Tag: Fantasy

News from the Wolf

It’s been a busy few weeks for me. Wolf Dawn came out on Kindle.

Two weeks ago I attended the 7th Annual Book Festival in College Park, Maryland with a few special edition hand-bound copies of Wolf Dawn.

Last weekend I helped run the Maryland Writers’ Association From Brain To Bookshelf Writing Conference. I got to meet lots of people and hang out with Crystal Wilkinson.

Here is a before and after picture of my display in the bookstore.

On Tuesday, Star Touched came out on audio. Steve Campbell did a great job with the reading. If you act quickly, you may still be able to get a free version through Audio Book Boom.

Saturday, I’ll be participating in the Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading at RavenCon from 2-4 PM. If you’re at the Con, make sure you say hi to me and Fifi.

Keep your eye out for my Balticon schedule.

April 4, 2019
WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – Heidi Hanley

Welcome to WOLF NOTES, where interview questions stray from the rest of the pack. It’s nice to know the usual stuff like where an author gets their inspiration and why they write, but sometimes we need a little fun in our lives.

Wolf: Thanks for stopping by today, Heidi. Tell us a little about yourself.

Heidi: There are worse things than living in a world of kings, queens, warriors, bards, and all manner of magical beings. After a life spent burying myself in the imagination of others and lamenting my inability to create such a story myself, I was challenged by my husband and a friend to bust down the barriers to my own creativity and just do it! I did, and the Kingdom of Uisneach series is the result.

I have been blessed by careers as a Registered Nurse, an interfaith minister and a hospice chaplain, but ever-flowing beneath the surface was my passion for books and writing. Whether I was writing care plans, weddings or journaling my own personal odyssey, I crafted words in ways that others found . . . interesting.

The Kingdom of Uisneach series taps into the core of my Irish heritage, evoking the spirit of ancient myth and legend. I hope you enjoy this story and would love to hear from you.

Wolf: Sounds interesting. If you had to pick a weapon, what would it be and why?

Heidi: I am drawn to swords, which represent many things such as justice, ritual, power and strength. Specifically, I would choose the longsword. On the physical level it is the common weapon of the warriors I write about in the mythic fantasy genre. It requires a great deal of strength and dexterity to manage in battle and can get the job done completely. Granted, it is usually more difficult for women to use effectively, but not impossible. It is both an elegant and earthy weapon, crafted and honed by the hands of a smithy in a simple wood-fired cottage. On the symbolic level it is power and strength, two attributes of the men and women I write about. It plays a key role in The Prophecy in the magical sword Nuada, one of the four treasures of Uisneach.

Wolf: There is nothing like a good blade. You’ve just been turned into a plant. Describe yourself.

Heidi: I adore ferns for their diversity and grace. They remind me of faeries and whimsy. Being one who is often referred to as ‘a bull in a china shop’ the lithe grace of ferns is something I can only dream of. Living in forested places, changing color with the seasons and hosting shelter to small or magical beings, is all I could hope to be in the botanical world.

Wolf: And some of them taste good. I mean the ferns, not the faeries. Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?

Heidi: Definitely canine! I adore dogs and have often said I’d have one of every kind, though that would leave little time for writing. In my mundane world, I have a very un-mundane Scottish Terrier named Riley, who people on Facebook have come to know as my office buddy. In Uisneach, Briana has Dara, an Irish Wolfhound. She saved him when he was wounded and in turn, he became one of her loyal guards. I cannot imagine any world without dogs in it and none of my future books will be without some form of canine hero.

Wolf: I know exactly what you mean. While walking in the woods you come across…

Heidi: Well, obviously a magical oak tree that is a portal to another kingdom in need of a savior-queen.

Wolf: Of course. What else could there be? If you could have a super power, what would it be?

Heidi: All my life, I have had this occasional dream of being able to fly. They are rare, and I really treasure them. It feels so good to be able to fly fearlessly above the world, seeing everything from a higher perspective. I am also inspired by watching documentaries where they are looking down on say, the African savannah or the Amazon River and birds are flying below. It gives me the same feeling that I’m flying.

Wolf: I’ve had those dreams as well, which is kind of funny. I don’t like heights. Do you have a favorite character?

Heidi: Every character in The Prophecy is my favorite for a different reason. However, I am really beginning to appreciate Briana as a force to be reckoned with. Readers have so far either loved her or have rolled their eyes and picked her apart. I guess she makes an impression and that is exactly what I like about her. She isn’t ordinary, though she thinks she is. Up until she walked through a tree in the woods near her house and ended up in Uisneach, she lived a pretty sheltered life. On the other side of the tree, she immediately discovers she is the savior to a land of gnomes, dryads, witches, druids and very mythic men and women and must adapt quickly to this new paradigm. She goes from being a young woman who cries at the drop of a hat and rejects most men because they don’t meet her dreamy expectations, to a woman who makes hard, sacrificial choices for the greater good of a kingdom she falls in love with. I freely admit it is cosmically cliché. I meant it to be. Her character arc seems complete in The Prophecy, but through the writing of the second book, The Runes of Evalon, it is clear she has room to grow, and is. She impresses me more and more with each passing day.

Wolf: Describe a meal you (or Briana) would be served while visiting another world.

