Booksigning: Carl Weber

I finally got a chance to go to a book signing!  Yay!  I don't know why, but very few authors that I am interested in, come to Memphis so I was pretty excited.  I heard about it a few days before and of course I could not secure a babysitter, so I took the kiddies along.  Normally, taking the boys would have been a disaster, and I would have had to leave early, but all I had to do was turn my oldest on to the goodness of Starbucks and I had no problem.  Of course he spent all the money I gave him (the Double Chocolate Chip Frappucchino is his new best friend) but it kept him and his little brother quiet while I attended the signing.

The featured author was Carl Weber.  Mr. Weber is a New York Times Best Selling author.  His recent books include The Family Business 2,  Torn Between Two Lovers, The Man In 3B-none of which I have read but are on my TBR.  I HAD a few of his book on my book shelf,  but my sister has confiscated those so I am still waiting to get them back.

Anyhoo, Mr Weber was so down to earth.  He was very entertaining and very approachable.  The gathering was intimate-mostly ladies with a few men sprinkled in.  He answered questions, talked about the books, future books, and let us know a few of the books will be making television debts.  I had a great time, got my books signed, and got a pix.  Here are the photos of my day.  I have video, but I just can't figure out how to get it from my phone to the blog.  Hopefully, I will figure it out and get it uploaded...

Author Spotlight: Interview with Jeannie Lin

Today, I welcome author Jeannie Lin to the blog.  Jeannie has a new historical romance, Butterfly Swords, which released on Oct 1.  I had an opportunity to read it and will be posting my review later today.

Jeannie is super sweet and although she has been super busy lately, she still made time to answer a few questions for me.

Diva:  Describe yourself in five words.

Jeannie:  Analytical, sentimental, determined, scatter-brained, optimistic

Diva:  What are three things that your readers would be surprised to learn about you?

Jeannie:  I've been doing so many interviews, so I'm going to try to dig deep here....1) I love trips to Vegas. My favorite game is blackjack. I can have fun in Vegas even if I don't gamble at all. I have a feeling if I put my mind to it, I'd be a fair poker player. I don't play much, but when I took an intro lesson once, a bunch of sharks swooped in after the lesson was over to feed on the beginners. I took 'em all.  2) I'm married to an uber-alpha male who wooed me for a good ten years before I gave into his charm 3) The one thing I consider myself a savant at is debugging computer code--which is how I met my husband, who I taught how to program. He denies this. 

Diva:  What were you doing before you became a writer?  And what would you have done if your writing hadn't taken off?

Jeannie:   I was a science teacher and then a healthcare integration consultant. Basically a techie. I still do that as I'm not in a place where writing pays the bills yet. The writing career is quite a long ways from taking off, but I do entertain fantasies in the middle of the night about one day writing for a living. 

Read an excerpt

Diva:  What authors have had the most influence on your writing or your desire to become a writer?

Jeannie:  Stephen King and Ray Bradbury first inspired me to read and to write. I consider Barbara Ankrum my mentor and she was the one who taught me how to put a novel together and made me believe I could write romance. I'd also have to add Marion Zimmer Bradley into that. Her Sword and Sorceress anthology was the very first time I tried to submit anything. I was in middle school at the time. 

Diva:  How long did it take from the time you finished your first book, to get your work published?

Jeannie:  About four years. Oh wait, that's the start of the first book. From finish, it was about a year and a half. And the first book was not the one that sold. 

Diva:  What's the best piece of advice you were given while you were trying to get your work published? 


Jeannie:  Keep on working on the next book. 

Diva:  What book(s) are you dying to get your hands on?

Read an excerpt

Jeannie:  Cindy Pon's Fury of the Phoenix is high on my list. I've also been searching madly for Courtney Milan's Trial by Desire which I better have by the time this interview posts! 

Diva:  Do you have any tidbits that you can share about what's next on your agenda?

