The Gathering Storm, Chapters 1 & 2 Audio Available

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Dona Watson

With the long-awaited release of “The Gathering Storm” coming in less than one month, publisher Tor has released the audio versions of chapters one and two.

“The Gathering Storm” is Volume 12 in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. Unfortunately, Mr. Jordan passed away before the series could be completed, so Tor hired Brandon Sanderson to finish the series. Originally slated to be one book, the end of the series has now been split into three volumes, the first of which is “The Gathering Storm.”

The audio chapters are available to those registered on Tor.com. See: http://www.tor.com/gatheringstorm/register

Further info on the book can be found here.

Disclosure of Material Connection: At times, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Interview with Jeri Westerson

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Dona Watson

Jeri Westerson is a fairly newly published author whose first book, “Veil of Lies”, was first published October 27, 2008. The paperback will be available next month (October 15). The big news this week is the release of the sequel, “Serpent in the Thorns” (in hardback) on September 29.

I reviewed “Veil of Lies” in July (see here) and am looking forward to getting my copy of “Serpent in the Thorns”. In the meantime, Jeri was kind enough to give me an interview. Here goes…

What is “medieval noir” and what led you to write this style?

Medieval Noir is my own take on the medieval mystery. It’s darker and grittier than, say, one with a monk or a nun protagonist. It’s in the style of the pulp detective novels of the ‘30s and ‘40s but not anachronistic as one might think. Instead, I just use some of the tropes—the dishy blonde, the femme fatale, the goons, shadows, pithy patter—while still keeping it in the tone of the fourteenth century. My ex-knight protagonist is the medieval equivalent of a private eye when there were no such animals in that period. So it’s rather a “what if?” What if a man with his skills and character found himself destitute? What might he do to satisfy his deep sense of honor while atoning for what put him on the mean streets in the first place?

What is your favorite thing about your main character, Crispin Guest?

His stubborn sense of honor. Honor above all things, even at the expense of the heart. “Traitor” is the last thing he’d ever associate with himself but it’s exactly what he is. And the worst thing about it is that he knows that it’s true. He never would have committed treason under other circumstances, but since he was pledged to his mentor the duke of Lancaster and he thought the duke was planning on taking the throne from his ten-year-old nephew, Crispin believed he was justified by preserving the crown of England. How was he to know that there was no real plot? So he beats himself up for it. The fact that he can’t change who he is even under these different and special circumstances makes him a challenge to put down on paper. He can’t overcome his persistent code of honor and his unflagging sense of his proper place in the world. “It’s in the blood,” he insists, even under his present circumstances. He hates that he lives on the Shambles, the stinky butcher’s district. He hates that he has to deal with the lower classes. He hates that there is no way for him to ever improve his lot. And he hates himself for being solely responsible for it all. And so he reinvents himself as the “Tracker”, this private eye, fulfilling his knightly code to protect the weak, to put things right, if not for himself, then for others. It’s his saving grace and his bane. How could that not be fun to write?

Did anything funny happen while writing either “Veil of Lies” or the sequel, “Serpent in the Thorns”?

I don’t know if I’d call it funny, but I went back and forth as to when the books would be set. Originally I had it set in 1383, but, trying my darnedest to make sure the history was correct, I noticed that King Richard wasn’t in London at that time, so I pushed it up to 1384 and it changed a lot of other things I didn’t anticipate. I also have a bit of trouble with math, so instead of Crispin’s disgrace happening seven years ago as it should have been, I said it was eight years ago. Which means that Veil of Lies is a collector’s item. So go run out and get it! J The paperback will be out on October 15th, by the way, with a brand new cover. Very sexy. You can see it on my blog or my website. And in case you were wondering, my math problem is corrected in the second installment of the Crispin Guest series, Serpent in the Thorns.

Do you have more books planned in this series? If not, what projects are you working on now?

Oh, definitely have more planned. I just signed a two-book deal for books three and four—both of which are already written. I’m working on book five now and hope that they sell well enough that St. Martin’s wants to continue the series for as long as I wish to write them, which is a very long time indeed, if I have my way. It’s all about sales of new (not used) books that count, so if you find an author you like, do buy the books. It’s too easy these days to buy used books but that does nothing for the marketing figures that publishers rely on to plan out their next offerings. It’s a business, after all, and it really is all about numbers.

After book five, I’m going to take a little break from Crispin to develop my second medieval mystery series which should also be a bit unconventional for the genre. I hope that anyone who is a fan of Crispin will also find this new series intriguing. My plan is to continue Crispin’s series and also write this new one, alternating their release every other year. I can’t see trying to write two historical novels a year. There’s just too much research.

