Vampires, Witches, and Me Oh My!: May 2014

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Guest Post: Dediless by LINDA DELEON

Hi Everyone,

Let's please welcome Linda Deleon to the blog today. She has her short story in Southern Haunts 2 out now from Seventh Star Press.

DEDILESS was my first attempt in writing a short story. All I had ever written up to that point were novels. Honestly, I did not think I could do it. With heaping amounts of encouragement from Alexander S Brown and my husband, Rene, I started forming ideas of demons in my dark, twisted and already haunted mind. The hardest part was deciding on which demon to write about. There are so many to choose from.

              Blues music started in Mississippi and Robert Johnson started the Blues. The legend is that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil by the way of the crossroads demon in the delta in the early 1930’s. His life was one of struggle and hardship. As is my usual, I wrote DEDILESS around historical fact around my warped imagination. One year, he could barely play the guitar and the next, he was a genius. This, along with the fact that his songs were about selling his soul to the devil and having Hell Hounds on chasing him, sparked legends that still live today. All demons need a name. Throughout history, this particular demon has only been known by the name of the Crossroads Demon. That was not good enough. I needed to give him a name with character and a distinctive personality. My husband, Rene, came up with the name DEDILESS. He said he did not know where it came from. I took the name and ran with it. My mind thinks simply, so I broke it down to DEAD ONE LESS… DEDILESS. I HAD IT!

               The main character, Chad, was taken from a friend of mine who is an ER nurse from Texas. He is a great guy with an even greater personality. One night, I made the remark that I was going to write him into a story so I could kill him. He thought I was joking. He will be forever immortalized in DEDILESS. New Orleans is one of my favorite cities. The rich history and folklore give rise to stories like mine since its beginning. It is a place where anyone that is a little different, such as myself, can feel at home and welcomed by the living and the dead. It is an area that you will not be judged for not following the politically correct norms that are dictated by today’s society.

               I had never ventured out from my writing of my beloved vampires such as VEIL OF TIME and FALL INTO DARKNESS. They had always been my comfort zone. DEDILESS taught me that there was more out there. Vampires, witches and ghosts with always come first, but now I can include demons among those that surround me in my darkest hours. Maybe there is more in the darkness. We will see. Believe that I will find it. When I do, I will bring it to you in more stories that are sure to come.

Amazon Links for Southern Haunts: Devils in the Darkness

Print Version http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Haunts-Darkness-Alexander-Brown/dp/193792954X

Kindle Version http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Haunts-Darkness-Alexander-Brown-ebook/dp/B00IZ6OMIW

About the Editors: Alexander S. Brown: Alexander S. Brown is a Mississippi author who was published in 2008 with his first book, Traumatized. Reviews for this short story collection were so favorable that it will be released as a special edition. Brown is currently one of the co-editors/coordinators with the Southern Haunts Anthologies published by Seventh Star Press. His horror novel, Syrenthia Falls is represented by Dark Oak Press. He is also the author of multiple young adult steampunk stories found in the following anthologies Dreams of Steam Vol 2 & 4, Clockwork Spells and Magical Bells, and Capes and Clockworks. Look out for his controversial piece, “The Last Lamb” found in the anthology, Luna’s Children.

About the Editors: Louise Myers: Louise Myers was born in New Orleans. During her teenage years, she was uprooted from everything she knew and was replanted in Mississippi. Though the transition was difficult, she is grateful for this change. She says this because she knows that both places are a world all to their own. She is the wife of a wonderful husband and mother of three beautiful children, as well as the proud parent of a spoiled mutt. She was assistant editor for Southern Haunts: Spirits That Walk Among Us and was proud to be part of The Southern Haunts Series once again. She is a beta reader, book doctor, editor, and author. Though this is her first story in print, she has been weaving tales for many years. With the gentle, yet firm, shove from a very special person, she has decided to dive into the world of print. She has many thoughts on several topics she’d like to write, mostly involving ghost stories.

