Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween! Here's a treat for you...

A deleted scene from 'Hurricane! This scene was shortly after Adriana was kidnapped by Hayden and Luke.

“No.” Hayden stood up defensively.
“Calm down, dear. This has been going on too long now. You know the consequences of the two worlds colliding. Besides, if it’s not you, you know it will be someone else.” Sansha’s voice immediately had calming effect.

“Sansha, we know what we need to do and we’ll get it done,” Luke chimed in.

“This isn’t about you or me and you know it.” Both of Hayden’s fists were clenched, and at that moment I thought there would be a fight. What my mind was really focused on is what they were talking about. Was it about me, and was I about to die?

Everyone was staring at my confused, fearful expression.

“Why don’t you two discuss this outside?” Sansha suggested, glaring at the doorway. “We’ll be waiting right here.” Her devilish stare returned to me.

Hayden and Luke nodded. “I’ll be right back and then we will leave, okay?” Hayden oddly caressed my cheek with the back of his hand before pulling a strand of my hair back behind my ear. I nodded in reply because I believed him. I trusted him; at least I wanted to trust him. I wanted to believe that I would make it out of here alive and that Hayden was the person I thought him to be.

Luke turned to go outside. Hayden’s body turned too but instead of moving toward the doorway he waited until Luke had left. Suddenly, he took one quick step towards me grabbing my thighs and throwing me over his shoulders. What was happening? I forced myself to keep my eyes shut as I felt Hayden jumping out the back window and sprinting away. I managed to open one eye, seeing a blur of trees and green which made me nauseous.

The bouncing wasn’t helping so I wrapped my arms around his waist to keep from moving up in down. That had been a mistake. I no longer knew if he was still running or we had stopped. All I knew was that my arms were wrapped around pure muscle and a flawless abdomen.

Finally, I felt myself falling but Hayden’s arms were still on my body. I released my hold from him as he lowered me onto a mossy tree trunk. I blinked my eyes, shocked to see nothing familiar in sight. My lips parted ready to demand an explanation but he bent down to my level. Dark hair spilled over emerald eyes and the words caught in my throat. With one hand behind my head, he began to apologize.

“I am stronger than he so I can outrun him. But it won’t be long…”

“Stronger than who?”

“My brother… it’s not what you think, Ana. He just needs some time to reconsider a decision he is about to make.”

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Character Interview with Luke Boudreaux

*This interview was originally featured on Book Chow Down

Character Interview- Luke Boudreaux


Character profile:

Name: Luke Boudreaux
Age: 18
Place of Birth: Overseas
Hair Colour/Eye Colour: light brown/hazel eyes.
Siblings: Hayden Boudreaux

What is your middle name?
Who wants to know? Fine, it’s Claude.

That’s unique for a name. What is that
French?

It was my father’s name.

What is your favorite journey?
Twisted as it may sound but hands down the night I was almost destroyed. It was sweet how Ana thought she could save me. Never has a Hunt been more dangerous.

What is your most marked characteristic?
My attitude. Yeah, I will live forever, get the hell used to it!


Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Damn. I really have been saying that a lot haven’t I? that or hell. I really don’t swear that much, I still have soap in my mouth from all the times my mother would wash it, but where I come from hell has a whole
different meaning.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Why would you want to change something that’s perfect?

How would you like to die?
Sorry to break it to you but I ain’t going to die, man.

What is your motto?
An eye for an eye, that is my motto.

What is your greatest
extravagance?

I dunno. Nothing’s really that cool anymore once you have it all. I mean, I guess it’s my custom rebuilt 1969 Chevrolet Camero z28.

What is your greatest fear?
Honestly, I can’t stop thinking about what will happen to me if Ana says no. I have never even thought about being tied down before then all of a sudden I feel a love like no other and I can’t even imagine living, or exiting whatever, without her. If she turns me down, will I just continue forever? What will happen to me? What the hell is happening to me? Shut up, I am not crying. Ana is my only weakness.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Ugh, see above

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Guest Post by Sheila Deeth

One of my earliest memories is of looking through wooden railings down on a narrow, dark staircase. Behind me is a bedroom and the stairs come straight up into the room. That may not sound so strange, but in my world stairs were separated from rooms by doors, so I used to wonder where the memory came from. One day I asked my Mum and she said I’d lived in a house like that when I was a baby—less than two years old. But of course, she added, there was no way I’d have been old enough to remember it.

I’ve read things since then that agree with her, suggesting we can’t make memories when we’re so small. But I don’t believe them and I find myself wondering if anyone can remember all the way back, to being born.

The child in my new story, Flower Child, is born too soon and doesn’t survive the journey through the birth canal. But her spirit survives, somewhere between ghost and angel, becoming real to her mother and to me. I talk to my characters when I’m writing, and they talk to me—I just hope no-one notices and thinks I’m mad. So when Angela told me the story of her journey through the birth canal there’s a part of me that said “Hey, you can’t remember that.” But she did.

