Author Interview & Giveaway: Rhonda Parrish

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About the Author:

When she isn't procrastinating in one way or another, Rhonda writes. Mostly she writes fantasy and horror, but occasionally something from another genre drips from her pen. She is also the founder and boss-type-lady of Niteblade Magazine.

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

I don't even know how to outline, to be honest with you. I generally start a story or novel with a character and a 'what if' scenario in my head. Usually I know how it will end but I'm pretty sure I've ever known how I was going to get from the start to the finish. Ever.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

Only when I'm lucky ;) Writing always goes better and I find the end result is stronger when the work and/or characters take on a life of their own. That's what I'm always striving to achieve. Sometimes I get lucky.

What is your favourite food?

Not so long ago I would have said sushi, but I recently I've fallen in love with the fish burritos at Mucho Burrito. Om nom nom!

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Definitely a night owl. My husband and daughter too. Whenever we have a few days where no one has to work or go to school our schedule inevitably evolves to be very nocturnal. It means none of us are really very happy to get up in the morning (some more than others), but we muddle through.

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

Everywhere. Seriously. Everywhere. I want to see and experience everything this world has to offer. Not only to enrich my writing, though there is definitely that, but also to enrich my life. We are only given a finite number of days to spend on this planet and I want to pack as much awesomeness into them as I possibly can.

Do distant places feature in your books?

Yes, but I think it might be more accurate to say that different places feature in my books. Most of my stories take place in worlds I've created :)

Do you listen to music while writing?

Sort of. I like to have background noise while I write but generally speaking the emphasis is on the word background. Often I will have the radio in the next room on very low, but occasionally I'll turn on music instead. It has to be soft and, more often than not, it will be instrumental so that the lyrics don't distract me.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?

Aphanasian Stories is made up of three of my stories which are set in Aphanasia. Two of the tales were ones that were previously published in the traditional way and the third is one I gave away on my blog a chapter at a time. I wanted to increase their audience though and thought bundling them together would be a great way to do that.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

So. Much.

Seriously.

When I first started writing I used to use the words then and than interchangeably. I kid you not. Since then I've spent time on both sides of the slush pile, in critique groups and with my nose in tons of books.

Is there anything you would do differently?

Oh, of course. There are always regrets when you look back, right? There are the contracts I never would have signed, the choices I'd change, but looking back and dwelling on that would be enough to make me go crazy LoL Better to keep my eyes front, for the most part, and keep pushing forward toward my goals.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

Would it be incredibly trite and clichéd to say everyone and everything? Probably, but it's true. Everything I experience, read, watch, everyone I interact with, overhear in the food court, watch on the bus, they all influence my writing to some degree. Conversation snippets are likely to be twisted and reused in my stories, interesting people become characters, good books make me want to write better, fantastic movies inspire me to create. It's a closed circuit LoL Everything going in effects everything coming out.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

Don't give up. Some days are really, really going to suck, but the good days… well, they'll help make up for it and over time you just might find that there are fewer bad days, but only if you don't give up.

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

I don't think I can pick a favourite book, and I'd be hard pressed to choose a favourite writer either. I love The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, it may be one of the most perfect fantasy stories ever penned (and if you've only ever watched the movie buy the book. Seriously.) and I love Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman but are they my favourites? I don't know. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein stole a piece of my heart and P.G. Wodehouse will forever have a spot in what's left of it, but I don't know that they are my favourites either. With so many different stories and styles out there to enjoy, I really don't think I can pick one or two to point to and say 'That. That one is my favourite.'

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book

Three of Rhonda Parrish’s beloved Aphanasian stories brought together in one collection for the first time!

A Love Story: Z’thandra, a swamp elf living with the Reptar, discovers a human near the village. When she falls in love with him, she faces the most difficult choice of her life, a decision that will affect the Reptar for generations.

Lost and Found: Xavier, the escaped subject of a madman’s experiments, and Colby, a young lady on a mission to save her brother, must combine their efforts to elude capture and recover the magical artifact that will save Colby’s brother before it’s too late.

