Presenting a Special Guest-Lynne Murray

Tomorrow we celebrate The Lovely Lynne Murray, an event dedicated to the writing of a lady who is not only a fantastic author, but a wonderful person as well. I thoroughly enjoyed her book Gravitas: Valkyrie in the Forbidden Zone, but when I looked at her author page, I realized that she is quite prolific. And before I forget to mention it, Gravitas is on sale this weekend for $0.99.

Blurb:

Sybil from Planet Valkyrie carries a risky amount of Gravitas, a top secret aphrodisiac embedded in the Ritual Jewelry around her neck. Before she can trade it, she is attacked by an angry warrior from slave-holding Planet Roggr. Sybil lands on Earth—in the Forbidden Zone. Rescue is impossible, all portals are sealed. Can she protect herself, shield her hazardous cargo and find a way home before the Gravitas destroys her?

Some Reviewer Comments:

“One of my favorite parts of this novel is the witty dialogue. Although Sybil’s clueless culture shock is endearing, she turns out to be confident and resourceful as she attempts to figure out a way to return to Valkyries”

“This book is too much fun to miss.”

“…the story is imaginative and empowering. I enjoyed this quick read.”

“The author has a good sense of humour and an eye for unexpected detail about humans, which comes from the outsider perspective of Sybilla. The novel itself is a pacy, entertaining read with snappy and often funny dialogue.”

There is a companion short story that goes with this novel: Valkyrie in the Demon Realm

Blurb:

Sybil, from the Planet Valkyrie carries a risky amount of Gravitas, a potent aphrodisiac. The cargo must be harvested before the damaging side effects send her into another realm. Or has it already happened? Where did that demon, the color of molten lava, come from? And what can she do to defeat it?

#LovelyLynne has written other novels and books as well, including some non-fiction tips for writers. Check out her Amazon page to check out her full selection.

I do encourage you to drop by tomorrow and meet #LovelyLynne. You’ll be glad you did!

To get in touch with her:

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lynne.murray.7771?fref=ts

On Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/268380.Lynne_Murray?from_search=true&search_version=service

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/lynnemurray

Presenting a Special Guest-Ian Williams

Ian Williams’ Transitory was book of the month for January. This was the first month of this club, and the response and enthusiasm was tremendous.

Ian Williams is a science fiction writer from the United Kingdom. Transitory, which is about a businessman who travels to a distant planet and finds out that he is the target of a hitman, is Williams’ first novel. He recently released a second novel called The Sentient Collector, which is first in a dystopian trilogy.

To check out Transitory: http://www.amazon.com/Transitory-Ian-Williams-ebook/dp/B00LACOVU2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423431456&sr=8-1&keywords=transitory

Here are what some reviewers have said about Transitory:

1. “The author, Ian Williams, took me to a fantastically different location without the normal dreary travel time evident in some science fiction books. His characterisations were brilliant. They made me care about Nate, the main character, and also the others who were helping him get to the truth.”

2. “This book is unlike anything I have read before. I found it refreshing and new. I read it pretty quickly because I had a really hard time putting it down. There were no slow dragging spots and it kept a nice steady pace.”

3. “…this book made it quite easy for me to picture the new world in my mind. There wasn’t an overabundance either which usually makes my eyes glaze over.”

4. “…I do believe that it will be a great read for those who like descriptive sci-fi.”

5. “I fell in love with Nate’s sassy mouth and cunning humor. His reactions to unusual and bizarre situations were often what mine would be, along with his coping mechanism of snarky remarks. It was nearly as much of a treat to be inside his head as inside this alien sci-fi environment.”

I was wondering what the story behind Transitory and what made Williams decide to write it. Here is an interview:

1: Was the writing based on something personal such as a war or love experience or was it all fiction?

Answer 
Transitory was all fiction unfortunately. I’d love to say that parts of it were based on personal experiences, but they weren’t. Of course how characters interact and how people talk will have been influenced by people I see everyday.

2: Is there going to be a follow up book to explore the budding romance, the punishments and how Nate deals with all of it?

