Sunday, December 30, 2012

DISARMING: A New Release by Alexia Purdy

I am very pleased to announce that Disarming, the sequel to Alexia Purdy's thrilling vampire novel Reign of Blood, is released! I had the opportunity to read an advance copy and if you liked Reign of Blood, you will love Disarming. It is a tight, action-packed story with several twists and turns and stunning surprises.

Get your copy of Disarming at Amazon US, Amazon UK or Barnes & Noble!

And if you missed Reign of Blood, get it at Amazon US, Amazon UK or Barnes & Noble.

Disarming by Alexia Purdy

The world has changed. One must adapt to survive or hold on to the crumbling shards of humanity.

April continues to hold her fragile world together, but the ties that hold her family together are quickly unraveling. Rumors of a massive human underground settlement draw her to the shadows of the city once more in search of other survivors more like her, even with the hybrid vampires opposing her every move.

The darkness hides secrets along with the continued threat the Feral Vampires create, but a greater evil hides within the city. Something tells April that the humans will be less than welcoming of her, and that's if she can find them before the Vampires do. Joining sides with the enemy might be the only choice she has left.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

CHRYSOPTERON Blog Tour Day 7: An Interview
by Jeff Whelan

Today, the funny, friendly and fantastic Jeff Whelan, author of the sci-fi comedy Space Orville, hosts me on his blog for an interview! Check out the interview here and be sure to see the great reviews Space Orville has earned on Amazon!

Also, my Christmas sale ends on Monday, the 31st. Sullivan's War and my collection Short Stories are just 99 cents each until then. Info about that can be found here. And if you like free stuff, all you have to do is like my Facebook page and you'll be entered to win all of my books. This contest also ends on the 31st, so see the details here.

One final note concerning free stuff: I have three eBooks free at Amazon through Sunday the 30th. Get them here.

Best,
Michael K. Rose


Friday, December 28, 2012

CHRYSOPTERON Blog Tour Day 6: Non-Linear Narrative
Hosted by Benjamin X. Wretlind

For day 6 of my blog tour, I am very pleased to send you over to the blog of Benjamin X. Wretlind. Ben is the author of two absolutely mind-blowing novels: Castles: A Fictional Memoir of a Girl with Scissors and Sketches from the Spanish Mustang. These books are seriously Pulitzer-caliber efforts, and if you haven't read them, you must! Right after you read Chrysopteron.

To read my article about "Non-Linear Narrative in Chrysopteron," head over to Ben's blog by clicking here.

Also, my Christmas sale ends on the 31st. Sullivan's War and my collection Short Stories are just 99 cents each until then. Info about that can be found here. And if you like free stuff, all you have to do is like my Facebook page and you'll be entered to win all of my books. This contest also ends on the 31st, so see the details here.

One final note concerning free stuff: I have three eBooks free at Amazon through the 30th. Get them here.

Best,
Michael K. Rose


Thursday, December 27, 2012

CHRYSOPTERON Blog Tour Day 5: An Interview
by Micheal Rivers

Today, horror and paranormal author Micheal Rivers has an interview with me up over at his blog. Read it here. Micheal is the author of The Black Witch and Verliege. I've read the latter and it's a fantastic paranormal thriller. Check out Micheal's work here or click here to go directly to his Amazon author page.

Chrysopteron is available at:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble

Also, my Christmas sale ends on the 31st. Sullivan's War and my collection Short Stories are just 99 cents each until then. Info about that can be found here. And if you like free stuff, all you have to do is like my Facebook page and you'll be entered to win all of my books. This contest also ends on the 31st, so see the details here.

Best,
Michael K. Rose


Wednesday, December 26, 2012

CHRYSOPTERON Blog Tour Day 4: Mythology,
Hosted by Craig McGray

Today's Chrysopteron blog tour host is horror/paranormal author Craig McGray. Craig is the author of The Somnibus series. I had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of the first book, and it is definitely a creepy, haunting thriller with a good dose of mystery. I'm eagerly awaiting the next in the series!

The topic I wrote on for Craig's blog is "The Role of Mythology in Chrysopteron." The novel is filled with references to Greek myth and I wanted to explain a few of those references. You can read the article here.

Also remember that my Christmas sale runs through the 31st. Sullivan's War and my collection Short Stories are just 99 cents each. Info about that can be found here. And if you like free stuff, all you have to do is like my Facebook page and you'll be entered to win all of my books. This contest also ends on the 31st, so see the details here.

Best,
Michael K. Rose



Monday, December 24, 2012

CHRYSOPTERON Blog Tour, Day 3
Host G.D. Tinnams

G.D. Tinnams is the author of the science fiction novel Threshold Shift and the short story collection Five Byte Stories. Today, he's hosting an interview with me on his blog as part of my Chrysopteron blog tour. Read it here.

I had the pleasure of interviewing G.D. Tinnams back in August, which you can read here. Also be sure to check out his work on Amazon US and Amazon UK.

I still have my Christmas sale going. Sullivan's War and my collection Short Stories are just 99 cents each until the end of the month. Info about that can be found here. And if you like free stuff, all you have to do is like my Facebook page and you'll be entered to win all my books. Details here.

Merry Christmas!
Michael K. Rose


Sunday, December 23, 2012

CHRYSOPTERON Blog Tour, Day 2
Host Leigh M. Lane

Today, I have a guest post over on the blog of author Leigh M. Lane entitled "Religion: Touching on a Touchy Subject in Fiction." Chrysopteron deals rather prominently with religion, and I wrote this because I wanted to share my thoughts on how one writes about such a controversial topic without--hopefully--alienating readers. Read it here.

Leigh M. Lane has ten published novels and twelve published short stories divided among different genre-specific pseudonyms. Check out her work here.