Sister Margaret: A vampire hunter and a half-incubus swordsman are hired by a priestess to kill the undead pimp that is extorting, torturing and murdering vulnerable girls.

Any websites/places readers can find you on the web.

http://www.rhondaparrish.com

https://twitter.com/RhondaParrish

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2651534.Rhonda_Parrish

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Guest Post by Tanith Morse

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Beautiful Darkness: My Top Five Horror Stories


Hey guys! My name is Tanith Morse and I’m the author of YA trilogy Super Dark, a tale of passion, guilt and redemption. I’ve always been a fan of horror stories and things that go bump in the night. Ever since I was a child, I’ve enjoyed being scared and today I’m going to tell you about my top five favorite horror stories.

1. Gabriel Ernest by H.H Munro – One of the most chilling werewolf stories ever told. It starts with a warning: “There’s a wild beast in your woods…” and quickly descends into a vortex of complete and utter terror. It’s short but extremely well written and the ending is a real corker. Highly recommended.

2. The Monkey’s Paw by WW Jacobs - This 1902 cracker is what inspired Stephen King to write Pet Sematary. In the story, the paw of a dead monkey is a talisman that grants its possessor three wishes, but the wishes come with an enormous price for interfering with fate. Really scary story that makes you think twice about having your wishes granted.

3. Nightmare at 20,000 Feet by Richard Matheson – Great tale that was adapted into a segment for the ‘60s Twilight Zone TV series. It tells the story of a traveling salesman on an airplane who notices a gremlin on the wing and tries to alert the pilot with disastrous consequences. One of the best Matheson short stories.

4. The Veldt by Ray Bradbury – This is more science fiction than horror but the end is so chilling it might as well be. Set in a distant future, The Veldt tells the story of two children who become fascinated with their "nursery", a virtual reality room that is able to connect with them telepathically to reproduce any place they imagine. When the nursery gets stuck on an African setting, with lions in the distance, eating dead carcasses, events take a decidedly sinister turn …

5. The Treasure of Abbot Thomas by M.R. James - James was one of the most prolific short story writers of his generation and The Treasure of Abbot Thomas is one of his best. It tells the story of Rev. Justin Somerton, a scholar of Medieval history who tells a rector the tale of how, while searching a library, he found cues leading him to the hidden treasure of a disgraced abbot. Sadly, the abbot wasn’t a nice person and placed a terrible curse on the treasure. The setting and atmosphere are so spooky, you’ll need to read this with the lights on!

About the Author:

Tanith Morse grew up in Wandsworth, south London. From a young age she developed a great love of horror films and gothic romances. Her favorite director is Tim Burton and her favorite authors include Charlotte Bronte, Stephenie Meyer and Suzanne Collins. When she isn’t writing, Tanith enjoys directing short films for the festival circuit and looking after her cat, Mambo. An avid tea drinker, Tanith can be found hanging out in cozy London cafes in search of new brews to tease her taste buds. Super Dark is her first YA novel.

http://tanithmorse.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.facebook.com/TanithMorse.Author

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5279548.Tanith_Morse

https://twitter.com/TanithMorse

Super Dark

The Super Dark Trilogy Book One
Tanith Morse
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Little Willow
ASIN: B00B139IXK
Number of pages: 256
Word Count: 83,000 Words
Cover Artist: Tanith Morse
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/tnWAp50eQhQ
 Amazon

Book Description:


For fans of Stephenie Meyer comes a chilling love story that will have you hooked from the very first page. Super Dark is a tale of passion, guilt and redemption with a whopping, knock-you-to-your-knees twist!

Darkness stalks seventeen-year-old Sam Harper. Ten years ago on Halloween night, grotesque creatures snatched her best friend Elliot and Sam narrowly escaped with her life. Now a decade on, the police investigation has ground to a halt and Elliot's whereabouts remains a mystery.

Traumatized by her ordeal, Sam finds it hard to make friends. She is mistrustful of authority and changed schools more times than she cares to remember. To her, the world is cruel and unforgiving.