Heidi: So, I’m on Uisneach and it’s the season for Christmas and Briana wants to celebrate the holiday she remembers so fondly. She consults with Moira Flannigan, the head cook and Reilly Doherty the butler, to create the meal. Slabs of cheese and baskets of nuts and fresh berries start the meal. The main course is roast turkey, pheasant, rabbit and venison, with sautéed mushrooms and wild onions. Brimming bowls of potatoes, turnip and carrots are set on the tables. Fresh oat bread with herbed butter is a staple at the castle and one of Briana’s favorites. Apple crisp and wild berry cobbler with whipped cream will be dessert. Cups will overflow with red ale, Uisneach mead and fresh goat milk. What won’t be served is plum wine, an Uisneach specialty that makes Briana act a little crazy.

Wolf: Yummy. What is your favorite body of water and why? (river, ocean, waterfall, puddle, bottle…)

Heidi: Two bodies of water play important roles in my life. Waterfalls are magical and play a significant role in my writing as you will see as the story of Uisneach unfolds. I live within a couple of hours drive of the coast of New Hampshire and Maine. When I’m feeling stressed out, overwhelmed or overtired, I head for the ocean. The timelessness of wave after wave, crashing on rock or breaking on the sand is healing and reassuring for me.

Wolf: I agree, sunny day ocean waves are soothing. What story are you working on now?

Heidi: The Runes of Evalon is book two of the Kingdom of Uisneach trilogy. I have just finished the first draft and hope to have it edited and published in the spring. This book is written from Briana’s and Silas’s alternating points of view. Silas is on a quest to find important magical runes to restore magic in Uisneach and Briana and Brath are trying to capture Lord Shamwa and stop him from wreaking havoc across the kingdom.

Wolf: If this question were any question in the world, what question would you want it to be and how would you answer it?

Heidi: What is the meaning of life? Ha! Isn’t that everyone’s question? Doesn’t everyone want an answer? In my work as a hospice chaplain, I often ask people what gives meaning to their life. I think the answers to the question about the meaning of life are varied and personal. So, for me, I will answer that the meaning of life is to find the place where I am connected to the song of the universe and then to discover how to work with that energy in the quest to be all that I am capable of being and bring something of meaning and value to the other souls and beings I share this life with.

Wolf: I hope everyone enjoyed Heidi’s visit to Wolf Notes. You can connect with Heidi through these links:

Facebook: Heidi Hanley Author Page
https://www.facebook.com/heidihanleyauthor/
Kingdom of Uisneach (closed group on Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1936863969722285/
https://www.instagram.com/heidi_hanley/
http://kingdomofuisneach.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Prophecy-Kingdom-Uisneach-Book-ebook/dp/B079DS3R2M

February 20, 2019
WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – Rebecca Gomez Farrell

Welcome to WOLF NOTES, where interview questions stray from the rest of the pack. It’s nice to know the usual stuff like where an author gets their inspiration and why they write, but sometimes we need a little fun in our lives.

Rebecca Gomez Farrell writes all the speculative fiction genres she can conjure up. Her first epic fantasy novel, Wings Unseen, debuted in August 2017 from Meerkat Press. You can find her short stories in over 20 anthologies, magazines, and websites including Dark Luminous Wings, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Fright into Flight. In California, Becca co-leads the 400-member strong East Bay Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Meetup group and organizes a chapter of the national Women Who Submit Lit organization, which encourages female writers to send their work out for publication. She also co-moderates Facebook discussion groups for female-identifying writers and is a regular participant in the Bay Area literary reading scene. Becca’s food, drink, and travel blog, theGourmez.com, has garnered multiple accolades and influences every tasty bite of her fictional world building.

Wolf: If you could be any animal in the universe, what would it be and why?

Rebecca: The universe is so big! I’m going to take a page from Doctor Who and be a star whale, which feeds on the light of stars that it passes in the galaxy. Star whales can travel freely in space, and they live quite a long time. I’d imagine that’s an adventuresome, fulfilling life.

Wolf: I loved that episode. What is the strangest food you’ve ever eaten?

Rebecca: I’m a food blogger, so this is actually a hard question to answer! There’ve been a number of times that I’ve had to close my eyes and just dig into a bite, choke it down fast as I can. Head cheese is one of my least favorites for sure. For the past decade, foodies and chefs have been entranced with the idea of whole animal butchery, appreciating all the parts of a creature that’s been slaughtered for our consumption. I honor the morality of that aspiration, but dear lord, head cheese—the combination of, yes, meat from the head and gelatin—does not need to exist. And it’s so salty! RUN AWAY.

Wolf: My mom used to get head cheese but I never tasted it. Now It’s hard to find. What is the meanest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

Rebecca: Writers are sadistic beasts, as there’s not much of a story if you’re not subjecting your characters to mean things. Excluding death, the meanest thing I’ve done is revoke the happy endings for characters who thought they had one coming.

Wolf: Harsh. Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?

Rebecca: Cat person, for sure. Dogs are totally fine, and I had dogs, cats, lizards, rabbits, fish, and hamsters growing up. But cats are as independent as I am, and that purr is excellent when you need soothing on a bad day.

Wolf: There is definitely something to be said for that soft outboard motor. While walking in the woods you come across…

Rebecca: Beautiful, tiny, white flowers that I’ll take pictures of to add to my floral photography collection. If I’m lucky, I’ll also glimpse some rabbits hopping between the trees. If I’m feeling imaginative, nothing is better than a hanging mist between redwoods that I can’t quite explain.

