Welcome Michel Prince!

Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?

I have yet to choose anything when it comes to my books.  My characters do what they want I just get the pleasure of being the first to read it.

Did you enjoy language arts in school? Did you have a teacher that particularly encouraged you to write?

I enjoyed literature classes, but I didn’t enjoy English classes per say.  And now I actually would say that my English teachers stunted my writing quite a bit.

It’s five o’clock somewhere…Let’s have a drink! What cocktail best describes you and why?

I don’t drink very much so I guess I’d have a cosmo because it’s fruity.

On my desk I have a rhino that my husband gave me to remind me I’m rhino-tough, as you have to be in the business. Is there anything you have that you use to remind you of that?

I used to collect stickers of Dory from Finding Nemo to remind me to “just keep swimming, just keep swimming”

I have two muses, Arwen and Bronwyn, they have very distinct personalities. Can you share a bit about your muse?

My muses have yet to tell me their names.  Instead they just fight a lot.  I like when one gets louder than the other so I can actually focus on one book and get it done.  But usually have 4-5 books up on my laptop and I have to jump between them.

It seems we all endured English and/or World literature coming up in high school…What was the worst book you were ever forced to read and what about it turned you off?

Silas Marner in junior high.   Maybe it was because he reminded me of my stepfather, but I saw no reason to read about a grumpy jerk.  The Inheritors by William Golding in college is up there too. 

You have a million dollars that you must donate to one charitable organization. Which one would you choose and why?

Feed my Starving Children.  It’s a great organization that’s started here in the Twin Cities and is now expanding across the U.S. I believe it takes $0.80 to feed a child for three days with their program so a million dollars could help out kids all over the world.  They serve eighty five countries including some poverty stricken areas of the United States.  I love going with my son’s scout troop and packing food.  In an hour and a half we can assemble enough meals to feed over hundred children for a year.  That to me in amazing.  You can check them out at www.fmsc.org

Do you have one of those pesky day jobs, or are you a full-time writer? If you do have another career what do you do and do you enjoy it?

I do have a pesky day job, but it’s not so bad.  I work for one of the largest healthcare companies in my state.  I review outstanding credits and work to get them refunded to the right people, the best part is I get to do it from home so it’s not so pesky to work in my pajamas. But my department is pretty laidback and I do enjoy working for them.

Due to the world we live in, most editors will tell a romance writer they have the moral obligation to protect their characters from scary life altering things, thereby being obligated to the reader. What are your thoughts on this? Do you protect your characters and how?

Isn’t falling in love life altering?  You’re walking along minding your own business then bam…you’re twiterpated.  I’ve never heard that because with romance you have pregnancy, marriage, sometimes death, and since I like the paranormal world you might have to come to terms with the fact that the person you’re in love with might literally bite your head off.

Conversely I’ve been told by publishers and editors that I need to stress the “interracial” tension in my books for them to be interested.  To me falling in love is falling in love.  I do have some interracial issues but they are a side note to the fact that the main characters are falling in love with each other.

I can’t protect my characters from the world any more than I can protect my son.  Bad things are going to happen and a fully developed character will grow from the experience not be harmed.

Romance has come a long, long way since Fabio graced the covers regularly…it seems the hinges are off the proverbial door. How far is too far in your mind? Are there things you simply won’t write?

I used to think so, but my muse sometimes gets a little naughty.  The Demon sex in The Frozen had me realize I need to be true to my characters and get over my “oh my god my mother could read this.”  Then I realized if someone I knew picked up the book by me it must have been by another book by someone else that went just as far.

I’ve been asked, as has my husband, if we do “all that stuff in my stories.” Do you get asked this and if so how do you handle it?

“Only the kinky stuff…I gotta make sure that it’s physically possible.”  I’m kind of a smart ass.  I get asked quite a bit if Oscar and Ellie are me and my husband.  Although there are things that are taken from our life it’s not our life.  Just as with any other story I get influenced by what’s around me.  Sometimes I joke and say “my husband has never had Oscar’s ass.” Since my more tawdry books haven’t come out yet I haven’t had to answer it too much when it comes to sex etc.

I had an editor early on that showed me the way…have you had anyone in particular that gave you a gentle **ahem** nudge in the right direction? How did they do that and how did you react?

I’m waiting for that person.  You up for the job?

Wine or beer? Cosmos please

Satin or cotton? Cotton

Fries or tots?  Fries

Cake or pie?  Cake

Steak or burgers?  Steak

Candle light or pitch dark?  Pitch dark

Michel Prince lives in the Twin Cities area with her husband and son.  She graduated with a degree in History and Political Science from Iowa Wesleyan College and is an avid Boy Scout leader.

