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Don Massenzio This week’s author interview features UK author, Victoria Ziglar. On a side note, though the initial response was gratifying, I find myself running out of interview subjects by mid-September. If you haven’t been interviewed, or even if you … Continue reading
Here it is! The final cover, which is so cool that I couldn’t wait until September 7th to show it. Alison did an amazing job with a few fun details that bring it all together. I’m also going to make another call for any volunteers for what might be the last book I release for a while. At the very least, I won’t be able to publish anything else this year. So . . . Here . . . We . . . Go!
Cover Art by Alison Hunt
Normally we would have a little story about Bailey, Lucy, and Twiggy but as you know it is hard for me to get photos and do PT at the same time. I am so pleased to have Staci Troilo as a guest to give you some more information about her new book Tortured Soul. Thank you, Staci for appearing on Fiction Favories.
Hi, John. Thank you for offering to host me here today. I know you write thrillers, so I thought your readers might be interested in one of the many action-packed scenes in my latest release, Tortured Soul, the fourth and final book of the Medici Protectorate series. And here it is:
Coz gave Toni’s hand a reassuring squeeze, promised he’d hurry back, then joined his brothers to do a sweep of the property. He took one last glance up the hill toward the villa they’d just vacated. Their…
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Welcome all you research junkies, and skeptical paranormal fans. You’ve landed on Lisa Burton Radio, the only show that brings you characters from the books you love. I’m your host, Lisa the robot girl, and my very special guest today is Amanda Jane Ross. She’s only twelve, so let’s make her feel welcome. “Hi, Amanda. Thanks for being on the show today.”
“Hi, Lisa!! I’m totally excited about being on your show. But I am a little nervous as I’ve never been on the radio before.”
“My bio says you hail from Calgary, Canada. That’s a pretty interesting place. What can you tell us about it?”
“Well, it is famous for The Calgary Stampede. I am in grade six and attend Guy Weadick Elementary. Did you know the school is named after a cowboy who started the Calgary Stampede? I used to think it was a pretty boring place as nothing…
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Ruri from Nadesico
The only reason I used the character above is because Lost has silver hair. Obviously, she’s essential to War of Nytefall: Lost since her name is in the title. This is a character who I’ve been wanting to introduce for a long time, but I came up with an idea that forced me to delay her. This worked out because it means she can shine brightly at the beginning and then calm down a bit. Only reason I say this is because she can be a fairly difficult character to write for too long.
Let me give you a brief description of Lost and then I’ll explain where she came from. She is a silver-haired girl of about 16 who wears pajamas with no shoes or socks. In fact, she’s terrified of socks and gets violent at the sight of them, especially if she’s already under stress. I made her a half-elf even though she was full human first, but none of that is truly important outside of spoilers. Lost carries around a ‘stuffed’ bunny that doubles as her storage device. She basically crams things into it. Is the bunny alive or dead? Nobody is really sure because it flies around and follows her orders as well as protecting her when she’s in danger. Yeah, her weapon of choice is a bunny. This is where I ask people to stop scratching their heads and hear me out on this because here’s the origin.
My first summer break from college saw me bringing a friend home and we ran a ‘Vampire: The Masquerade’ game. My younger sister loved vampires and wanted to give the game a chance. What did she make? Lost . . . and she teamed up with Clyde. Imagine a force of destruction teaming up with a force of chaos. Lost was from a vampire clan that was known for insanity and my sister didn’t skimp on the crazy. She gave her a sock phobia because it seemed like something to do at the time. She loved the rabbit from ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ and even had a plushie of it, so that’s where the psychotic bunny comes from. She wanted to wear pajamas, be a computer hacker, and have silver hair. At some point, you just kind of nod your head and simply wonder where things are going to go. Well, we got Lost who treated the rules of vampire society like guidelines, which she forgot to read. Apparently, she was innocent in her delivery to get in trouble too.
Now, this being my sister’s one and only role-playing game character that I know of, I had to do something special. Lost was a mad inventor in the early versions of this series and she could give the Windemere gnomes a run for their money. For example, a motorcycle with sidecar strapped to a jet engine and armed with a machine gun that she forgot to load the one time she used the thing. Just random stuff would come out of this character, but I toned her down for Windemere. I couldn’t do computer hacking, so I gave her the ability to mind hack, which is basically all-purpose telepathy. The real trick was figuring out how to introduce her to the story since she didn’t fit the concept of Clyde’s gang anymore. She was far too innocent and didn’t possess anything that would make her a viable thief or mercenary.