Wolf: Sounds like the beginning of a story. What is your favorite body of water and why? (river, ocean, waterfall, puddle, bottle…)

Rebecca: Growing up, my answer was lakes, as I didn’t visit them often and enjoyed the still water and fun of easily swimming coast to coast. But once I learned about the existence of leeches? Oh, sorry lakes! Oceans have been my favorite ever since, especially at night as waves beat against the cliffs.

Wolf: Give me an ocean any day. I got turned off of lakes when I saw a huge spider on the dock at camp. What story are you working on now?

Rebecca: I’m working on the first draft for a sequel to my fantasy novel, Wings Unseen. The working title for the rough draft is Wings Unfurled. All the things I feel like I got away with in writing the first book will be addressed in this one. The metaphorical becomes physical, throwing the world of Lansera into tumult once again.

Wolf: Sounds good. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Rebecca: Feel guilty for not writing. Just kidding! I don’t like that part at all. What I do like is going for a swim, going out to new restaurants and bars, seeing theater, and breathing in nature on a fresh, clear day with a hint of rain.

Wolf: But that guilt always seems to follow. What would you like to do if you won 1 trillion dollars?

Rebecca: Why, I would like to hire the brightest minds in the world to figure out how we could provide universal healthcare, housing, and enough income to cover basic needs for everyone on the planet, because we absolutely could with that amount of money. And then I would like to tackle how we, as a species, can better protect all the other species the Earth sustains.

Wolf: Amen. I like that idea. How can readers find out more about you and your books?

Rebecca: You can find me anywhere @theGourmez! But mostly, you’ll find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

STAR TOUCHED

Eighteen-year-old Tatiana is running from her past and her star-touched powers eight years after a meteor devastates earth’s population. Her power to heal may be overshadowed by more destructive abilities. Fleeing the persecution of those like her, Tatiana seeks refuge in a small town she once visited. But this civil haven, in a world where society has broken down, is beginning to crumble. Will Tatiana flee or stay and fight for the new life she has built? Only by harnessing the very forces that haunt her can Tatiana save her friends…and herself.

February 6, 2019
WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – Juliana Spink Mills

Welcome to WOLF NOTES, where interview questions stray from the rest of the pack. It’s nice to know the usual stuff like where an author gets their inspiration and why they write, but sometimes we need a little fun in our lives.

Juliana Spink Mills was born in England but grew up in Brazil. Now she lives in Connecticut and writes science fiction and fantasy. She is the author of Heart Blade and Night Blade, the first two books in the young adult Blade Hunt Chronicles urban fantasy series. Her short stories have appeared in anthologies and online publications. Besides writing, Juliana works as a Portuguese/English translator, and as a teen library assistant. She watches way too many TV shows, and loves to get lost in a good book. Her dream is to move to Narnia when she grows up. Or possibly Middle Earth, if she’s allowed a very small dragon of her own.

Wolf: Good luck getting a dragon. I think there’s a waiting list. If you had to pick a weapon, what would it be and why?

Juliana: Although the characters in my Urban Fantasy series tend to use swords, and I actually did a year of longsword lessons in the name of research when I was writing the first novel, I’ve always wanted to learn archery. Put that down to a childhood obsession with Robin Hood!

Wolf: Archery has always been one of my favorite sports. You’ve just been turned into a plant. Describe yourself.

Juliana: I’m a nice fat dandelion sitting in the sunshine in a tangled overgrown lawn. My flowers bring a splash of color to people’s lives. My leaves feed the wild rabbits. My seeds give wishes and please small children. I might be a ‘common weed’, but I’m a glorious one.

Wolf: Dandelions are great. They also make great fritters. Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?

Juliana: I love both, but I’m allergic to cats so sadly can’t have one at home. We do have a six-month-old rescue pup named Misty, though. (Yes, like from Pokémon.) She’s awesome, when she isn’t chewing everything in sight.

Wolf: Yup, that’s a pup. I’m partial to dogs myself. While walking in the woods you come across…

Juliana: The inspiration for my next novel! I always have an eye open for ideas, as you never know what will emerge from a simple walk. And speaking of woods, I have a sci fi thriller I’ve been working on which actually draws inspiration from the Amazon jungle…

Wolf: Sounds interesting. Let me know when it comes out. If you could have a super power, what would it be?

Juliana: My actual superpower is walking into things, which is kind of a lame skillset and results in lots of bruising. If I could choose a power, it would be super speed. I could get so much done, and still have time for reading and binge-watching TV shows.

Wolf: Or bump into things faster. There is a door at the end of a dark, damp corridor. You hear rumbling. What do you do?

Juliana: Open it, of course. There is clearly a dragon behind it and all dragons should absolutely be set free. Fly, you amazing fire-breathing beastie, fly!

Wolf: Love it. Which of your characters is your favorite?

Juliana: My half-demon Camille! Probably because her personality is closest to my own. Well, apart from the fact that I’m not actually an immortal succubus, of course.

Wolf: Good to know. What is your favorite body of water and why? (river, ocean, waterfall, puddle, bottle…)

Juliana: The Iguaçu Falls that straddle Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina are amazing! I could have stood there and watched them for days. This is one of those ‘marvels of the world’ that truly lives up to its hype.