Who has been your most memorable fan so far?

I’m blown away by fan emails I get from all over the world, which is pretty interesting since my books are only available in English in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. But it will soon be available in Russian! How cool is that! And I hope for a few more foreign sales as well. England would be nice, though it is available on amazon uk. The amazon.com market is big so it has reached into places like the Netherlands, Egypt, Turkey, and India. It’s still a pretty weird experience to realize that people all over the world are reading and loving my words and my characters. Writing is such a solitary pursuit and I was doing it for so long before I got published that it’s still a surprise when I hear of other people—strangers–who’ve read my book. Many thousands by now, I guess. Crazy!

Is there anything else you’d like to say to the readers?

I appreciate each and every one of you! Thank you! St. Martin’s releases my books one a year so you can look for them in the fall…just in time for Christmas gifts. J But in the meantime, you can go to Crispin’s blog to keep up with him. I usually post once a month…er…that is…Crispin does. Go to www.CrispinGuest.com. There’s also an original Crispin short story there.

How can people find you on the internet?

Easily. As I mentioned above, you can go to Crispin’s blog or my own blog, which has all sorts of things from articles on history, interviews with authors, and other items of interest by going to www.Getting-Medieval.com. Don’t forget to sign up for my monthly newsletter. You can do that from the blog or my website. The website (www.JeriWesterson.com) has an appearance page so you can see if I’ll be in your area (I give a wicked presentation on medieval weaponry). Crispin is on Myspace and Facebook (www.myspace.com/crispinguest and www.Facebook.com/crispin.guest) and I am on Twitter (www.twitter.com/jeriwesterson)

Information on “Serpent in the Thorns” can be found here.

Sons of God, by Rebecca Ellen Kurtz

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Dona Watson

Today I’m featuring “Sons of God” by Rebecca Ellen Kurtz. I read this book roughly one month ago and I have to say that the story is still floating around in the back of my head. Where less memorable books begin to fade from memory within a couple of months of reading them, I don’t think that will be the case with “Sons of God.” I have a feeling I will remember this one for a long time. I found the book to be riveting, original and thought-provoking.

I had the pleasure of interviewing the author after I read the book, which was a lot of fun. After a couple of email snafus, we finally got everything straightened out so I can post the interview here. You’ll find it just below the summary below.

Here’s the official summary:

“Sons of God” tells the tale of a 3,000-year-old half-angelic, half-human female warrior who disguises herself as a treasure hunter for mythic items while hunting down her fallen brethren who’ve committed atrocities against mankind. But now, in the present day, some mysterious murders begin occurring at the archaeological dig at Nineveh and she must return to face her worst mistake. This mythic thriller is based on research from the Old Testament on this paranormal race and historical accounts of these blood-drinking tribes, which introduces an alternate vampire theory. It raises the question–is this paranormal race mythical or not?

Now for the interview:

There have been a few other nephilim novels released lately, but I think your book has a very unique concept in linking the ancient gods with the nephilim. What made you think of this concept and what led you to write “Sons of God”?

On what led me to write Sons of God…. Upon my own personal fondness of vampire novels being able to have their protagonists live through millennia, I wanted a protagonist who could do the same. Once I saw that Nephilim survived the flood, I had my protagonist. Sons of God started as a logline assignment for a film Story Structure class at Regent University. I loved the idea of Nephilim pretending to be archaeologists and fighting evil spirits. Then I began researching. I was amazed at what I discovered. After classes finished, the one sentence logline turned into an entire script. When I began writing it, Elohim laid upon my heart to embed my own personal struggle with demonic deception, so I did. Hence, Sons of God.

A few verses and a ton of background knowledge made me think of the concept. Here are those verses.

Deuteronomy 32:17 They sacrificed to demons, which are not God – gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your fathers did not fear.

1 Kings 11:7 On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites.

2 Kings 23:10 He desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech.

1 Corinthians 10:20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.

Colossians 2:18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.

“When the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” (Genesis 6:4) Some translations say “heroes of old.” It doesn’t say that all Nephilim were evil, it sounds like some were respected and champions of the people. Sounds similar to Hercules, Medusa and many other myths around the world of half-breeds being fathered by supernatural entities – some heroes others evil. Then one reflects upon the images of some of these ancient gods and goddesses having animal parts (Egyptian gods), appearing human but with wings (Sumerians), and then compound that with the knowledge of Bible verses describing some angels of having a head of a lion, eagle, etc. Interesting… Then there is the common knowledge that ancient civilizations sacrificed children to the gods, and the Biblical knowledge that children were sacrificed to demons. Were the Canaanite gods demons? Makes sense. Even today, demons and fallen angels display their supernatural powers to gain a following – something seen often by missionaries in Africa, India and Asia.