Answer 
I haven’t ruled out a sequel. In time I may decide to return and take the story further. But for that to happen it would have to move beyond Nate and the others. To me it seems that L’Armin is the character who has the most interesting past and the potential to go much further than Transitory could. I would love to explore this story, with Nate and the others involved too of course.

3. How long did it take to write Transitory?

Answer
It took me around a year to write. This being my first book meant I spent longer than I would today. My aim these days is to have the first draft of a new book finished in roughly four months, followed by another two months of rewrites and editing.

4. What drew you to the science fiction genre?

Answer
I’ve always loved science fiction, mainly for the way it can tell multiple stories in one. I grew up watching TV shows such as Star Trek: The Next Generation (I also loved Quantum Leap and Stargate) and they always managed to do this in an enjoyable way.

Transitory was written as if it were a single episode of a TV show. This meant it was always supposed to be quite compact and yet explore large subjects at the same time. Science fiction is a genre that I natural lean towards because of this. I don’t feel that I could write the stories I want to in any other genre.

5. In Transitory, you explore the theme of corporate dominance and exploitation. What are your thoughts on this?

Answer
I don’t believe all corporations are inherently evil, but I do believe that they can sometimes act in such a way, particularly when it comes to natural resources. The corporate mentality is to put a price on anything and everything, even human life. They will find profit in any way they can and that sometimes means bending rules – or breaking them entirely. What is right is often less defined when there is money to be made.

This was the reason behind the theme of exploitation in Transitory. Nate’s company travel the galaxy in search of raw materials locked up inside asteroids. To them it is a routine job. But they have no idea what an alien species would make of such an act, more importantly I suspect they simply wouldn’t care. Like Fracking beneath people’s homes, it is done with only one concern: profit.

Nate, on the other hand, just hasn’t really thought about it before. L’Armin’s views on space mining would have been the first time anyone had ever really questioned him on the morality of such an industry. I’d like to think he would have changed his ways because of this.

6. Do you believe that in the future, space travel will be routine?

Answer
I do think this will happen, and sometime within the next thirty years. Only recently a private firm was given the go ahead to transport equipment and supplies to the International Space Station. When this is being done on a regular basis it will open up space to others too. I think this will then slowly filter down to the rest of the population.

As for travelling the galaxy, like in Transitory, I think that will take much longer. For that to happen we will need many advancements in space technology first. But with ambitious plans to land humans on Mars and even an asteroid only decades away, things are still certainly looking good for space travel.

7. Do you believe there is life on other planets? If so, do you think they are friendly, peaceful beings?

Answer
I do believe there is life on other planets. The general scientific consensus is that the chances of life existing elsewhere in the universe is overwhelmingly possible, if not likely. Take the findings from the Kepler Space Telescope for example. It has detected and confirmed the presence of over a thousand Exoplanets and is investigating many more; all this since 2009. Scientists are finding more and more each year.

If you then take into consideration that estimates put the number of stars in The Milky Way alone as somewhere in the region of 300 billion, then it becomes clear that there is indeed a high probability of some of those being orbited by planets containing life. Whether that life is intelligent is a different matter. 

I hope that somewhere there are other intelligent beings searching for signs of another form of life, and that they are friendly – although if we were ever to meet them I wouldn’t be so sure that they would consider us friendly and peaceful as a race.

8. What is your personal favorite part of Transitory?

Answer
My favourite part of Transitory is Nate’s memory of the mining convention he attended (Chapter 9).This was fun to write as I was doing everything I could to show that Nate isn’t particularly good at his job. He fluffs his lines when reading out his speech, he fails to answer questions and generally deals with it in a very unprofessional way. It was one of the points in the story that showed how Nate copes under pressure – or doesn’t in this case.

Nate’s character was intended to be arrogant, some have even said unlikeable, at the beginning. He comes across as selfish and often quite rude too. I did this to show how Nate’s character changes over time throughout the story. By the end of the book I wanted the reader to have warmed to him and even to start to like him. When he is forced into a corner and left with a moral choice, he will always do the right thing, despite what his corporate brain tells him to do.