Wolf: I’ll have to put it on my list of things to see. What story are you working on now?

Juliana: I’m working on Star Blade, the third and final book in my Urban Fantasy trilogy. It’s a weird feeling, writing a series ending. There are so many loose ends I have to remember to tie up, so it’s almost overwhelming, but at the same time it feels good to finally work towards the happily ever after my characters deserve.

Wolf: It was great chatting with Juliana today. You can connect with her through these links:

Website: www.jspinkmills.com
Twitter: @jspinkmills
Instagram: @jspinkmills
Facebook: jspinkmills

STAR TOUCHED

Eighteen-year-old Tatiana is running from her past and her star-touched powers eight years after a meteor devastates earth’s population. Her power to heal may be overshadowed by more destructive abilities. Fleeing the persecution of those like her, Tatiana seeks refuge in a small town she once visited. But this civil haven, in a world where society has broken down, is beginning to crumble. Will Tatiana flee or stay and fight for the new life she has built? Only by harnessing the very forces that haunt her can Tatiana save her friends…and herself.

January 23, 2019
WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – Jayne Barnard

Welcome to WOLF NOTES, where interview questions stray from the rest of the pack. It’s nice to know the usual stuff like where an author gets their inspiration and why they write, but sometimes we need a little fun in our lives.

JE (Jayne) Barnard is a Calgary-based crime writer with 25 years of award-winning short fiction and children’s literature behind her. Author of the popular Maddie Hatter Adventures (Tyche Books), and now The Falls Mysteries (Dundurn Press), she’s won the Dundurn Unhanged Arthur, the Bony Pete, and the Saskatchewan Writers Guild Award. Her works were shortlisted for the Prix Aurora (twice), the UK Debut Dagger, the Book Publishing in Alberta Award (twice), and three Great Canadian Story prizes. Jayne is a past VP of Crime Writers of Canada, a founder of Calgary Crime Writers, and a member of Sisters In Crime. Her most recent book is When the Flood Falls, a small-town psychological thriller set in the Alberta foothills west of Calgary, and her upcoming one is the sequel, Where the Ice Falls (Dundurn, July 2019), set at Christmas in those wild lands.

Wolf: Glad you could come by. What is the nicest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

Jayne: I give my characters – most of them – other characters who love them and genuinely want what’s best for their lives. That’s not to say there aren’t miscommunications and occasional disappointments, but that underpinning the characters’ lives are other characters who support them the way I would love to be backstopped by friends and family.

Wolf: What is the meanest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

Jayne: Just one mean thing?

Wolf: Yes, Sorry, just one please.

Jayne: I routinely cost them their jobs and financial security. I’ve made one homeless. I threaten their loved ones with danger and death. I dangle them off cliffs, punt them into flooding rivers, lock them into burning buildings. But the worst thing I’ve ever done (and it was so heart-wrenching that I had to do it off-page) was letting the dog die. Don’t ask. It was so traumatic that I still weep whenever I see a Golden Retriever.

Wolf: I hear you. I’m a huge dog person. How about you? Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?

Jayne: For all that I adore Goldens (and solicit donations for Golden Rescue Canada whenever I can although I’m in no way affiliated with the group; see www.goldenrescue.ca for more information), I’ve been a cat-slave since my earliest years and am never happier than when there’s one or more feline treating me like comfy furniture to nap on in the sunshine.

Wolf: Cats can be sweet. Some of them. While walking in the woods you come across…

Jayne: Funny you should ask. Lacey McCrae, my urbanite ex-cop in The Falls Mysteries, spends a lot of time walking in the woods. And jogging in them, x-country skiing, hunting for missing people…. I’ve done all those things too, in a past stage of life. Never found a dead body but I’ve searched for a few. What I’d most like to find is a lamppost. Or a wardrobe and then a lamppost. I’d give that White Witch a taste of her own Turkish Delight. Seriously – any portal to another dimension. It comes up often in my fantasy writing.

Wolf: Cool. There is a door at the end of a dark, damp corridor. You hear rumbling. What do you do?

Jayne: Hey, I’ve read Jane Eyre. I’d get a fire extinguisher and a tranquilizer gun before I ever opened that door. But because I also found Wide Sargasso Sea compelling and highly possible, I’d bring along some chocolate and a hug. And a good lawyer for that locked-up wife, because she’d damn sure have a lawsuit worth pursuing in today’s world.

Wolf: Smart choices. Which of your characters is your favorite?

Jayne: Depending on mood and weather, I might be answering this question differently every time I’m asked. Today my favourite is Maddie Hatter, runaway daughter of Britain’s Third Steamlord, who’s making a precarious living as a fashion reporter when the story of a lifetime falls into her lace-gloved hands, carrying her by airship from Egypt to England and onward in search of batty Baron Bodmin and his legendary Bloodstained Diamond (see Maddie Hatter and the Deadly Diamond, Tyche Books, 2015). She’s had three zany Adventures and my agent & I are discussing a further trilogy.