Jeannie:  I've put together a proposal for a historical paranormal series also set in imperial China. It has jiangshi--hopping zombies in it.  If that actually sells, I may have to reward myself with a research trip to China. :)

Jeannie’s Bio

Jeannie Lin started writing in 2005 while she was teaching high school. Her stories are inspired by her love of adventure, history, and fantasy in both western and Asian traditions. From an early age she was fascinated by legends of King Arthur and the fantasy of Lord of the Rings as well as the Chinese wuxia (martial arts) fiction. As a result, she writes heroic characters in epic situations while interweaving a strong romance to make larger than life characters human.

Where to find Jeannie:

Website:  http://www.jeannielin.com

Twitter:   @JeannieLin

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1833319451&ref=ts

Author Spotlight: Interview and Giveaway with Brita Addams-Contest Closed

Today, I welcome author Brita Addams to the blog. Brita's latest, Her Timeless Obsession was just released September 27.  Here is a little about her and her writing.

Diva:   What do you like most about writing?

Brita:  I have creative overload and always have. I love to create situations and characters to work their way through those situations. I won't deny I really love it when I hear from readers who tell me they like what I write. It really feels good when someone appreciates what you do.

Diva:  What genre do you write mostly and what appeals to you most about your genre?

Brita:  I write historical romance in two sub-genres – sensual, under my real name, Tina Ordone and erotic under my pen name, Brita Addams.

Given the social strictures of the time of which I write, it is great fun to place characters in situations where they have to flout those strictures in order to live their lives as they choose. Certainly people were sexual and some more than others. A woman's downfall depended upon her chastity upon her marriage. Doing the 'right thing' meant everything. My characters don't always do the right thing and have fun in the 'not doing.'

Diva:  Where do you get the names for your characters?

Brita:  Very often, I take names from my own genealogy. I will name characters after my ancestors. For instance, Lucien Damrill in Serenity's Dream got his first name from my husband's great grandfather and his surname came from my own family tree. My great-great uncle was John Stanhope Damrill, the first fire chief in Boston, Massachusetts. I suppose it is a way for me to honor those people from long ago.

I've scoured old census records and have lists of names common in the periods I write in. There were no Chads or Tiffanys back then and it would be tragic to use names not used in "the olden days."

Diva:  Tell us about your latest release(s)?

Read excerpt HERE

Brita:  Her Timeless Obsession is my first published book written under my real name. I used some of my experience as a non-professional genealogist to create the lineage in the story. We have a young woman in 1910 who "falls in love" so to speak with the handsome young soldier in an old dusty portrait. In old trunks, she discovers letters and even journals and is soon immersed in the story of Jeremy Saintaubin and Honoria Danby. Wanting to know more, she visits the Royal Historical Society and Newspaper Reading Room at the British Library in London and she discovers that Jeremy was killed in a duel, cutting short the love story.

She's desperate to do something, knowing the wish is foolish. What can she do, if anything, to save Jeremy? I don't want to give too much away!

I contacted both the Royal Historical Society and the British Library and the people in both places were enormously helpful. I used the name of a man who was the director of the Historical Society in 1910, Hubert Hall, as the gentleman who helped the young lady. I also used the name of my helper, Mr. Stewart Gillies, at the British Library, as the man who helped her in that location and actually uncovered the tragic news of Jeremy Saintaubin's death by duel.

By the way, a character in Timeless, Cornelia Martinson Lawrence, was named for my great-aunt, who was the Town Clerk in Concord, Massachusetts for many, many years. She loved family history and was the source of all my Martinson genealogy, as the family came from Norway. Her parents were first generation in this country. I would never have been able to trace the family history, as the surname changes with the father's name. Martin's son or Martin's daughter (dottir). Thank God, someone write it all down!!

Diva:  What are you working on next?

Brita:  Silver Publishing just bought my male/male vampire historical, Love Immortal. It is book one in my Mysterious Moonlight series, which Silver would like to publish. Love Immortal is scheduled for release on December 4^th.

