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Widdershins my nano project chapter 6

This has not been edited and may well end up being tweaked.

Rowan reached sight of the Rockies just as the sun was setting. The low light on his face seared his tired eyes after thirty-six hours driving but the satellite navigator on the truck had helped, particularly at crossing frozen farm fields to avoid a border stop. Neither of them had papers and he wasn’t up to giving explanations. He could just imagine the reaction to his statement, ‘Well, I am a five-hundred year old werewolf and this is a young wolf in the making. No, we don’t have passports because we aren’t really human anymore.’ He’d deal with getting new identity documents once he had Morgan safe.

Luckily, the truck was a four-by-four or he would have been in trouble with the snow. Morgan hadn’t stirred, despite the two stops for gas and one to change to Canadian currency at a bank just as they opened in the morning. He hadn’t thought she would waken after the strength of stuff he had given her. Five more hours to drive through Calgary and Banff and then he was into the interior of British Columbia. Any side road would do after that point. A whine from the rear of the truck raised the hair on the back of his neck. His time was running out. He pulled over on the hard shoulder to check on Morgan. She twitched and moaned. The change was coming sooner than he wanted. Not good. He might not have time to strip her before he released her if he didn’t do so now, a necessity, if not his preferred choice. He tried to be gentle to keep her hibernating. Stars, she had a great body now she had put on a bit of weight and wasn’t such a skeleton. Down boy, he couldn’t think about that. He wrapped her in purloined duvets to cover everything except her head.

The world spun when he tried to climb into the cab again. He took a moment to clear his head. Five hundred years of endurance kicked in. He could do this and he could do it safely for both of them. He rolled down the window, sucking in a blast of arctic air to keep him awake for the next stretch. Calgary flashed by in a glare of garish Christmas lights, followed by Banff with more subdued decorations. The noises from Morgan became louder but this didn’t disturb him as much as an overriding sense of dread. Something stalked them, and yet he couldn’t see any vehicle behind him, not on a consistent basis. The sense of oppression continued until three hours before dawn. Now he knew who hunted him. A vampire and a long distance one at that. Someone needed to check into a motel with vacancies, which wasn’t easy, given the ski season in full operation. Someone needed to make quite sure he had a nice dark room before daybreak. Good, it gave him time to set Morgan free. He turned off on the first side road, driving until he found a cut out. The growls from the back of the truck were getting serious. He pulled over, opening the rear door. One yank got the covers off her. He retreated to the other side of the truck to let nature run its course. The cold would make her change to get her fur, but he had to stay out of her scent pattern or she would attack him. A vibrant howl reverberated. It had begun. He climbed up to the cab roof, out of the way. A slim and beautiful wolf erupted from the rear of the cab. She sprinted into the trees in easy bounds. Rowan slid off the roof to get inside, shutting all the doors. Now, at last, he could sleep. The vampire was going to have to check every vehicle on this route to find the right one and at Christmas time, with people traveling, it was going to take time. Morgan would run and she would hunt until her human memories kicked in, and then she would return to deal with him for what he had done to her. He didn’t imagine she’d be thrilled. Rowan clicked the door locks shut before he surrendered to exhaustion.

***

Morgan came awake suddenly with an overpowering urge to run. She leapt out of a smelly area into clean forest. With the stars above her head and the sounds of nature all around, her world had no end. Crisp snow bore her weight for the fleeting seconds her feet made contact, leaving only a slight indent. Other fresh tracks snagged her senses with the aroma of prey. Mm, bunny, yum. She found it scrabbling in the snow to get at withered grass under the mantel of white. Carefully she edged around the clearing until she was downwind, her tail now wagging in anticipation. One step at a time, she crept closer, belly low. One mad dash, with the white hare squealing, bounding off at jagged angles and she had it. A bite to snap the neck brought the taste of fresh warm blood to her mouth. She started with the entrails, working her way to the muscles and then crunching the marrow out of the big bones, licking out the goodness. A full belly came with disturbing thoughts. This was not right. Memories of her other life bubbled to the surface in that lonely glade. He had done this to her, the man who was wolf. Yes, she wanted freedom, but not in this form. Her damaged leg began to ache in the cold. She must find him; make him answer for his sins. Her own scent gave a trail back to his truck and an impossible sight.

***
Rowan’s wolf sense roused him from slumber. A predator stalked and he thought he knew who it was. Being inside a locked truck was no security if he guessed right. More pressing, Morgan might walk into a trap if he didn’t spring it first. This showdown was long overdue. He stepped out into the frigid night, snow crunching underfoot, every sense keyed to the slightest movement or sound. Darkness ruled in the time before dawn.

A rustle in a nearby tree spun him around. Stanislav Borinsky, now called Jack Stevens, crouched on a limb, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. The vampire watched, waiting, intent on the cabin of the truck.

“Where is she, old wolf? What have you done with her? You know you will tell me when I’ve finished with you. Why not spare us both the inconvenience?”

Rowan assessed the killing field with a swift glance. Every boulder, depression, fallen branch mapped in his head, every slight depression or hummock in the snow; he smiled at the old bat. “Borinsky, you missed the boat by so much the ticket office closed down hours since. She will never be your prey.”