In other news, I still have my Christmas sale going. Sullivan's War and my collection Short Stories are just 99 cents each until the end of the month. Info about that can be found here. I also have a contest running. All you have to do is like my Facebook page and you'll be entered to win all my books. Details here. And, finally, Sergeant Riley's Account, the prologue to Sullivan's War, is free at Amazon today (Dec. 23). Click here to download it for your Kindle.


Saturday, December 22, 2012

CHRYSOPTERON Blog Tour, Day 1
Host: David Bain

Today officially kicks off the blog tour for my new science fiction novel Chrysopteron! I'm very excited about this, and I have lots of great interviews and guest posts to share with you over the next couple of weeks.

Everything kicks off with David Bain, horror author of the novels Gray Lake and Death Sight - A Will Castleton Novel, as well as fun novellas like The Cowboys of Cthulhu. He interviewed me over on his blog and you can read it here.

If Chrysopteron sounds like something you'd enjoy, you can get it as an eBook from Amazon's Kindle stores as well as Barnes & Noble's Nook store. Click here for links and more information.

Also remember that Sullivan's War and my collection Short Stories are just 99 cents each until the end of the month. Info about that can be found here.

Best,
Michael K. Rose


Friday, December 21, 2012

12/21/12: Why Nothing Happened Today

Nothing has happened today so far. And nothing will happen today. Big surprise, right? Of course, I doubt there ever were very many who really believed the world was going to come to an end. But there are many, many more who believe there occurred today some sort of spiritual event. Some sort of cosmic realignment. Some sort of grand awakening.

Well, it didn't. People are going to be just as selfish, greedy and craven as they were before today. People will also be just as kind, generous and caring. Because here's the truth about December 21, 2012: it's just another day. People did good today. People did bad. There was plenty of both love and hate to go around.

I think that if a person needs to believe something happened today in order to feel fulfilled in his or her life, then that person has been cheating themselves out of the ability to enjoy and appreciate what they had before today. Your life is not any more special or meaningful now than it was yesterday. If you think it is, I'm sorry for all the lost meaningful days you've let slip by.

Why didn't anything happen? Well, it's because all the beliefs surrounding this date have no basis in fact or history. The Mayans, or any other ancient culture, did not have the ability to predict the future. A belief that their calendar means something significant is no more reasonable than a belief in the predictions of Nostradamus or Edgar Cayce.

Isn't it time that rational, intelligent human beings stop believing in such nonsense? Isn't it time that we create a culture in which people must require something beyond a "feeling" before they wrap their lives up in a falsity? And the way we do that is by making it unacceptable for charlatans to ply their trades. Anyone who claims to predict one's future, or put one in contact with dead relatives or spirits, or tell who you were in a past life, should be able to demonstrably prove that they can do the things they claim. If they can't, they should be charged with defrauding the public.

But here's the worst part about it: many of the psychics/spiritualists/whatever-they-call-themselves believe they really can and are doing these things! How dangerous is it to have a person who believes their own claims telling others what they should and shouldn't do? It could easily lead to financial ruin or worse. And I, for one, am tired of seeing earnest people, people who are hurting or desperate, people who are trying to find direction in their lives, buy into it.

I do not claim that some people don't have clairvoyant powers. But if you do, how base is it to use such powers for financial gain? And I would bet money that 99% of the people offering up such services for a fee cannot offer any proof that their claims have veracity. As I said before, this if fraud, plain and simple.

So nothing happened today, no matter what charlatans the world over would have the willing believe. Today wasn't special. But it was, in the sense that every day is special. Every day is a gift. Don't spend your life waiting for some future event that may never come. Don't spend it searching for answers that aren't there. If you want the meaning of life, here it is: be good, be kind, and try to live a life that is meaningful. Interpret that how you will. But whatever you do, live for the here. Live for the now. Spend time with those you love. Try not to add any misery to the world and, if you can, add some joy. I'll end with one of my favorite quotes by one of my favorite authors:

“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.” - Henry James

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

New Release: Chrysopteron

Now that it has finally been published at B&N's Nook store, I can make the announcement that Chrysopteron is now officially released!

Captain John Hayden, haunted by memories of war and still grieving the death of his wife, is about to embark on the most important mission of his career: to discover the fate of the Chrysopteron, one of five generation ships which left the Earth centuries earlier. The descendants of the Chrysopteron’s original crew had successfully colonized their planet, but less than a hundred years later, all contact was lost. Hayden knows that a mysterious new religion which was formed aboard the ship may have played a role in determining the fate of the colonists, but there is no way to know what he and his crew will find when they finally arrive.

In a story that touches on issues of faith and self-determination, Chrysopteron explores the fundamental elements that define our species. Even though we may leave the Earth, we cannot leave behind that which makes us human.

Available at:

Praise for Chrysopteron

"Rose delivers not only a story with rapid-fire action but a story of hope, a story of discovery and a story of journeys. These journeys are not simply vehicles for the plot to move but plots in and of themselves. Chrysopteron is a "golden-winged" gem of a novel and one that cements worlds imagined into the conscious dream of worlds yet seen." - Benjamin X. Wretlind, author of Sketches from the Spanish Mustang

"This novel starts with a mystery: what happened to the colonists on the Chrysopteron, a generational space ship? In answering this question, Mr. Rose has distilled larger society into a microcosm. This is fiction at its best. Not only is Chrysopteron a serious study of humanity’s quest for divinity, but it’s also a compelling story that explores the birth of a new religion and its impact, sometimes catastrophic, on believers and nonbelievers alike." - K. Wodke, co-author of Betrayed and Tangerine

"A masterpiece." - Amazon Review

#12NovelsIn12Months Update: That Happens This Time of Year

Well, I'm about a month behind on my project to write 12 novels in 12 months. As the title says, that sort of thing happens this time of year. Revising and editing Chrysopteron took quite a bit more of my time than I anticipated, plus I was out of commission for about a week at the end of November due to a nasty cold.

But I'm not too worried. I have one more novel to revise and edit in the next few weeks (Sullivan's Wrath, the sequel to Sullivan's War) then I can devote my time solely to writing for a couple of months. I plan on doubling down in March, and will attempt to write two books during that month.