Silver also just bought Splendid Captivity, which is a ménage set in the Regency period. It will be released on January 22, 2011.

Meanwhile, I'm finishing up another Tina book, and will then start on the two male/male vampire books.

The Sapphire Club Series

Diva:  What do you enjoy reading the most?

Brita:  I love historical romances, biographies and anything to do with history. I love American and British history – no wonder I write historical romance!!

Diva:  What are you reading now?

Brita:  I'm reading Aleksandr Voinov's and Kate Cotoner's Lion of Kent, after which I will be reading Keta Diablo's Where the Rain is Made. Then I have a series by Cerise Deland I am anxious to get to.

Diva:  Who are your favorite authors?

Brita:  I'm fortunate that Aleks Voinov and Keta Diablo are not only two of my favorite authors but they are friends as well. They are two of the most talented writers I've ever read and they are really great people as well. In Aleks' Special Forces (free on his website), he created the character, Vadim Krasnorada, who will haunt my hero-laden mind forever. A supreme hero, unlikely yes, but THE most memorable character I've ever read.

I also love Lisa Kleypas, Mary Balogh, both of which created two of my favorite heroes, Lord Wycliff (It Happened One Autum) and Sydnam Butler (Simply Love.) Exquisitely broken heroes, my favorite kind.

Diva:  What would you advise an aspiring author?

Brita:  Never give up, write, write, write. Read, read, read. Study your craft, know your audience.

Diva:  Is there anything you'd like to tell your readers?

Brita:  I'd like to say to everyone who has read one or more of my books, thank you so much. I love hearing from you, so please write and let me know what you like or dislike about my stories.

To anyone who hasn't read one of my books, but thinks they would enjoy erotic or sensual historical romance, what's keeping you? The books are available at Noble Romance Publishing, Amazon, All Romance E-Books and Bookstrand. 

Brita's Bio

Tina Ordone has been an author all her life.  She recently fulfilled a lifelong dream by becaming a publisher author in 2010.  She writes historical romances under her birth name, but writes erotic historical romance under her pen name, Brita Adams.  She was born in New York but makes her home in the south.

For more information on Brita or to connect with her:
My website is: http://www.tinaordone.com

Brita's site: http://www.britaaddams.com

Email: tinaordone@yahoo.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=100000877072873
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BritaAddams

Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/o1514332890

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/BritaAddams




Join Brita on Saturday, Oct 2 for a LIVE chat.  She will also be giving away a book or two along with a few other surprises.  Please check her website for instructions.

Contest Alert!!!

Brita is giving away an ebook copy of her new release, Her Timeless Obsession.  To enter you must be a follower of the blog and leave a comment for Brita.  Please include your email so they I can contact you. Earn extra entries by Tweeting (2pts), Blogging (1pt), or posting the contest on Facebook (1pt).  Please include direct links to all tweets and posts in your comment.  Contest will end Oct 5.  Winner will be randomly selected and emailed.  You will have 72 hours to respond or another winner will be selected.  Good luck!

And BTW, Brita will be guest posting and hosting another  giveaway for her Sapphire Club series  during my Spooktacular Halloween Bash later this month.  Details coming up!

Author Spotlight: Guest Post by Mysti Holiday

The Evolution of an Erotic Romance Author

I didn’t start out writing erotic romance.  In fact, my first stories were all quite sweet.  But, as I grew as an author I started living a little closer to the edge until the day I was challenged to leap off that edge with abandon.

“Shut Up and Kiss Me” was written on a dare with my writing partner, Kealie Shay.  We’re both insanely busy people with work and family taking up a huge chunk of time. Some days it was just impossible to engage our muses and put pen to paper.  So – we challenged each other to write a complete story of at least 7500 words in two days.   Sounded crazy, sounded impossible and I don’t think either of us thought we could do it.