Chapter 9 is also where an important plot twist is revealed to the reader. I enjoyed writing this part a lot.

9. You currently have a dystopian trilogy in the works (the first of the series has recently been released. do you care to tell us a little about that?

Answer
With The Sentient Collector I wanted to try and tell the story that comes after the world’s first Artificial Intelligence is created. In book 1 the AI has already existed for 7 years and things have started to unravel.

The story follows 3 characters as they each become embroiled in an ever deepening plot. Graham Denehey works for the company which created the AI, Phoenix is an outsider working for the wrong man, whereas Kristof is the man brought in to prevent a crisis. What brings the story together is one man known only as The Sentient Collector. Finding this unknown figure is the key to preventing a terrible event.

Transitory was always intended to be a short story or novella. The Sentient Collector, on the other hand, was planned as a full book followed by another 2 books. The Trilogy is already written in my head, I just need to put finger to keyboard and finish it.

10. Are there any other thoughts you wish to share?

Answer
I’d like to say a huge thank you to Jessica Wren for making Transitory Book of the Month for January. To have my first ever book featured in a book club is a true honour and one I will always be grateful for.

I would also like to take this moment to thank everyone who bought, read and reviewed Transitory. Hearing what you all thought of it has been a real joy.

If you are a fan of Ian Williams, of science fiction, or just want to show you support to a promising new author, I strongly encourage you to join the Ian Williams Fan Club. There are three ways to join:

1. On Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/154950-ian-williams-fan-club
2. On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1568863896693454/
3. On Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/communities/107572608043988627238

If you would like to join Jessica and Jen's Book of the Month Club, it is loads of fun and a great way to meet new friends and help promote rising indie authors:

1. On Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/153603-jessica-s-book-of-the-month
2. On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Jessicasbotm/
3. On Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/communities/114857677243125019375

Regards, 
Jessica Wren

Author Spotlight-Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor is author of a fascinating science fiction/historical fiction called The Forgotten Mission. The novel, written in non-linear sequence and spanned over more than 100 years, tells the story of Scott Salvador, who has been handpicked to complete a top-secret government project that has been in progress for more than 20 years. Centered around Area 51, Roswell, and other not-so-top-secret areas, this novel is sure to be a favorite among science fiction fans and conspiracy theorists.

The de-personalization of the characters-by only addressing them by first name (which are extremely common names like George, Tom, and Bob) and not giving them surnames (except Scott), creates an eerie tone that sends chills up your spine as you imagine them in their niche: sterile, secret laboratories in which information that has the potential to drastically change the universe as we know it is routinely exchanged. The “discarding” of people whose usefulness has expired will have conspiracy theorists salivating. And the juxtaposition of the two sides of Scott’s person-one a beer-drinking surfer who enjoys partying and women, and the other a nerdy scientist who is the only one who can decode history’s most mysterious secret, speaks volumes about Taylor’s ability to create dynamic, well-developed characters.

Overall, an entertaining read. To read The Forgotten Mission: http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Mission-Return-1-ebook/dp/B00NMKMN50/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416004195&sr=8-1&keywords=the+forgotten+mission

For UK Customers: http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B00NMKMN50/ref=cm_cr_dp_hist_five?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addFiveStar&showViewpoints=0

Ice character Spotlight-Barbara Jenkins

Barbara Jenkins is a gardener. She is not from Minterville and one of the few people in town without access to The Minter. She has a habit if using vulgar language and talking too much…

Age; Around 40

Family: Eric Jenkins (husband), Robbie and Joseph Jenkins (sons)

Occupation: gardener

Why is she important to the story: i don’t want to create  spoiler here. Read chapter 12 and you will find out…

Ice Character Spotlight-Carolyn Holcomb

Large-and-in-charge Carolyn Holcomb is one of the three first person narrators of Ice. Even under extreme duress, she still exhibits sound judgment and a cool head.

Age: between 45-50

Occupation: jewelry sales

Family: Mark (husband), three children, one daughter-in-law, one unborn grandchild

Hobbies: eating!

Why is she important in the story? She narrates one of the more graphic parts of the tale with as much objectivity as can be managed under her circumstances. She also discusses her own thoughts and feelings and what she has learned from her experience.