Current release Chrysalis

Excerpt

The chocolate colored skin on his clean-shaven head glistened with sweat from football practice.  Was it smooth to the touch, I wondered, or would little prickles of hair scratch my palm?  I became entranced by a drop of sweat sliding down his neck, under his collar, and I could only think what I wouldn’t do to follow that trail to its end.

His sleeveless t-shirt stuck to him, defining his chest and his biceps were exposed, showing he had the perfect horseshoe that comes from hours of lifting.  No way could I get my hands around his arm and have my fingers touch, but part of me just wanted to try. 

He was joking with a few other players as they crossed the gym to go down to the locker room.  As he reached to push open the door, his t-shirt road up, revealing his abs and upper hip.  The tie of his football pants was already loosened.  I stopped breathing.  I had seen him walk through the gym before, but something about seeing part of his body that had always been covered sent my private fantasies into overdrive. 

My head flew to the side as a thousand pinpricks exploded like fireworks across my left cheek.  The unexpected assault came from a volleyball sent special delivery by one of the senior players.

The white-leather facial was followed by a snotty "knock it off."  I couldn’t tell if it was her voice or my mild concussion distorting her voice into a screeching noise.

"What did I do?" I asked in vain. 

It wouldn’t have mattered.  Waking up this morning in her neighborhood and having the audacity to come to her school was enough.

"Don’t even think about it, Soft-Meat," Sharyn Johnson growled as she crossed over to me, her eyes burning into mine. "He ain’t no damn coconut!" 

I turned away, not wanting the confrontation and realized maybe I wasn’t as good as I thought at sneaking looks at him.  I looked back at the faux oak double swinging doors that lead to the boy’s locker room, but he was out of sight.  The rest of the team was passing through the door now.  

Unedited Excerpt

Releasing July 17^th 2012 The Frozen

                I stormed off to my office only to find Nemesio.  Pushing past her, I fell into my faux leather chair.  The poly-blend fabric crackled as I sat.  I was much too much of a man to be sitting in such a small chair.

                “Tell me Yahweh, how could I service you today?” Nemesio slithered while her hands slid down my chest as I sat at my desk.  “It has been so long.  Have you forgotten how I’ve helped you in the past?”

                “Yes,” I said, not wanting to remember. 

                “You appear to be in a precarious position, and I see that frustration has you weakened.  Yahweh, I would hate to have another in your place.  May I ease you?”

                “Nemesio, take out your needs on another in the house, or destroy a normal’s love, but leave me to my work.” 

                I examined the map in front of me.  The repeated use of holes had to be the problem.  All the Frozen had to do is keep a couple watching the same places.  Did the Prince not know that he was the cause of all the carnage and not me?  It wouldn’t matter, I would be the one to blame.  My brain was becoming mush, and the streets on the map started to cross each other as my vision doubled.  Throwing my head back, I brought my hands to my eyes, hoping to rub away the film that seemed to be growing over them. 

                Nemesio straddled me.  I opened my eyes only to see her piercing blue eyes staring back at me, melting my reserve to tell her to fuck off.  She was evil.  Her body oozed sex, but her mind … her mind was a minefield.

                “If I didn’t know you better, I’d assume you are trying to take my position.”

                “I’ll take whatever position you want,” her tongue licked my ear and continued up to my horns.  For the proper angle, she stood up which caused her perfect rack to land on my lips.  She sucked on the small horns on my head and they grew.  Usually they are kept small to hide them from the normal’s, but she was breaking my resolve.

                “You want to know what position I want you in?”

                “Yes,” she purred.

                “The-get-the-fuck-out-of-my-office-position.” 

                She pulled back and looked at me, her hand gliding down my face.

                “I thought you preferred the bent-over-your-desk-your-dick-in-my-ass position,” she growled with a desire that made me wretch at the thought of any sexual congress involving her hollow body.

                “You suck your brother with that mouth?” I snipped.

                “That depends.  Who’s your mother?”

                “Get out!”  I said, shoving her back.

                She turned herself around, but still straddled me.  This time she bent over and hiked up her skirt, which could only be described as a belt for her thong.  As she shoved her perfect ass in my face I knew there was only so much more I could take.

                “Are you sure?” she teased, wagging herself in front of me.  I slammed her down hard against the desk.  My hand firmly locked in between her shoulder blades.  Her back crackled under the pressure.  With my other hand I pulled out my cock. 

