Showing posts with label urban fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label urban fantasy. Show all posts

Straight From the Mouth of Urban Fantasy Author P.K. Eden

 


Ten Things You Might Not Know About The Mirror 

By P.K. Eden

  1. It is with inspiration from one of the Tales of the Brothers Grimm specifically Little Snow White – a tale of mother-daughter conflicts (and don’t we all have them at one time or another) that The Mirror was born.
  2. The names of the societies both pro and con were gleamed from actual folklore.  Our Rogue group – Taltos – was pulled from Hungarian folk tales in which the taltos are commonly mentioned in the folktales. Our heroic Primogen Sentinels – are the leaders of his or her clan, or in our case one from each continent and are the protectors of the artifacts from the fairy tales.
    3.     The story takes place over three continents – North America, Europe, and Africa.
    4.     The Sentinels do not have superpowers. They have abilities which they sharpened in order to protect the artifacts from the tales and lore of each continent they oversee.
    5.      To be a Sentinel one must give up most normal contact with their family and friends in order for the fairy tale artifacts to be hidden from the human world to be kept safe and not exploited by those who wish to use their unique powers for personal gain. Image if you owned the spinning wheel that could turn straw into gold.
    6.    THE MIRROR includes folklore and fairy tales from other writers as well. In fact, Thumbelina, or Lina as she prefers to be called, by Hans Cristian Anderson plays an important role in the plot. Future stories will also include Native American folklore.
    7.    The Primogens Watchers are a subgroup who constantly monitor world events to help determine if an artifact has been exposed or if Taltos is on the move.
    8.     The Taltos Seekers are another subgroup who can find anything or anyone when needed. This group is headed by the South American Primogen who has a whole network of cousins leading the way.
    9.     The Primogen Erasers are tasked with cleaning up after a conflict with Taltos or if a person or persons somehow discover the presence of the Sentinels. Remember the “flashy thing” from Men in Black? Erasers have something similar.
    10.    THE MIRROR sets the basis for the next book to come out. That book will address climate change issues and will use the wisdom and respect for nature of the North American Native American Primogen – Jon Two Bear.

_____________________
 

P.K. Eden is the alter ego of multi-published and award winning authors Patt Milhailff and Kathye Quick whose debut novel FIREBRAND was lauded as comparable to the Harry Potter series, garnered 5-Star reviews, and won numerous  Reviewer’s Choice Awards.

Born long, long ago in a place not so far away, Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, Kathryn Quick has been writing since the Sisters in St. Casmir’s Grammar School gave her the ruled yellow paper and a number two pencil.  She writes contemporary and career romances, romantic comedies, historical romances as well as urban fantasy. 

Kathye has twenty fiction books in print with various publishing houses and one non-fiction compilation of her town’s history at the behest of the Manville Library Bord.  She was honored to have been named an Amazon top 100 Romance Author for Ineligible Bachelor published by Montlake Romance. Other works include a three book  Grandmother’s Rings Series – Amethyst, Sapphire and Citrine, a rom-com series that follows three siblings as they use their Grandmother’s Rings given to them by their mother to find their soulmates. 

Because she has been fascinated by King Arthur and his knights for almost forever, her series Beyond Camelot, Brother Knights, is her vision of how the majestic kingdom may have survived after Arthur. Two books are written in this series with the third and final still in concept.

She is a founding member of Liberty State Fiction Writers and has been a part of Romance Writers of America and New Jersey Romance Writers.

She is married to her real-life hero, Donald, and has three grown sons, each having romantic adventures of their own. Her two grandkids, Savannah and Dax, happily cut into her writing time but she still manages to get a few pages done each day.

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜ www.Kathrynquick.com  

Twitter ➜ https://x.com/KQuickAuthor

Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/KathrynQuickBooks/

Instagram ➜ https://www.instagram.com/kathrynquickauthor/

Goodreads ➜ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217228581-the-mirror

***

Thanks to novelist and editor, Dr. Nathasha Brooks-Harris who invited Patt Milhailff to write for several TRUE CONFESSION lines of magazines where she learned tight and entertaining writing and resulted in the publication of more than two hundred short stories and articles.

One of Patt’s most gratifying experiences was when she moderated a standing room only workshop at the African American Romance Slam Jam in 2004 and has since enjoyed speaking engagements at libraries, book clubs and other forums. 

She was awarded 2009 Author of the year and 2010 Mentor of the year by Romance writers of America, New York City Chapter, a terrific organization that helped her to obtain valuable lessons and insight while on her writing journey. 

Patt is also featured in A Dream Deferred, A Joy Achieved, a non-fiction novella by Charise Nesbit a co-producer at Tyler Perry Studios, about foster care, as well as being included in two of Times Bestselling Author Zane’s anthologies. 

