Guest: Leslie Soule

Today's guest is Leslie Soule and her first fatasy novel, Fallenwood. Please join me in welcoming her!

Favorite TV or movie hunk:

My favorite movie hunk is definitely Orlando Bloom as Legolas in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He’s hunky, but the difficult part comes from trying to define what exactly makes him that way. After all, personality-wise, the elves of Middle Earth tend to come off as a bit cold and stoic, mysterious and…different – it creates a kind of allure. Also, there’s just something about pointy ears.

I remember reading something in a magazine about Orlando Bloom commenting on the elves, saying that there’s nothing sexually threatening about an elf, and this is part of their charm as well, I think – that they don’t seem like domineering creatures, berserkers or barbarians, and yet they are not entirely passive either. Rather, the elves seem like a race whose interests are elsewhere than sex. Ironically, this is what makes them sexy.

           

Also, there’s something very attractive about the idea of the “good guys” rushing in and attempting to defeat a seemingly unconquerable evil, and battling the forces of darkness even if hope is forlorn. You see, “sexy” exists in the mind, a collection of perceived truths about the world. A person’s recognition of something sexy, signals that an idea has occurred to them that is presenting itself to the person’s mind as a fulfillment to a lack (i.e. Legolas’s battle prowess against the orcs is alluring because my own battles against the darkness don’t seem to go as well as his, sometimes). But that’s getting in really deep, philosophically.

Suffice to say, I think Orlando Bloom makes a very hunky Legolas. J

Back off Orlando...he's mine! At least you have great taste in men. I found his humor and honor and the fact that he WAS so different from the other elves attractive. And then I saw him in Pirates and yum. Just yum.

Blurb:

Fallenwood—a land where magic is the life force, dragons are sages, and wizards good and evil battle for supremacy. When 23-year-old Ash is thrust into the middle of Fallenwood’s power struggles, she is also forced to face her own inner battles. Life on Earth was hard enough on Ash, who is locked in grief for her stepfather. Now, the fate of Fallenwood rests on her shoulders. She must destroy the Great Crystal—the catalyst for all the land’s magic. As the kingdoms prepare for war, Ash must look inside to find the power to save the world, and herself.

Excerpt:

The dragon’s eyes glowed, for a flickering moment, with white light.

“Ash,” the dragon continued, “Welcome to Terra Illumina…or as it is more commonly known, Fallenwood.” Then a fierce roaring laugh erupted from the stone, as though the dragon thought the new name a joke. “A dark, difficult, dangerous path lies before you, Ash Kensington.”  

Ash’s heart grew heavy. In truth, she knew that she was destined to some terrible, dark fate. For so long, her life was filled with sadness and doubt, and one horrible thing after another. What else can I hope for?

 “But Ash, you must not lose hope. Our world needs you..."

About the author:

Leslie Soule lives in Sacramento, California. Fallenwood is her first fantasy novel. She has received her B.A. in English from Sacramento State University and is currently working on her Master’s degree in English at National University.

Website: http://www.lesliesoule.com/

Wednesday Review: Geek Wisdom

From the publisher who brought us Pride & Prejudice & Zombies and all those many spinoffs now comes Geek Wisdom: The Sacred Teachings of Nerd Culture by Stephen H. Segal  

I read this straight through, meaning I didn't skip around but treated it like a normal book. Mistake. I think the reason it took me so long was that this isn't a book in chronological order where by starting o page 1 you end up on the last page with a complete history of the subject.

No chronology expected here!

Which is part of its charm. I enjoyed the book and spent an inordinate amount of time trying to guess the quote before looking at the speaker of said quote. I think I averaged 85% (there was something about flying dragons I didn't get).

If you're a geek with an affinity for science fiction, fantasy, 80s cartoons, cheesy movies, intellectual video games, and can pick out at least 5 pictures from the cover, this book is for you. If you know a geek who can do all of the above, Christmas is right around the corner!

Tuesday Comings and Goings

Spent the weekend at the New Jersey Romance Writers conference. Other than signing books at the author book signing and giving a workshop on Writing with Someone Else (Not Already Talking in Your Head) I enjoyed meeting up with writing friends and attending workshops.

Victorian Alexander is one funny lady! I've heard her speak before and it's well worth it. If you ever get the chance to hear her, do it.

Over all, if you're a writer (or want to be or even just want to understand the behind-the-scenes-of-writing) attending writing conference. Local ones are better or at least less crowded and gives you a chance to meet more authors, listen to more of them answer your questions, and really get to know some of the other writers (and readers!) attending.

Monday Excerpt: Shadow State

Shadow StateOriginally from The Wild Rose Press anthology Taming of the Wolf, Shadow State is now available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and All Romance eBooks. A free sample is available for download from Smashwords.

Fighting to prevent the Nazi’s from gaining a wehrwölfe army, Christoph and Elsa tread a serpentine path between an ambitious party man and their primal need for each other.