The vampire leaped off his perch to float gracefully to the ground. “I will have her. I won’t have my operations disrupted by a human. You must see this from my point of view. I need Mullen to front my North American operation and she has fingered him. What is a puny human to us? Come, give me the girl and I will forgive what your pack did to my men. ”

“The girl is mine. Shall we fight?” Bring it on. It was past time they stopped dancing around each other and settled this for good. This wasn’t about Morgan any longer. It was about who was going to survive.
Borinsky hesitated, looking into the shadows of the forest. “How careless you have become in your dotage. Your pack appears conspicuous by their absence. One last chance. Where did you leave her and where is she going?”

A whiff of frigid air brought the scent of wolf. Rowan did have a pack mate, but was she on his side? The old bat missed the spore of a werewolf. Too bad for him. “How about you consider giving up flying? Sink your fangs into me and that is what will happen.”

Borinsky snapped his cloak back from his shoulders. “What makes you think I would want to ruin my dental hygiene on your sorry carcass? We both know I am stronger than you in your current form. I’ll settle for snapping your back to let you freeze to death.” He rose from the ground, floating into battle position.

A sleek gray wolf sprang out of the bush, bounded to the truck bed, and then onto the roof of the cab. She crouched, ready to spring, her glowing eyes intent on the vampire’s throat. The vampire sailed up onto his former perch, shaking out his cloak like ruffled feathers. “That is not a wolf.”

Rowan smiled again. “Not all of my pack are lupine. Shall we discover what happens when a vampire gets bitten by one of my kind? Normally, I am kind to new pups, but in your case I could make an exception. Oh, and by the way, if you want a fight, you had better get on with it. I spy a silver streak in the sky. Still, this shouldn’t be a problem for you in your new life.”

Borinsky made the mistake of looking east. Morgan leapt at him, missing by a spider’s leg, when the vampire flew up in panic. His hiss of outrage made the night colder. “I’ll not forget, or forgive. I’ll find the girl without you.”

Rowan moved close to the wolf, reaching down with one hand to stroke her luxuriant fur. “Oh look, is that some red I see in the sky?”
The vampire took flight in a blur.

Morgan bit his hand, just a little. Reckoning time. “How about if I go get your clothes and turn my back while you change? We can argue all you like after that.”

29th and 30th October Free Story for Halloween.

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As a cancer takes root, so too do strange visions and a visitor who should not exist. Robin has a headstone in the churchyard. It says departed, but not dead. He says he has been in the hollow hills. Is this madness? The witching hour approaches with the coming of Samhain. What will it bring?

Available on all Amazons http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Day-Elizabeth-Hull-ebook/dp/B00M3IIWSO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1446080909&sr=1-1&keywords=forever+and+a+day+by+elizabeth+hull

Author Interview with Frances Kay

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Hi Frances, and Welcome.

What are your books about and what inspired you to write it/them?
Dollywagglers was written as a stand-alone picture of a society in meltdown. It’s as real as I can make it, so although it is a fictional dystopia, I hope the themes will resonate with readers, especially those who are familiar with England, where the story takes place. I’m working on a sequel, because I realised that there was still so much story to tell. My earlier book, Micka was published in 2010 and is a realistic, hard-hitting story about life seen through the eyes of two unhappy ten year old boys.

How long did the first book take to write and how many times did you go through it before it was finally done?
It took more than ten years. I revised it during that time, maybe six or seven times. The sequel took eight months!

Where do your settings come from? Are they taken from real places, made up entirely, or a conglomerate of the two?
Oh, real! :London and East Anglia are locations I’ve lived in. I was born in London. The Suffolk settings are based on my experience of living there for thirteen years. Micka was based on my experiences working with the poorest families and children in Newcastle-on-Tyne.

Who is your favorite character and why?
This is the hardest question I’ve ever been asked! As a playwright, I create characters who each have their own motivations and personalities, but the task is always to empathise with each one, to present their viewpoint to the audience as persuasively as possible, no matter how villainous or dishonest. I’m quite proud of my evil, depraved villain in Dollywagglers, as he is at the other extreme of behaviour from me. I had to get inside his horrible head, and not be afraid of what I saw there. For potential readers, this monster is called Rodney. In Micka, I chose to write in the voices of two ten year old boys, again, these are totally different voices from mine. The challenge was to tell the story only through the two of them, in such a way that adults would be gripped.

Did you change direction at any point or was it all plain sailing?
With Dollywagglers, I always knew I wanted to write a swingeing critique of our society. Dystopias are a splendid way of using metaphor. I did not realise quite how much my main character, Billie, needed to change before the end of the book. For Micka, it was about giving a voice to children that society never acknowledges. Their voices are never heard. When they speak, you may not like what they are saying.

Are you an outliner or a pantzer when it comes to start a book? If the latter, do the ideas come to you in one big lump, or are they piecemeal?
I wrote these books as I write all my novels – I write the scenes, the moments, that I feel most passionate about, and when I have enough of the patchwork I stitch it all together until you can’t see the joins. I do this because it’s more fun – my approach to playwriting is disciplined and way more structured. I guess I know the rules of drama. I make sure I have plenty of realistic drama in my fiction too. I never worry about the opening of the novel until it comes, usually by itself.