Wolf: What is your favorite body of water and why? (river, ocean, waterfall, puddle, bottle…)

Jayne: Definitely the Pacific Ocean. I lived on the west side of Vancouver Island as a child and ever since then have gotten dehydration of the spirit if I’m too far inland for too long. Now that I’m past my workforce years and my children are adults, I spend half the winter on Vancouver Island, rarely more than a mile from the sea. On fine afternoons I take my coffee to the shore to sit with the waves and the sea birds, listening to the seals bark, watching for whales, petting the dogs and chatting to their walkers.

Wolf: Sounds very peaceful. What story are you working on now?

Jayne: This winter I’m editing Where the Ice Falls, the second in The Falls Mystery trilogy. It’s a contemporary suspense involving people going missing in the frozen Alberta foothills, and a psychologically demanding book to edit because it also involves a terminally-ill mother and her daughter grappling with the question of whether to apply for medically assisted dying (MAID, now legal in Canada but unevenly available across jurisdictions). My father went out via that route last winter, a whole year after I had planned this book, and the storms of emotions I survived during his journey opened my eyes – and maybe my veins – to that fictional daughter.

Wolf: Sound interesting. Thanks for visiting. Connect with Jayne through these links:

www.jaynebarnard.ca
@J.E.Barnard (Twitter)
@JayneBarnard1 (Twitter)
Saffron.hemlock (Instagram)
https://www.facebook.com/FallsMystery/
https://www.facebook.com/MaddieHatterAdventures/

When the Flood Falls

Maddie Hatter and the Deadly Diamond

STAR TOUCHED

Eighteen-year-old Tatiana is running from her past and her star-touched powers eight years after a meteor devastates earth’s population. Her power to heal may be overshadowed by more destructive abilities. Fleeing the persecution of those like her, Tatiana seeks refuge in a small town she once visited. But this civil haven, in a world where society has broken down, is beginning to crumble. Will Tatiana flee or stay and fight for the new life she has built? Only by harnessing the very forces that haunt her can Tatiana save her friends…and herself.

January 16, 2019
WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – LJ Cohen

Welcome to WOLF NOTES, where interview questions stray from the rest of the pack. It’s nice to know the usual stuff like where an author gets their inspiration and why they write, but sometimes we need a little fun in our lives. We’re starting 2019 off with LJ Cohen.

LJ Cohen is a Boston area novelist, poet, blogger, ceramics artist, geek, and relentless optimist. After almost twenty-five years as a physical therapist specializing in chronic pain management, LJ now uses her anatomical knowledge and myriad clinical skills to injure characters in her science fiction and fantasy novels. When not bringing home strays (canine and human), LJ can be found writing, which looks a lot like daydreaming.

LJ is active in SFWA (The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) and Broad Universe, and blogs about publishing, general geekery, and other ephemera at http://www.ljcbluemuse.blogspot.com. A Star in the Void (book 5 of the SF/Space Opera series Halcyone Space) is her most recent novel. Derelict, the first novel in the series, was chosen as a Library Journal Self-e Select title and book of the year in 2016. For more about LJ and her books, visit http://www.ljcohen.net or https://www.amazon.com/LJ-Cohen/e/B006QL6GA0

Wolf: Thanks for joining the pack. You’ve just been turned into a plant. Describe yourself.

LJ: A perennial, my leaves emerge every year starting in the late spring or early summer. Spindly stalks grow amid the leaves and can reach four feet high. From the tips of my stalks, buds swell and each bud becomes a long, wide colorful flower. I come in many varieties, some carefully developed for selective gardeners, others emerging from the side of the road, blooming for no one in particular.

While each of my flowers only blooms for a single day, with so many buds, I can be in continuous bloom for months.

I am considered a weed by some, but I see myself as simply adaptable and hardy. I can grow in almost any soil and in a large variety of conditions.

Given enough time, I will spread year by year and become a hedge. But I am also happy to be divided and planted in new ground – both my old plant and the new will thrive. Winter will not destroy my bulbs. Nor will a gardener’s neglect.

Wolf: Sounds nice. Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?

LJ: Definitely a dog person. While I didn’t grow up with any animals (my mother was a fastidious housekeeper and didn’t like the chaos pets brought), I’d always been drawn to dogs. I’ve had dogs now as an adult since I got married and was gifted with a 12 week old puppy! (Not your typical wedding gift!)

We have been owned by an assortment of pups ever since, all rescues. Our current dogs are a Jack Russel mix (Dustin) and a border collie mix (Mya).

Since I work from home, I am around them most of the time. They have beds in my office, which has radiant heat. Once it gets turned on in late fall, it’s their favorite room in the house.

I’m certain that dogs exude a special kind of gravitational wave that makes it nearly impossible to get up from the sofa when they curl up nearby.

Wolf: So true. While walking in the woods you come across…

LJ: A faded blue police box, shaded by a canopy of trees. There is a sign with white lettering on the front. The words are blurred, impossible to read.

The birds have stopped singing. The wind fails. The trees still.

I pause with my hand on the handle. I expect it to be cold. Roughened by the rust. It is smooth. Warm. A surge of heat moves through me and I’m very aware of my own heartbeat in the sudden silence.

I look back at where I came from. There are no footprints in the deep leaf litter. The forest path is obscured in a swirling fog. I turn back to the box. The blue is now a clear and vibrant hue. Why did I ever think the box was old?

A beam of low sunlight pierces the tree branches and illuminates the bottom line on the curious sign: Pull to Open.