To read Ice: http://www.amazon.com/Ice-Jessica-Wren-ebook/dp/B00O1CCAU6/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1415397978&sr=1-2&keywords=ice

Clearing Up confusion about “Ice”

I was so excited about publishing my first novella, Ice, as it had been three years in the making. I had decided in the beginning that the use of multiple first-person narrators would be appropriate for this particular story. The story recounts simultaneous action from the point of view of three different characters. When I published Ice, I couldn’t wait for reader feedback. I expected both good and bad reviews (Hey, you can’t please everyone…)The feedback I have received about Ice, while generally positive, has been that my use of the multiple narrators is causing confusion. To my readers: I would like to express my deepest appreciation for your support and feedback, and I apologize that my narration was confusing.

To clear things up:

Part 1 (chapters 1-4) is narrated by Elliot Atkinson. Of the three narrators, he is the most objective.

Part 2 (Chapters 6-9) is narrated by Andy Thompson, chief of police. A lot of this part focuses on Andy’s thoughts and feelings as he tries to deal with a crisis situation while terrified that his daughter may die.

Part 3 (chapters 10-16) is narrated by Carolyn Holcomb, one of the victims of the crime. She recounts in gruesome details the horrors that the victims experienced and (towards the end) some of the lessons she learned from the terrible experience.

Part 4 (Chapters 17-20)- narrated again by Andy as he and others are trying to figure a way out of the crisis without causing further harm to the victims. Basically, Part 3 is the “inside” version and Part 4 is the “outside” version. It is simultaneous action told from two very different perspectives.

Part 5-(remainder of the book)-told by Elliot as he recounts the aftermath of the terror and how Minterville coped, and eventually began the healing process.

I hope this clears up any confusion, and that you will read and enjoy “Ice”

In the UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ice-Jessica-Wren-ebook/dp/B00O1CCAU6/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1414617897&sr=1-4&keywords=ice

Ice Character Spotlight-Elliot Atkinson

Elliot Atkinson

Age: 17

Occupation: High school student

Family: Lily Thompson Atkinson (mother), Elliot Atkinson, Sr. (father, deceased), Andy and Jill Thompson (uncle and aunt), Stephanie and Madison Thompson (cousins).

Friends: Tommy Watson, Robbie Jenkins, Liza Cobb, Tate Shields, Logan Canfield, Tanya Shields (girlfriend).

Hobbies: playing football, sleeping in, drinking coffee

Importance in the Story: Elliot is the narrator of Parts 1 and 5. He is the first to notice a major clue that something is wrong.

Elliot is loosely based on my husband Patrick as a teenager.

To read Ice: http://www.amazon.com/Ice-Jessica-Wren-ebook/dp/B00O1CCAU6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1414454304&sr=1-1&keywords=Ice

For UK customers: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ice-Jessica-Wren-ebook/dp/B00O1CCAU6/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1414454281&sr=1-4&keywords=Ice

Note: I am also working on a Spanish version of Ice. I am fluent enough in Spanish that I can do this.

Ice-Character spotlight

Tommy Watson

Age: 17

Occupation: high school student, football player

Family: Tom and Diana Watson (parents), Kendra Watson (sister) James and Pamela Minter (grandparents), another unnamed grandmother and two unnamed aunts, Ly Kim (fiancee), unborn child with Ly Kim

Hobbies: playing practical jokes, especially on his sister. Playing football

Best friends: Elliot Atkinson, Robbie Jenkins.

This character is important to the story because: he assists in the rescue, the relics two past practical jokes end up being useful in saving three lives.

To read Ice:  http://www.amazon.com/Ice-Jessica-Wren-ebook/dp/B00O1CCAU6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1414346688&sr=1-1&keywords=Ice

For UK customers: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ice-Jessica-Wren-ebook/dp/B00O1CCAU6/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1414344548&sr=1-4&keywords=ice

Ice

Just in time for Halloween!. Ice is literally a bone-chilling crime thriller about a small town that is brutalized by a vicious drug lord over a decades-old debt.