                “You want to fuck me in the mood I’m in right now?”  I pushed harder.  “You sure about that?  Pain is the only feeling you’ll receive.”

                “My pain is your pleasure, Yahweh,” she said, her voice ragged as it tried to escape her lungs.

                I slammed myself hard into her core, the source of all evil in my world.  My hand moved to her head, forcing it into the wood of the desk.  I didn’t want to hear another word come from those venomous lips.  The soft flesh between her legs tensed, grabbing hold of me.  It was always open and warm, but today it was as if it wanted me, needed me inside it.

                “If you speak one word during this, I will kill you.” 

                The last thing I wanted to think about was who the hell I just stuck myself into.  I’d have been lucky to clean myself off before the acid that she thought was her getting wet burned through my soul. 

                Her ass was like an apple, round and hard, the way I liked it.  Any of the Deumos were tens on the human scale.  Any man would want his dick wrapped by any one of their holes.  They knew how to suck and pull on a man.  Experts.  There was not a whore in the world that could hold a candle to them, yet I couldn’t help but be disgusted.  Knowing them was what was the turn off. 

                I grabbed her hips and pounded hard.  My eyes trained ahead on the door.  I focused on the Princess.  Trying to envision her underneath me.  Fuck that.  I wanted this to be painful.  I had already had a shitty morning.  The last thing I needed was to add to my pain.  If I thought of the Princess, I’d ease up on the assault on Nemesio’s body. 

                The Prince.  That’s enough to make me pound her.  My fingers dug into her skin.  Yeah.  Fucking him in the ass would make me feel better.  That cocksucker deserved it.  Sticking me in this stink hole just because his sister liked the taste of my cum.  Not.  My.  Fault.

                A tail was starting to emerge from her.  She was actually enjoying this.  I didn’t want that.  Pounding harder, I arched my back and let out a roar as her tail whipped behind me and the barbed end pierced the skin on the back of my neck.  To demon men, that was a sign of conquest, but to me it was a brand of dishonor. 

                Now Nemesio was moaning. 

                “I said be quiet!” 

                I rammed myself into her harder and harder.  The desk was almost to the wall, I had pounded her so.  Her warm center was actually grabbing me.  Sucking hard against my tip, this bitch was actually coming.  I suppose, I shouldn’t be the only one.  Looking down, there were deep scratch marks on the desk from where her fingernails had turned in to claws.  Great!  She is receiving pleasure from this.  I can’t do anything right, I thought.  All I wanted was for someone to feel my pain.   

www.michelprincebooks.com

www.facebook.com/michelprincebooks

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_6_9?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=chrysalis+by+michel+prince&sprefix=Chrysalis%2Caps%2C224 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chrysalis-michel-prince/1110198215?ean=2940014519373 http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-chrysalis-779953-140.html http://www.bookstrand.com/chrysalis-0

Welcome Sherri Fulmer Moorer!

Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?

It chose me. I actually started as a Christian/inspirational writer, but that fizzled out so I switched to fiction. Mystery is something I kept drifting to, so that must be my thing!

Did you enjoy language arts in school? Did you have a teacher that particularly encouraged you to write?

I liked it. Many of my teachers and professors would make comments that I was a good writer, but I can’t say I was ever strongly encouraged. The motivation came from within.

It’s five o’clock somewhere…Let’s have a drink! What cocktail best describes you and why?

I’m more of a red wine sort of person. I’m not sure why, but that’s what I prefer.

On my desk I have a rhino that my husband gave me to remind me I’m rhino-tough, as you have to be in the business. Is there anything you have that you use to remind you of that?

I actually post inspirational quotes all over the place. It’s usually random things from Bible verses to quotes from well known people to excerpts from books or magazines.

I have two muses, Arwen and Bronwyn, they have very distinct personalities. Can you share a bit about your muse?

I refer to my muse as my “lost twin,” because when my mother was pregnant they thought I was twins – they even had names for both of us, but alas when it came down to it, it was only me. I don’t have a name for my muse, but it’s definitely a “he” and his personality is so much like mine that he could be my lost twin!

It seems we all endured English and/or World literature coming up in high school…What was the worst book you were ever forced to read and what about it turned you off?

Billy Bud, by Herman Melville. It was so darn complicated and hard to read!

You have a million dollars that you must donate to one charitable organization. Which one would you choose and why?

I would chose an animal charity, because I’m an animal lover and they have no voice to speak for their needs. I feel they’re often overlooked and that we really do need to be their voice. After all, we were created to have dominion over then, and to me that means caring for and protecting them.