But we did.  Both of us.  Kealie’s “Appearances”, which she’s currently editing, was her end result of that challenge, and my “Shut Up and Kiss Me” was mine.  I polished it up nice and shiny and sent it in – it was my first official erotic romance so I wasn’t expecting a contract.  Apparently, no one mentioned that to my editor, who liked my voice and had faith in my ability.

Then she asked me for more.  MORE?  I’d never really planned on being an erotic romance author, but I discovered that writing it was a lot of fun.  I decided to take one of the 1,000 word stories I’d written for Whipped Cream Reviews and make it longer.  Originally it was essentially just a sex scene, so I needed to flesh it out a bit and give them a deeper backstory.  I did what I thought was a good job, but my editor decided that Caleb needed greater motivation for a decision he makes, so sent it back.

Have I mentioned how much I love my editor? She pushes me and challenges me to make my stories the best they can be.   The most important thing she taught me was to s-t-r-e-t-c-h out a sex scene (“erotic romance readers want ALL the sexy details, and a moment by moment, play by play ... don’t skip anything”).  She’s also challenged me to write what my publisher calls a “two rose” story: one that includes stuff a little more forbidden – ménage, bondage, etc.  I’m doing my best to take her up on that!

I have two more stories in the works and each one gets a little hotter, a little more daring as I learn the ins and outs (ha! pun intended) of writing a lot of sex and finding new and more exciting ways for my characters to get it on.  I hope you enjoy what you read.

Visit Mysti at:

Her website:  http://www.menagerieauthors.com

Her blog:  http://www.menagerieauthors.blogspot.com

Book Summary:

When Karin Lattimer moves across the country and her over-protective brother asks his friend Caleb Hawkes to keep an eye on her, she’s more than annoyed…she’s turned on. The attentive cop is a walking wet dream, but Karin knows he’s only hanging around out of a sense of duty. Acting on her crazy attraction would reveal more than the man’s buff body—it would also reveal her heart.

Caleb is well aware that Karin is all woman. He can’t keep his eyes off her and his hands itch to touch her. But she’s not one-night-stand material, and he firmly believes cops make lousy partners for long-term relationships.

Still, thinking clearly isn’t a top priority when Karin and Caleb finally touch. Sparks fly and barriers melt away as easily as their inhibitions, but can she convince him there's more to life than playing it safe?

Mysti will  be giving away a $10 gift certificate to the online book retailer of the winner's choice to one randomly drawn commenter, so please comment for your chance to win.

Author Spotlight: Guest Post and Twitter Giveaway with C J Domino

Today, I welcome author C J Domino to the blog.

Stop Waiting to Exhale…

     A few years ago I hit rock bottom.  I was a bestselling author going through an emotionally draining divorce that eventually left me flat broke.  Bitter and full of resentment I was one angry Black woman, mad at the entire world.  “Why me?” was the question I constantly asked myself back then.  I had lost my home, my expensive car and most of all my marriage.  But instead of wallowing in self-pity I exhaled while making a conscious decision to stop being angry and to simply let go of the past.

       My revelation began with an article by Iyanla Vanzant.  She quoted Proverbs 3:6 “See His will in all you do and He will show you what path to take.”  When I decided to let go of the past the first thing I embraced was my faith.  I actively sought out God and his Holy wisdom in helping me to become a better person.   Secondly, I had to realize that changing is a process; my anger and bitterness wasn’t going to go away overnight.  So I made a conscious effort every day to do something that would make me a better person.  I repeated positive affirmations in the mirror, I started a journal which would later become my second bestselling book and I stop being a bench warmer in church and became an active member.   I stop allowing my ex-husband to bully me with his words and his expensive lawyer and I took a stand.  I decided that my self-worth was priceless.  I realized that I had to value myself before I could expect anyone else to find value in me. 