Wolf: Please say hi to the Doctor form me. If you could have a super power, what would it be?

LJ: To understand all the languages in the world. I would love to be able to travel and hear the music in the local language and understand a place the way someone born there does. To be able to communicate with anyone, without the barrier of an unfamiliar language between us would be amazing.

Wolf: The main character in my WIP can do that. I’m not good at learning new languages. Which of your characters is your favorite?

LJ: I’m not sure I have a favorite, per se, but the character whose creation most delighted me was that of Aeon from THE BETWEEN, book 1 of the Changeling’s Choice series.

He was not a planned character. I was writing a scene after my protagonist Lydia had been taken into Faerie and told she was a changeling. In order to clear her mind and cope with her anxiety, she goes for a run in what turns into a hedge maze. Lost and resting in a clearing, she struggles to understand her new reality. She asks aloud, “Who am I?”

At that moment, my fingers typed this reply: “That’s an interesting question.”

I had no idea who was there with her and why. But I know I needed to find out.

I remember that moment of creation with absolute clarity.

That character became Aeon. He was an ancient Fae who’d been bound to the maze. I thought he’d be a minor character, but he had different ideas. So much so, that his history turned into the backdrop and major conflict of the sequel TIME AND TITHE.

Wolf: Amazing how our characters tell us what to do, isn’t it? What is your favorite body of water and why? (river, ocean, waterfall, puddle, bottle…)

LJ: In my 20s I had the opportunity to learn how to sail when my then boyfriend’s (now spouse’s) father bought a sailboat. I spent many hours on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland sailing that boat. One of my favorite sounds in the world is the sound of waves lapping against the hull, so any body of water that has a tide feels like home to me.

Wolf: What story are you working on now?

LJ: It doesn’t have a name as of yet. It’s a totally different world from either my Fae Changeling books or my space opera series (Halcyone Space). It’s broad themes are inspired from this verse by Rabbi Tarfon: “It is not your responsibility to finish the work of perfecting the world, but you are not free to desist from it either.”

Multiple worlds are connected in the quantum realm. Most are safely sealed off. Most have no knowledge that they are but one in an infinite multitude.

A few people on a few scattered worlds can see though the multiverse. Most of those go mad. Fewer still are able to bear the burden of so many possibilities. Those are seers and are either considered cursed or blessed. Though the reality is some of both.

Perhaps one in a billion has the ability to slip from world to world and becomes a Traveler. But always, there is balance. A Traveler comes, a Traveler goes, never more than any world can bear, treading lightly to encourage balance. Until now.

Three individuals from three different worlds are drawn to one another through the thinning walls between the worlds. None of these three are Travelers in truth. But they are all that is left. For they discover something is hunting Travelers and obliterating them and the balance they bring from the multiverse.

Together, they must rescue each other and fight a foe they cannot name to heal the worlds before the walls dissolve for good.

Wolf: Cool. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

LJ: My other major creative outlet is ceramics. I make functional ware both on the wheel and by slab building. I’ve always been a tactile/kinesthetic learner and working with clay is extremely relaxing.

I also love to cook. Making soup – especially in wintertime – is one of my favorite things to do. Especially when I can feed friends and family.

So between cooking and ceramics, I can both make the food and the bowl it’s served in. 🙂

Wolf: I love clay, especially hand-building.

Connect with LJ through these links:

http://www.ljcbluemuse.blogspot.com
www.ljcohen.net
www.facebook.com/ljcohen
www.twitter.com/lisajanicecohen
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B006QL6GA0

STAR TOUCHED

A. L. Kaplan

Eighteen-year-old Tatiana is running from her past and her star-touched powers eight years after a meteor devastates earth’s population. Her power to heal may be overshadowed by more destructive abilities. Fleeing the persecution of those like her, Tatiana seeks refuge in a small town she once visited. But this civil haven, in a world where society has broken down, is beginning to crumble. Will Tatiana flee or stay and fight for the new life she has built? Only by harnessing the very forces that haunt her can Tatiana save her friends…and herself.

January 2, 2019
WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – Karen Dowdall

Welcome to WOLF NOTES, where interview questions stray from the rest of the pack. It’s nice to know the usual stuff like where an author gets their inspiration and why they write, but sometimes we need a little fun in our lives.

Karen DeMers Dowdall, PhD, MSN, BSN, was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and spent her elementary-grade school years in the small farming community of Salmon Brook, settled in 1680 by a stalwart group of Europeans. She grew up exploring Salmon Brook’s Forest Preserve, swimming in Salmon Brook, and ice-skating on a “haunted” pond in winter.

Karen has traveled extensively, and has lived in the Republic of China, Saudi Arabia, and England. Living overseas opened a vista of cultures and history. It led her to understand that all cultures have storytellers that reveal all their hopes and dreams through vivid fantasy fictions, poetry, short stories, and dramatic written presentations, throughout their cultural history.

Karen has always written poems, songs, and short stories. She now has three novels that represent fantasy, coming of age, and a dark mystery. Her next novel is a time-slip fiction love story set in the present and 1692 – the age of the witch trials, and will be published in December 2018.

Wolf: If you could be any animal in the universe, what would it be and why?

Karen: I would be a Singing Blue Sparrow. Many people don’t know that the sparrow family of birds come in many colors.