For a further in-depth look at this concept, please read “Are the Hebrew N’filim the foundational element of all world mythologies and vampire lore?” It can be found at http://www.facebook.com/note.php?saved&&suggest&note_id=130990862031&id=163712519464#/note.php?note_id=134543087031&ref=mf

It looks like you did a lot of research for this book. How long did it take you to write “Sons of God”?

Well, Sons of God was originally a film script. I tend to write a rough draft for screenplays in a couple of days. I had done the research for the script in about…. 2 weeks? The novel took me about two weeks to write, but gathering the sources in non-copyright infringement mode took about a month and required me to take a trip up to Boston.

Now the backstory, I am a history major specializing in ancient civilizations, ancient religions, and world mythology. I know the Old Testament exceptionally well, and my historian’s brain easily identifies and connects patterns across large spans of time and cultures. Additionally, when I began to be physically assaulted by demons and experienced demonic deception, I began researching my enemy to better protect myself and my relationship with Elohim (God). Add to all that, researching theological mysteries is one of my hobbies. When a few verses caught my attention and sent images of archaeological finds flashing through my mind, the theology behind Sons of God began. After a few days of hard core research, my mind took over. My family says I became almost catatonic for three days. I don’t remember much of those days, just my mind whipping around all the research, my sister trying to push food into my hand for me to eat, realizations becoming scary within their connections, and I literally felt my brain moving in my head. Needless to say, the research will be slowly given out throughout the series. It’s too overwhelming to come out in one novel.

While researching for the last three novels in the series, Elohim dropped a revelation into my lap. I shook for twenty-four hours. In book 4, Elohim continued his revelations. Elohim is truly guiding the novel series Sons of God. It normally takes me days if not weeks to absorb His revelations. I know that many will be moved like I was. I just can’t wait for people to be able to finish the whole series, and I look forward to whatever Elohim has for me to reveal in book 5.

I see the book was published by Maxmilian Press? How did you find this publisher and how has the publishing process gone for you?

I’m a film producer, so I am very familiar with royalty issues with novels going to movies. I wasn’t willing to just give away half of my rights to a publishing house when I, as a producer, had already connected another producer to the film project. As said, Sons of God was a script first. My mentors advised me to turn the script into a novel, secure my intellectual property rights (for television, film, video games, merchandising, etc.), include all the fascinating research, and then approach talent to make a film after most of the series had come out.

Due to these reasons, I sought out a subsidiary publisher, Maximilian Press, because I had no knowledge on publishing a novel. I garnered my own national distribution deal with Emerald Book Group (under Greenleaf Book Group). After some complications, my distributor helped me change my film company into a small press which required Sons of God to get a new ISBN number – NIGHTMARE, but I have always maintained ownership of the rights. Currently, I’m deciding whether to allow a Christian publisher to have print rights for book 2 or continue with my own small press. Only time will tell. Decisions will need to be made soon. Fans are hungry for book 2, Nimrod.

I know this isn’t really fair to ask because I’m sure it’s like all the characters are your children, but what was your favorite character to write in “Sons of God”? Why?

Nimrod. He’s just so… mysterious. Dark. Unfathomable.

Who are your favorite authors and what kind of influence have they had on your writing?

Dan Brown, Frank Peretti, Stephanie Meyers, Edgar Allen Poe, Screenwriting, and anything gothic (combining both horror and romance to create a pleasing sort of terror). I appreciate Dan Brown’s intelligent and lucid thrillers on religious mysteries; however, I included my research because it’s factual, and it strengthens the argument of a spiritual realm and God. Frank Peretti’s novels deal with my favorite topic, spiritual warfare. And although I’m not a fan of Meyers’ writing style, she does craft great, dark romantic relationships. With Edgar Allen Poe, his stories send chills down my back. I love authors who provoke the senses and do not bore my intellect. If I read five sentences explaining the same environment, I get bored, so I don’t do it. I am a screenwriter, and Sons of God was originally a film script. So my novel is like a film, the story is visual and keeps moving, no getting waylaid by superfluous descriptions. Cinematic characters do not have a lot of backstory, but must be figured out by their actions and reactions. Most readers tell me that the film (mental visuals created while reading the book) continue to play in their heads long after they finish it.

I see you have a sequel planned. How is that going?