Then she meets the enigmatic Lee Weaver. With his gorgeous face and magnetic presence, he turns heads wherever he goes. Sam has never wanted anyone as much as she wants Lee, but there are things about the alluring stranger that don't add up, leading Sam to ask unsettling questions about her past. Soon she discovers the boy of her dreams is keeping a terrible secret: one that threatens to destroy everything Sam holds dear.

Super Dark is a seductive love story that will keep you guessing right until the final page.

Guest Post by Eva Pohler

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How Greek Myths Inspire Us to Be Heroes
by Eva Pohler


I fell in love with Greek myths in the eighth grade, when I read Edith Hamilton’s Mythology. Later, after studying Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, I better understood why most people are drawn to myths: They help us to project and symbolically play out our own fears and desires. Carl Jung wrote of universal archetypes—such as the Madonna, the soldier, and the rogue. Sigmund Freud wrote that art was the opportunity for adults to continue childhood play in a socially acceptable way. Joseph Campbell built upon the works of both Jung and Freud to describe The Hero with a Thousand Faces, which inspired George Lukas in the creation of Star Wars.

As a writer, I, like Lukas, wished to tap into that universal consciousness where fears and desires are shared. Myths make it possible to project universal fears, or what we often call our inner demons, into monsters that can be externally fought and defeated. The most universal fear is death. I created a trilogy for young adults in which death is not only faced and, in some ways, battled, but also embraced and transcended.

In the first book of this contemporary fantasy, The Gatekeeper’s Sons, fifteen-year-old Therese Mills meets Thanatos, the god of death, while in a coma after witnessing her parents’ murder. She feels like the least powerful person on the planet and is ready to give up on life, but the story forces her to fight. As she hunts with the fierce and beautiful Furies to track down her parents’ murder and avenge their death, she falls in love with Thanatos and symbolically accepts her parents’ and her own mortality.

In the second book, The Gatekeeper’s Challenge, Therese has the opportunity to transcend death by accepting five seemingly impossible challenges issued by Hades. All five challenges represent the universal fears of rejection, culpability, disorientation, death, and loss in the forms of a box not allowed to be opened, an apple that shouldn’t be eaten, a labyrinth meant to confuse, a Hydra that wants to destroy, and the allure of bringing back the dead. These same myths are recycled again and again through the centuries because they help us to recognize our inner demons and inspire us to defeat them.

As I finish the trilogy with The Gatekeeper’s Daughter, which will be released on December 1, 2013, I’m holding a contest from January 1, 2013 to October 1, 2013 for my readers. Details can be found at my website at http://www.evapohler.com/contest.

Eva Pohler teaches writing at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she lives with her husband, three children, two dogs, two rats, and her very large collection of books.

Find Eva on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/EvaPohler


Find Eva at Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4888434.Eva_Pohler

Visit Eva’s Blog at http://www.bookclubpicks.blogspot.com

To purchase copies of Eva’s books, please visit her website at http://www.evapohler.com/books

You can also contact Eva at evapohler@sbcglobal.net

The Gatekeeper's Daughter
by Eva Pohler
YA Fantasy

Blurb:

In The Gatekeeper's Sons, Therese and Thanatos, the god of Death, met and fell in love. In The Gatekeeper's Challenge, they did everything they could to be together, even break an oath on the River Styx. But the Olympians don't tolerate oath-breakers. In this final book in the trilogy, The Gatekeeper's Daughter, Therese may have finally succeeded in becoming a goddess, but if she wants to remain one, she'll not only have to discover her unique purpose, but also make some allies among the gods. Artemis sends her on a seemingly impossible quest across the world, while Than searches for a way to appease Ares. To make matters worse, her aunt's baby's life hangs in the balance.

Book Review: College Boys by Daisy Harris

College Boys

by Daisy Harris
Men of Holsum College #1
Siren Publishing
M/M Contemporary Erotic Romance
5 Stars
Review copy from Netgalley

Blurb:

When soccer star Chris Fischer moves next door to an openly gay classmate, he doesn't realize the wall between their rooms will be so thin he'll hear his neighbor's every move. But soon he and Peter become friends, and Chris is intrigued—imagining what happens on the other side of the wall.