“It started, the end or the beginning—I’m not sure which—while I was asleep, red warmth and people-sounds. The ocean’s roar grew violent and angry around me, changed its shape to waterfall. My body jerked in slumber as fluids flushed. My river gone dry, I struggled against my cage and started to fight.

The lights of my red world grew scary then, viciously bright. Something whiter than angels made brittle images on the air. Voices were sharp and fearful, mother singing but the tune all cracked like there was a hole in her heart, beating ragged and sharp. “My baby has gone down the plughole…” she laughed, her body, me, quaking and bent. I didn’t know what a baby or plughole meant, so I simply stored the sounds in memory.

When Mother fell silent, her heartbeat slowing, her thrashing flesh finding rest, then my own struggles dimmed and I fell asleep. Everything up to then felt like a dream, but somehow sleeping didn’t feel like falling awake. My body was sliding, squeezing, fighting its pain, but I had no control and no desire to control it. Flickers of green trickled over me, as though I were trying to rise, but the nightmare held tight.

The world went black at the last and there was silence for a while. Somewhere in the distance the mother-voice cried while Father soothed with words like heavy sap in the burgeoning dawn, but I wasn’t really there. Just a memory of listening, of feeling, seeing nothing, making no sound.”



I’m really grateful to Jenna-Lynne for inviting me to her blog. If you visit my blog: http://sheiladeeth.blogspot.com/ today you’ll find Jenna’s post and an excerpt from her novel Hurricane which promises to be the first in an exciting new series.



About Flower Child: When Megan miscarries her first pregnancy it feels like the end of everything; instead it’s the start of a curious relationship between the grieving mother and an unborn child who hovers somewhere between ghost and angel. Angela, Megan’s “little angel,” has character and dreams all her own, friends who may or may not be real angels, and a little brother who brings hope to her mother’s world. But Angela’s dream-world has a secret and one day Angela might learn how to be real.

Where to find Flower Child: http://gypsyshadow.com/SheilaDeeth.html#Flower

About the author: Sheila Deeth grew up in the UK and has a Bachelors and Masters in mathematics from Cambridge University, England. Now living in the States with her husband and sons, she enjoys reading, writing, drawing, telling stories, running a local writers' group, and meeting her neighbors’ dogs on the green.

Sheila describes herself as a Mongrel Christian Mathematician. Her short stories, book reviews and articles can be found in VoiceCatcher 4, Murder on the Wind, Poetic Monthly, Nights and Weekends, the Shine Journal and Joyful Online. Besides her Gypsy Shadow ebooks, Sheila has several self-published works available from Amazon and Lulu, and a full-length novel under contract to come out next year.


Find her on her website: http://www.sheiladeeth.com

or find her books at: http://sheiladeeth.weebly.com

 

Monday, August 29, 2011

08/29/2011

Six years ago today, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, La. Today, my novel "Hurricane" is officially released. A portion from each sale of the book will go to charity (the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity). www.DivertirPublishing.com for more information.

On sale everywhere:

Amazon
Amazon (UK)
B&N
Borders (AU)
Smashwords
and select stores.

Happy reading and Laissez les bon temps rouler! (Let the good times roll!)

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Release date approaching!

I am very excited for the release of Hurricane! That said, I can't believe it is already August! Summer just flew by but I guess that happens... a week from Monday will be the 6th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the release of my book. It is already showing up on Amazon and BN.com where you can read a sample. Enjoy (:

http://www.amazon.com/Hurricane-ebook/dp/B005H3LCA2/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313228486&sr=1-4

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hurricane-jenna-lynne-duncan/1032552871?ean=9780984293032&itm=1&usri=hurricane%2bjenna%2bduncan

Friday, July 1, 2011

Interview with Monique O'Connor James

I was introduced to fellow author Monique O’Connor James on my Twitter and we instantly hit it off, both coming from Southern Louisiana and both being paranormal/urban fantasy authors. I was so excited to get the chance to read her first novel, The Keepers, which was set in New Orleans.

“Jess denies God. In his infinite wisdom, he’s taken everyone she’s ever loved. Moving to the French Quarter was a ploy to erase the guilt she felt for rebuking her faith. Perhaps, if she hadn’t met Justin, an angel preoccupied with getting back into God’s good graces, and drowning in his hatred for humanity, her plan would have worked. Justin’s general disdain for the human race makes him difficult to like, but some higher power has appointed him her keeper. Justin’s convinced he can mend her broken relationship with her maker, but in the process he learns a thing or two about his own humanity. Never mind, falling in love, that’s not supposed to happen. In fact, it may even be forbidden. Jess just wants Justin to understand her plight, and he wants to protect her from a world she doesn’t know. If neither is equipped to save the other, then whose soul lives and whose will perish?”

I finished it that day and absolutely loved it. It is adult inspirational but appropriate for young adults as well. It is 277 PDF pages but reads really fast! After I finished it, I had a ton of questions. We had been emailing back and forth and this interview is a collection of our conversation:

So if you don't mind I have a few questions? Is this going to be part of a series?
Yes, a series for sure...meaning that the next book may not have the same characters...in fact, I know it won't <evil grin>. However, the option to do a sequel for the books in the series is open ,as I will miss Jess and Justin too!