Book Synopsis Southern Haunts Devils in the Darkness: From the fiery abyss of the underworld comes 20 hellish tales from the south and southwest. Within these charred pages are stories that will introduce you to the many demons that stay hidden but are always nearby… 20 authors provide stories of possessed people, objects, houses, highways, and the devil’s favorite playground - the forest. Dare to meet Deidless, a demon who is a buyer of souls. Discover what kind of demons men can summon. Read of battles between good and evil. Learn of ancient artifacts and stones that crave sacrifice. Finally, become acquainted with legions of evil. Again, we invite you, sit back, dim the lights, and prepare yourself to meet the devils in the darkness. Southern Haunts: Devils in the Darkness is the next installment in the exciting anthology series that began with Southern Haunts: Spirits That Walk Among Us.

Anthology and Editor Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Southern-Haunts/417536915003428
Twitter: @AlexanderSBrown @louisemyers197

Tour Schedule and Activities
May 26 I Smell Sheep Guest Post
May 26 Novel-ties Review
May 27 Deal Sharing Aunt Guest Post
May 28 Armand Rosamilia Guest Post
May 28 Book in the Bag Interview
May 29 Spellbindings Guest Post
May 29 Bees Knees Reviews Guest Post
May 30 Beauty in Ruins Guest Post
May 31 Vampires, Witches and Me Oh My! Guest Post
May 31 Sheila Deeth Blog Guest Post

Monday, May 26, 2014

Guest Post: Welcome to Kingdom City by Selah Janel

Hey Everyone,

Today we have Selah Janel making another stop at the blog today. Please make her feel welcome and get ready to read about an awesome new series she's rocking with the first book called Olde School. If you love fairy tales and fantasy gone a little off kilter, you'll love this book.

I’d like to think that I know exactly what to say when talking about a title, but Olde School is one of those that is so detailed, rich, and beautifully weird, that it’s hard for me to pick a place to start. It’s one of those books that combines a lot of my loves in the world of stories: fairy and folk tales, archetypes, fantasy, turning genres on their heads, heroes, and humor. Truth be told, this book is probably the most me out of all my published releases so far. Whether it’s because of the silliness, the blending of genres, or because I finally feel ready to start shedding my inhibitions and show the stories in my head and heart to the world, I am so in love and at home with Kingdom City, it almost makes me forget how hard I worked to write this book.

But what is Olde School? I’ve said before that it has elements of the old stories, paranormal bits, some horror, a lot of the fantastic, and even a new take on urban fantasy…but what does that even mean?

Kingdom City is the biggest city in The Land (not to be confused with The Other Land, The Other Other Land, and The Other Land That Isn’t Those Other Lands). It’s set in a world where the stories that we know as fairy tales were once part of history, of sorts. It’s a world where trolls, goblins, brownies, elves, humans, ogres, pixies, and all the rest coexist and strive to make their way in the world.

Oh, and by the way, there’s no magic. They also have what we’d consider modern technology (for the most part). Trolls use laptops and are business owners. Goblins make good lawyers. Princes tend to go for doctors and CEOs as much or more than princesses. Kingdom City has a university, arenas for concerts, sports teams and everything else that you’d expect, just all done with a fantasy/folklore twist. The city’s making a move toward more of a democratic process, but there are still those partial to a monarchy and making appearances in court. The old stories are used mostly as movie fodder and marketing, though the story of King Thadd the Dreamer who founded the city and got humans and creatures to work together still inspires the residents.