Nimrod is currently being edited and will hopefully come out this spring. If not, it will be released during the summer or fall. Nimrod introduces the rest of the main characters in the series which include three women who are best friends. Samantha is an archaeologist whose curiosity and intelligence always gets her into trouble, Mia is a petite Asian who excels in the martial arts and acts as the girls’ protector, and Stacey is an astronomy nut who mothers her two friends. Samantha is hired by Loki and Darcy to help them find the tombs (corpses) of their fallen brethren while Nimrod, Thor, and Caleb research Samantha and her friends to discover if they are ignorant of Darcy’s plans or accomplices. Having Samantha, Mia, Stacey, Nimrod, Thor and Caleb all traveling around together hiding secrets from one another while “researching Caucasoid giants found all over the world” is quite humorous. Their personalities are great together. Raechev, Jordan and Tagas continue throughout the series, but I’m not giving any tidbits about them.

Book 3, Thor, is ready for its first round of editing and Book 4, Caleb is currently being written. With Thor, we spend about 100 novel pages in pre-flood history, and in Caleb we spend even longer watching God interact with his chosen people through the millenniums. Each book begins with back history on the Nephilim the novel is named for, before continuing on with the modern story of the series.

Do you have any other projects in the works?

I am also a screenwriter and producer. I’ve written and produced various television shows and am awaiting feedback from one of my scripts currently in script competitions. I just received notification today that 1636 has made it through the semifinalist round at CWA and will be heading to the finalist round this week. From 2000 down to 20 scripts. I also have a couple of producers requesting the script for Aryan State which I need to finish soon, and I’m helping some Messianic rabbis organize a pastor’s convention for those wanting to know and understand more of the Hebraic roots of Christianity.

How can readers find you on the web?

On the Facebook Fan Page, I give out free prizes, interesting tidbits, and sneak peeks at upcoming novels in the Sons of God series.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sons-of-God-Messianic-Fiction-Novel-Series/163712519464
Author Site: http://www.rebeccaellenkurtz.com/index.html
Supernatural Blog: http://rebeccaellenkurtz.com/blog/
Godly Goth: http://rebeccaellenkurtz.com/GodlyGoth/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/REKurtz
Myspace: www.myspace.com/reksonsofgod

The Vanishing Sculptor Blog Tour, Day 3

Posted on September 23, 2009 by Dona Watson

It’s now the third and final day of this month’s Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy Blog Tour, which features Donita K. Paul’s new book, The Vanishing Sculptor.

Today I’d like to talk a little bit about the author. I had the privilege of meeting Mrs. Paul on the Motiv8 Book Tour in October 2008. What a wonderful and charming lady!

Mrs. Paul, a former school teacher, found herself bored when she retired early, thus leading her to begin again with a new career writing Christian Romance and Fantasy novels. I understand her DragonKeeper books have now sold more than 300,000 copies! I know my kids and I have read all five of them and they are simply wonderful. And yet, she has not completely left behind her teaching skills. She has built quite a reputation mentoring teenagers and leading weekly adult writing workshops–a reputation that, I might add, brought her this year’s Mentor of the Year Award from the American Christian Fiction Writers’ guild. Congratulations, Mrs. Paul!

From the looks of her website (and her interaction with my daughter and her friend who made her a couple of little clay dragons), Mrs. Paul loves her fans and makes them all feel welcome.

Another of my favorite little things Mrs. Paul has accomplished is she was instrumental in establishing a national Appreciate A Dragon Day and, best of all, it falls on my birthday (January 16)! Now there’s a holiday I don’t mind sharing my birthday with.

Last but not least, Mrs. Paul is sponsoring a contest with the goal to get the DragonKeeper Chronicles and The Vanishing Sculptor into as many libraries as possible. The winner will receive a prize package of books from Waterbrook Press. The contest ends soon, so you’d better hurry if you want to enter. Details are here:
http://www.donitakpaul.com/fun/contest.html

Well, it’s been a fun tour. Make sure to check out all the other bloggers:

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Rachel Briard
Karri Compton
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Linda Gilmore
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Eve Nielsen (posting later in the week)
Nissa
John W. Otte
Lyn Perry
Crista Richey
Cheryl Russell
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Elizabeth Williams
KM Wilsher

For more info on The Vanishing Sculptor, see: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400073391

Information on the author:
Donita Paul’s Web site - http://www.donitakpaul.com/
Donita Paul’s blog - http://dragonbloggin.blogspot.com/

The Vanishing Sculptor, Day 2 of CSFF Tour

Posted on September 22, 2009 by Dona Watson

The Vanishing Sculptor Art by Rachael Selk

Here we are, Day 2 of the Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy Blog Tour. (My post for Day 1 can be found here.) Today I’d like to talk about the primary characters in The Vanishing Sculptor.