     Why I’m I sharing this with you?  Because I want you to know that you don’t have to wait to exhale.  Take a deep breath and decide right now to just let it all go.  Life doesn’t have to be hard and you don’t have to be a miserable bitch that nobody likes to be around.  Inhale the positives and simple let go of the negatives by exhaling.   

 

CJ's Bio

CJ Domino is the CEO of Shero Productions.  A life coach and the author of Sideline Ho and Who Does She Think She Is, Domino’s third book, The Games People Play will be out on October 21, 2010.  For more information on CJ Domino visit www.cjdomino.com

Contest Alert!!!

CJ will be hosting a Twitter contest Sept 29-Oct 3.  5 days, 5 questions, 5 prizes.  To participate, you must follow CJ @cjdomino to find out what the daily question is.  Once you have your answer, post your answer to her Guestbook.  CJ will announced winners daily so make sure you keep up with her tweets to see if it's you.  Here are the prizes up for grabs:

One winner-Autographed Copy of The Games People Play 

When people look at my life this is what they see, a picture perfect couple living fabulously.  But behind closed door it’s another story as I struggle to maintain this status quo glory.  With bitches on my left and ho’s on my right, it’s a constant fight trying to remain a glamorous trophy wife.  Sex, lies and alibis keep us together, but what’s done in the dark will never last forever.     

Meet Mercedes Barone, the beautiful wife of a former NBA All-Star.  To the world she has it made, living high off of life, but as you read along you’ll soon learn that walking in her three-inch heels is no easy task.  From her backstabbing relatives to her husband’s baby mama’s, what really happens when a ride or die vixen is fed up with the drama?

Four Winners-Shero T shirt

Shero:  A strong woman who has accomplished great

things at epic proportions.  She is a female hero, not afraid to kick ass and take names later.  She is a heroine, one who fights for the respect and rights of other women.  She is a mother, daughter, sister...She is YOU!

Author Spotlight: Interview with Margie Church

I hope you enjoyed my review of Love Bites earlier today, if you missed it, here’s the link.  I got a chance to interview Margie and here’s what she had to say:

Diva:  Describe yourself in five words.

Margie:  Funny, creative, deep, smart, surprising

Diva:  Who or what inspired you to become a writer?

Margie:  It chose me. I've been writing since I was a child, and I've spent my entire professional career as a copywriter/publicist/communications manager. I've only been writing books for about three years.

Diva:  Why did you decide to write erotica instead of general romance novels?

Margie:  If I'm going to tease you on the couch, or under the stars, and the reader knows exactly how that makes the character feel and readers are flipping the pages, totally engrossed in this love story, why would I shut the door and make them use their imagination about what happened next? To me, that's a huge bucket of frustration. Part of being a good writer is being able to draw the reader into the story with all their senses. What happens between the sheets or under the stars is part of that romantic journey. I want to share it with readers.

Diva:  How do you come up with your characters?  Are they combinations of people you know or totally made up?

Margie:  I'm sure there are traits and physical attributes of people I know in some of my characters, but the rest is fantasy. To begin, I look at photos of models and I research names and their meanings. Depending on what the character is supposed to be like, I might look at psychological disorders, court cases, medical websites, etc. If the character has a major role, I'll have a pretty good idea of what they're like from the beginning, right down to nicknames, favorite phrases, food, how they wear their hair, what car they drive, any relevant genealogy, etc. I keep that information handy to make sure I keep them in character throughout the story.

Diva:  What was your road to publication like?

Margie:  Most writers will cringe when they read this, but it was straight. First submission, first contract and it has been like that for five novels and a children's book. What has been a challenge – before you throw bricks at the screen and curse – is learning to write fiction properly. Editing really had me by the tail the first few books (bless my editors for their patience).  Although I've been writing for a few decades, every discipline of writing is different – from radio to novels – I had to learn it.

Diva:  What are some of your favorite books that you like to read over and over.

Margie:  I don't re-read books and I don't even re-watch movies very often. I'm strange that way.