Active on the Queer Student Council, Peter Cohen wishes he wasn't so damn hot for his straight neighbor. He can't tell if Chris is flirting or in denial or what, but Chris's innocent overtures lure Peter into flirtation that throws his world into chaos. Peter doesn't want to date a closet case, but he desperately, passionately wants Chris.

Soon Chris must choose whether to run away from his new feelings or embrace a relationship with the guy he loves. And Peter must decide if he can give his heart to a guy who hasn't yet figured it all out.

Review:

Grieving after the death of his mother, Chris Fischer requests a room transfer to a single dorm room so that his friends won't keep asking how he's coping. He doesn't want to talk about it and thinks that having his own room and his own space will help. What he hadn't realised, was that the single rooms in Cooper Hall were once doubles and have just been split down the middle with thin plasterboard walls and he can hear everything his new neighbour gets up to.

I adored this novella. Chris and Peter were both so sweet that you wanted things to work out for them. Chris' dilemma over these new feelings he's having for a man were well done without piling on too much angst. It's a romance so you hope things will work out in the end. It must be difficult after thinking you were one thing for a long time, Chris has had a few girlfriends after all and enjoyed his time with them, but here he is wondering about Peter and what it might be like to do things with him.

Despite his growing attraction to Peter, Chris is afraid to act on it. He's worried about what his friends and his team mates on the soccer team will think. His questioning his sexuality is what a lot of the book is about and you want to reach in and give him a hug. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to come out in real life and it was done with sensitivity in the book.

Chris and Peter spend a lot of the first half of the book talking to each other through the thin walls of their dorm room and it might have seemed a bit contrived, but it really worked here. They got to know each other in whispers late each night, starting out with intimate conversations and then moving on to shared masturbation sessions through that same wall, which were really hot.

It was great that they got to know each other a bit before they finally got together in the physical sense, it made him seem much more emotional because of that. I loved that their first time didn't quite go as smoothly as one would hope - Peter was a virgin and Chris had never been with a man before and it made it so much sweeter and realistic that they weren't these great lovers straight off the bat. The love scenes were intense though, and you could really feel the love between these two young men.

A wonderful read if you're looking for a romance that is both hot and sweet at the same time.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Author Interview: Erec Stebbins

About the Author:

Author Erec Stebbins is a biomedical researcher in New York who writes political and international thrillers, science fiction, narrated storybooks, and more.  Born in the Midwest, with an adolescence in the Deep South and education in the Northeast, he's a research scientist, author, flute maker, and dad.

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?


It depends on the genre and the nature of the story. For my thrillers, the plots are usually multi-threaded and interwoven, so that in order to have the different storylines in sync I need to do outlines and even timelines. For “The Ragnarök Conspiracy”, I posted online my my original hand-drawn timeline for fun back in the Fall:
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/528517_350581111697967_507998821_n.jpg

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

This also depends a little on the story itself. For my first person narratives, in a sense they DO take over the story by the nature of the perspective. However, my thrillers to date have been in third person, and they are very plot driven, which insulates the novel from that fun character that wants to pull a Tom Riddle.

What is your favourite food?

Chocolate. Isn’t it everyone’s?

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

By necessity, a morning person (children, day job). By nature, a night owl. Hence, all the psychotherapy.

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

Around the world in a catamaran. I love the idea of taking a boat around the world, being far from land. Cats don’t heel and have great living conditions. But first, I have to get the money to get a Cat. Then, there's that whole "learning to sail" thing.

Do distant places feature in your books?

Yes! In “The Ragnarök Conspiracy”, the action occurs around the world from New York to South America to Europe to the Middle East. In my science fiction novel (currently under construction and due out this summer), the protagonist travels across the galaxy and through time. Now that's long distance!

Do you listen to music while writing?

No, I don’t multitask well at all, and I don’t think that I could write coherently with music on. I could probably tune out music while writing to some degree, but that wouldn’t be listening while writing!

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?