That’s when the womb-born idea came about. War of Nytefall: Lost revolves around the emergence of these Dawn Fangs who were born through sex. It seems Dawn Fangs are capable of getting pregnant, which is news to them. Nobody knew this was possible until 16-year-old Lost comes bounding into the world in search of her father. You might be wondering how this is possible, so I’ll do the quick answer. Dawn Fangs are born without a heartbeat and need even one drop of blood to eventually get the organs going. So, those who gave birth assumed it was a stillbirth and abandoned the ‘corpse’. This is what caused the big problem that is about to hit Windemere and Lost is at the center of the whole epic mess. All in search of her father who will remain nameless because that’s totally a spoiler.
This is where I’d tell a funny story about the character during the gaming times. There’s just so much to choose from with Lost:
Reframing Publishing SuccessThere’s nothing like writing and publishing a book to bring out the dormant diva who lives inside every aspiring author. Even the most unassuming authors have moments when indulging the fantasy of übersuccess sends them into an uncharacteristic fanning of tail feathers as they imagine what might be possible. And, of course, there are authors with far less reserve, who can be blatant in their own self-regard. I say more power to them. Publishing a book is a big deal, and it doesn’t hurt to dream. What does hurt, however, is allowing that dream to cloud reality.
In my experience, there are two ways in which authors inadvertently sabotage themselves through anticipation: first, their expectations are too high, and, second, their expectations are too high and they are unwilling (or unable) to put publicity dollars behind their…
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*Name: Ella Lynch
*Tell us a bit about yourself: I am a 31 year old mum of 1, with a passion for reading and living authentically. I love food, books, living in each moment, my family, crochet, camping, fires, the ocean… I’m vegan and was brought up as a vegetarian. I suffer with anxiety and OCD, and have found that being open about this helps others to realise that we all have our demons, but they don’t make us bad people, just human. I got a triple distinction in my National Diploma in Performing Arts from Truro College in Cornwall. I am trained as a dental nurse, started training to be a midwife (!) and am finally now living my life-long dream of narrating audiobooks!
How did you become involved with audiobook narration and production? I have wanted to be a narrator and voice actress for as long as…
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Castlevania on Netflix
One of the greatest challenges in War of Nytefall is going to be having Clyde grow throughout the series. He’s already a physical powerhouse and has an intimidating reputation. There’s very little that will change there because any stronger and it would get fairly obscene. It can’t stay that way since this isn’t a one-shot. After all, a main hero who stays the same isn’t that interesting and could harm the story. So, one has to wonder where I can go with him.
One focus is that while I can’t increase Clyde’s power, but I can have him struggle to control his abilities. There’s a savage blood lust that is unique to Clyde, which he runs the risk of succumbing to if you pushes himself too far. Imagine a creature built for destruction trying to create something and you’ll get an idea of how he is going to be fighting part of his nature. This brings in the possibility of him falling completely too, which changes him from a hero to a villain. The other Dawn Fangs wouldn’t go on a world domination or destruction campaign with Clyde, which means he stands at the edge of an abyss that he will fall into alone. Control is all he can do and that’s not going to be an easy thing as the pressure of his war mounts.
Another evolution/development area for a character like Clyde would be on the social side of things. His growth can ebb and flow depending on his relationships. This makes the supporting cast even more important because they can direct him in some fashions. The biggest example is Mab, who has the closest bond with Clyde. He will change depending on how they are getting along since she acts as an anchor for his dwindling humanity. If they’re fighting then he’ll be more on edge and start getting closer to that abyss. This isn’t to say the other Dawn Fangs and his enemies aren’t important. Each one will have a connection in some fashion that Clyde will take some strength from. You might think that’s strange for the villains, but consider the he’s so powerful that he runs the risk of getting bored. Having opponents, even weak ones, gives him something to battle and entertain himself. Not wanting things to end quickly, he can restrain himself and this will help his progression as well. For Clyde, this would teach him how to hold back whether he realizes it or not.
The final area that Clyde can evolve in is his personality and outlook on life. He began rather carefree and wanting only to have fun with his gang. Now, he’s responsible for an entire species and worries that exposure will get them killed. Considering he was a thief for centuries, you can understand why he’d want all the Dawn Fangs to stay in the shadows. He’s also a character who has spotted the pattern of destiny in Windemere where a great evil appears and Gabriel the Destiny God sends heroes to wipe the threat out. Clyde wants to avoid this, but it also means being a different type of leader than he used to be. So, you’re going to see him try to grow into what he thinks he should be, which isn’t going to go smoothly. He has warlord instincts, but lacks the real desire to rule with an iron fist. That doesn’t mean he won’t try.
All three areas are going to be touched in War of Nytefall: Lost. Clyde is going to run into a problem that can’t be solved with the tools that he has developed. His self-control, relationships, and personality are going to come into question to some level. It all has to do with an unexpected Dawn Fang named Lost.