Do you have one of those pesky day jobs, or are you a full-time writer? If you do have another career what do you do and do you enjoy it?

Oh yes, I have a day job. I work as a program assistant in professional licensing in the design professions. It’s a very unique job because not many people do it (our agency only employs about 400 people), but I enjoy it. It’s nice to help people reach their professional goals, and they’re always so happy when they get licensed.

Due to the world we live in, most editors will tell a romance writer they have the moral obligation to protect their characters from scary life altering things, thereby being obligated to the reader. What are your thoughts on this? Do you protect your characters and how?

Hell no, I throw it all at them. My husband once asked me if I’d consider writing a book series. I never say never, but told him that these days, my characters can’t take much more once they get through one book. I’d be amazed if they weren’t psychologically scarred!

Romance has come a long, long way since Fabio graced the covers regularly…it seems the hinges are off the proverbial door. How far is too far in your mind? Are there things you simply won’t write?

I don’t do romance or erotica – not from moral limitations, but because I simply have no inspiration or talent in these areas.

I’ve been asked, as has my husband, if we do “all that stuff in my stories.” Do you get asked this and if so how do you handle it?

I don’t write romance, so that’s an area where I don’t generally get questions. However, I am frequently asked if my books are based on fact in any way, shape or form. Sometimes they are, and many times the characters share traits with people I’ve known in my life. For example, Anywhere But Here was a parallel to my real life as I, like the character Jana Lanning, faced tremendous upheaval in my personal and professional life while I was writing the book. But other times I pull it completely out of my imagination, such as my young adult mystery novel Blurry. Yes, the characters did resemble people I knew – but no, people weren’t killed at my high school, and we didn’t have the street racing thing going on either.

I had an editor early on that showed me the way…have you had anyone in particular that gave you a gentle **ahem** nudge in the right direction? How did they do that and how did you react?

My recent editor for Anywhere But Here, Sherry Der-Wille, was extremely helpful. She had so much great advice and was very encouraging. She even called me personally and we talked for a while about how we love to write!

Wine or beer? Wine

Satin or cotton?Cotton

Fries or tots? Fries

Cake or pie? Cake

Steak or burgers? Hard choice! Burgers would be my final answer.

Candle light or pitch dark? Another hard choice! It depends on my mood.

 

Anwhere But Here by Sherri Fulmer Moorer

http://www.amazon.com/author/sherrimoorer   

 www.whiskeycreekpress.com

Meet Jana Lanning: A recent college graduate who can't seem to get a grip on life. All of her plans for the future have fallen apart within two weeks of graduation. The only comfort she finds is in a mysterious music box sent to her by a friend. At first she looks to it for comforting memories of her past, but soon she's having strange dreams of a life where she's the queen of a world where everything she desires comes to pass. It seems ideal until elements of reality and her dream world start to merge, leaving her ill and confused. When she's confronted by attacks in both worlds she must face her demons and choose which reality she prefers; and what price she'll pay to keep it.

In Honor of Memorial Day, Six from The Executive Officer's Wife...

Why can’t we be together as long as we both agree that when you have to go it’s over?" Libby couldn’t believe she was suggesting this when she knew she wanted more. Wouldn’t something be better than nothing?

Chase stopped fighting her hands and just stared at her

"What?" she finally whispered. "Don’t want your five thousand dollars’ worth?"

Thanks for coming by today and thanks to all who serve our country...

More sixes can be found here: www.sixsunday.com

Welcome Nancy LaPonzina!

Have you ever been aware of a friend’s changing romantic relationship … maybe even before that friend does? Laurinda Elliot and Dan Riser are a couple in that type of transition. If they could be objective about how things are going between them, Laurinda and Dan would be surprised at how dark the events that follow will unfold. Betrayals they’d never suspected from each other. Could we, too lack the objectivity and be moving on that slippery slope of an unraveling relationship?

A major circumstance for a potential weakening of the bond is when attraction plays the more major role in the coupling. Attraction over genuine concern for the other partner. Dan was particularly smitten.

“That was how he met Laurinda. Standing in front of the sign-up for interview sheet, she was an awesome, tall brunette in a hot pink cardigan over a black tunic and super short, skirt. Her porcelain complexion was the fairest he’d ever seen and contrasted against her hair. She was a virtual Snow White from the fairy tale he’d read to his niece back in the day.

"Hey. How’s it going," he’d said, after hesitating only a moment. He wasn’t back in Chicago with his old reputation getting in the way anymore.

Her pink, cupid-bow, lips changed from a straight determined line into what looked like a nervous, little smile.”  