It’s called “The Ragnarök Conspiracy” and is available from Seventh Street Books. The title comes from the Old Norse word for the end of the world, a kind of Armageddon on steroids, if you will. In this “end times” mythology, there aren’t winners. No Second Coming or virgins in Heaven. For the Northern peoples who lived in a very harsh climate, their end of the world has all the gods and heros (along with the monsters and “evil doers”) annihilated, the cosmos decimated, and Order turned to Chaos. The only reason to fight in the Last Battle, therefore, was for pure idealism that it was the right thing to do. Now, imagine a new terrorist organization that has adopted this mythology as its symbol. World War ensues.

Thriller writer Allan Leverone summarized “The Ragnarök Conspiracy” with the words that it “turns the traditional terrorist thriller on its head”. Chris Brookmyre said it was “Outrageously entertaining: epic, explosive, subversive, engaged and compassionate”. I am fond of these descriptions!

More personally, it was written as my own emotional response to witnessing the attacks of September 11 in New York City.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

I’ve learned a lot about writing thrillers. Having published only dry scientific articles for the last 20 years, it took a little reprogramming to get out of an academic style and pace a thriller appropriately. This required several rewrites of “The Ragnarök Conspiracy”. My second thriller (currently making the rounds) was written from the get-go much more intensely paced.

Is there anything you would do differently?

I could have saved some time had I known how to pace the thriller initially, which led a lot of potential agents to reject it. Also, I think I would have not tried so much to fit the narrative into what I thought was expected of the genre and just written more from the gut, producing more a distinctive (and for some off-putting) “single malt” novel as opposed to a more broadly inoffensive, yet less distinctive, whiskey blend.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

This also depends on the genre, but I would say that for thrillers my idea of what such a novel should be still is very influenced by my youthful reading of Robert Ludlum and Tom Clancy.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

Don’t listen to me! Kidding aside, I would say read up from several different authors who have found success via different paths, who have different approaches, and integrate what they say, keeping an open mind and pursuing multiple options. That and remember that persistence (and a thick skin) is the key to success in most endeavors in life.

What are three words that describe you?

Playful, serious, and self-contradictory.

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

I can’t say one book is my favorite as so many are beloved for different reasons. I could combine those questions and say “Star Maker” by Olaf Stapledon, but it would not be fully true. I’d have to say Stapledon-Tolkien-Simmons-Ludlum-Vonnegut-cummings-Herbert-Tagore, or some other Ent-like endless name.

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book

The Ragnarök Conspiracy: A Western terrorist organization targets Muslims around the world, and FBI agent John Savas is drawn into a web of international intrigue. To solve the case, he must put aside the loss of his son and work with a man who symbolizes all he has come to hate. Both are drawn into a race against time to stop the plot of an American bin Laden and prevent a global catastrophe.

Any websites/places readers can find you on the web.

http://erecstebbins.com, http://facebook.com/ErecStebbins
 @erecstebbins


The Ragnarök Conspiracy is available from amazon | amazon uk

Book Spotlight: Big Bad Wolf by Victoria Danann

Moonlight: The Big Bad Wolf

Victoria Danann

Paranormal Romance / Fantasy

Date to be Published: 5/25/13

ISBN ebook 978-1-933320-69-4

ISBN Print   978-1-933320-64-9

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis:

The fourth installment in The Order of the Black Swan serial saga. The story of B Team continues while the romance centers on Stalkson Grey, head of the Elk Mountain Reservation Tribe of werewolves. He embarks on an adventure he would never have dreamed possible, willing to take any risk to save his pack from extinction. Along the way he learns that true love can find you in the strangest places, even when you're far, far from home.

Victoria Danann Links

Website | Facebook | Goodreads Author Page | Twitter

Book Excerpt :

CHAPTER 1

"What do you know about my sister and that prancin' prick of a fairy prince?"

Elora blinked, but in the space of that flutter he learned all he needed to know. He had found out the first night Storm brought her to poker, back at Jefferson Unit, that her very expressive face telegraphed even the tiniest nuance or feeling or thought. By now he knew her so well that she was as transparent as air. She was caught off guard because she hadn't expected that question while Ram was cooking a leisurely Sunday breakfast.