Patt is one half of the writing duo P.K. Eden along with Kathye Quick, authors of Firebrand,  that received a five star Affaire de Couer Reviewer’s Choice Award. 

She is also a member of Liberty States Fiction Writers the home of a magnitude of talented writers and fellow authors and is the author of nine novels.  

Patt was raised, and educated in New York City, residing in  New Jersey, and has since relocated to Delaware.

Social Networks for P.K. Eden:

Follow on Twitter: https://x.com/PKEdenAuthor 

Follow on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/P.K.EdenAuthor

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p.k.edenauthor/

 

The Mirror is available at Amazon.

 



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Straight from the Mouth of Christine Amsden, Author of the Urban Fantasy 'Kaitlin's Tale'

How to Work Hard and Lose Money

I love writing. Loved it since I was a kid, staring out the window and daydreaming about being an alien princess sent to Earth because my planet was at war and I was in grave peril. My parents didn't tell me for my own protection, of course. When they did, I'd get properly mad for a while, then forgive them. After all, they did have my best interests at heart and besides, who has time for anger when you have a planet to save? Okay, then I turned thirteen and my mom became the villain of the piece, but I got over that around the time I went to college. By then I had rewritten the story so many times that it became more than a daydream – it was my adolescent coping mechanism.

I dreamed of becoming an author, too. (You can be a writer without becoming an author. Really.) From the show “Murder, She Wrote” I gathered that an author was instantly recognizable across the United States when she introduced herself. Whenever Jessica Fletcher met one of her many, many fans, I'd imagine if was me:

“Christine Amsden. You're not THE Christine Amsden?”

“Why yes, yes I am.”

“I've read every single one of your books! I love them.”

“Oh, thank you. You're too kind.”

You have heard of me, right? Christine Amsden? Author of the Cassie Scot series, The Immortality Virus, Touch of Fate, and most recently Kaitlin's Tale? Of course you have! I've traveled the bloggersphere for years, been well-reviewed, won awards, and sold thousands of copies of my books.

I'm pretty sure Jessica sold hundreds of thousands of books though. Maybe millions.

Wait … what's that? You loved Cassie Scot and can't wait to read about her friend Kaitlin? (Seriously, you can put that in the comments. I won't mind. :) ) Oh, thank you. You're too kind.

Seriously though, writing is a labor of love. Becoming an author … getting published … is incredibly hard work. Authors do most of their own promotion these days, which may be why 90% of books don't sell more than 100 copies. Or maybe it's because the market is simply saturated with books on every topic known to mankind. We're talking hundreds of thousands – and that's before we get into self-publishing. Book sales haven't increased due to this significant upturn in publishing. In fact, they've decreased overall! The print industry has taken a huge hit, with ebook sales actually going up through 2013. After that, they leveled off and it's anyone's guess what they will do in the future.

Amazon has cornered the ebook market in a way that frankly frightens me. Ask any author at all and you better believe they're doing business with Amazon. We don't have a choice! But Amazon is looking for ways to increase ebook profits for themselves that don't necessarily mean increased profits for authors.

What does this all mean for you? Maybe nothing. Maybe you're still working on your labor of love and if so, good for you! Writing can be cathartic. It's a form of creative expression and I'm a big fan of creative expression.

I just know that writing is also almost always done with an audience in mind. It's more than words on a page, more than a daydream. It's a plea to be heard. I get that.

I also know that I'm an extremely hard worker. For some reason the “lazy author working on his book” is a popular cliché, but I don't see it in my writing circles. I see hundreds and hundreds of people, just like me, who work very, very hard. Many of them are good, too! It's hard not to be when you write every day for twenty or thirty years, even if you only carve out an hour each day. And that's the kind of dedication I'm talking about. It's the kind of dedication that I myself have put into honing my craft.

The American Dream suggests that working so hard should reap certain financial rewards. In some fields, perhaps, but if you're going into publishing then the odds are good that you're going to work hard and lose money. Breaking even or making a small profit is awesome. Making a living … well, bestsellers do exist. Just think about how many bestsellers there are vs. how many authors there are.

I'm still dreaming. I'm entitled. :)

But I'm also realistic. For over three years now, I've taken on editing projects in addition to writing my own stuff. The editing pays better, and with much less effort. If I could stop writing, I'd switch to editing full time, but it's kind of an addiction. So I use editing to support my writing habit.

If you've got a writing habit and need professional help feel free to contact me and ask about my editing services, which include developmental editing, coaching, and copy editing. My rates are very reasonable. :)


Oh, and my books are great. I've bled my soul into them. I'm not sure how far above breaking even I've swum financially, but I still have the satisfaction of knowing that I've written them. And of course, I have the dream.