When stress from the workplace or other attractive bodacious women gets layered into a couple’s lives and wanting the best for the other partner isn’t there, erosion, like soil swept down a hill by rain, can occur. Laurinda yearned for more with Dan. It was Laurinda who pushed for a home. A home built in the Nardi Point subdivision for them both to share their love and take it to the next step.

“This step was hers. In her heart, Laurinda knew it to be dangerously precipitous and awkward, but she felt pushed to move forward. To plant something of value and substance. Dan, well, not so much.

"Look, this is working for us, Laurinda. We’re close to everything—including our offices, why take on a whole house." He’d argue, defending his list of reasons against the change.”

One couple … two people diverging on separate paths of love and expectation. Just how much betrayal and callous circumstance can one couple survive? Can a devoted friend make a difference? Nardi Point explores the dynamics of a love teetering on the brink of dissolution.

Blog: www.nancylaponzina.wordpress.com

Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/Nardi-Point-ebook/dp/B007US8S0O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337465198&sr=8-1

Welcome Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy!

            Until just a few years ago I was a substitute teacher and one of my favorite classes to sub happened to be history.  I’ve always loved history, grew up listening to the elders tell stories from the past and in college, I ended up earning a BA in both History and English.  In my subbing days, I’d walk into a history class and the first the high school kids would tell me was “History is boring.”  I’d walk up to the podium, say “Oh, really?” Then I’d launch into a little description of the orchards and farms once located along Neosho Boulevard on the site of the current high school.  I’d toss in a few stories about the crazy Camp Crowder era when the number of soldiers stationed just south of town made the sleepy little community bulge at the seams especially on weekends.  By then, most of the class was interested and changed their mind about history.  One of the greatest compliments I ever received was when more than one student told me history wasn’t boring – not when I was on duty.

            My long time love of history led me to explore the idea of writing historical romance.  In The Shadow of War, just out May 17 from Rebel Ink Press, is my first full length historical novel.  It deals with Neosho, where I live, in the pivotal World War II era. I’ll share the blurb and a quick excerpt in a moment but I thought I’d also mention my second historical romance upcoming June 3, also from Rebel Ink Press.  Guy’s Angel is set in my hometown, St. Joseph, Missouri, where my roots go deep.  The period is 1925 and it deals with a determined young woman who longs to fly airplanes, the troubled World War I former ace who agrees to teach her, and how two people in love can overcome, well, a lot of unexpected obstacles.  And for those who love historical fiction, sit tight.  More are on the way!

           In The Shadow of War:           

Her great-granddaughter wants to know if Bette remembers World War II for a school project and her questions revive old memories….

Small town school teacher Bette Sullivan's life was interrupted when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941 but her world changed forever when she met Private Benny Levy, a soldier from the Flatbush neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York stationed at Camp Crowder, the local Army base. 

Their attraction is immediate and mutual but as their relationship grows their love and lives are shadowed by World War II. As the future looms uncertain the couple comes together with almost desperate need and a powerful love they hope can weather anything, including the war.

Excerpt:

            “I missed you, doll,” he said afterward. “God, I missed you.”

             Warmth blossomed within her chest and she smiled at him. “I missed you too, Benny. Saturday seemed so long and I didn’t know if you could come this morning. I worried you might not make it.”

            “Me, too,” he said. “I almost missed the bus anyhow because the company sergeant griped us out because the barracks weren’t neat enough to suit him.  Yesterday turned out lousy, all day.”

            “Why?” she asked. “What happened?”

            “What didn’t?” he said. “Jeez, they made us go on a long hike through the back country, for hours in the heat.  I picked up every tick and chigger in the world, I think, got mosquito bit, and worn out.  Two of the guys fell out with heat exhaustion and ended up at the post hospital.  My feet and ankles itched me like crazy. Even the darn Army boots didn’t help me from getting eaten by the insects.  I swear the buggers crawled into my boots.”

            “Aw, honey, I’m sorry,” Bette said, using the endearment for the first time. “Do the bites still itch?”

            “Not so bad,” he said. “Back in barracks, some of the guys said to soak my feet in bleach water so we begged some from the laundry.  It helped.  Then after dinner they called me over to the motor pool to fix a jeep and I got to bed late just before final lights out.  I’m beat and that’s a fact.”

            Bette paused and faced him. “Would you rather go rest or something?”

            “Naw, sugar, I’m fine.  I need some Joe and I’m hungry, too.  I just got a couple of hours so let’s go eat and spend a little time together, okay?”

            “It’s fine with me,” she said.