"Say that three times fast?"

"No' goin' to work this time. Stay on topic."

"You just don't like him because he can stand toe to toe with you and not be cowed by the H.O.H. elfster."

"ELFSTER!? What in Paddy's Name, Elora? And what is H.O.H.?"

"Hall of Heroes."

Ram turned away from frying bacon and gave her a look. It probably didn't have the effect he intended. He was wearing jeans, a long sleeve black tee that stretched across his chest enticingly, and a black Jack Daniels apron tied around his waist. She thought perhaps nothing was sexier than watching Ram's muscles ripple while cooking her breakfast.

"Do no' try to deflect. 'Tis I. And Paddy knows I can tell when you're hidin' somethin'."

Ram looked determined.

"Speaking of hiding. You're going to have to do something about all these guys overrunning our property. Our home - the one that was intended to be our very own, very private property. Please, Ram. Make them go away."

His expression softened a little as he decided to allow himself to be temporarily derailed.

"Sol, Simon, and every one of your friends agree that we can no' leave you and Helm vulnerable after the threat those alien buggers left hangin' in the air. That goes especially for your friend, Sir Storm."

"My friend, Sir Storm?"

"Aye. Your friend. The bloody wanker suggested that I'm no' responsible enough to be entrusted with lookin' out for you. Said, 'You're no' takin' good care of my namesake's mother.

I'll be forced to give the job to someone else if you do no' shape up and begin takin' it seriously'."

Elora laughed. "He said that?"

"Aye. As if 'twas all my doin' that you ended up givin' birth alone in a freezin' wolf cave. With. No. Phone."

"Well..."

Ram narrowed his eyes at her. "Think very carefully about what you are about to say before you say it."

Elora smiled brightly. "I was going to say that no one in his right mind could fault you."

Ram nodded and resumed turning the bacon. "Exactly. I should have reminded him what happened when he was in charge of the Baka interview at Unit Drac. He pouted for hours after learnin' first hand that the Lady Laiken does as she fuck-well pleases."

Elora concurred by nodding vigorously. "It's a burden, but you bear it well, my love."

"All kiddin' aside. I do. I really do." He began setting strips of cooked bacon out to drain the grease.

"Well, Sir Storm is going to be plenty busy with his own burdens."

"What's your meanin?"

"They're expecting."

"Expectin' a baby?"

"No. They're expecting Publishers Clearing House to pay for their villa renovation."

Ram gave her a look. "You know, I'm thinkin' there's only enough of this lovely bacon for one and, since I cooked, I really should be keepin' it for myself."

"Yes! They're expecting a baby. Litha thinks it's a girl."

"A girl!" Ram practically whooped. "Paddy's Great Balls Afire. I can no' wait to see Storm try to be da to a girl." He laughed enjoying that idea and then grew serious. "As for the buggers who violated my grandda's forest, I'll no' be givin' 'em a second chance at my family."

"Rammel. I hear you and I understand you."

"I do no' suppose the next sentence will be 'and I obey you'."

Elora smirked while she snagged a piece of bacon. "Have I ever mentioned you make great bacon?" She nuzzled his ear on the way back to her stool. "Almost as good as chocolate."

Ram pointed a spatula at her. "I swear to Paddy you have that thin'... that ADDD."

"ADHD?"

"Aye."

Elora started laughing. "Pot."

When his brows drew together she smiled because Helm looked at her with that same expression several times a day. They made him accidentally in a snow covered cottage, but he was made with love and now he was a little bit her and a little bit him. A miracle indeed.

"You can no' concentrate 'cause you've been smokin' dope?"

"No! 'Pot' as in 'you're the pot calling the kettle black'."

Ram stared at her for a few beats, finally shook his head and said, "No idea."

"You don't have an expression here about the pot calling the kettle black?"

"We do no' that I know of, but I think I begin to follow your point. You're tryin' to say that I should no' be accusin' you of short attention because mine is even shorter?"