                                                                                         Title: Kaitlin’s Tale

Genre: urban fantasy/paranormal romance
Author: Christine Amsden
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
About the Book:
Kaitlin Mayer is on the run from the father of her baby – a vampire who wants her to join him in deadly eternity. Terrified for her young son, she seeks sanctuary from the hunters guild. But they have their own plans for her son, and her hopes of safety are soon shattered.
When she runs into Matthew Blair, an old nemesis with an agenda of his own, she dares to hope for a new escape. But Matthew is a telepath, and Kaitlin’s past is full of dark secrets she never intended to reveal.
About the Author:
Christine is the award-winning author of the Cassie Scot series, the story of the only ungifted scion of a family of powerful sorcerers. Her latest novel, Kaitlin’s Tale, follows the trials of Cassie’s best friend as she falls in love with Cassie’s arch-nemesis. Christine’s other titles include The Immortality Virus, Touch of Fate, and Madison’s Song.
When she isn’t writing, Christine is often editing or coaching other authors. In recent years, freelance editing has become almost as great a passion as writing itself. Plus, it supports her writing habit. Christine is a wife, a mom, and a foster mom. She lives in Olathe, Kansas, just outside Kansas City.
Connect with the author on the web:
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Straight from the Mouth of 'The Blackwell Family Secret: The Guardians of Sin' Jonathan L. Ferrara

Jonathan L. Ferrara, the author of The Blackwell Family Secret: The Guardians of Sin, was born in San Pedro, California to an Italian fisherman and a mother from New York. Growing up with one older brother, Jonathan had several hobbies: finding the best hiding spots to jump out and scare his mother, discovering new fantasy book series, and  imagining outrageous, whimsical worlds full of magic. He is now happily married, residing in California in the City of Angels. He has two wonderful children—his dog Koda and cat Merlin.
His author’s website is www.JonathanLFerrara.com / Amazon
Questionnaire:

Thanks for letting us interrogate you!  Can you give us a go-for-the-gut answer as to why you wanted to be an author?
It’s pretty simple. I had a story in my head, begging to be written. I love bringing characters to life. Being an author was my way to do this on a daily basis.

Tell us (we won’t tell promise!) is it all it’s cracked up to be?  I mean what are the perks and what are the demands?
Being an author is great! The finished product gives you an extraordinary feeling of completion. I get great joy hearing readers talk about the characters in my book, and share in my same enthusiasm about the overall story. When you first set off to write a story you neglect to think about what happens now. Once you’ve completed your novel your writing journey is far from over. There is much that goes into the processes of publication that is far beyond the writing part.   

Which route did you take – traditional or self-published – and can you give us the nitty gritty low down on what’s that like?
I went with a traditional publisher and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Self-publishing is great, but I had a vision of seeing my novel in a bookstore. Traditional publishing isn’t for everyone, but for me, I wanted to find someone who shared in my faith for The Blackwell Family Secret: The Guardians of Sin. There is a lot of hard work that goes into publication. You have a team working on the same book. There is something wonderful about that.  

Tell us for real what your family feels about you spending so much time getting your book written, polished, edited, formatted, published, what have you?
A lot of years went into writing and I think sometimes my family didn’t quite understand the whole struggle, which was a little difficult. Now that the book is out and they can see the finished copy they can see what I’ve been working on all these years. They are really proud. The same goes for me.

This is for pet lovers.  If you don’t own a pet, skip this question, but do your pets actually get their food on time or do they have to wait until you type just one more word?
I do have a dog and a cat and I absolutely love them. The cat loves to eat so he won’t let me forget his meals or I would soon regret it. Sometimes when I’m writing I can feel little bites on my legs. That’s my warning. My dog just loves when I’m home and sleeps at my feet while I write.

In writing your book, how did you deal with the phone ringing, your family needing dinner or your boss calling you saying you’re late?
Well… Sometimes I hid my phone in another room, or I turn it on silent so I don’t feel the temptation to answer it. My significant other is an artist so we’re usually writing and drawing at the same time.

What was the craziest or insane thing that happened to you in the book publishing process?
I would have to say that the craziest moment was when my publisher asked to represent me. That’s an extraordinary feeling that I’m still enjoying.

How about the social networks?  Which ones do you believe help and which ones do you wish you could avoid?
Although I think goodreads.com is a great way to get your book out there, I do try to stay away from it. Reviews are meant for other readers, not for the author per say, and I stay away so that my writing isn’t effected by it. I have a vision of what I want the series to look like and getting advice from reviewers might sway the vision. 

Book sales.  Don’t you just love them (or lack of?)?  How are you making the sales happen for you?
Marketing is the key for book sales. Readers need to know that your book exists. Although it would be nice, they aren’t going to just stumble upon it. I’m constantly looking for more reviewers no matter how many sales the book might achieve.