            They ate at a different café and she introduced him to biscuits and gravy, something he vowed he’d never eaten before but said he liked.  Afterward, with time passing too fast, he suggested they walk down to Big Spring Park again but she had another idea.

            “You look so tired,” Bette said.  He did with dark smudges beneath both eyes. “If you want we can go sit in the porch swing at Aunt Virgie’s or in the front room.”

            Benny shook his head. “I’ll catch a nap later this afternoon, if I’m lucky.  I’d like a few more kisses and I doubt your parents would like us spooning out on the porch.”

            “I forgot they’re there,” she replied. “So, okay, let’s go to the park.”

            Another couple beat them to the grotto, so they wandered around the park until they found a vacant bench in the shade.  A few kids played on the teeter-totter and swings, their happy babble setting a bright mood.  Benny put his arm around her and Bette snuggled against him with a contented sigh.  For a few minutes they sat, comfortable with the pose and content with each other.  She’d already come to associate his scent with security and she inhaled it, saving it up for when she’d be alone.  As they rested in easy silence she savored the harmony and as they lingered Bette noticed their breath came in tandem, in and out with the same rhythm as if they were one, not two.

            Just as she opened her mouth to remark on it Benny took her face and turned it toward him.  With slow deliberation he kissed her, unhurried with such sweetness she forgot to breathe for a few seconds.  His lips caressed her mouth with a fine light touch, as soft as hair blown across her face with a gentle breeze.  Such tenderness evoked the same within and yet triggered desire, too.  Benny cherished her mouth with his, his lips sending shivers through her body despite the hot day, little spirals of chill strong enough to make goose pimples erupt on her flesh.

            Bette responded with her mouth, a hankering for something deeper and more intimate rising in her with the force of a rising wind.  She sensed how great it would be to lose her consciousness by drowning in her senses, by molding her body into his.  Bette, virgin as the mother of God, ached now for the pleasures of the flesh.  Every old wives tale ever heard about sex being dirty or painful or nasty evaporated faster than snow in March and for the first time in her life, she decided sex could be wonderful. 

            His kisses stirred Bette’s body even as they induced emotion, too sweet to be sinful.  Her body responded to his mouth the way a good corn crop ripened beneath the sun’s warmth.  As her limbs relaxed she leaned into him, one hand holding tight to his arm so she wouldn’t lose balance to tumble from the park bench onto the grass.  The kiss lasted forever, but not quite long enough when Benny paused so they could both breathe again.

            “Oh,” she said with wonder. “Benny, that’s nice.”

            “Nice, she says,” he responded with mock outrage. “Just nice? I call it splendid, fantastic, superb, supreme…”

Buy Links:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1110895080?ean=2940014427760

http://www.amazon.com/In-The-Shadow-War-ebook/dp/B0083V4RUW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1337249940&sr=1-1

http://www.bookstrand.com/in-the-shadow-of-war

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-intheshadowofwar-792577-148.html

Find me at:

A Page In The Life http://leeannsontheimermurphywriterauthor.blogspot.com

Rebel Writer: Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy: http://leeannsontheimermurphy.blogspot.com

           

Welcome David Brown!

Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?

A bit of both I would say. I grew up enjoying fantasy films and later developed an interest in fantasy fiction as well. Coupled with my love of history, fantasy gave me the freedom to push my imagination to its limits in creating my own world, defining its rules, cultures and societies from scratch. It was quite an undertaking but a rewarding one nonetheless.

Did you enjoy language arts in school? Did you have a teacher that particularly encouraged you to write?

I always enjoyed the literature side of English more than the language. We also learned French and German at school but my memory of those wonderful languages is shamefully vague now. Prior to leaving secondary school my English teacher recognized talent in me with my creative writing. Before I left school he told me never to stop writing prose and poetry. About a year later in 1999 I started writing prose for myself and not because of school. I haven’t looked back since though I am yet to return to poetry.

It’s five o’clock somewhere…Let’s have a drink! What cocktail best describes you and why?

I like to keep it simple. At university my best friend introduced me to a guy named Jack Daniels and we became good friends immediately and remain so to this day. A bit of Jack mixed in with some Coca Cola and I’m all set. I prefer the whisky and soft drink combo as I know my limits when drinking it. I do like pints of beer but never drink many of them. I’ll stick with Jack. It’s not often whisky has left me feeling dreadful the following day. I must be doing something wrong!

On my desk I have a rhino that my husband gave me to remind me I’m rhino-tough, as you have to be in the business. Is there anything you have that you use to remind you of that?

My most sacred items are the two rings on my finger – my engagement and wedding rings. My belief in what I write and the strength to overcome setbacks all come from my wife, Donna, and if she isn’t around the rings are the perfect reminder for me of what I have.

I have two muses, Arwen and Bronwyn, they have very distinct personalities. Can you share a bit about your muse?

My muse is my wife and for many reasons. When I first met her I was contemplating starting a new novel but had little belief in myself. Donna and I became friends and she expressed an interest in my writing. She was the first person to give me honest feedback i.e. criticise aspects of my writing that did not work. She encouraged me to start writing Fezariu’s Epiphany and thanks to her influence I was able to deliver a novel I was happy with. Though she denies any part in my writing, I assure Donna I would be nowhere without her.

It seems we all endured English and/or World literature coming up in high school…What was the worst book you were ever forced to read and what about it turned you off?

Shakespeare was never popular when I was at school but I do have an appreciation for the bard today. At university I had trouble with Toni Morrison’s Beloved and also Laurence Sterne’s The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy. It’s not that they were bad books I just struggled to get to grips with them. Sterne was very challenging, a bit like Joyce’s Ulysses, which I did not enjoy either and I chose to read that after I’d finished my education! I think most books I read at school, college and university were not ones I favoured. I like to read a book and that be it. I never enjoyed analysing them in detail and discussing themes and things. No one can tell you what a book means better than the author.

You have a million dollars that you must donate to one charitable organization. Which one would you choose and why?

It would go to the RSPCA. Donna and I have six rescue cats; four of them came from the RSPCA. They do valuable work in caring for and rehoming unwanted animals. They’re always in need of further funding though such is the negligence of some pet owners. Thankfully, the majority of owners know how to care for their pet, but too many don’t.

Do you have one of those pesky day jobs, or are you a full-time writer? If you do have another career what do you do and do you enjoy it?

I recently quit an office job to write full-time. Since leaving university I have mostly worked in office environments although I did spend one summer as a cleaner, which wasn’t a bad job to be honest. Office work always started well for me but soon the monotony would take over and I’d long to be home writing.

I had an editor early on that showed me the way…have you had anyone in particular that gave you a gentle **ahem** nudge in the right direction? How did they do that and how did you react?

Donna was the first to criticise my writing. I had spent ten years building the world of Elenchera with no real feedback.  Thankfully the majority of it was well structured but Donna did pick out elements which didn’t work. How did I react? I’d get in a foul mood and disagree initially but after calming down and thinking about it, I realised she was right. Donna takes part in the editing of my novels now and since she’s started to help me I honestly feel my writing has improved significantly.

Wine or beer?

Definitely beer. Donna is the wine drinker in our household.

Fries or tots?

I’ll go with fries.

Cake or pie?

Definitely cake, especially if it’s packed full of cream.

Steak or burgers?

That is a tough one. Probably the steak though it’s too close to call.

Candle light or pitch dark?

Candle light, and not just for the romantic moments.

I was born in Barnsley, a former mining town in South Yorkshire, England. I first came up with the idea of the Elencheran Chronicles while studying at college in 1999 and have been writing ever since. I now live in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with my wife, Donna, and our six rescue cats – Kain, Razz, Buggles, Charlie, Bilbo and Frodo.

My debut novel, Fezariu’s Epiphany, was published in May 2011. My upcoming novel, A World Apart, is due for release in May 2012. You can find out more about me and Elenchera at www.elenchera.com I’m also on Twitter (@elenchera) and Facebook (authordavidmbrown) and have a blog http://blog.elenchera.com

12-year-old Fezariu thought his mother died when he was little, but when his beloved stepfather dies the boy discovers she is alive and well - and working at the most famous brothel in all of Elenchera. When she cruelly rejects him it's more than he can bear, and he runs away to join a band of ruthless soldiers for hire. The Merelax Mercenaries will fight for anyone who can pay them, no matter the justice of the cause.

Fezariu grows up among the soldiers and becomes one of them. He thinks his time with the mercenaries has hardened him. But a campaign in his old home town pushes him too far, and he discovers what really happened to his mother. Maybe there are some things money shouldn't buy... and maybe it's time Fezariu took his revenge.

Excerpt

Jessamine’s arrival at the White Oak was the subject of conflicting rumours. Some said that Vincent had found her on the streets and offered to take her in, others professed that Jessamine was a prostitute from a rival brothel and that Vincent had persuaded her to join the White Oak. The worst of the sceptics claimed that Jessamine was payment from one of the local merchants who was heavily in debt from his frequent visits to Vincent’s inn and had been forced to sacrifice his own daughter. Whatever the truth, Vincent arrived at the White Oak one day with eighteen-year-old Jessamine by his side.