Of their own accord, his eyes drifted down to the cleavage showing between the Henley buttons she'd left undone.

She chuckled. "See?"

"See what?"

She did a little shimmy and he grinned sheepishly. "Guilty." He put an orange juice in front of her. "And be careful of the sexy dancin'. You'll be gettin' Helm's milk all over your clothes again."

Elora rolled her eyes. "He gets enough. Have you seen how chubby his little face is getting?"

"Well, blood will tell."

Elora narrowed her eyes to slits. "Rammel. Paddy help you if you're saying what I think you're saying."

"All I'm sayin' is that chubby cheeks do no' run on my side of the family." When she took a mock threatening step toward him, he laughed. "Just teasin' darlin' girl. Just teasin'. You know I would no' change a hair on your head. Or his."

"Okay. All I'm sayin' is that insanity doesn't run on my side of the family." A look of horror slowly covered her face as she realized what she'd just said. She hadn't yet personally confronted what the assassin in the woods had said about the Laiwynn clan, but if it was true, it meant that cruelty and despotic behavior might run in her family.

Ram put his utensils down, wiped his hand on his apron, and offered himself for a hug.

She stepped into the comfort of his arms.

"What I was trying to tell you earlier is that I've never made any secret of the fact that I won't give up my freedom to live a restricted life, no matter how luxurious or comfortable. Not for anything."

"No' even for Helm? And me?"

"That's not fighting fair and you know it."

"When it comes to your safety - and our son's - you think I care about fightin' fair? 'Tis the very last of my concerns."

"Let me put it this way. You need to come up with a more agreeable Plan B and you need to do it while I'm still in a listening mood."

"Any ideas?"

She looked down at her pretty Holland china plate, part of the set they got as a wedding present from Kay and Katrina. She had a picture of how good life was going to be there in their new home. Had the Ralengclan assassins spoiled her vision of the future to the point of ruin?

Was it time to confront that possibility?

"No." When she looked back up, Ram thought he might have seen her look just a little worn. Like her aura hadn't been buffed in a while.

Sometimes he caught her looking off into space and he suspected that she was thinking about what she'd been told by the Ralengclan assassin, wondering if the massacre of her family was really a coup d'etat." Armed people guarding the house. Hardly what I pictured."

"I know." Ram sat down next to her and took her hand in his. "We'll figure it out. Monq's workin' on it." He pulled up like he had an idea. The change was so subtle that no one besides Elora would have even noticed it.

"What?"

"He's workin' on detectin' interdimensional activity - identifyin' the source and location. He says 'tis a logical first step toward the defense system we're goin' to be needin'."

"Yeah. I heard."

"Well..." She knew she was in trouble when he turned on that look that he had given her the first night they had met, the puppy dog plea that was so irresistible she could be manipulated out of her socks with full knowledge and complicity. She hated that. It was... manipulation by consent.

"Stop that right now!"

"'Twas just thinkin' that, for the time bein', just while we're sortin' this out, maybe we should move back into Jefferson Unit. You and Helm would be safe there. I know 'tis no' ideal, but there is the courtpark, food, and babysittin' on demand. 'Tis no' this." He looked around the room and gave a little sigh. He had put a lot of himself into renovating the property and somewhere along the way had come to understand why she loved it and pictured their little family living happily ever after there. "But we were happy at Jefferson too. We could even help

Monq. Maybe speedin' thin's along a bit?"

"I'm expecting puppies."

"I truly hope no one is recordin' this conversation." Ram's mouth softened at the corners making him look so beautifully kissable that she had to lean in and remind herself if those kisses were as good as she remembered. He didn't seem to mind complying with her wish. When she pulled back, he said, "We could get Glen to keep an eye on that. The wolf pups I mean."

"This is not just some ruse that's going to get us sucked back into active duty?"

Ram cocked his head like he was having trouble with that question. "Why would I go to so much trouble to keep you safe only so I could risk gettin' you killed?"