What is one thing you’d like to jump on the rooftop and scream about?
When a plot I’ve been thinking about for a long time turns out not to work. It’s a horrible feeling, but I like to think that if it doesn’t work out it’s only because it’s not meant to in that specific way.

Okay, too much sugar for you today!  Here’s a nice cup of Chamomile tea and come on over and sit under the cabana and watch the waves roll in.  Now…can you tell us what you love about being a published author and how all those things above doesn’t matter because it’s all part of the whole scheme of things and you wouldn’t have it any other way?

I love that the story that I feel so passionate about is out there. No matter what happens in the future there has already been readers who have fell in love with the story like I have. That’s the greatest thing about being a published author; having people share in your passion for your characters. 
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Straight from the Mouth of 'Mysterious Albion' Paul Leone


Paul Leone grew up reading and watching a wide range of genre books and media, ranging from classics likeLord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia to more modern works likeStar Wars and Star Trek, mixed with monster movies and comic books starting in the mid 1980s. All these things came together with his entrance into the Catholic Church in 2003 to form the background for the Vatican Vampire Hunters series that Mysterious Albioncommences. He lives in Western New York with a suitably disinterested cat and is currently revising the second book and planning the third in the VVH series.

Q: Congratulations on the release of your latest book, Mysterious Albion. When did you start writing and what got you into urban fantasy?
A: I first started writing when I was in middle school, and kept on through high school and college. After graduating (University of Maryland, class of 2000), I put it aside for several years before deciding there was no point wasting time and creativity. As far as urban fantasy goes, I got interested in it when a friend recommended Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files. After burning through the first few books in that series, there was no looking back.

Q: Did you have a mentor who encouraged you?
A: Not on a formal level, but a couple of my friends are published writers (Kelly Edwards and Paula Graves) and their examples were definitely inspiring; they were also tremendously helpful in preparing Mysterious Albion for publication.

Q: Did you have any struggles or difficulties when you started writing?
A: I think the biggest trouble was creating and outlining a story that was long enough to make an actual novel. All my earlier solo works, the few I managed to finish, were a lot shorter. A novel of ~50,000 words (the length of the first draft) was on a whole different level.

Q: What was your inspiration for Mysterious Albion?
A: Far and away John Steakley’s book Vampire$, both in terms of concept and style (especially in the first draft or two before I realized this was something that might, God willing, get published and started to give it more of its own identity). The idea of “the real world + hidden monsters” occurs in a lot of books and movies, but the roleplaying game Vampire the Masquerade gave me some idea of how I wanted Mysterious Albion to feel.

Q: What do you tell your muse when she refuses to collaborate?
A: More often than not, she’s the one angry at me for refusing to collaborate. But when the inspiration is lacking, the best thing seems to be let it sit for a day or two and then go back to the stumbling block. She’s usually willing to help the scene progress by then.

Q: Many writers experience a vague anxiety before they sit down to write. Can you relate to this?
A: In my case, it’s usually after I’m done writing that I have my doubts. Is this really worth reading? Is Character A as likeable (or nasty) as I hoped? Does the plot make as much sense on paper as it does in my mind? Before or after writing, it’s not fun, and I definitely relate.

Q: Do you have a writing schedule? Are you disciplined?
A: When I’m writing the first draft, I try to get out at least 1000-1200 words a day. I work at home, so I can space it out into a few sessions… which doesn’t help with the disciplined side of things. Put me down in front of my computer and I’ll have a few browser tabs and an MMORPG open inside of 90 seconds. It’s a real effort to put aside that sort of thing for a month or two.

Q: How do you celebrate the completion of a novel?
A: Getting back into my favorite game and catching up! And making the people at the local pizza place happy.

Q: How do you define success?
A: A nice, positive review from a reader. With the independent publishing route I’ve embraced (at least for now – knock on wood for the future!), every bit of feedback helps. When I know a complete stranger read and enjoyed my book, that’s success.

Selling a million copies and having Hollywood call, that’d be okay, too.

Q: What do you love most about the writer’s life?
A: Shaping a grand (I hope!) story that will unfold over the course of seven books, and bringing to life all the characters floating around inside that corner of my brain.

Q: Do you have a website or blog where readers can find out more about and your work?
A: I sure do! Check out paul-leone.com for all your Vatican Vampire Hunters needs.

Q: Where is your book available?
A: It’s for sale on Amazon (Kindle and Print on Demand) and Barnes & Noble (Nook).

Q:  Anything else you’d like to tell my readers?

A:  To paraphrase the slogan of a local restaurant: If I entertain you, tell others; if not, tell me!
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