The atmosphere at the White Oak changed completely. Vincent quickly found himself overwhelmed by love for Jessamine and his hostile demeanour descended into a rare placidity that was welcomed by all that frequented the inn. It seemed that Vincent’s days of sexual promiscuity were at end and with Jessamine he had found the reassuring comfort of monogamy. However, Vincent’s new found and tender devotion did not last long.

Within months, Vincent’s love submitted to the lure of opportunity. During the long nights sitting with Jessamine by the bar, Vincent hadn’t failed to notice the lustful gazes of the patrons. Their eyes, wide with desire, followed Jessamine’s every move. Rather than feeling the insecurity of a jealous lover, Vincent was struck by a glorious epiphany, one that could increase his already vast wealth. 

Vincent took his time in laying the foundations of his treacherous scheme. He enticed Jessamine with sweet words, flowers, rich trinkets and promises of impending marriage and children. Once Jessamine was at his mercy, Vincent introduced her to the wealthiest and most impatient of his patrons. His assurances to Jessamine spoke of monogamy and sacrifice that would bind them together for all time. If this had been the beginning of their relationship then Jessamine would have refused Vincent’s proposal and walked away; however, by this point her heart beat to the same rhythm as Vincent’s and to leave now was simply unthinkable. So Jessamine submitted body but not soul to the eager patrons, all the time thinking of Vincent’s reassurances that they would one day be married. 

Jessamine’s new life as a prostitute of the White Oak brought fame and wealth. The mysterious and shy girl Vincent had first brought to the inn became spellbound by the power of her own intoxicating femininity. As her confidence grew Jessamine learned to dominate the room, giving equal attention to each patron before choosing to share her bed with the highest bidder. Vincent remained in the background and watched the patrons – old and young – offer money and fabulous gifts for just one night with Jessamine. The partnership was perfect. Jessamine would earn a fortune by day but at the end of the night would sleep in Vincent’s richly adorned arms.  

When Jessamine passed her first year at the White Oak she saw a sudden change in Vincent. His greed, seldom constrained, was now unleashed in all its ferocity. Jessamine began entertaining patrons day and night to line Vincent’s already bulging pockets. Their nights of tender lovemaking and untarnished promises of marriage were forgotten. Jessamine, believing it to just be a phase Vincent was going through, worked even harder to please the patrons and win back the adoration of the one man she loved.

****

There are many plot twists and turns in this masterfully written book chronicling the life of a mercenary named Fezariu. Fezariu's Epiphany is a fantasy work on a grand scale in which you enter an imaginatively drawn world filled with many lands and spanning great periods of time.   Jason Sullivan - Different Outcomes and author of The Dark Yergall  

When a reader that normally does not like fantasy novels set in world with unknown names falls in love with a book from that genre, then you know the author did a spectacular job of bringing their story to life for all to enjoy. Talina Perkins - Bookin' It Reviews/Night Owl Reviews   Night Owl Reviews "Top pick"  

You can almost smell the filth and corruption that permeates Clarendon, a true cesspool of a city. This is a story of how a boy grows into being a man and accepting his faults and redeeming his failures. I recommend it.  William Bentrim - Azure Dwarf and author of The Adventures of Hardy Belch 

David Brown could be considered a fantasy fanatic, especially since he has spent the last 10 years developing a 47,000-year history for his fictional world of Elenchera. When converting his obsession into literary form, David commits himself to a rigorous writing and editing process before his work can meet his approval. Combined with the critical eye of his wife and a BA Honors in History and English, David's dedication leads him to his goal of inspiring readers through heartfelt stories and characters.

Although David is inspired primarily by fantasy fiction, he also finds his muse in the form of anime, world cinema, history, and biographies. His own books, Fezariu's Epiphany and the in-progress A World Apart, combine aspects from worlds both old and new into compelling tales of a world not soon forgotten., David himself certainly does not lack a spirit of adventure; in fact, he left his job in 2007 in order to spend a month traveling. Second only to meeting and marrying his wife, David counts this as one of the most amazing experiences of his life.

The Elencheran Chronicles: http://elenchera.com

The World According to Dave: http://blog.elenchera.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/elenchera

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fezariu

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11451305-fezariu-s-epiphany (book page)

Amazon: http://amzn.to/revenge-saga

David will be giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one randomly chosen commenter at the end of the tour. The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/02/virtual-book-tour-fezarius-epiphany-by.html .