Though those residents are all types of beings, they all have hopes, dreams, occupations, and daily irritations – just like the rest of us. Paddlelump Stonemonger is a troll who just wants to have a successful bridge business. Unfortunately, he’s a little naïve and a little too nice-looking for a troll, something his older, more cynical friends are always quick to remind him of. Between that, his mysterious human maid Nobody (who has an agenda of her own), and a battle with the pixie Lord Mayor Addlebaum and ogre Sheriff Yargle Grimclaw over the ownership of the land his bridge is on, he’s having quite a time. He has well-meaning friends, though. Ippick and Uljah are trolls who haunt the local diner and offer advice and much ribbing. Flora is a feisty human waitress who guards her heart close, but is always ready to help a friend. Together, they’re willing to help Paddlelump tackle all the challenges in front of him, along with Clyde, a very special, very unusual bird, who may or may not be more than he seems.

And then they find out that magic really does exist, and has since the beginning of time. They also quickly realize that the reason no one knows this fact is because it’s a completely horrific thing to know about.

So can these typical personalities in atypical characters band together and fight something bigger than themselves in a world that’s strange and familiar all at once?

Well, you’ll have to read the book and wander the streets of Kingdom City for yourself to see. While you’re there, be sure to order the house special from Trip Trap’s and check out whatever sequel in the Rumplestiltskin horror franchise is playing at the local cinema. Feel free to meander through the common market, and be sure to go to the palace to gawk at the downtown district. The residents are friendly, no matter what form they come in, so there’s no need to worry about who you might encounter! There’s only one thing, and it’s probably nothing, really…just be sure to stay away from the woods at nightfall.

Amazon Links for Olde School

Print Version

http://www.amazon.com/Olde-School-Selah-Janel/dp/1937929655

Kindle Version

http://www.amazon.com/Olde-School-Kingdom-City-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00J4UGVIM

About the Author: Selah Janel has been blessed with a giant imagination and a love of story since she was little and convinced that fairies lived in the nearby state park or vampires hid in the abandoned barns outside of town. Learning to read and being encouraged by those around her only made things worse. Her work ranges from e-books to traditional print, and she prefers to write every genre at once rather than choose just one. The stories “Holly and Ivy”, “The Other Man”, and “Mooner” are available online through Mocha Memoirs Press. Her work has also been included in The MacGuffin, The Realm Beyond, Stories for Children Magazine, The Big Bad: an Anthology of Evil, Thunder on the Battlefield: Sorcery, The Grotesquerie, and the short story collection Lost in the Shadows, co-written with S.H. Roddey. She likes her music to rock, her vampires lethal, her fairies to play mind games, and her princesses to have adventures and hold their own.

Author Links:

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/authorSJ

Twitter:

@selahjanel

Website:

http://selahjanel.wordpress.com/

Book Synopsis Olde School: Kingdom City has moved into the modern era. Run by a lord mayor and city council (though still under the influence of the High King of The Land), it proudly embraces a blend of progress and tradition. Trolls, ogres, and other Folk walk the streets with humans, but are more likely to be entrepreneurs than cause trouble. Princesses still want to be rescued, but they now frequent online dating services to encourage lords, royals, and politicians to win their favor. The old stories are around, but everyone knows they’re just fodder for the next movie franchise. Everyone knows there’s no such thing as magic. It's all old superstition and harmless tradition.

Bookish, timid, and more likely to carry a laptop than a weapon, Paddlelump Stonemonger is quickly coming to wish he'd never put a toll bridge over Crescent Ravine. While his success has brought him lots of gold, it's also brought him unwanted attention from the Lord Mayor. Adding to his frustration, Padd’s oldest friends give him a hard time when his new maid seems inept at best and conniving at worst. When a shepherd warns Paddlelump of strange noises coming from Thadd Forest, he doesn't think much of it. Unfortunately for him, the history of his land goes back further than anyone can imagine. Before long he'll realize that he should have paid attention to the old tales and carried a club.

Darkness threatens to overwhelm not only Paddlelump, but the entire realm. With a little luck, a strange bird, a feisty waitress, and some sturdy friends, maybe, just maybe, Padd will survive to eat another meal at Trip Trap's diner. It's enough to make the troll want to crawl under his bridge, if he can manage to keep it out of the clutches of greedy politicians.

Olde School if Book One of The Kingdom City Chronicles