Tipper: Tipper is a young emerlindian woman, emerlindians being one of the seven high races. In her glossary, Mrs. Paul describes emerlindians as being “born with white hair and pale gray eyes. As they age, they darken. One group of emerlindians are slight in stature, the tallest being five feet. Another distinct group are between six and six and a half feet tall.” This race plays a very important role in the previous DragonKeeper Series, as it does in The Vanishing Sculptor. While emerlindians often seem to develop into very wise people (especially in the DragonKeeper books), Tipper is too young to exhibit such. However, this is perfect for the young adult audience this book seeks to reach. Like many young people, Tipper is trying to puzzle her way through life, seeking to understand why her father left and then, later in the story, what role she can play to help accomplish the goal of their quest. Because she has been alone and in charge for so long, Tipper has become very self-sufficient, a quality that tends to get her into trouble frequently.

Becaroon: Sir Beccaroon is a grand parrot who is magistrate over his district and Tipper’s guardian. At times, particularly at first, I found it odd to have a grand parrot play the role of protector and magistrate as he didn’t seem to be extremely authoritative. However, if he were, it would have diminished Tipper’s role as an independent young woman, which would have ruined much of the premise of the story. From time to time, however, I thought it might have been better to have chosen a different race to play this part. Nonetheless, Sir Beccaroon projects enough of an aristocratic air and a sense of being in charge to help balance his faults.

Verrin Schope: Verrin Schope is Tipper’s father and an artist, sculptor, scientist, explorer, and wizard. Early on in the book, I wasn’t sure if he would ever appear, but he did as the story progressed. The reason Tipper’s father disappeared was not due to irresponsibility, as Tipper feared, but due to him falling into a gateway that became distorted, thus altering his physical substantiality. However, it is finally discovered that he is somehow connected to a particular piece of wood that must be cut out of the closet floor so Verrin Schope can take it with him and move around outside the house. I did find it quite humorous to see him tote this piece of wood around as he disappeared and reappeared from time to time.

Graddapotmorphit Bealomondore: Bealmondore is a tumanhofer artist and fan of Verrin Schope who admires the artist’s work so much that he seeks to become an apprentice to the master sculptor. When Tipper’s mother desires a particular painting, Tipper deceives Bealmondore into creating the painting so that she might present it to her mother as a work of her father’s. However, in the process, she angers the tumanhofer, who leaves in a huff, forcing Tipper to later seek the artist out in order to solicit his help. It seems he is the one who holds the knowledge as to where the statues are that need to be reassembled as a single work of art. I found Bealmondore to be a humorous character and one who lent some warmth to the story. He turns out to not be all he seemed to be and eventually becomes a reluctant member of the quest.

Wizard Fenworth: I was glad to see Wizard Fenworth become part of the story as I truly enjoyed his role in the DragonKeeper books. He is simply a charming character–a blend of a curmudgeon, very capable wizard, and eccentric old man. He often doesn’t make sense to the others, but when necessary, his wisdom prevails, giving him a critical role in guiding the quest in the direction it needs to go. Another humorous aspect of Fenworth is that bugs, small creatures, and sometimes snakes often crawl out of the bog wizard’s robes, much to the delight of the minor dragons who are always ready for a quick snack.

Librettowit: Librettowit, Wizard Fenworth’s tumanhofer librarian, is also a character first introduced in the DragonKeeper books. I found it surprising and pleasantly not stereotypical for Librettowit to actually be more than just a librarian. He is also a wise companion of the wizard’s and a character that sometimes plays a critical role in guiding the questing companions in the direction they need to go, a role he falls into especially when Fenworth mentally drifts away somewhere else. It seems to me that Librettowit’s character is stronger in The Vanishing Sculptor than in the DragonKeeper books, a development that I’m not sure fits with his character and something I would be interested in knowing more about.

Prince Jayrus: I found the appearance of Prince Jayrus (a new character) a surprising development. He is a DragonKeeper and prince of the Mercigon Mountain Range. I won’t say much about how his character develops as it would be a major spoiler for anyone wanting to read The Vanishing Sculptor, but suffice it to say that his role becomes critical to the development of the story. I also enjoyed his sometimes comical actions as he sought to move about in a world he had not previously experienced in great measure.

Lady Peg Schope: Tipper’s emerlindian mother, Lady Peg Schope, eventually plays a significant part in the back half of the book, something I had not anticipated early in the story. Lady Peg is, in many ways, out of touch with reality and drifts through her days in a fog of cluelessness. Again, I won’t say much about her character for fear of spoiling the story for future readers.

Come back tomorrow for a peek at Mrs. Paul, a charming woman and award-winning author. Meanwhile, lets see what the other reviewers have to say: