristan, until his subtle strength empowers her to resist being turned into a vampire by the High Prefect. 

As Tristan helps Ophelia harness her empathic ability, his need for redemption rings in her heart.  Her own strength grows, along with her passion for freedom.

The veil of mourning lifts.

The evil of Martin returns.

Ophelia seizes ownership of her destiny.

*

Please, pop over to Fab ePubs to read up on the schedule for Sweet Bytes’ release festivities and then over to my main site to learn more about the Ophelia Dawson series.  Thank you!

www.kimberan.com

Writing Craft Wednesday – Bad Guys We Love

This week we’re talking about bad guys. Maybe your favorite hero has a dark past, he’s rough and a little bit bad. Or maybe your favorite bad guy is truely evil, like Hannibal Lector. Read about our author’s favorites and then tell us who your favorite bad guys or girls are.

ELLA JADE

Who doesn’t love a bad boy? I’m drawn to them. I always have been, at least in my fiction world.  An evil character is fun to read, watch and write, but redemption always plays a big part in my stories. I want to create a character with depth, a tortured past and a reason for why they do the things they do. A good friend of mine once told me, “No one is all good or all bad.”  I’ve used that advice many times when developing my own characters. My all time favorite bad boy and a perfect example of someone not being “all good or all bad” is Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With him, we got the best of both worlds.

I simply adored Angel, but when he turned into Angelus…um, yum. There was something about him losing his soul that totally did it for me. He was ruthless and even though I wasn’t supposed to love him, I couldn’t help myself. I tuned in week after week to see what horrible thing he was going to do next, and there were many. He was wonderful as the sweet, caring vamp with a soul and that worked. But, sometimes a girl needs a blood thirsty, bad, take charge vamp. That’s what made his character so interesting.  When Buffy and the gang found a way to restore him I may have grieved a little, but it was nice to have Angel back (that whole redemption quality). The great part about his character was he always had the potential to turn back into the bad boy and I always welcomed those episodes.

Ella Jade, author of Jocelyn’s Choice

SAEWOD TICE

Bad Boys, Bad Boys, What’cha gonna do …

Oh, I know what I would do- with you.  *sigh*
By Saewod Tice

Like most Homosapiens with the double X chromosome, I do like me some bad boy shenanigans.  Whether it’s along the lines of Damon Salvator, Eric Northman, or Chuck Bass, I love, love, love the rough and tough bad ass bad boy. *swoon*

I don’t know the exact science behind the desire, the draw, but I do know that the mystery is a big part of it.  Somewhere behind that bad boy behavior lays the reason they are so bad and I swear I can fix them!  *snort*

Reading about a bad boy is exhilarating.  Take Christian Grey- 50 Shades of Grey- Holy Bejesus BDSM fans.  *fans self*  Or Travis Maddox- Beautiful Disaster- throw a red square on me and call a TKO.  *turns one air conditioning* 

Writing a bad boy is like a wet dream.  You vicariously live out the fantasy of your dark hero while also giving him a reason for his brooding, sly behavior- making him fixable.  I actually have a couple of bad boys in my books.  There’s Christopher Mason, the dark womanizing rock star with a tormented past, and Damon Knyght, the controlling, manipulating business executive who always gets what he wants.  Neither has seen publication yet, but hopefully they will someday.   

Saewod Tice, author of Amongst the Ruins.

CHELSIE SHAKESPEARE

In my first novel The Pull, my characters were anything but evil, they were lonely and hopeful. It was a sweet love story begging to be told, but my next novel Split is soooo much more fun.

Split is dark and twisted and very very evil. I love writing it. I love exploring just how insane and warped I can make a character, while keeping the entire thing sort of, darkly humorous. Veronica and Emmalee are two versions of the same person. They’re split personalities. Essentially Veronica is evil, and Emmalee is good. It’s not the typical battle between darkness and light because the demise of one automatically leads to the demise of the other.

Veronica is a sociopath. Unencumbered by laws or morals or consequences. She acts on every cruel impulse, and gets her kicks from causing Emmalee pain.

Emmalee’s moral battle is whether or not she will put her own life in jeopardy to save the world from Veronica.

Writing Veronica is like taking off the training wheels. In The Pull I wrote what I knew, I wrote about love, using people and events from my life for inspiration. Split is a whole new experience. I have taken nothing from my life, and have had to stretch the boundaries of my imagination to create someone as evil and delicious as Veronica.

Chelsie Shakespeare, author of The Pull

BONNIE FERRANTE

In the real world, there is nothing genuinely appealing about a “bad boy.” Sure, it’s tempting to tick off your parents by dating one, he might be a shield against some bullying, and he can bring an exciting element of danger into a boring life. But in the long run, he takes more than he gives, he can’t be trusted, and he leaves you scarred. Very, very, very seldom can one ever be “saved.” That desire has to come from inside. No matter how much you love a “bad boy” you can’t change him. He can only change himself.

