THE NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP

What is a blog hop? Basically, it’s a way for readers to discover authors new to them.  I hope you'll find new-to-you authors whose works you enjoy.  On this stop on the blog hop, you'll find a bit of information on me and one of my books and links to three other authors you can explore!

My gratitude to fellow author Rhea Windrider for inviting me to participate in this event. You can click the following link to learn more about her work.  Website:

In this blog hop, I and my fellow authors, in their respective blogs, have answered ten questions about our book or work-in--progress (giving you a sneak peek).  We've also included some behind-the-scenes information about how and why we write what we write--the characters, inspirations, plotting and other choices we make. I hope you enjoy it!

Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions. Here is my Next Big Thing!

1: What is the working title of your book?

I am currently working on two books; Maxmillion’s Despair and Vril.

2: Where did the idea come from for the book?

For Maxmillion’s Despair, this is the second book in the DREAD Fleet pirates’ series. The idea comes from performing with Arizona Pirate troupe, The DREAD Fleet.

Vril is a little something different. I was inspired to work with some former characters, add a bit of fantasy, and write in the realm of the Dime Detective.

3. What genre does your book come under?

Despair is adventure, but Vril is sort of a blur of Mystery, Fantasy, and Noir.

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I don’t think I am allowed to choose the pirate characters without consent, so I refer readers to TheDREADFleet.com to post inquiries there.

For Vril, I have to say any young Harrison Ford type for the male lead. I think Uma Thurman would make a good female lead, but I am not a movie buff so I am not too sure. Maybe on all counts it would be better for me to say I would look to my Indie Film friends and get some unknown names to star.

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Commodore Max regails the glorious and inglorious moments that made him a king among pirates.

A hard boiled detective and his assistant visit a small town portal to a noir fantasy city with some magical investment problem.

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?

Considering I was just informed that I am now a Brick Cave author, it is pretty safe to say these will be published at the Indie level, and I am very excited!

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Despair has been like pulling teeth from a shark, the draft is still pretty rough, so I will let you know what the final number is when I have it.

Vril is one of my NaNoWriMo babies.

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I would compare Despair with most of the classic pirate and adventure novels of the late 1800s, like Treasure Island, but it might have a bit more modern humor.

Vril is probably a blend of Goodis’s works with Urban Fantasy.

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The “real” Commodore Max is the inspiration behind despair. He is quite a character and hard not to write about.

I am not sure where is the inspiration for Vril came from, I guess, myself. I haven’t been very good at working on projects that are personal rather than connected to other people, or groups. I think I have a little of that noir era running through my veins as I really appreciate the romance of the dime novel characters.

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

If you want to gain an interest in my pirate novels go watch the pirates who inspired them. The characters are real and the adventures are varied. Check out The DREAD Fleet then tell me why you wouldn’t want to read more.

Vril, Vril is about growing older and revisiting the past, my past, as I work with characters from my youth, and the characters’ past as they clean up old messes that they thought were long ago swept under the bed.

Who’s next on the NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP?

So glad you asked!

Below you will find authors who will be joining me by blog, next Wednesday. Do be sure to bookmark and add them to your calendars for updates on Works in Progress and New Releases! Happy Writing and Reading!

P. J. Hultstrand: azpublishingservices.blogspot.com

Sharon Skinner: sharonskinner.com

Trolls Official Release Event!

Trolls is finally released! Emily and her friends have been waiting to share their adventure with you for a very long time and on December 2^nd they will finally get the chance!

The official release event:

Brick Cave Book Browse

Lo-Fi Café

105 West Main Street, Mesa

December 2^nd, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Event Cost: FREE

I will have copies of Blackstrap’s Ecstasy, Fresh Blood, bint Hazine, and most important, Trolls! All titles will be $10.00 each! I will have tons of swag and merchandise for some of the books! There may even be a few pirates from The DREAD Fleet and possibly a few trolls wandering about!

Thank you Brick Cave books, Sarah Price, and Arizona Publishing Services!