Diva:  What new releases are on your To Be Read list?

Margie:  Serenity's Dream by Brita Addams and Summer Heat by K.B. Cutter.

Diva:  What else can we expect from you?

Margie:  Dangerous Love, the sequel to Love Bites, will be released by Noble Romance November 22. There are several great new characters you'll love to hate and a plot that will be just as unpredictable, gritty, and dramatic as Love Bites. And the romance between Jui and Wade? Totally hot and angst-filled.

I'm also working on a novella and my children's books.

Margie's Bio 

Margie Church has a degree in writing and editing and has been a professional writer and editor for over 25 years. She works as a copywriter and editor for a small direct marketing firm specializing in the credit union market and freelances feature articles for business-to-business magazines.

Her first three novels are erotic suspense in keeping with her moniker: Romance with SASS (Suspense, Angst, Seductive Sizzle). She also writes children's books under the pen name, Margaret Rose.

Margie lives in Minnesota and is married and has two children. Vegetable and flower gardening, biking, walking her dog, listening to music, and making people laugh are some of her passions.

Margie’s Web site and blog: http://www.romancewithsass.com

Facebook: Margie.Church

Twitter: @MargaretRChurch

And BTW, Margie will be guest posting and giving away ebook copies of her Love Bites series for my Spooktacular Halloween Bash.  Stay tune for dets.

Author Spotlight: Interview and Giveaway with Charlaine Harris

Today I am excited to bring you an interview with Charlaine Harris.  Charlaine is the New York Times Best Selling author of the oh so famous Southern Vampire/Sookie Stackhouse novels.  Her wonderful books spawned the TV Series True Blood.

DB:  Describe Charlaine Harris in five words.


CH:  Happy, successful, busy, busy, busy.


DB:  What's a day in your life like?


CH:  There's no such thing as a typical day any more. I go out to my office about 8, answer emails, and start work. I'm constantly getting phone calls from my agent, my assistant, and others. I work until noon, take off for a while for lunch, then in the afternoons I work some more or my assistant comes over and we go through the tasks that have accumulated.


DB:  What inspired you to become a writer and how old were you?


CH:  I always wanted to be a writer, from when I could write.


DB:  Who are some of your favorite authors and what new release(s) are you dying to get your hands on?


CH:  I'm always up for the latest Naomi Novik, EE Knight, Laurell K. Hamilton, Lee Child, or Carrie Vaughn. I read a lot, and over a wide range of genres.


DB:  Where did you get the idea to start the Sookie Stackhouse novels?


CH:  I was tired of writing conventional mysteries, and I thought it would be fun to write about a young woman who was dating a vampire. That was a new and fresh idea, that long ago.


DB:  So, you've got a new Sookie Stackhouse novella in Death's Excellent Vacation.  Can you give us a summary of what it's about?


CH:  It's a short story, so it doesn't bear much summarization. The novella will be in THE SOOKIE COMPANION, out next February, which is about Sam Merlotte's brother's marriage in a little town in Texas.


DB:  You have so many different characters that could easy create several different series.  Of all your characters, I love Pam and Eric and all their shenanigans.  Is there a chance that there will be a spinoff of some sorts from any of the characters once the Sookie Stackhouse series ends.


CH:  It's a possibility, but not one that's lighting my fire right now.


DB:  Okay there are suppose to be thirteen novels in the series, right?  When will the next installment come out?


CH:  Sookie always comes out in May.

DB:  I've been dying to ask this.  I know you probably get asked this a lot as  the writer, but let's say for instance that you aren't Charlaine Harris, but a  regular fan like me.  Who would you want Sookie  to end up with? 


CH:  I simply can't imagine that. I created all these characters, and it's impossible for me to stand back like that.


DB:  I actually found out about your books by watching True Blood.  I caught the  end of season one and immediately went out and got all of your books and read  them.  The show follows your timeline but adds a few extra plot twists.  I know that you have nothing to do with the writing or anything, but are you a True Blood fan?  If so, are you glued to you TV every Sunday like me?