Here are a few character spotlights:

1. Sebastian Quiroga-sadistic, murderous, and violent even towards his own family, he is pure evil.

2. Stephanie Thompson-A cat-loving high school senior whose friendship with Quiroga’s battered daughter reaps her great rewards.

3. Robbie Jenkins-his biggest fear is losing Stephanie Thompson, the love of his life.

4. Barbara Jenkins-not very friendly, but her gardening skills are quite literally divine.

5. Kendra Watson-comforts herself after her grandfather’s death by making jewelry, a hobby that eventually makes her very rich.

6. Natalia de los Santos-fear of her violent uncle Sebastian prevents her from following her conscience, but she is determined to make amends as best she can.

To read Ice: http://www.amazon.com/Ice-Jessica-Wren-ebook/dp/B00O1CCAU6/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1414252176&sr=1-2&keywords=ice

How a story is born…

In the summer of 2009, I was house sitting for a professor and his family in Statesboro while attending a summer class at Georgia Southern University. The family lived at the end of a mile-long road, which lead into a mile-long driveway in the woods. One of my duties was to walk the two family dogs to the end of the street and back. I realize I am exaggerating, but in the July heat of Georgia, that walk sure felt like two miles. One day, after reaching the end of the road, I stooped to give myself and the dogs a break and thought “If i didn’t know what was at the end of this road, I would swear it lead to some place mysterious and interesting.” At the same time, I was reading One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

This was the embryonic beginning of my first completed novel, Ice.

I once compared the process of a story being born to that of a baby growing in the womb. But you can also compare it to making stew in a crock pot, You add “ingredients,” and let them “simmer” until the work comes out as you like it.

The ingredients of a good story are inspiration from different sources. In the case of Ice, I was first inspired by the long road in Satesboro (a life experience), then by Garcia Marquez’ work (another novel), a horrific dream where i saw a girl tied to the steps of a swimming pool and screaming, an October Saw marathon, a documentary about Griselda Blanco, and many other sources that I just kept adding to the stew. The idea for The Minter can from Stephen King’s TommyKnockers, In this novel, the digging up a long-buried alien vessel causes the residents of a small town to behave in strange manners, and makes them broadcast their thoughts to everyone else in town.

All of my characters, from the main protagonists to the barely-mentioned minor characters, are based VERY loosely on real people. The “real” Tom Watson, whom I only met once, was an upstanding citizen. He was sheriff and during his election campaign, he and his family were subject to threats suspected to have come from his opponent. He was never involved, in any shape, form, or fashion, in the drug trade.

The setting, the idyllic but fictional Minterville, Georgia, was modeled after Argyle. Texas, where I grew up. When I lived there, Argyle had a crime rate of virtually zero, and there were no secrets; everyone knew what everyone else was doing (I moved away in 1994 and I hear Argyle’s changed quite a bit, and not all for the good).

All these ingredients just came together in the crockpot of my mind, until it simmered to perfection and made the perfect “stew” (or, at least one that was ready).

Notice that the first stirrings for Ice started in 2009, yet the final product was not published until 2014. Why did it take me so long? Because, to continue to use my soup analogy,you can’t just mix up a bunch of ingredients and call it soup. It has to simmer so the flavors can meld. Some stories take longer to “cook” than others, and for that, you have to trust your instincts as writer. Also, it takes the right combination of ingredients. To make a vegetable soup, I wouldn’t add peanut butter. To get the correct inspiration, you have to find sources that add to your desired idea or product. In other words, you have to read and educate yourself. Throwing together random things is going to make your work sloppy. You have to do your research. I had to learn about the drug trade, criminal procedures, first-aid procedures, and different aspects of government (don’t want to reveal specifically what I studied, or it might give away the plot).

The bottom line is that creating story takes time, patience, willingness to research and study, and most importantly, inspiration. But now, I have to go check on my soup, so until next time… Jessica

To read Ice, go to http://www.amazon.com/Ice-Jessica-Wren-ebook/dp/B00O1CCAU6/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1413664141&sr=1-2&keywords=ice