Mesa Second Friday and Book Updates

Event: 

Second Friday, Mesa

I love starting with a thank you! Mesa Second Friday was great as usual and especially so because I missed the past two months and because so many friends made it out this month. Thanks goes out to Patti, and Don for arranging the booth and always being the best publishers I have had privilege to work with. To ChetShupe for being a great photographer and great friend! 

It was great to see Raymond again and to have Commodore Max finally available to press-gang new readers. And, a warm welcome goes out to Shelbie and Tiny from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, FilmBar crew! Thank you for supporting piracy! 

Book News:

Fresh Blood books are nearly sold out as far as those I have on hand, not to be ordered again until next Halloween season. 

The final edits to Trolls will be done in time for release in December! Finally! I am so excited about this book and nervous at the same time. This one is very dear to me and I am deeply hoping it is well received. I can’t wait until more readers join Emily and the trolls on their adventures through the world under the bridges, to rescue the Queen of the Trolls and face off against the Witch Arakne. 

And now a couple pieces of sad news. I will not be able to participate in NaNoWriMo this year, for the first time since 2003. It is a pleasure to know that so many of my young writer friends are giving it a go though. Shout out to Hunter, Bri, Joe, Jenn and Frank! I am with you in spirit NaNoWarriors! My alternative is to promise more blogs during this time and in the future, I realize I have been slacking off due to other priorities. 

And, of course, there is Max’s Despair that is fast becoming mine. For those still anxiously awaiting the next installment of The DREAD Fleet series, I am still working on it and we are getting closer. I promise it will be worth the wait, if that helps ease the frustration. 

Thank you to everyone, readers and writers alike! You energize me when I am feeling overwhelmed or slacking off and I love reading your work always too!

Vril - Chapter One Preview

Chapter One

Has every detective had a few odd cases?  Of course, it is the nature of the job.  Odd is a relative term in this business too.  Every gumshoe has a limit.  Every P.I. goes in with an idea of what sort of case he will take, and which ones are just a few paces enough past sane to make him shake his head, tip his hat and turn his back. 

Sure, some of us started as beat cops with field experience built up to feel as though we have seen it all.  That can make a man either harder than a pair of concrete shoes or so tenderized that near anything makes him drink it away every night.

The kids, just out of training, the bookish ones who degreed their way into the business, they amuse the most though, they are a flip of the coin.  Maybe it is all the clinicism that creates their instant cynicism and detachment.  Sad to think it though, that such young hearts could go so cold as to not see the very human side of the stories they work on. 

I have a little of both worlds.  Failed my first try through forensic studies, and could not afford the pay back on all that school without a job.  I never wanted to be a cop, an enforcer.  Too much like work to this nimble mind.  I wanted to solve not serve.  But, I did my time, ran through the physical training like a champ too, if I may say so, enjoyed the challenge really.  I was younger then.  Where my mind was too young to stay on task, my body was focused on being honed to perfection.  Picking up dames was formidable motivation for my youthful focus.  I do not think I could do it today. 

Limits, that’s what I was speaking on.  We all had them back then; we all have them now.  I did not think mine changed much.  The schooling the first time had given me enough technical savvy to see life as a case study, not much more.  Working the streets brought back my humanity, but not my faith in it.  Age and wisdom, and another few years at the books, gave me the rest.  There was nothing I had not seen on the street or read in an article.  Well, not yet anyway.

Magic, Fantasy and the Element of Plausibility

In my stories I try to be as close to reality as possible, while adding just enough fiction to make things interesting. I am personally not a fan of sword and sorcery styled fantasy, because so often magic is used as a cheat rather than a tool. There are no consequences to the use of magic and the power it bestows on the user is apparently limitless and conveniently requires no training to use. Granted this is not one hundred percent the rule. Creators like George R. R. Martin, Peter S. Beagle, and to some degree J. R. R. Tolkien are fair at keeping the science in magic.

There it is. The science to magic. It is not this thing that falls into the hero’s hands at just the right time, for all the right reasons, and is his to command for no other reason than he is the hero and it just is. There is a logical explanation for all things in nature and magic is simply the science of the fantasy world.