Elora stared at Ram for a few seconds. "I'm not the only knight in the room and we both know how persuasive Sol can be when he wants something. Before I even consider this proposal, I need some reassurance that none of us, not you, not me, not the baby - none of us - are going to end up on any field assignment. Not in any capacity."

Ram nodded. "Deal."

"Okay."

"Okay you approve of my answer or okay we're packin' for Fort Dixon?"

"Fort Dixon, but that's all of us. Blackie too. And we need an apartment big enough for the four of us."

"Thank Paddy. I'm goin' to get a good night's sleep for a change." She hadn't realized just how much stress the fear of assassination had caused Ram until she saw his facial muscles relax. Yeah. It was a good plan. A good choice, everything considered.

"And, let's outline what would have to happen to make it possible for us to come back here and proceed to live life the way it should be lived. By ourselves. Speaking of which, I'm also not giving up the pleasure of a weekend at the cottage - just us - forever."

"Certainly. I'm no' unreasonable."

She smiled at him lovingly and indulgently. "Of course not. You're my hero."

Author Interview: Devin K. Smyth

About the Author:

In Devin's day job, he works for a major toy company writing wholesome product descriptions. To get the saccharine taste out of his mouth, his avocation is thinking of ways to annihilate the world (in story form only, of course). He lives in southern Wisconsin with his girlfriend and their three feline kids.


Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

For me, stories seem to accumulate. I’ll think of various scenes, and once they coagulate into something approaching a storyline, I’ll create a basic outline and go from there.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

Most of my characters have a hint of me in them, so I guess I don’t ever let them really take over.

What is your favourite food?

Raw cookie dough (I know, I know—salmonella will get me some day)

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Neither—the sweet spot of the day for me is mid-morning.

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

I dream of driving an RV around and seeing a new sunset every evening.

Do distant places feature in your books?

Sometimes—but in order to write what I know, I tend to keep to places I’ve seen or know well.

Do you listen to music while writing?

Only to drown out the noise of others.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?

THE CONTAMINANTS is told through the eyes of teen friends Jessil and Soraj. The story was inspired by the idea that the world’s militaries have enough nuclear weapons to annihilate the planet several times over. So what if in hopes of maintaining its own dominance, the U.S. government decided to nuke the earth, including its own land? In my story, the government prepares for the bombing by building cruisers filled with “the chosen,” who will orbit earth while robots and other automated processes remediate the planet’s environment until a return is safe for humanity. But things don’t go as planned…

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

It’s equal parts draining and rewarding. To write well takes a lot of effort, but when you achieve what you want, it’s very satisfying. Same with publishing—more to the pointing, book promotion. Getting your story noticed is difficult as well. Yet when someone gives you a good review, there’s no better feeling.

Is there anything you would do differently?

I would have started self-publishing sooner. Trying to find an agent who will even look at your work is quite a chore.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

I had many fine teachers and professors who introduced me to great writers. Once I saw the possibilities of literature and language, I wanted to write.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

Write what you would like to read. Writing for yourself is the only way to stick with it.

What are three words that describe you?

Imaginative, mischievous, and stubborn

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell—not a wasted word, and I love satire.

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book

When America attempts to "purify" earth to maintain its own dominance, it sparks a worldwide nuclear holocaust. Teen friends Jessil and Soraj are among the few survivors. They escaped on a cruiser that now orbits the planet and is designed to help regenerate the earth's ecosystem. Soraj’s father leads the regeneration process and is hopeful that he can salvage a region in North America for the cruiser’s return.

But when Jessil discovers a message indicating her own father may have survived the holocaust back on earth, she’s determined to rescue him immediately with Soraj's aid. Can they succeed even though the planet they return to is very different from the one they left—and that their success could mean failure for the regeneration process?

List of previous books if any

THE EMERGENCE is about an 11-year-old boy who has to deal with a strange fog that eventually overtakes the planet, evaporating all surface water—rivers, lakes, oceans—as it does. The story follows his family’s struggle to survive the catastrophic consequences.

Any websites/places readers can find you on the web.

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6466004.Devin_K_Smyth

http://www.bookdaily.com/author/1717001/devin-k-smyth