On the positive side of things, I am very pleased with how Chrysopteron has turned out. All my advance readers loved it and have used phrases like "A masterpiece" and a "...gem of a novel..." in their reviews of the book. I also got it released a few days ahead of schedule, so if you hurry, you can read it before the end of the world.

I've also come up with an idea for a horror/paranormal trilogy which has filled in the rest of my #12NovelsIn12Months calendar. So I now know exactly what I'll be working on over the next ten months. That's a reassuring feeling, knowing I'll never reach the point during this project at which I'm sitting in front of a blank screen, not knowing what to do.

One final note: I am running a Christmas sale! My novel Sullivan's War and my collection Short Stories are just 99 cents apiece until the end of the month (or your country's equivalent). Sullivan's Wrath is coming soon, so it's a good opportunity to pick of Sullivan's War and get caught up on the story. Click below to be taken directly to the product pages on Amazon:

Sullivan's War, just 99 cents - Amazon US, Amazon UK
Short Stories, just 99 cents- Amazon US, Amazon UK
Chrysopteron, $4.99- Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble

All the Best!
Michael K. Rose

Sunday, December 9, 2012

An Interview with Gary Dolman, Author of The Eighth Circle of Hell

Today, I have an interview with British writer Gary Dolman. Gary is the author of the historical novel The Eighth Circle of Hell.

***

Tell us a bit about The Eighth Circle of Hell.

The novel is set in 1890 in the wealthy spa resort that was Harrogate, Yorkshire, England.

The Victorian age is often held up as a shining era of British history; a time of wealth and power, of civilisation and philanthropy. It was indeed all of these. But it was also a time of great cruelty and depravity, where power and wealth were used to ill-purpose. In particular it was the time of the ‘Defloration Mania’ where hundreds of thousands of young, innocent girls were bought and sold like the slaves they became.

In The Eighth Circle of Hell, an elderly workhouse ‘imbecile’ is continually tormented by disturbed and fractured memories of her adolescence. She had been orphaned and sent to live with her depraved uncle and his powerful, predatory friends, and advancing, dementia has caused her to regress inexorably back in her life, to the point where she is once again re-living that awful time.

Husband and wife commissioned investigators, Atticus and Lucie Fox are engaged by her grown-up nephew to trace her and to bring her back to live in the family home where her elderly, frail uncle still lives. They do so, but are horrified to hear the very next day that she had brutally murdered her uncle in the night. But they were puzzled too; how could she have committed murder? She had neither the physical, nor the mental strength to do such a thing.

The novel is a bleak study of the stark contrast between the polite, strictly-ordered society of the Victorian age and the utter depravity and exploitation of the vulnerable it shielded. It demonstrates how in the midst of that depravity, promises and friendships can be forged that are more enduring even than the boundaries of life and death itself.

How did you become interested in this subject?

It was quite by chance. One evening several years ago, whilst I was visiting my father in a care home, one of the other residents who was also in the end-stages of Alzheimer’s suddenly cried out in her sleep, begging some uncle to stop, screaming that he was hurting her. It made me start to imagine what kind of horrors she must have been reliving and that inspired the idea behind the novel. When I began to research the history of child abuse, I came across the holocaust that was the Defloration Mania and The Eighth Circle of Hell took form.

Can you explain the meaning of the title?

The title comes from Dante’s epic poem, Divine Comedy. The eighth of Dante’s nine circles of Inferno – of Hell, contains those guilty of the sin of seduction. It’s a play on the profound contradictions in the novel where the perpetrators of the abuse push the blame for committing it onto the victims.

In Dante’s poem, the sinners are driven round and round the Eighth Circle by demons. In the same way, my central character’s recurring memories drive her around and around in torment.

How did you decide you wanted to write historical fiction? Do you write in any other genres?

I have always been fascinated by history in general. Living for much of my life in Harrogate, which is a town built largely in the Victorian age, means that I have a particular attachment to that period. The richness and the social extremes of the Victorian Age are especially poignant and stumbling across the Defloration Mania gave me a perfect excuse to set the novel in that time. Because it is also crime fiction, there is also the advantage to a writer that with very little forensic science other than early fingerprinting, detectives had to rely much more on their reasoning and intellect. My publisher, Thames River Press, has requested a series of three novels, all related in terms of genre and characters and I have at least half a dozen plots for novels beyond that, all of which feature Atticus and Lucie. I’m becoming rather fond of them if I’m honest.

Having said that, I am also itching to write a really dark, contemporary psychological thriller.

What are you working on now?

I have completed my second manuscript featuring Atticus and Lucie Fox. Their next investigation concerns a number of brutal murders which appear to centre on a long-vanished Northumbrian castle, and on the delusions of a madman who believes he is the father of King Arthur. The Madman of Sewingshields is due for publication in May 2013 by Thames River Press. Beyond that am just beginning a third novel, inspired by the Northern British folklore of yetis.

***

The Eighth Circle of Hell is available from Thames River Press. Readers can purchase copies from Amazon US or Amazon UK.

Gary Dolman was born in South Tyneside in 1963, but grew up principally in Harrogate in North Yorkshire, where he now lives with his wife, three children and two dogs. He is fascinated by the human mind and how it contends with adversity in all its forms. He is also passionate about the history – real and mythical – of the north of England. Visit Gary's blog at http://www.garydolman.blogspot.com/.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

An Interview with Tara Stogner Wood

Today, I have an interview with Tara Stogner Wood, a paranormal author who has a story in the new fairytale collection Once Upon a Twisted Time.

***

Tara, tell us a bit about Once Upon a Twisted Time.