Is The Keepers your first novel?
Yes, the Keepers was the first one I completed. But I shelved it for two years. During those two years, I wrote 6 or 7 other manuscripts (can't remember right off -guess I need to count). I pulled it down every now and then, and made changes because it wasn't what I wanted it to be. After having some critiques done on another novel late last year, I figured out how to fix what I didn't like and decided it was complete!!!

I read your bio, so sorry to hear about your mom ;(
There were a couple scenes in the novel that seemed very real. Did you take anything from real life?
I lived in NOLA from the time I was 2-6. Of course I visit often. However, the part in the book about Jess' mom stopping to pick flowers on Veterans...that's true. It's one of best memories I have of my mom :)

How many books are you planning?
Complicated question! I know there will be three in this series. However, like I said that's without the sequels to the books in the series. Each book will have separate charecters but all will be about a different class of angels....Justin was a Power...I'm writing The Watchers now about the Guardians....A Portion of the proceeds from The Keepers is going to Susan G. Komen.

Wasn't sure if you were talking about other books also? I have a short coming out in July. Its a YA novelette called The Mulligan Man. For the first six months, ALL of the proceeds from this book will go to the Japan Relief Fund. On Sept. 7th Jamais Vu is coming out. It is a novel about a girl who "accidentally" shoots herself and has a near-death experience. She comes back able to see other's deaths and dreaming of demons....This book has two sequels. I just submitted the first one to my publisher to see if it's a go.

Any hints into the next book? :)
Hmmm well, you know about Jamais Vu now. The Mulligan Man is about a group of teens who are at a party when an acquaintance dies. The Mulligan Man appears straight out of folk-lore and offers them the chance to get a "mulligan" on the night and save their friend. However, there are stipulations they must meet in order to save him. I have five other MSS completed waiting for me to edit or rewrite, so there are plenty coming and a few swirling around my brain!!!!

Have you already started writing them? When is the expected release?Mulligan Man 7/11 Jamais Vu 9/7

Will they be published by the same company?
Yes, they are all published by Astraea Press.

What has been your publishing process?
The publishing process with my publisher is really easy. Astraea is an Indie Publishing House and I submitted my MS with a synopsis and Query Letter. Stephanie Taylor, the owner, and her readers decided to offer a contract, a couple of weeks later, and I signed. After that I got a package and request for preedits. Basically, preedits are just reviewing the work again, for repetivie
words, formatting, missing punctuation, that type of thing. The MS then went through both content edits and line edits. After each set of edits it was sent back to me to make changes and agree to any content changes which were requested. I really didn't have any content changes, so I didn't have to make that decision. After the edits were done The Keepers was published in Ebook and is coming out in print in July from CreateSpace.

How did you end up going with the publisher you have now?
When Astraea first started looking for submissions a friend of mine told me about them. They offer clean fiction (no erotica, no cussing). My books were crossover YA/Adult, so I didn't feel it was necessary to have those elements and Astraea seemed like a good fit, so I sent a submission.

Did you submit to others?
Oh wow! Before I knew what Indie Publishers were, I toyed with the traditional route and even considered self-publishing. I did the research on agents, and did query letters, and collected rejections. It was a bad time to dip into publishing. As hard as it has always been to get into the business, it was even harder when the economy tanked. That was about the time I started submitting. I looked into self-publishing, but I wanted the best of both worlds. I wanted the guidance and marketing aide of a publisher with the freedom to write what I wanted, when I wanted. Author friends told me about the indie houses and it just happened that Astraea was the first one I submitted to. I got lucky!

What is your writing process?
It has been evolving! I used to be a complete "pantser", meaning I'd sit down and just start tapping out words as they came to me. My characters would dictate it all, and I'd happily listen. As time has gone on, I've started to take notes and develop my characters before I write. I also carry a notebook and make random plot notes. I don't think I'll ever be the "plotter" who uses index cards, but somewhere in the middle. I have a couple of friends I send my work to who help me with plotting and brainstorming. For me, writing is joyous, and I can get lost for hours. When it's done I always grieve a little!

Thanks that was fun!

Thanks Monique!

Monique can be reached at:
Twitter: mjames13
Wordpress: www.moniquejames.wordpress.com
Website: www.moniqueoconnorjames.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=511255176
Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Monique-OConnor-James-Author/151581321573144

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Giveaway!

Giveaway time! One lucky Facebook fan will receive a paperback copy of Hurricane! If you haven't already 'like' me to be entered to win.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenna-Lynne-Duncan/198137450227636
I am so excited for the release of Hurricane! I think we finally have decided on a cover and I really hope you'll like it. It was such a hard decision finding the perfect cover for the novel. We are also planning on releasing a sample any time now so keep looking out for it!

I wanted to thank all my followers on Twitter who have been all really excited to read Hurricane. I have heard some really nice things from them and it means a lot to me.

I am now on GoodReads so be sure to add Hurricane to your to-read list!

Laissez les bon temps rouler! (Let the good times roll!)