In fiction, however, we can indulge these fantasies. Everyone is seduced by the thought that true love can straighten out a trouble-maker, but not before he spices up the heroine’s life quite a bit. Fiction makes it safe to consider foolish risks as fun, give ourselves the shivers as the heroine risks her safety and future on a hot “bad boy.” And he is always hot. Not too many scars or tattoos. No missing teeth from bar fights. If his nose has been broken, it has healed with just enough character to make him sexy.

Dawn’s End has a bad boy – Alaric Aubin. He falls into the category of Hurt Good Guy Acting As Bad Guy. That type can be saved but they don’t always need a girlfriend to do it. Mostly they just need a friend who understands.

Bonnie Ferrante, author of Dawn’s End and Dawn’s End: Poisoned

C MARGERY KEMPE

I have to admit that while I like nice guys in real life, there’s a lot of fun hanging out with the bad boys at least for the length of a novel. One of my new favourite bad boys is Jack Taylor, the troubled investigator from Galway writer Ken Bruen’s novels. Booted from the Garda (Ireland’s police force), slowly spiraling into alcoholism, and nursing deep guilt from some terrible mistakes, Jack drinks too much, gets violent at the wrong time (and usually with the wrong people), and burns way too many bridges. I think what’s appealing about him is the good that’s hidden inside the rough shell. He struggles to hold onto the good even while he tries to drown it forever. A dying man tells him in Sanctuary, ”There is a goodness in you, Jack. You deny it, fight it, and act like you don’t care in every way you can.” I think that’s the real magic: we want to believe that underneath the bad, there’s a little good just waiting to blossom.

C Margery Kempe, author of Dragger Ella

KIMBER AN

Good at Writing Bad Boys

By

Kimber An

Bad Boys are difficult to write.  I’ve tried it and that story still isn’t ready to even try for publication.  I think the reason is I’ve never known a good Bad Boy in real life.  In fact, I swore I’d die a virgin rather than put up with a jerkwad, even if he was a hot kisser.  (I finally found a Good Boy and we’re living happily ever after with our four children, by the way.)  Mate with a Bad Boy in real life and he’ll be chasing the next set of boobs to bounce by, leaving you to raise the resulting offspring by yourself.  That’s what I’ve learned from observation.  It took a lot of chocolate, but I never fell prey to one.

But, but, good Bad Boys do exist.

And the best thing about them in real life and in Fiction is

The Redeeming Power of Love.

I think Star Wars illustrates it best with Han Solo.  He was only in it for the money.  He wasn’t even going to waste time with the pretty girl.  Soon as he got the cash, man, he was outta there!  But, love brought him back just in the nick of time and he saved Luke’s butt so Luke could blow up the Deathstar.  Then, he went on to even greater heroics and the Hottest Star Wars Kiss Ever with Princess Leia. 

I actually think Anakin from the prequels is a much cuter Bad Boy, but he got his family jewels fried before redemption.  Nothing attractive about that.  But, Han went on to wedded bless and three kids with Leia and he still looked good swaggering in like an Old West Cowboy.

So, Bad Boys do work.  It’s just that I think I still have a lot to learn before I can effectively write one myself.

Kimber An, author of Sweet Bytes releasing October 17.

 

CHARLES DAY

One thing I have to admit, I love to develop villains in my stories. Although I get a thrill bringing to life the good boys and girls, when it comes time to introduce my bad character, my fingers tremble with excitement as they start pounding away at the keys.

 

Why, you ask? Well, it’s pure delight to create conflict in a story. To introduce terror and mayhem so the protagonist can show off all his innate abilities to overcome the evil that fills the pages.

 

For example, my upcoming YA Horror novel “Legend of The Pumpkin Thief,” has a bad boy, Lou, a bully at heart with a mean streak to accompany his evil soul. Without him my story would not have the conflict Nick, the protagonist, needs to drive this story to the end.

 

But wait, I’ve added another villain, a supernatural entity more evil than Lou. Sure, Lou helps in creating conflict, but The Pumpkin Thief is the real villain in this novel, and possibly the one my readers will want to learn more about as they turn each successive page with an anxious state of mind.

 

So for all you writers who love to weave up a tale with bad boys and girls, I say give them all the evil you can muster up, but also remember, to truly have your reader feel for the bad boys and girls, you need to give them some caring quality. A well rounded evil character is always a better move.

 

Charles Day, author of Legend of the Pumpkin Thief, coming soon.