Magic as a Science

     Alchemy is likely the premiere thought that comes to mind when considering science and magic in the same sentence. It is not the only one, but it is the most tangible to explain. Alchemy is really just chemistry. There are rules to how it works, and a means to an end. Without following the rules you could well not only fail to reach your intended result, but you could very well lose your eyebrows.

     This analogy should be the first thought on any writer’s mind when playing with magic. What are the instructions for use on this tool? Who should use it? What are the dangers? Who makes it? What powers it? What happens when it breaks down or used incorrectly? I am not here to tell you what your “magic” can or cannot do, but I will say, as a reader and viewer of some fantasy, I want to know that you understand what you are messing with. You would not give anyone a drill press without some guidance and proper protection, your magical/ mystical/ god-given epic/ awesome/ all-glorious orb/ rod/ medallion/ crystal of knowing/ being/ controlling/ some-other-power should be no different!

Real Magic

     When I was a creative and lonely teen I admit to snagging a few mystical tomes from the local psychic fairs and Pagan shoppes. As I read all these awesome things that were possible with the use of magic, sympathetic magic mind, a reality began to form. There are a ton of rules to this little game and a lot of things required to make this work! This, I think, is what really formed my need for plausibility. Well, and my overt obsessive-compulsive need to make charts, lists, graphs and notes on everything.

     I recommend grabbing some books on the following subjects to understand magic before writing it into your character’s life; mythology, angelic languages, ancient languages, alchemical symbols, medicine, plants, astronomy, lunar cycles, divination, eastern and western religion. But, goodness steer clear of anything that spells magic with a “k”.   

Practice, practice, practice!

     Magic is an art as much as a science. Your character should not be awesome at it from the get go. Also, and goodness knows I love to play them too, but only in video games are characters allowed to simply level up. I understand that in anything, when it finally clicks it feels like a level up and seems like it happened instantly, but think about the time and effort it really took. It isn’t fair to your reader or your character to win just at the right moment without a bit of struggle first.

     Your character knows he is going to have to fight the big baddie and he knows he needs to sharpen those magic claws on something before that meeting. Give him little moments to work this out. Maybe he should lose his eyebrows once or twice?

The Grand Finally

     Is it luck, genetics, or hard work that gave your character the power in the first place? And, which of these things allowed him to perfect it? How long does it last and what are the consequences? Only when you are willing answer these things can you master the art of plausible fantasy.

     Spend some time trying to memorize and pronounce an ancient language, or drawing the perfect alchemical symbol. Better still, try it while running in circles at night, wearing a moo-moo and house slippers, a necklace of sausage around your neck, fending off your neighbor’s yapping Chihuahua. Yeah, that should make you sympathize with your heroes.

Hot Ace Comics and Storms!

A huge thank you to Hot Ace Comics for hosting Patti Hultstrand, Todd VanHooser and I, on Saturday, July 14^th. It was definitely eventful!

I had a great time chatting with Patti and Todd, and with store proprietors, Anna and Joe, but I must say the best was hanging with Spiderman! Thank you to everyone who braved the storm to come out to say hi. I am really sorry to those who missed us and I hope to see you next week at the Book Rack also in Mesa.

I cannot talk about this day without mentioning the amazing storm! Good gods of air and water that was crazy! I love wild weather though! I almost hope next Saturday’s signing is just as stormy. It will be like living it up on the ocean! 

In with mentioning upcoming events, rumor has it The DREAD Fleet and the dancers of bint Hazine will be dropping in to Hot Ace Comics for a full day of pirate shenanigans, No date yet, but keep a weather eye on The DREAD Fleet page and Facebook for more information!

See you Saturday at the Book Rack! 

Hot Ace Comics

10839 East Apache Trail #131

Mesa 85120

(480) 582-6642

www.hotacecomics.com

Patti Hultstrand

www.pjhultstrand.com

Todd Van Hooser

www.toddvanhooser.com