Wolf: That sounds lovely. If you had to pick a weapon, what would it be and why?

Karen: Words are the best weapons, because they can hurt and heal too.

Wolf: So true. What is the nicest thing you’ve ever done to your characters?

Karen: Let them live, be happy, and fall in love!

Wolf: You’ve just been turned into a plant. Describe yourself.

Karen: I would be a daisy in a field of beautiful daisies.

Wolf: Pretty. I’ve always liked daisies. Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?

Karen: I am an animal lover, but I love doggies best.

Wolf: Me as well. While walking in the woods you come across…

Karen: A bear and this is true! During a forest fire, my cousins and I were caught up in a forest fire and we ran for home, running beside me and my sister, was a large black bear. We looked at each other and I thought he smiled at me. All the other forest animals, large and small, were running with us too.

Wolf: That’s scary! Glad you and your family escaped the fire. I hope the bear did as well. If you could have a super power, what would it be?

Karen: I would be a guardian Angel.

Wolf: The world is about to end. What is the first thing you do?

Karen: Pray!

Wolf: What is your favorite body of water and why? (river, ocean, waterfall, puddle, bottle…)

Karen: I was an ocean life guard when I was in college and so I love the ocean.

Wolf: Crashing waves. Salty water. Perfect. What story are you working on now?

Karen: I am writing a time-slip novel during the colonial period when women were accused of witchcraft. It is a fantasy and a love story too that transcends time.

Wolf: That sounds cool. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Karen: I love to walk daily, and above all, I love to dance and even owned a dance studio. I love to teach little girls and boys to dance. To be a really good dancer, one must learn ballet, modern dance, jazz and contemporary dances.

Wolf: Thanks for stopping by. Catch up with Karen at these links:

www.karendowdall.com
amazon.com/author/karendemersdowdall
https://www.facebook.com/kddowdalll
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7394355.K_D_Dowdall

Books make great gifts.

Star Touched

December 5, 2018
The Day of Reckoning Has Arrived

View the Star Touched Book Trailer Here

For those of you who are really into the science in science fiction, here is what happened. If those kinds of details don’t interest you, just skip the rest of this paragraph. The meteor that hit earth in Star Touched was smaller than the nearly six-mile-wide meteor that scientist believe caused the dinosaur’s extinction, but not by much. Hitting in the Atlantic near the conjunction of three tectonic plates, this impact triggered massive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Basically, it really shook things up in nearly the worst possible way. All those earthquakes caused numerous tsunamis, one of which smacked into the eastern America. Volcanic eruptions spewed tons of junk into the atmosphere.

The Day of Reckoning and the days following devastated earth’s population, changed the coastline, and altered the climate. Were it not for clear sky day, it is unlikely life would have continued as we know it. It also created the star-touched, people capable of accessing incredible power.

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/11/dinosaurs-extinction-asteroid-chicxulub-soot-earth-science/

https://www.psi.edu/epo/ktimpact/ktimpact.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicxulub_crater

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39922998

STAR TOUCHED

Eighteen-year-old Tatiana is running from her past and her star-touched powers eight years after a meteor devastates earth’s population.

Her power to heal may be overshadowed by more destructive abilities. Fleeing the persecution of those like her, Tatiana seeks refuge in a small town she once visited. But this civil haven, in a world where society has broken down, is beginning to crumble. Will Tatiana flee or stay and fight for the new life she has built? Only by harnessing the very forces that haunt her can Tatiana save her friends…and herself.

August 12, 2018
WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – Ken Schrader

Welcome to WOLF NOTES, where interview questions stray from the rest of the pack. It’s nice to know the usual stuff like where an author gets their inspiration and why they write, but sometimes we need a little fun in our lives.

Wolf: Welcome to Wolf Notes, Ken. Tell us a little about yourself.

Ken: I am a science fiction and fantasy writer, a shameless Geek, a huge fan of the Oxford comma, and I make housing decisions based upon the space available for bookshelves. I collect books, movies, and music.

I sing out loud when I think there’s no one around, and I try to get a blog post up once a week – both with varying degrees of success.

I love music of all kinds, books, the big sky off my front porch, Star Wars, Firefly, Blind Guardian (to which, I write almost exclusively), Rugby, star gazing, jasmine tea, and the smell of rain on the air.

My favorite flavor of ice cream is chocolate. My favorite food is a grilled steak, and I can suspend disbelief embarrassingly quickly.

I live in Michigan, am co-owned by several dogs (especially the Border Collie), and I am one of the rare breed of folk that enjoys mowing the lawn.

Wolf: Wow, we have many things in common. Too many to list. If you had to pick a weapon, what would it be and why?

Ken: A lightsaber. Because it’s not as clumsy, or random as a blaster. Also, because it is a sword that can be turned off.

Wolf: That is kind of cool. Makes your sword much more portable. You’ve just been turned into a plant. Describe yourself.

Ken: Oh, I’d be an orchid. Long, thin stem, pinkish-purple flowers.

Wolf: Sounds beautiful. Purple is one of my favorite colors. Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?

Ken: Dog person. I can’t imagine my life without having at least one dog in it.

Wolf: Same here. While walking in the woods you come across…

Ken: A pair of standing stones. Tree limbs, and vines, growing across the top to form an arch. Beyond the arch is…somewhere else. Somewhere you can’t quite see in detail, but feels warm.