Once Upon a Twisted Time is a unique collection of fairytales with a twist. We've taken four classic stories and turned them on their heads to create something engaging and fun for readers. Here's the blurb:
Think you know your fairytales? Think again. These aren’t your normal happily-ever-after. Within these pages, a murderous Little Mermaid gets her revenge, the Cinderella doesn’t really want to wear the slipper, Snow White is up to her eyes in industrial experiments, and the Beauty is in fact the Beast.
This collection of four novellas will surprise you, make you gasp in horror, sigh with relief, and sit on the edge of your seat. And most of all…they will make you rethink everything you think you know about dark fairytales…

Did you and the other authors in the anthology give each other feedback during the writing process, or was each story developed independently?

We're a close knit group, so there was tons of feedback and ideas flying back and forth. That said, each of us personally chose the fairytale we wanted to re-imagine. From there, it was only natural to tap someone on the shoulder and say, "What do you think about this?" or, "Is this too literal?". The finished tales are truly a product of each individual, but we found that bouncing ideas off one another was really helpful. They're a fabulous bunch of ladies with some amazingly creative brains.

How did you come up with the idea for your story, "Miss Cavendish and the Spark of Salvation?"

A photo of an incredibly good-looking archer made it's way into my inbox, courtesy of my cohort, Trish M. Dawson. Anyhoo, said photo of attractive male model made me instantly think of "The Huntsman", so that's what he became. The steampunk aspect sort of jumped out at me and I took it and ran. I had the most fun writing this story, and Asher and George have to be two of my favorite characters that I've ever written.

Do you and the other authors have plans to put out another anthology like this?

Absolutely. We really enjoyed working together, and Moon Rose Publishing is a dream to work for. As far as specifics, nothing has been ironed out, as we all have other projects currently in progress. A few ideas have already been thrown around amongst this particular group of authors. I can say that I am currently contracted by Moon Rose for another anthology with a different group (but all of them amazing!) of authors to be released in the spring of 2013.

What are you working on now?

I think the question should be, "What are you NOT working one right now?". LOL. I have three projects that I am actively working and writing on at the moment: the next novella for Moon Rose in the spring, the second book in my paranormal romance "In Blood" series, and a YA thriller that I'm plotting out. I am also co-author on another full-length novel contracted by Moon Rose for a tentative release in April.

***

Get Once Upon a Twisted Time from Amazon.com or Amazon UK. You can connect with Tara in many and sundry ways, including:


Tuesday, December 4, 2012

An Interview with David Bain, Author of Death Sight

Today I have an interview with David Bain, horror author of the novel Gray Lake  and dozens of short stories. Some of those stories have featured a character named Will Castleton and Dave's new novel, Death Sight, is the first full-length Castleton adventure. But he can tell you more about that than I can.

***

Dave, can you tell us a bit about your new novel, Death Sight?

Death Sight is the first novel in the Will Castleton series. There are already several stories and a novella, collected in The Castleton Files, available in print and all ebook formats. While The Castleton Files feature stories from throughout Will’s career, Death Sight is his origin story, detailing the devastating events which presage and lead to his “slightly psychic” abilities, then chronicling his initial, furtive, reluctant acceptance of said abilities. It’s also, to some extent, a novel about the changes one goes through in one’s early twenties. It can be a lonely, difficult period, full of uncomfortable transitions - at least it was for me - and it certainly is for Will. Readers will decide, but my feeling is I really put him through the wringer.

Here’s the “back cover blurb” for Death Sight: Hospitalized after drowning during a rescue attempt, newly graduated U.S. Marshal Will Castleton is besieged by visions of a hulking executioner torturing a bound man. A perilous race against time leaves Will broken, unsure if he even wants to join the marshals. Escaping to his Michigan hometown, Will finds his father dying, a young woman’s ghost desperate to communicate with him, and a biker kingpin out to make a statement by taking out local law enforcement’s golden boy.

You've written quite a few Will Castleton stories. Do you plan on many more short stories and full-length novels featuring the character?

Always! Sooner rather than later I’ll put out a ghost story collection called Ghosts, Just Behind You, featuring “Purgatory,” a new Will Castleton story - maybe a short story, maybe a novella - either way it’s harrowing, with Will getting kidnapped by some badasses and a couple ghosts help him escape.

What drew you to genre fiction, particularly horror?

I seem to have a different answer to this question every time it’s asked. Tonight (as I sit alone in a Mexican restaurant, two tall beers in) I think it was about rebellion. Horror was the most contentious fiction I could find at the age when I needed something rough, independent, socially questionable to cling to. I wasn’t a Goth or a hair band disciple - I was, in fact, a rather tender and tenuous adherent to almost every one of the various late ‘80s ethics, exploring broadly - I listened to The Smiths and The Cure in secret, after the Guns n’ Roses and Metallica crowd had left the party. Stephen King and Clive Barker were pretty much all I was interested in. It was the only fiction that spoke to me, period. I got in a lot of trouble before I was sent to college - the university environment pretty much saved my life, gave me the focus, inspiration and direction I needed. And it was there that I discovered enough diverse horror/mystery/fantasy/science fiction writers, from Poe to Chandler, from Tom Robbins to Octavia Butler, to show me there was a hell of a lot more than mere rebellion going on.

Can you tell us a bit about A/A Productions and the projects you currently have underway?

A/A Productions is a small publishing company I’ve started. So far we’ve published Proactive Contrition, a 100,000-word experimental “meta-memoir” by Chicago writer Wayne Allen Sallee, a several-time Stoker nominee, a collection of stories by Ken Goldman, an author who’s appeared in about every small press horror publication imaginable, and a handful of fun anthologies such as Dark Highways, Sword and Zombie, Forbidden Texts and Dark Days, featuring great authors like William Meikle, Jon F. Merz, Scott Nicholson, Mike Arnzen, Steve Vernon, Eric S. Brown and lots of others. I make no bones about the fact that A/A Productions uses the same self-publishing venues and tools available to any author these days. On one level, we’re simply a middle-man, providing art, editing, formatting, etc. I also make no bones about the fact that authors could be doing all this for themselves. But some authors are technologically challenged or simply don’t want to be hassled with it. Another part of the idea is to be selective about projects, setting a certain standard - yes, authors could easily be self-publishing this work, but the goal is to form a sort of collective where people will know an A/A Productions book will have quality content, quality formatting, quality editing, etc. I’m going for a very indie feel, with the authors having a say and creative control at every level. Right now, I don’t charge an up-front fee; instead, I receive a share of the profits of each book - usually 15%, like an agent might - this way I keep a vested interest in each project. It keeps me doing the best work I can and pushing as hard as possible to make each one a success.