Finally, where can the book be purchased and what are your plans for the next ones?
You can order it from your local bookshop! That would be my preference. Or ask your library to get a copy. I buy lots of books on Amazon and you can find mine on the UK and US sites, along with a short story published as an ebook this year, which is called Strange Creation.

The link for Dollywagglers at all local Amazons. http://bookShow.me/B00JYGG58W

Here are the blurs for Fan’s books.
STRANGE CREATION [pub 2015]
Dr Dorothy Broadhurst, a biologist, is living in 1950s Central Africa to study the local ape population. When civil war erupts and the rest of her team flees, she’s left alone in the jungle. Dorothy may think she understands the apes she has studied for so long, but she could never have predicted what they do next . . .

DOLLYWAGGLERS [pub 2014]

After the plague, most of us are dead, and some of the survivors aren’t behaving very well. But we can still have a laugh, can’t we? Letting go is for softies. I’m alone – delightfully and comfortably alone. I don’t do crying…
That’s the wonky philosophy of Billie, a dollywaggler on a far from sentimental journey. The Eppie – a worldwide flu pandemic – has left London with nothing but a few beastly survivors with appallingly unwholesome habits. Watch out for Rodney; he is particularly nasty. Oh, and don’t try to escape the madness by fleeing to the country – things may be even worse out there. Besides, a greater intelligence is planning to identify and control the living remnants nationwide, as order begins to be restored. It’s time to find out who the real dollywagglers are.

MICKA [pub 2011]
Micka loves drawing and wants a pup, but with older brothers into violence and petty crime, and a mother who can’t read the notes his teacher sends home from school, neither he nor the pup stand much of a chance.
Then a new boy, Laurie, starts at Micka’s school. The two boys both have vivid imaginations, but Laurie’s fantasies are of magic and revenge, and he soon pulls Micka into a dangerous game where the line between make-believe and real life — and, ultimately, death — is increasingly blurred.
Written in direct, uncompromising yet compassionate prose, and with a breathtaking clarity of insight, Micka is an astonishingly assured debut — and an unforgettable story.

My five star review of Dollywagglers on the Amazons.
This is a thrilling dystopean story with a twist. Billy, the main character, is large and shambling, a disguise to hide her sex, a necessity to avoid attack. There is no longer any protection of law for anyone and so she does the best she can with the chaos that is now her life.

All is not dark as there are flashes of brilliant wit throughout this. Billy tries to live her life according to her own standards of behavior, irrespective of the choices others have made. She works towards a goal, despite setbacks. This is a deep look at what happens when society fails through misfortune and how it affects people. Billy, despite her outward appearance, is a character one can cheer on in the course of the story. Loved this. Wonderful read.

The link for Dollywagglers at all local Amazons. http://bookShow.me/B00JYGG58W

Interview with Joel Cornah, author of The Sea Stone Sword

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Hi, and Welcome Joel Cornah. Would you like to begin by telling the readers something about yourself?

I’m a dyslexic Lancastrian who somehow found himself writing epic fantasy and getting published. I am also a writer and editor for The Sci-Fi and Fantasy Network which has me hopping up and down the country talking to people who were in Doctor Who on camera. I’m a member of the Tolkien Society, a drinker of tea, and I run a bookshop / cafe in Parbold village near Wigan, Lancashire.

What are your books about and what inspired you to writethem?

My first novel, The Sea-Stone Sword, is about a boy named Rob Sardan who wants to become a hero, but he gets it all completely wrong. The story is set in a world I created growing up telling stories to my younger siblings; it is filled with dinosaurs, dragons, penguins and more besides. There is a quest, a Pirate Lord, and a magic sword that slowly but surely breaks the wielder and makes them into its tool.

I have two supplementary stand-alone novellas as well. The Spire of Frozen Fire tells the story of Jareth Sea-Splitter, a pirate who travels to the gigantic prison of ice and crystal, south of south, the needle of the world. There she seeks secrets and answers, but finds something she did not expect.

The Silent Helm is my latest novella. It is the story of Eimhir, a young girl who has lived her life relying on silence, stealth, and secrets. But when she meets a community of human-dragon hybrids known as draigs she discovers a people who live their lives defined by war; those who run from it, and those who embrace it. She must chose to break her silence to save lives, or else be broken by it.

Next year I hope to have the next full novel, The Sky Slayer, out and ready for the world!

How long did the first book take to write and how many times did you go through it before it was finally done?

The Sea-Stone Sword was originally a side project. I had been working on a much longer story called The Dinosaur Prince, and one of the characters, Rob Sardan, had an interesting history. I wanted to write about his backstory and made notes on it. I’d been writing The Dinosaur Prince for about seven years on and off, but when I sat down to write The Sea-Stone Sword, it took me about three months to get the first draft done. I edited it multiple times and it was about a year before it was ready for publishers to look at. When Kristell Ink said yes it was the most amazing moment of my life and I hope the book does well just as a thank you to them if nothing else!

Where do your settings come from? Are they taken from real places, made up entirely, or a conglomerate of the two?

Much of the world was created over years and years. There are certainly aspects from the real world that worked their way in – I think bits of Finland are dotted about as well as some of the grimier and gray parts of northern England. But as much of it is set at sea, I think I took some inspiration from Liverpool’s tall ships which I saw regularly at university, and probably remember some vague nautical things from my childhood growing up near Southport.

Who is your favorite character and why?

I loved the character Eimhir! She came out of nowhere! I had not planned to put her in the story and I don’t know where she came from. I just had this quiet little girl who was able to slyly and silently make the world work to her advantage. She has such an interesting psychology and it’s probably a reflection of myself in some awful ways. She has suffered a lot of abuse and cruelty, but has come out of it so much kinder, and loving, though she may mask it and try and push those feelings away. I like to have characters who subvert expectations, and she certainly does for me!

There’s a new character in The Sky Slayer who is also becoming one of my favourites to write. She just has all the best lines – all the sarcastic and cutting jibes you wish you could say in real life but can’t because you’re too polite. Watch out for Alya Kadir.

Did you change direction at any point or was it all plain sailing?

Generally I have a good idea of where the plot is going so there are rarely moments where I change direction wildly. Details change and I may meander around a bit but usually end up where I wanted to get to.

Are you an outliner or a pantzer when it comes to start a book? If the latter, do the ideas come to you in one big lump, or are they piecemeal?

Like I said, I know where the story is going. I don’t usually plan out meticulously. I approach writing a lot like playing chess against yourself, where you’re playing both the protagonists and the antagonists (and everyone in between). Everyone has their goals, everyone has their style, and everyone has their strategy. Each character has their own ‘checkmate’ in mind, but you also realise that if things work out in certain ways, they may have to settle for a stalemate. I usually know what the antagonist is trying to achieve and how they are going to do it, so it’s a case of finding a way for the protagonists to move against them and work out what’s going on.

Sometimes, I will realise that one character hasn’t been playing chess at all – they’ve been playing poker, and they have an ace up their sleeve.

But then my analogy starts to break apart and become incomprehensible.
I tend to write with themes in mind and that helps shape the story and the characters. The theme of The Sea-Stone Sword was stories, heroes, and villains. A lot of it revolves around those ideas and different interpretations of them. As things come to mind, I write them, but it’s all centred around a framework and theme.

Finally, where can the book be purchased and what are your plans for the next ones?

They’re all available from good bookshops, (and no doubt some bad ones too). Smashwords, Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, and Book Depository.
http://kristell-ink.com/out-now/the-sea-stone-sword/

The next book, The Sky Slayer, will hopefully be out next year. It is the story of Rob Sardan’s next adventure. The Sky Slayer’s curse is upon him, and the only way to break it is to escape from the dreaded prison at the end of the world. To do so, he will need the help of an aging doctor, a failed thief, a former pirate, and a strategist who simply cannot be trusted.

Thank you so much for having me on here!

Interview with Steven J. Guscott author of Book of Prophecy.

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Hi Steve, and Welcome. Would you like to begin by telling the readers something about yourself?

Hi, I’m Steve (Steven J. Guscott). I was born in England, spent my teens and yearly-mid twenty’s in Scotland, and I now live back in England. I’m twenty-seven and wish more than anything to own a Dragon.

My two main obsessions in life have been doing sports and reading books (now writing them). I’m a total dork/geek/nerd. I can be very serious when necessary, and I do over-think life a lot, but most of the time I’m an absolute child. I love just being silly, and am thankful that I have four nieces and a nephew that allow me to let this side out and use them as my cover.

What is/are your book/series about and what inspired you to write it?

The Book of Prophecy, is my first book. It is set on a different world in a very simple society. The story follows Dragatu and his family. They own a secret book, The Book of Prophecy, and it contains the future. Dragatu is told about it by his father, but he is not meant to read it until he’s older. Dragatu cannot help himself and the story deals with the consequences of his action, what happens between him and his two brothers, and how fragile life can be when you are given incredible power.

The inspiration came at the beginning of 2010. I was thinking it would be awesome to write a story. I had no idea where to start so I forgot about the idea. A few weeks later, on a very sleep deprived night, I was thinking about a few random things and the name Dragatu came in my head. I thought it was a cool name for a character, but then fell asleep. Luckily, the next day I remember the name and started adding the world he lived in, his family and lots of ideas and themes that I like, such as choice/predestination, morality and its grey areas, fight scenes, love, nature, and philosophy.

How long did the first one take to write and how many times did you go through it before it was finally done?

*…takes deep breath in remembered pain*

Before I answer, let me tell you two things: I’m not a patient person when it comes to wanting something, and I started writing this story with only a past in academic writing under my belt.

I started from scratch. I wrote the first draft and an outline for a series of three stories in four months in 2010 (still edited it right up until publishing aug 2014). However, my writing was terrible. I edited and edited and edited, and was still really bad. However, I felt the ideas were good enough so endured my short comings and tried to learn, and slowly I did improve. I was helped by a lot of people, mainly my publisher Sammy HK Smith, and I can’t remember how many full edits it took, maybe a hundred (no joke). Since then, it has evolved into a series of six, but who knows how long it will take to write them all.

Where do your settings come from? Are they taken from real places, made up entirely, or a conglomerate of the two?

Some of the setting is inspired by my favourite book, Dune.

One strange thing that happened was I realised some of the setting had been inspired by where I lived. At the time I lived in Stirling, Scotland and they have amazing hills stretching to make up part of the Forth Valley.

A year after writing the book I looked at the hills and was like ‘Whhooooh!! That’s the hills from my book!’ This unintentional use of things around me, or in my life/past, has happened a lot and it’s always fun to spot one. Some of the setting/plot has been conscious, but those subconscious ones always make my jaw drop.

Who is your favorite character and why?

I don’t really have a favourite character from the book. It’s strange, but in my mind they are real, and I try not to be judgmental. I know that’s a weird answer but that’s how I feel. If I really, really, really, had to pick a character I liked more, I would say it was Phoenon, one of Dragatu’s brother’s. He’s very innocent at times, and that is something I always put above other qualities.

Are you an outliner or a pantzer when it comes to start a book? If the latter, do the ideas come to you in one big lump, or are they piecemeal?

It varies. I’ve been different depending on the story. With BoP the ideas were pretty much all there in the first session of writing the ideas. However, with other story’s I’ve chopped and changed things with drafts when new ideas come.

Finally, where can the book be purchased and what are your plans for the next ones?

It is currently discounted on most if not all Amazon site 99c/p

http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Prophecy-Steven-Guscott-ebook/dp/B00MNUE4OS/ref=cm_cr_pr_pl_footer_top?ie=UTF8

The second book is finished (loose phraseology) and will be going to the publishers to be looked at very soon.

Thank you so much for having me!!
Steve (Steven J. Guscott)

My review of this wonderful book.
By Elizabeth Hull – Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition
This story is a wonderful illustration of the power of the written word. Dragatu finds his world transformed when he and his brothers are granted enormous mystical powers not seen in ordinary men. The problem is that peace has lasted centuries and no one quite know how to behave in war so the book becomes not a mere guide but a religion which one person wants to enact exactly into the current circumstances.

Peace is not possible unless the decent qualities of behavior are maintained. How the brothers deal with the supernatural and the change in their life is thrilling. I would hope there is a sequel.

Meet Grimbold Author #4, my esteemed publisher, Sammy H.K Smith

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Hi Sammy and welcome to my home in cyberspace. It is not often the boot is on the other foot so, as my publisher, I am going to have fun learning how you put together your wonderful book. I have enjoyed it immensely and I can see that like Dune and Lord of the Rings, it is one of those books a person can go back and reread time and time again, probably finding a little nuance on each reading. My review is at the end.

Would you like to tell the readers about you?

Well, I live in the UK with my husband, my 13 cats and 2 dogs…I am a bit of a crazy cat lady, but I make no apologies for it. I work full-time as a detective in the police and specialize in domestic and sexual abuse. It’s thoroughly rewarding and something that is quite close to my heart. I’m studying for a B.A, and I also co-run Grimbold Books and write in my spare time. I’m so proud of Grimbold, btw. We’re such a wonderful team and everyone works so hard for one another.

Firstly this is a book with a complex, multi-thread plot set in a fantasy world. What started the idea for the story? Was it a character, a circumstance or a setting?

It was a scene. A young girl, hiding in a cupboard while a demon killed her sister. I wanted to show a character that isn’t the normal archetype. Someone who was afraid and would run rather than protect her family. We’re not all heroes from the onset, and fear isn’t shameful. It’s natural. I wrote the first scene with this character and then jumped immediately to writing a scene with your (almost) typical hero: a selfless protector who would sacrifice his life for good. Then, all these other characters starting popping into my head and I thought ‘huh, what would happen if they were all connected,’ and then ‘huh, what would happen if the gods were meddling with free will,’. And then a story was born…

Now I am curious. I know you love cats and have a lot of little fluffies. A shapeshifting fae, who prefers being a cat is an important character in your book. Which cat was he based on and what sort of human/fae characteristics does this cat have? I note the character has a sense of humor. Does the cat?

Ha! Well, having so many cats means I was able to draw on different aspects of their personalities to help with creating Sheiva. 4 of my fluff monsters are Maine Coon cats, and so they’re quite vocal and like to ‘talk’ to me. I’ve always wondered what they’re saying or thinking…
I would have to say that Thor and Oscar are probably my main influences for Shiv.

So, on to the million dollar question, are you a pantzer or an outliner? You have a stable full of authors hanging on the answer to this question. How does your choice work for you?

Well, In Search of Gods and Heroes was pantzed. I had a pantheon of gods sketched out, and the image of scales in my head to represent three worlds, but other than that – I just wrote. It does mean that I now need to outline the remaining books (of which there are 4), but that’s ok.
Strangely, I finished a standalone adult dark dystopia book and while part 1 was pantzed, the rest was plotted out and written in a regimented fashion over the course of 3 months…It’s hard to say what works best for me because over the last 18mths I’ve not written anything as I’ve been busy with Grimbold!

So there are more books in the series?

Yes, there are 4 more planned as In Search of Gods and Heroes starts the journey. Book 2, tentatively titled ‘A Time of Faith and Lies’ continues the quest and our characters find their belief in the gods, themselves and one another tested as war begins.

What about work habits? Do you have rituals to get into a writing mood? Can you type straight to a pc, or do you like the traditional pen and ink for a first draft? What is the best time or day for you to write or does this depend on when you have free time? Yes, I know, free time is a premium.

I’m a computer typing girl. I open up Spotify, create a music playlist, get the headphones and I’m away. I love writing to music, and soundtracks especially. Writing usually comes in the evenings, but because I work shifts, I do get days off during the week. My husband is very accommodating and knows that when I’m ‘in the zone’ I don’t like to be interrupted. He has this habit of showing me YouTube videos at the most annoying times though…

Who was your favorite character to write for this book and why? Did they spring into life spontaneously, or is this an amalgam of several real people?

Oh no! This is so hard! I do love them all, but I’m a big fan of Prince Kee Dala (Dal) and Nathan.
Dal was inspired by a friend of mine called Dom, whose nickname is Kidda La (he’s from Liverpool). Dal loves the ladies, and loves alcohol…probably a bit too much…but he’s a good, honest man who doesn’t want to live in his father’s shadow. Now, I’ll say here – this is not Dom! He might get grumpy if I liken him to Dal too much J

Nathan came to life the more I wrote. A former Underworld assassin who, after his defection from the King’s Guard and his sister’s mutilation as punishment, walks the path towards redemption. Unfortunately, signing up to the Underworld is a life-long commitment, and while he wants to walk away, they don’t let him and so he’s constantly battling with his emotions and temptations. Someone described Nathan as a HBO character, which really doesn’t bode well for him in the long run…

Who was the most difficult character to write and why? A character analysis is good. I wouldn’t want you to be giving any spoilers away. LOL.

Chaeli was definitely the most difficult. She’s the main character, but she can be obnoxious, stupid, arrogant and very childlike at times…just like a lot of 20 year olds I guess. However, when writing a book you want people to like the character, and so you have to make them as believable as possible. She makes facepalming decisions at times, and does play with people’s hearts, but underneath it all she just wants to be accepted, do good, and find her place in the world.

Of people who read this book prior to it going live, who’s opinion gave you the biggest buzz?

My granddad. I have rather useless parents, and so my grandparents are my mum and dad to me. My much-loved nanny passed away almost 5 years ago, and I started writing this a year later to distract me from her loss. When I finished, I gave my granddad a copy and he loved it. He’s almost 90 and doesn’t mince his words, and so I knew he wouldn’t hold back if he thought it was rubbish! Anyway, hearing his praise made my year. He means the world to me.

What got you started on writing? Is this something you always wanted to do, or did you have a moment when an idea came to you out of the blue. Was there a pivotal point?

I touched on this a little bit above. When little I used to write stories, but I stopped when I was 11 because I had to spend a lot of time looking after my younger siblings. Many years later, when grieving I wanted a distraction and this was it. It helped a little, but I soon found I loved writing.

Finally, what is the hardest part of writing for you and what is the easiest?

Hardest part nowadays is time. I have so many commitments that my writing is bottom of the list. One day that will change…I hope! Easiest are the characters, their back story and dialogue.

Please select an extract of the book of your choice. It might be nice to find one that isn’t in the Amazon first three and is a heart pounding moment.

She burst into tears and laughter at the same time. She had something, something special that was just hers. She wasn’t some broken thing that nobody wanted. She had power. Adley looked at her for a moment, then smiled. The smile turned to a chuckle, and soon he joined her in full roaring laughter. She bent over and tried to compose herself but as she did, her blanket slipped showing a large expanse of skin. She squealed and desperately tried to cover herself, managing only to lose grip on the other corner.

Adley bent down to help her but their heads knocked, causing him to stagger back and stand upright, rubbing his forehead. From under his hand, he caught a glimpse of her breasts, her stomach, the curve of her hips. His laughter stopped immediately and he turned away. She fumbled with the blanket and covered herself again.

“It’s— I’m fine now,” she said, stumbling over to the chair. Adley turned around, his cheeks burning crimson and his dragon hiding its face under its front talons.

“I’ll just go and get dressed,” he mumbled. But when he opened the door, he found himself face to face with Nathan.

“Sorry,” Adley muttered, then brushed past Nathan and hurried into their bedroom further along the corridor. Nathan frowned. He glanced at Chaeli and saw the flushed look on her face, the blankets in disarray. Scowling, he dumped a pile of clothes on the bed.

“Clothes. Your bath is ready,” he said curtly, then turned to leave.

“Nathan, wait,” she called, but he ignored her and strode to the other room, slamming the door behind him.

Adley had already pulled on his trousers and was reaching for his shirt. Nathan couldn’t contain himself any further.

“What were you doing in there with her?” he raged.

Adley turned in shock, the dragon on his chest shuddered. “I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me, what were you doing with her?” Nathan stepped closer to Adley and pushed him hard in the chest. Unprepared, Adley stumbled back.

“What the hell? What are you doing?” Adley gained his footing and fell into a fighting stance.

“You, and her! Naked. Together!” Nathan struggled to control the darkness; his serpents hissed and slithered around his chest, rage worming into his heart.

“What? No, you’ve got it all wrong. I showed Chaeli how to channel her energy, nothing more.”

“LIAR!” Nathan clenched both fists and threw his weight into a punch. It connected with Adley’s chin, a sharp crack echoing about the room.

Adley refused to fight back. His opponent was mad, out of control. He blocked the next blow easily, and the next. Nathan was fighting like a wild man, all thought and form missing.

“Nathan,” grunted Adley. “Calm down man!”

But Nathan ignored him. The serpents were murmuring to him, coaxing him. He needed this, the sweet, exhilarating haze of rage. It pulled at his mind and thrilled his flesh; the Underworld wanted him, and the Underworld would fight for him.

Adley sensed the change, could feel the evil weaving into his adversary. Something was wrong; this wasn’t just a jealous fury. He waited for the next blow and, sidestepping it, grabbed Nathan’s wrists. The larger man struggled, but Adley kicked him hard in the stomach. Nathan bent double, coughing loudly. Adley released his wrists and struck him with a stinging slap. Nathan staggered and fell; Adley pounced upon him, pinning him to the ground.

“Let me up, you filthy piece of shite,” snarled Nathan.

Adley’s dragon roared, writhed, prowled impatiently across his flesh, yearning for release.

“Fight me like a man!” Nathan cried, bucking under Adley’s grasp.

“His chest,” whispered a voice.

Adley let go of Nathan’s wrists and ripped open his shirt. He stared in horror at the serpents, which had moved entirely to Nathan’s chest. They hissed and spat, fangs visible and ready to strike.

Taking advantage of Adley’s reaction, Nathan moving to his feet, but Adley kicked him back down and pressed his starred palm over the serpents. They bit hard, and the burning pain of their poison shook him. He grimaced and ground his teeth, fighting to keep Nathan down as he thrashed on the floor.

“I’m sorry.” The protector bunched his hand into a fist, punching Nathan squarely in the face. Nathan sank back, unconscious, leaving Adley to concentrate on the snakes. Pressing his hand harder to Nathan’s chest, he pierced deeply into the spirit within.

Whirling black mist clouded his path, stinking of betrayal, bitterness and hatred, and in the background, threatening and deep, was the rage. Adley searched on. This man had promise; his energy had sparks of hope, love and redemption, but the positivity was drenched in the repugnant stink of evil. He focused his energy on the hope, letting it pour into the centre of this tortured spirit, though it cost him. He had already given so much to Chaeli.

But the mere thought of her sparked something in Nathan, and suddenly the two men were connected. One. The tenderness of the younger man’s emotion squeezed at Adley’s heart and he moaned aloud in despair and wretchedness. It was the beginning of love; Nathan cared for the girl with purity and selflessness. With a sinking feeling, Adley fed that emotion as much as he could, sharing his feelings for her with Nathan, opening himself fully, hiding nothing. He gave until he had nothing left to give. Adley collapsed to the floor and consciousness slipped from him.

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My review on Amazon.com.

The first book in a thrilling series!

ByElizabeth Hull on June 28, 2014

Format: Paperback

This book ticks all the boxes for me. The plot is intricate and has many twists and side threads. The characters, whether human or divine are not black and white but many shades in between. Something that brings each and every one of them into vivid life. So many books have bad characters who have no redeeming features, or good characters who don’t have a hair out of place, but not so here. The settings are well developed, adding a deep richness to the narrative.

So, what is the book about? Chaeli, who thought she was an ordinary girl before she lost all her family, now finds she is a demi-god and either the daughter of the Prince of the Eternal Kingdom, or the Prince of the Underworld. Both are fighting for her, but not everyone plays fairly. On her shoulders rests the outcome of a war between the two princely brothers and to help her decision she has three companions. Adley is a crusader, an champion of the Eternal Kingdom, who is in love with her and shouldn’t be. Nathan is a former assassin affiliated to the Underworld who is trying to break free and also is enthralled by Chaeli. The third is a shapeshifting fae, normally appearing in the form of a talking cat and one of my favorite characters.

Other people are tied up in the outcome and have their part to play. How all this ties together will be revealed on reading the book. Very highly recommended.

Meet the Grimbold Authors number 3 with the brilliant Kate Coe

1 Reply

Hi, Kate Coe and Welcome. Would you like to begin by telling the readers something about yourself?
I’m an accidental librarian, a DIY enthusiast, a crafty geek and a writer. I currently live in Stonehouse with an engineer, two disdainful cats and a very grumpy bearded dragon, work part-time in a library and spend the rest of the time alternately writing and wondering which part of the house to tackle next…

What is your series about and what inspired you to write it?
The Green Sky series is a world of magic that’s just discovering technology, and follows the effect that the technology is having on the people and the world in general. It’s a mix of fantasy and sparkpunk and is very character-focused.
The series itself came from a wide range of places. The original story was a very ‘fantasy’ one – a quest, a magical girl, a love story – and then I started re-writing, and two of my characters fell in love. It sent the story off in a completely different direction, but it also let me broaden the world. I realised I could add new lands and new ideas that I already had, and I started thinking about how magic would actually work – and then started wondering what effect technology would have on it. A lot of strands wove themselves together, and I realised that this was a world, and these were characters, that I wanted to keep writing about: I wanted to know what would happen next!

How long did the first one take to write and how many times did you go through it before it was finally done?
I’ve been writing it since I was 14, but it’s gone through at least three different revisions! The current version was started around about 2010 and has mostly remained intact from that first draft. The next two books were a little slicker at two years, and I’m currently down to about six months per book.

Where do your settings come from? Are they taken from real places, made up entirely, or a conglomerate of the two?
Some of the names are real (I didn’t realise that Oare and Huish are real villages until a few years ago…) but most of the places are conglomerates. Taderah is a land of forests, based on the Redwoods and all the woods I used to walk through as a child; the islands of Tao are tropical, balmy and beautiful – and also happen to have islands floating in the air. A lot of the places are from maps I drew as a child of imaginary lands, but they are also based in some degree of Earth reality because it’s a lot easier to imagine places based on real geography!

Who is your favorite character and why?
I think my favourite has to be my Lord-turned-engineer, Toru. He’s charming, witty, ruthless and a pain in the backside – mostly because he keeps accidentally crashing his planes and causing absolute havoc!
As a close second, my favourite group of characters are the Mages, because I love breaking the fantasy stereotypes. It’s all very well being able to make something float through the air, but you’ll get a thumping headache after doing it – and you still have to earn a living! You can’t be a snooty Mage in a society where you have to get your hands dirty every day.

What inspired a series of novellas rather than a novel?
I tend to be…how did my English teacher put it…a rather “sparse” writer. I don’t like long descriptive passages and absolutely hate telling the reader more than I have to, and I find novellas suit me as my Green Sky stories naturally end at about that point. I can write novels – and have written two! – but I much prefer not having to stretch the length just for convention’s sake.

Are you an outliner or a pantzer when it comes to start a book? If the latter, do the ideas come to you in one big lump, or are they piecemeal?
Oh, absolutely a pantser! The ideas are completely piecemeal; I’ll usually start with an image or a scrap of conversation, and then go from there – what’s that character doing? Where are they? Why are they there? What’s going to happen next? What else is happening in the world that I can bring in? How does that change things? And then I’ll have scraps of conversations, things that need to happen, events that I have to put in – and somehow it comes together in a vaguely coherent plot. Yes, I’m quite a strange writer, but it works.

Finally, where can the book be purchased and what are your plans for the next ones?
The first book, Green Sky & Sparks, is available from Amazon and Smashwords in paperback and ebook. Grey Stone & Steel is due out in Winter 2015, and as I’m currently writing the 5th and 6th in the series, I hope it will continue onwards for a while yet!

Buy links
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Green-Sky-Sparks-Kate-Coe/dp/190984571X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1435609201&sr=8-2&keywords=green+sky+and+sparkshttp://www.amazon.com/Green-Sky-Sparks-Kate-Coe/dp/190984571X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1435609230&sr=8-2&keywords=green+sky+and+sparkshttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/549544

My review of Green Sky and Sparks

Highly original.

By Elizabeth Hull on July 16, 2015

Format: Kindle Edition

This story is a highly original mix of a very different steampunk and alien worlds. A green sky puts this away from Earth, which is a refreshing change, although the discovery of something like electricity has occurred, (sparks).
The people are defined by occupation and also by race. I especially like that one set are warrior/protectors and this includes their women. Equality appears to be far more developed, which is a refreshing change.
Starting off is Catter Jeck, who is tasked with finding a place that is the hub of all magic, which he can get near as he is an archivist and not a mage. His mission is made much easier when he teams up with Toru, the Lord Heir of Melton, who is also an air mage, something he uses to power his flying machine. Toru comes across as an explorer fired with enthusiasm but held back to a certain extent by his position in life, although he has a solution for this. After an accident, Toru finds himself mind linked to an injured female healer recently bereaved. Not a good thing to happen, and yet very useful when Toru and Catter need help later.
Loved the way this played out and am looking forward to the next instalment.

http://www.amazon.com/Green-Sky-Sparks-Kate-Coe-ebook/dp/B00ZCQFWUA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1437068976&sr=1-1&keywords=Green+skies+and+sparks

Bright new shiny idea.

Magic moments.

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I suppose I am thinking of this as I have been working on a passage of magic usage today. Oh, that and working a pig into the script. Yes, a pig. I gather the Oxford University Press is banning all mention of all things porcine in case it offends anyone. The thought of Pigling Bland from the Tales of Beatrice Potter ever being on a banned list offends me greatly and inspires a sudden plethora of little piggies. But I digress.

Serious magic in a fantasy setting is not legerdemain and nor should it ever appear as such. Magic is an element and as such, must have an origin. What the origin is doesn’t really matter as long as it is well thought out and very plausible. In the case of Darkspire Reaches, which I mention as I am polishing the sequel, Serpent of the Shangrove, the magic is twofold as I have a creature of earth and water and one of fire and air. Now for the later there is incredible energy put into the making of jewel stones. What if these could be used as a source of fuel? Fire and air would be a perfect match. Water and earth are a lot easier with the raw power of nature. Consider the energy of a waterfall, or the power of a tree root splitting rock. So there it is. One answer. Now I wonder if I can justify a flying piggy? Probably not.

cnlesley

C.N. Lesley writes fantasy and science fiction books

Tag Archives: fantasy

^Darkspire Reaches #Sale^

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Meet the Grimbold Authors number 3 with the brilliant Kate Coe

Bright new shiny idea.

Magic moments.