CH:  I love the show, and usually I'm watching like everyone else, though I sometimes get to see episodes in advance.




*Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over twenty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Now she lives in southern Arkansas with her husband, her three children, three dogs, and a duck. The duck stays outside.
For more on this wonderful author, please visit her website.
*Bio from author's website

Contest Alert!!!

Up for grabs is an autographed  copy of Club Dead, the third book in her Sookie Stackhouse novels. If you are a True Blood fan and have never read the series, here's your chance!  Contest is only open to US residents.  The contest will end on Aug 31.  Winner will be randomly selected and emailed.  Winner will have 72 hours to respond or another winner will be selected.  To enter, you must

• Be a blog follower thru Goggle Friend Connect
• Tell me who you think Sookie should end up with and why
• Leave your email so I can contact you

Tweeting about the contest will give you one extra entry but you must include the exact link to your tweet in your comment.

Good luck!

Contest Closed

Author Spotlight: Guest Post with Scott Nicholson

Today, I welcome author Scott Nicholson to the blog.  He is the author of Speed Dating With The Undead and The Skull Ring.

The Road to The Skull Ring

By Scott Nicholson

As a kid, I was very easy to please–just give me some crayons and scrap paper and I would stay quiet for hours. While the wax babysitter did wonders for family harmony, it also helped me build a rich internal world where anything was possible.

I still remember the impact of those odd Dr. Seuss books and how words could be silly and serious at the same time. And then I entered the world of monster comic books, learning a different type of storytelling, and so I started making my own comics on folded notebook paper. In the middle grades I was winning essay contests, and by high school I was the weird guy writing short stories and humor for the school newspaper.

My college years involved lots of writing classes and a strange mix of influences ranging from Hemingway, Vonnegut, Lennon, Brautigan, and the classics to mood-altering substances. I was writing serious fiction that had no plot and involved lots of suicidal guys smoking cigarettes. Highly original, I know.

Somehow my creative energy shifted to song writing and rock bands, but I still played with words, eventually getting back to fiction when I took my second turn at college. Again with the writing classes, but now my influences had broadened to include mystery, science fiction, horror, suspense–lots more commercial fiction. I remember a guy brought his novel to class, written on yellow legal pads and based on the Dungeons and Dragons game, and I was thinking, “Well, if he can do it, I can do it.”

A year and three novels later, I was finally ready to start learning, and my fourth novel actually sold, but it was my fifth novel, The Skull Ring, that got me my first agent. I remember his saying at the time, “I like it but I don’t see it being a big novel.”

I wanted to say “Well, I can write it on 11" x17" paper with a font size of 48 if you want,” but in those days you pretty much had to just put up with whatever your “handlers” said was reality. Though we sold six books together, for some reason The Skull Ring never came up again. I think we pitched it to my editor and he came back with “Satan is too dated.”

I didn’t know Satan could go out of style.

Actually, Satan is not a character in the novel, though it does contain Satanists. My heroine Julia Stone is piecing together childhood memories when the past starts creeping back–first in mysterious messages, then little clues around her house, and soon in larger, more threatening ways. And the therapist who is privy to Julia’s innermost secrets has begun to violate and exploit that trust–and the rural handyman is taking a little too much interest in Julia’s affairs.

Inspired by actual case histories described in psychological diagnostic manuals, Julia undertakes a journey to hell and back–much of it in her mind, though certainly she has plenty of tour guides along the way.

I hope you’ll take that journey with her. Because Julia Stone will remember...even if it kills her.

Scott Nicholson is the author of nine novels, including Speed Dating with the Dead, The Red Church, and Drummer Boy. He’s also written four comic series, six screenplays, and several children’s books, in addition to four fiction collections. Writing advice, articles, art, and more are available at http://www.hauntedcomputer.com.