What will you be working on 2013?

The major item on the docket is Green River Blues, the second Will Castleton novel. That’s my top writing priority. There are a number of other projects which may or may not see fruition. I’m also likely to finish a novel called The Care and Feeding of Michael Anthony Zee - it’s about 80 percent done and much more mainstream, literary and crazy than most of my other work, sort of a hipster angle on the sort of thing I normally do. Right now my web site says I’ll be self-publishing it, but I’m seriously considering seeking a traditional publisher for it. We shall see.

There are also too many stories, novellas, anthologies and the like in the works to list here - the best bet would be for interested readers to follow my blog or Twitter, which is where the real fun is.

But I do want to mention this! 2013 should also see a Wattpad exclusive work aimed at young adult readers - at least novella length, maybe a novel - called Stalk Me. I’ve started serializing some work on Wattpad, and I’ve received some praise but also a little flak for it - why fer crysakes would an established writer play around on a site populated by Twilight imitations and One Direction fanfics!?!?!? Yes, you do have that sort of thing on Wattpad, but you also have surprisingly creative and adept writers (young and old) sharing stories that are, in truth, more read, more discussed and more loved than the bulk of self-published work on Amazon. Wattpad is totally about story. There’s no thought of money, just entertainment and community. I’m simply floored at the quality of stuff you can find there, and I love the spirit of freedom, interaction, fun and creativity.

Thanks, Mike, for the chance to do this interview! You rock and everyone should buy Sullivan’s War!

Thank you, Dave! I keep telling people that, but they just laugh and walk away.

***

Click here for links to purchase the new novel Death Sight on Amazon (Kindle), B&N (Nook), Kobo and Smashwords.

There are all sorts of other ways you can connect with David Bain, too. To wit:

Monday, December 3, 2012

Cover Re-Reveal: Chrysopteron

On the 21st of December, I release my new novel Chrysopteron.

The Story

Captain John Hayden, haunted by memories of war and still grieving the death of his wife, is about to embark on the most important mission of his career: to discover the fate of the Chrysopteron, one of five generation ships which left the Earth centuries earlier. The descendants of the Chrysopteron’s original crew had successfully colonized their planet, but less than a hundred years later, all contact was lost. Hayden knows that a mysterious new religion which was formed onboard the ship may have played a role in determining the fate of the colonists, but there is no way to know what he and his crew will find when they finally arrive.

In a story that touches on issues of faith and self-determination, Chrysopteron explores the fundamental elements that define our species. Even though we may leave the Earth, we cannot leave behind that which makes us human.

The Cover

I call this a re-reveal as I have altered the original cover, which I revealed some time back. I'll blog later about why I made this change, but here is the updated version:


Two main elements make up the cover. The first is an image of the optical double star Alpha Capricorni. An optical double is a pair of stars that appear to be close together from our perspective but are, in fact, quite distant from one another. The second image is a detail from a fresco in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence painted by Bronzino, one of my favorite Mannerist painters.

The image of the woman represents the Greek goddess Iris. The name of the book (and the ship) refers to her as well: Chrysopteron is one of Iris's epithets and means "golden winged." Like Hermes, Iris is a messenger and a link between humanity and the gods. She is also a goddess of the sea and sky and the rainbow was one of her main symbols. All this is very important to the story in Chrysopteron, but I can't reveal too much without giving away key plot points. Watch this blog for the release announcement on the 21st. I do hope you decided to check it out.

All the Best,
Michael K. Rose

Saturday, December 1, 2012

An Interview with Shaun Allan, author of Sin and Dark Places

Today I have an interview with horror author Shaun Allan. He has just released a new fiction and poetry collection called Dark Places.

***

Shaun, Tell us a bit about Dark Places.

Dark Places. Well, it's a collection of 13 poems and 13 stories, all on a horror or dark theme. Talking of themes, there's a quote on the cover of the book in Latin: "Furor est in tenebris utriusque. Debemus facere proelium cum nostra daemones." Which means "There is darkness and madness in each of us. We must do battle with our own demons."

Dark Places is all about that. What if the horrible thoughts we sometimes flash upon, even if we’re the nicest of people, decide that they’re going to become real? Is it always possible to prevent the beast within from crawling out of its cage?

As you know from Sin, he struggles against a force that uses him but that he can’t control. In many ways, the characters within Dark Places suffer a similar fate. They see things they shouldn't. They do things they can’t help. Or they discover things about themselves that they didn't realise...

The poems were written a while ago, when I was in my own ‘dark place.’ I’d put them aside and saved them and hadn't actually thought about their publication. I’d written a couple of the stories too and enjoyed some wonderful feedback. Then a fellow writer asked me to look at one of her stories. She told me it had been written when she was in a ‘dark place.’ Thus, the inspiration for the title story came and, along with it, the flow of words for the other stories.

The response for the book has been excellent. The fact that it is made up of individual poems and stories means it’s easier to pick up and put down – well, hopefully not so easy to put down, of course.

I love the cover too. It keeps the theme from Sin and looks gorgeous in print!

Dark Places contains both stories and poems. Do you prefer writing one over the other? Do you find writing one more difficult than the other?

I prefer to write stories, I think. I don’t necessarily find one easier than the other as I write a lot of poetry, but it tends to be for an occasion or a mood. Saying that, I have two books of children’s poetry out too - Zits’n’Bits and Rudolph Saves Christmas. I once went through a stage where poetry was all I would write. Now, though, I find the stories flow much more freely.

In some cases it’s how the muse takes me. I have written a couple of Sin’s blog posts in rhyme. One was even to the tune of Queen’s ‘I Want to Break Free!’

Which of the stories or poems is your personal favorite?

Now that’s a hard one. As the poems were written at a time when I was, internally at least, not at my brightest, some of them are quite personal. As for the stories... I like 'Dark Places' because it was the one that coalesced the collection together. It was the spark that fired the anthology and prompted the burst of writing that became the others. Also, the thoughts of other ‘Alice’ worlds in the reflections of the television etc. are ones I toy with myself – hence their inclusion!

'The Last Dance' is another favourite. This doesn't have the darkness that the others have. It’s a little more whimsy. There's some hope in it. Also, it made my wife cry when she read it.

And there's 'Joy.'  In Sin, as she's his sister, she didn't get the chance to tell her story. Now she does. Now she has a voice. There was no way, really, that any other story could close the book.

What do you now have in the works?

Well. Where do I start? I have a children's book about the youngest of three witches who have lost their powers to work on. I have another called Zombies are People Too. There's Sin's ongoing blog – his 'diary of a madman'. And, of course, there’s the sequel to Sin. It’s been difficult to work on this as Rudolph and Dark Places pushed in line, but I am hopeful I can return to it and actually spend some real time on finding out what comes next. I don't plan what I write, so actually fixing on one thing is often difficult.

I interviewed you about your novel Sin for the webzine SpecFicPick (link). Is there anything you'd like to say about it here, or any other publication you'd like to mention?

Sin is currently being pitched to Hollywood with the possibility of becoming a film. It's also being turned into an audiobook (and I've been asked to narrate!). The wonderful people at Wattpad have asked if I'd like to be a part of their Writers' Program and have Sin as one of their featured books, which is amazing. I've recently uploaded a new short story to Wattpad entitled The Hunger, which has had some great comments: http://www.wattpad.com/user/ShaunAllan

Of course, time runs headlong before me and I struggle to keep up with her pace, but I try.

Anything else you'd like to mention?

Thanks very much for this Michael. I very much appreciate it. You could mention that autographed print copies of both Sin and Dark Places are available from my website's bookstore (http://www.shaunallan.co.uk/bookstore.php) as are those of Zits’n’Bits and Rudolph Saves Christmas.

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For more information as well as links where you can buy Dark Places and his other work, visit Shaun's website here. Kindle users can also link directly to Shaun's work on Amazon US here and Amazon UK here.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

#12NovelsIn12Months Update: I Might Fail

As I write this, I my head and throat are aching and I'm sitting upright in bed. There's a cup of peppermint tea and several cough drop wrappers on my nightstand. Yes, I'm sick. I began feeling it on Wednesday. Thursday morning it was worse, but I forced myself to write 3,000 words on Darkridge Hall. Friday it was about the same, but Saturday I woke up feeling absolutely miserable. Today I am a little better, but my energy is sapped and the creative juices are flowing like molasses.

So, I must face a fact: I might fail in reaching 60,000 words this month and completing Darkridge Hall. My original goal was to write a novel a month for twelve months, but I notice that the hashtag I chose for it, #12NovelsIn12Months, does not make that distinction. I can cheat and say I'll write those twelve anytime during the twelve months. Sure, it's semantic justification, but if it keeps me from feeling like a failure, so be it. Anyway, if I finish Darkridge Hall sometime in early December, what difference will a few days have made in the long run? It means I'll have to be diligent to keep up a good pace for my December book, but I will not abandon the entire project because I fell behind one month. I will write these twelve novels. Yes, the title of this post should be "I Won't Fail."

There is still a chance I'll be able to rally and finish Darkridge Hall in the next few days. I'm going to try to write today, but I don't know how far I'll get. The time might be better served editing one of my completed projects. Either way, wish me luck!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

What Scares You?

As mentioned in a previous post, I am now writing a horror novel called Darkridge Hall as part of my #12NovelsIn12Months project. This is a new experience for me. Now, years and years ago, long before I was any type of "serious" writer, I had begun and rather quickly abandoned a few horror stories, and a couple of the short stories available in my collection are horror, but this is my first serious effort at a full-length horror novel.

My biggest concern in writing it is this: can I make it scary? Sure, I can have "scary" things happen to my characters, but will they necessarily scare the reader? I don't know yet. However, I did creep myself out a bit while writing the other day. I suppose my main concern for now should just be to tell the story. If the element of horror is not strong enough after the first draft, I can always go back and try to punch it up.

So let me ask my readers for advice: What do you find scary in a horror novel? What makes your skin crawl, your spine tingle, your short and curlys stand on end? What gives you goosebumps, the willies, the heeby-jeebies, the creeps? I don't mean particular things you find scary, but what literary elements make a scene scary? Let me know and I'll keep your suggestions in mind as I continue writing Darkridge Hall!

All the Best,
Michael K. Rose

Monday, November 5, 2012

Review: Dolphin Island by Arthur C. Clarke

Yes, I am reading a lot of Arthur C. Clarke lately. I had begun Dolphin Island after finishing Garden of Rama. I couldn't find Rama Revealed at the local used bookstore, so I ordered it online and, being in a Clarke mood already, plucked this off my shelf to tide me over (sorry) because it was fairly short.

As fate would have it, Rama Revealed arrived later the same day, and I put Dolphin Island down so I could finish the Rama series (see my review here). When I picked Dolphin Island back up again, I was transported into a world of wonder and adventure.

What I didn't know when I began this book is that it is a young adult adventure novel. It takes place in the near future, as envisioned from 1963. The main character is a teenage boy named Johnny who hitches a ride on a hovership to escape his dreary home life. When the engines of the hovership explode over open water, Johnny is left stranded, floating on a piece of debris.

He is saved by a group of dolphins who pull him to an island on the Great Barrier Reef called, appropriately, Dolphin Island, where a biologist, Professor Kazan, has been experimenting with communicating with dolphins and has, as it turns out, had quite a lot of success with it.

I don't want to reveal too much about the plot, but the story progresses at a pretty good clip from that point onward, and Clarke's experience as a diver lends authenticity to the descriptions of the animals inhabiting the reef around the island. And as far as young adult adventure novels go, this one is quite good. It captured my imagination and, even though I left my childhood behind long ago, it made me yearn for sandy beaches, coral reefs and exotic locales where a new adventure is waiting around every corner.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars. It's a very short book and is pure escapist fun. While it seems to be currently out of print, used copies can be had for just a few bucks if you can find it. There are many other Arthur C. Clarke novels I'd recommend reading before Dolphin Island, but if you've already read his more popular works and are a fan, this one is definitely worth a look.

Image Source: Dolphin Underwater by Bobbi Jones Jones

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Review: The Rest of Arthur C. Clarke's Rama Series

About a month ago I wrote a review of Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama. I loved it and immediately began reading Rama II by Clarke and his co-author Gentry Lee. I then read Garden of Rama immediately after that and, not finding Rama Revealed in my local used bookstore, I ordered a copy and impatiently waited for it to arrive. I've now finished the entire series and since Rama II, Garden of Rama and Rama Revealed tell one cohesive story line and follow the same set of characters, I've decided to review them together.

Rama II begins 70 years after the events that took place in Rendezvous with Rama when a second, seemingly identical Rama ship arrives in our solar system. This time Earth has more time to prepare to meet it and sends a crew that has been carefully selected for the task. If I tell you anything beyond that I will a) have to reveal key plot points and b) be here quite a long time because the story is vast. I will instead like to talk about my impressions of the Rama sequels versus the highly negative impressions that so many others seem to have of these books.

If you look at the Amazon reviews for any of the Rama sequels you'll see endless complaints, most of them directed at Gentry Lee who, according to what I read, did the majority of the writing on the Rama sequels with Clarke providing the basic plot and suggesting changes after Lee sent him chapters he had completed.

This may not be a popular point of view but I honestly believe that Gentry Lee is a great writer. The complaints stem from the fact that so many who had read Rendezvous with Rama picked up the others expecting them to be classic Arthur C. Clarke. Now, Clarke is my all-time favorite science fiction writer, and I do confess to having to adjust to the very different style of Lee, but once I did that and understood that Rama II and the rest of the books are not the Clark books but Lee books with guidance by Clarke, I really began to appreciate his style.

First of all, Lee is a lot wordier than Clarke. Clarke is famous, in fact, for his minimalist approach when it comes to character; he is all about telling the story and describing the science. And this works wonderfully with the right kind of story. In Rendezvous with Rama, the minimal characterization allows one to focus on the spaceship Rama and experience it for its awe-inspiring alien-ness. In 2001: A Space Odyssey, the mysterious power behind the monolith is given a similar treatment unencumbered by lots of details about the characters' pasts and inner thoughts.

But this impression that Clarke does not write character well, or does so minimally, is a misconception. Read Childhood's End or The Songs of Distant Earth, for example, and the beauty of those novels can be found in how the very human characters react to the unusual experiences they are having. So even though some readers of Rendezvous with Rama wanted minimalist Clarke in the sequels, their expectation was unfounded.

So Rama II and the other sequels are not in Clarke's classic style. This is true. So what? As I read, I began to fall in love with the intricately crafted characters that Lee wrote. Even if some of them are remarkable people, they are still fully human. Some said the Rama sequels were soap opera-ish because of this focus on the characters and what they are feeling. No, that's how real people respond to stressful situations: emotionally. "But wait," some will say."They don't respond like real people. They're much too well-balanced and competent." Well, this is the opposite complaint but my answer: of course! The main characters were hand-picked from the top of their respective fields to go on this mission to rendezvous with the second Rama ship. So yes, their inner lives are explored in detail but the actions they take, in spite of what they are feeling emotionally, are the competent actions of professionals. Few people are all one way or the other. Everyone contradicts themselves at times. Lee has been able to explore this human-ness in a very real way.

The next complaint I came across was that Gentry Lee is a dirty old man who likes to write gratuitous sex scenes. Hmm.... Apparently these people don't get out much. Are there a handful of sex scenes? Yes. Are they particularly vulgar? Not really. Perhaps I'm not as prudish as some, but I didn't find anything all that shocking about them. And are they gratuitous? Quite the opposite, actually. There is a rich interplay between the main characters and how they respond to each other sexually is part of that. If you read them out of context, not knowing the characters, you may not see the point of the sex scenes. But in the context of the story, those scenes tell us volumes about the characters.

Complaint three (or is it four?): Gentry Lee over-described everything. Again, I think this mostly comes down to expectation. For the most part, Clarke wrote rather brief novels. In the copies I have, Rendezvous... runs to around 250 pages. None of the sequels are less than 450 pages. But again, this is because of the rich characterization and, in the later books, the highly-detailed work Lee does describing the biology and behavior of different alien species. I found it all fascinating. I can close my eyes right now, and because of Lee's descriptive skill I can picture very clearly the places and creatures that inhabit the world of Rama.

Now in spite of all that I've already said, the novels are not perfect. There are more than a few cliches, some of the secondary characters are stereotypes and there are some plot points left hanging at the end of the series. I will also acknowledge that some slight trimming probably would have strengthened the books. But by the end of Rama Revealed I had grown not only to know the handful of main characters but to love them, to root for them, to rejoice at their triumphs and I will admit I even shed tears on more than one occasion. A writer who can do this for me is, in my book, a great writer.

If you do decide to read the rest of the Rama books, go in knowing you aren't getting "classic" Clarke. But it doesn't matter. Gentry Lee took Clarke's Rama and made it his own, and his Rama is definitely a world worth exploring.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

#12NovelsIn12Months Update:
Sullivan's Wrath is Finished!

The first month of my #12NovelsIn12Months project has been a success! I completed Sullivan's Wrath, and it is over 60,000 words in length. This is, of course, a first draft, and I expect to add a bit to it as I flesh out some scenes during revision.

Some of you have asked when I'll have time to do said revisions and edits. Well, if I can keep on track this month as I write Darkridge Hall, a paranormal thriller, I will have a few days left over at the end of the month which I will use to work on a second draft of Sullivan's Wrath. The plan right now is to release it at the end of January.

The third book in the Sullivan Saga, Sullivan's Watch, will be written during the month of December. Then, as I'm doing in November, I'll write something else in January to take a break from the series and finish it off with the fourth Sullivan book in February.

I had written before that the trilogy of Sullivan books would be bookended by two others, one taking place before Sullivan's War and one taking place after the main story line of the series. However, I have decided to combine those into one book and actually increase Sullivan's involvement; I had originally planned for him to be a secondary character. This way, the Sullivan Saga, as I'm calling it, will be all about Sullivan, but the scope of the final book will be much larger than any of the first three books.

On a final note, this is November, and I imagine lots of you will be participating in NaNoWriMo. I am as well, by default, but I won't be participating in the communal aspect of it, posting daily word counts and all that. However, I do wish those of you participating the best of luck! I've just written a book in a month, so I know that while it is a challenge, it is not as difficult as you might imagine. You can do it!

I'll post another #12NovelsIn12Months update when I have something to report. Until then, don't forget that signed print copies of my books are currently on sale. Details can be found here. I'd also like to add that Nov. 1 & 2, Sergeant Riley's Account, the prologue to Sullivan's War, is free at Amazon. Click here for links.

Best,
Michael K. Rose

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

An Interview with Patrick C. Greene

Hello, all! Today I have an interview with Patrick C. Greene, author of Progeny, a Bigfoot novel from Hobbes End Publishing. Click here to get it from Amazon either in print or as an eBook.

And now, on with the interview.

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Michael K. Rose: Patrick, could you tell us a bit about yourself and your writing?

Patrick C. Greene: I'm a longtime resident of Western North Carolina, a horror and samurai film fanatic, sometimes-actor/stuntman/screenwriter, full-time dad and husband. My father was a journalist/novelist, so I got an early dose of writing and found it to be as great an escape as any passive form of entertainment. I write short stories, novels and screenplays, mostly in the horror genre.

MKR: Tell us about your new novel Progeny.

PCG: The story goes a bit like this: a writer named Owen Sterling, having just purchased a large tract of forestry from a Native tribe in the mountains of North Carolina, moves there and promptly finds signs of something strange lurking in the woods. After investigating, he determines that he is neighbors with a family of Sasquatches. He makes a decision to keep the monsters a secret at any cost, refusing to allow anyone on his property. This engenders resentment among the local hunters and drives a wedge of secrecy between himself and his young son Chuck, a city kid who comes to visit for the summer, just about the time the hunters are embarking on an excursion onto Owen's land--and the territory of the monsters.

It's my first serious novel (I wrote an earlier one when I was much younger, that I will undoubtedly re-visit sometime soon) and one of the most meaningful writing experiences I've ever undertaken. It is dedicated to my oldest son Deklan, a fine writer himself with whom I will be sharing space in the upcoming THE ENDLANDS VOLUME 2 anthology from Hobbes End Publishing, who are also behind PROGENY.

MKR: How did you come up with the idea for this book?

PCG: Living in a pretty rural area and reading/watching way too much horror, my imagination will often shift to how my isolated surrounding could lend itself to all kinds of interesting scenarios. Having a lifelong interest in all things monstrous, I've often asked myself how I would react if I encountered a Bigfoot type creature. The experience is said to be so traumatic that it leaves one absolutely immobile. At any rate, kicking that around, I saw a story there. It was important to me that the monsters be more than just the Threat of Death--they had to represent a sort of mirror into which some of the protagonists must be forced to look.

MKR: Do you plan a sequel to the novel, or at least more Sasquatch stories?

PCG: I love these characters enough that I could easily see myself doing another one. However, I would have to take it in a vastly different direction. I would never want to just repeat myself, or just throw the same situation into a different setting. There are some other ideas involving Sasquatches and other cryptids in the ol' notebook, so I'll just have to see what happens with this one.

MKR: Tell us a bit about A Shotgun Wedding.

PCG: A Shotgun Wedding is a dramatic thriller I'm writing for a production company called CineFoundry that takes the concept of wedding day jitters to its absolute max. In it, a sweet young lady named Alyssa is about to get married for the second time, after escaping the clutches of her sinister and psychotic first husband. He's believed to be dead--but guess what? He's crashing the wedding. That will likely shoot next fall somewhere in Ohio or possibly North Carolina. There's a teaser trailer and lots of info at www.ashotgunwedding.com. I'm also writing some projects for SaintSinner Entertainment in New Jersey.

MKR: What are you working on now?

PCG: Aside from the aforementioned THE ENDLANDS VOLUME 2 coming in November, I'm eager to start my next novel and also to finish a collection of short stories, but for now, along with spreading the word about PROGENY, I'm trying to raise awareness about a couple of charities that are near and dear to me. Scares That Care is an organization that provides comfort and assistance to ailing children, helps fight breast cancer and helps care for burn victims. They're always auctioning off amazing horror memorabilia, so it's a fun way to give.
They can be found at www.ScaresThatCare.org.

Also, Jackie Chan is doing great things with his Dragon's Heart Foundation. Kids can help him build a school for a dollar!

And finally, the sCare Foundation (www.scarefoundation.org) was put together by the producers of the Halloween film series to help teens in poverty get on their feet.

MKR: Thank you so much for the interview, Patrick! I already have my copy of Progeny and look forward to reading it.

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You can connect with Patrick C. Greene at his website, Facebook and Twitter. His Amazon Author Page can be found here.