Wolf: I sense an adventure coming. If you could have a super power, what would it be?

Ken: Immortality, with a dash of Wolverine’s healing factor. So many books, so little time…

Wolf: Agreed. I have a huge stack of to be read book. There is a door at the end of a dark, damp corridor. You hear rumbling. What do you do?

Ken: Oh, I open that thing and peer inside. No doubt about it.

Wolf: You are definitely a true adventurer. What is your favorite body of water and why? (river, ocean, waterfall, puddle, bottle…)

Ken: The “pond” in my front yard. It’s not really a true pond, but for ¾ of the year, it’s under water and, in the spring/summer, the Peepers sing at night. I love my Peepers. When I moved out into the country, I thought they’d drive me nuts but, when they’re hibernating in the colder months, I really miss them.

Wolf: I like peepers too, and they eat those pesky mosquito larvae. What story are you working on now?

Ken: A smuggler turned Empress must unite three disparate races in order to prevent an insane AI from wiping out humanity.

Wolf: I look forward to reading that one. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Ken: I like to hang out with my family, grill, watch the sun set. I’m also an occasional gamer, and a HUGE rugby fan.

Wolf: A gamer? I never would have guessed. (chuckle chuckle) Thanks for stopping by.

You can connect with Ken through these links:

Website: www.Ken-Schrader.com

Twitter: @kenschrader4882 (ask me about that number sometime)

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ken.schrader

Don’t forget to pick up your copy of

STAR TOUCHED

August 1, 2018
WOLF NOTES: An Uncommon Interview – Michael Thompson

Welcome to WOLF NOTES, where interview questions stray from the rest of the pack. It’s nice to know the usual stuff like where an author gets their inspiration and why they write, but sometimes we need a little fun in our lives.

Michael Thompson is an award-winning author and illustrator from Northern Virginia. His debut novel, World of the Orb, earned national acclaim in the Feathered Quill Book Awards, and his latest publication, Winslow Hoffner’s Incredible Encounters, brings his trademark humor, adventure, and dynamic character ensembles into a folkloric fantasy setting. For more information, visit: MichaelThompsonBooks.com

Wolf: I had the pleasure of meeting Michael at RavenCon this past April. So, Michael, what is the strangest food you’ve ever eaten?

Michael: I had something called anticuchos once at my friend’s cookout: ribbons of beef heart laced onto wooden skewers. Really good actually. I remember it being smoky and tasting intensely of iron. I really liked it.

Wolf: I’ve had that. It’s delicious. If you had to pick a weapon, what would it be and why?

Michael: In World of the Orb, one of my main characters has an awesome fighting tool called a “multiweapon.” It extends from a compact handle, to a staff, to a three-sectioned staff or a two-sided spear. The spearheads are linked by chains, and those can be launched and reeled. Pretty handy!

Wolf: Sweet! Do you consider yourself a cat person, or a dog person?

Michael: I love dogs. I’ve had two dogs, both of whom have influenced the personalities of some of the animal companions in my books.

Wolf: Dog lovers of the world, UNITE! If you could have a super power, (besides talking to dogs) what would it be?

Michael: In World of the Orb some of the characters can tap into an energy called Ka, which affords them certain telepathic, telekinetic, and other mystic abilities. It’d be great to reach the TV remote too.

Wolf: Your characters should get together with the characters in Star Touched. They seem to have some things in common. Speaking of characters, which of your characters is your favorite?

Michael: I love them all, but right now I’d say my favorite is the titular character from my latest book, Winslow Hoffner’s Incredible Encounters. He’s a gallant, eccentric fisherman who’s witnessed some of the sea’s most astounding beasts of legend. He happens to be a great storyteller with a sharp sense of humor too.

Wolf: Describe a meal you would be served while visiting another world.

Michael: There’s some great food in World of the Orb I’d like to try. Schu-faun would probably be at the top of my list. It’s a creamy, whipped dessert with an exotic, tangy berry syrup shelled in a lattice nest of crisp, sweet pastry.

Wolf: Yummy. Let me know when you’ve worked out the recipe. What is your favorite body of water and why? (river, ocean, waterfall, puddle, bottle…)

Michael: The ocean is remarkable to me. The smell’s refreshing, the sounds are relaxing, and there’s something powerful, hypnotic, and humbling about the vastness. Its mysteriousness inspires a lot of my stories too. There’s a significant seafaring element to World of the Orb and my new Winslow Hoffner book especially delves into what wonders may lay hidden out there.

Wolf: What story are you working on now?

Michael: It’s sequel time! My main focus right now is World of the Orb 2, the official title of which is a secret for now. I’m really excited to return to that world.

Wolf: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Michael: I love film—whether I’m going to the movies, talking about new releases, or making short films with my friends. Film was my minor in college, so that’s another avenue of storytelling I’m passionate about.

Wolf: Film is one of the arts I do best as an observer. Thanks for stopping by.

Connect with Michael through these links:

Website: https://www.MichaelThompsonBooks.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDSiGQGocjTGEHbgagmd5WA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MThompsonBooks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mthompson_books/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelThompsonBooks/

And don’t forget to pick up a copy of Star Touched

July 18, 2018