Hidden for centuries in the German countryside, the Arminius Clan has amassed power, wealth, and respect. All that changes when the Nazis come to power. Christoph von Berangar, Alpha, makes his way to Berlin to claim his mate. But then one of his wölfes is captured, and experimented on by the Nazis.

Elsa von Skyler, leader of one of the Arminius Packs, is forced to experiment on the captured wölfe. Along with her father, an esteemed doctor at the Charité Hospital, they do this only to facilitate the wölfe’s escape. Together, she and Christoph form a plan to rescue their fellow wölfe, but when things go awry, will Elsa survive? Or will Christoph’s fervor to protect his mate compromise them all?

Excerpt:

Dinner was barely a half hour off, and Christoph hadn’t seen Elsa since she’d told him of Erik. After putting the fate of their captured member into his hands, she’d waited for his response.

He had no answer for her, not until he learned from Gerard what Strasser believed. Though he wanted to speak with her of personal matters, he’d needed to get the business of the Clan out of the way first. She’d left him to see to the other guests, without his answer.

 Now, he set out to find Elsa in the large townhouse. It was an eclectic mix of old and new, but the art deco suited her well. The unique style matched her personality. Efficient, sleek, sensual.

Following her scent into the library, he stumbled upon a far corner she’d clearly marked as hers. Lancet Medical Journal lay open on the window seat, with several more journals in various languages stacked in a corner. He sat by the window, letting the late afternoon sun warm him.

A fresh whiff of her reached him a heartbeat before the clatter of her rushed footsteps. Standing, he moved into one of the shadowed archways. Elsa scanned the shelves nearest her window, oblivious to his presence. Christoph took the opportunity to study her.

The sunlight glinted off her golden hair, neatly coiffed despite her rush. Her hands were delicate as they skimmed over the spines of her books, taking one from the shelves and stepping to the side, she skimmed it. He knew from her letters, and the diplomas lining the walls, that she was adept in her field of biochemistry. Her skirt accented her curved figure, and he wondered how she’d look with the material bunch around her hips as he took her.

Stealing out of the shadows, he stepped behind her with a growl. She startled, dropped the book and tried to turn, but he held her arms at her sides, trapping her between him and the diploma-lined wall. His lips tasted the side of her neck, the smooth, fragrant skin there. The feel of her body against his told him everything he needed to know.

My woman.

“We are creatures of instinct, are we not?” he asked in a low rumble. “Mine are very clear.”

Her heart pounded, he could feel it jump where his fingers brushed the sensitive underside of her wrists. Her scent intensified, an added undercurrent of muskiness, and he knew she was as aroused as he.

Her head turned, but she didn’t struggle. She leaned further into him, pressing her arse against his throbbing erection.

“I wondered what your instincts would tell you,” she whispered. “You were inscrutable this afternoon.”

“That was not the moment for us.”

“Have you decided this is our moment?” she asked.

He pulled away just enough to see the eyebrow raised in amused question. But he could also see how her blue eyes darkened, could feel her breath coming in gasps. Could smell the change in her scent.

Trailing his lips along the back of her neck, he breathed her in. Another growl escaped him, louder and stronger, establishing his dominance over her. When Elsa growled back, his cock hardened further.

Yes, mine.

Friday Guest: RJ Silver

Today my guest is RJ Silver, author of My Thrid World Girlfriend and The Princess and the Penis. Yes. You read that right. I read chapter 1 and it's pretty darn funny! If you want to read My Thrid World Girlfriend, for the next 48 hours (or 2 days) you can download a free copy of it from Smashwords using this code: TW68L


Hung Like A Bull

When Jan (my Thai girlfriend) was in her early teens, she used to ride a male buffalo. While I was drifting aimlessly through my mid-twenties, she was literally taking the bull by the horns.

At first, I was jealous of her. Then she said, “He very strong. One-thousand kilos of muscle beneath me, thunder across field, bounce me up and down, up and down, make me scream whole time.”

That made me jealous of the bull. No guy likes to hear his woman describe how another male “made her scream the whole time”, so I swept her up in my arms and ran all around the apartment with her, prompting a couple of small cries of surprise. “Like that?” I said, setting her down.

Having recovered from her initial shock, she shook her head and said, “No, not same. When you sit on bull and feel his broad back beneath you, you know you cannot control what he do. All you can do is hang on while he bounce you up and down, up and down – boom boom boom.”

I spun around, crouched down, and hoisted her onto my back, then again ran around the apartment as fast as I could. She didn’t scream much, but she did clamp her arms around my neck to hang on, so I figured that had to be worth something. “Like that?” I said.

“No, no,” she replied. “He two-meter tall at shoulder. He very fast, and his feet thump the ground heavy when he run, go—”

“Yeah, yeah – I know. Boom, boom, boom.”

I sat down on the couch, a little winded by my exertions. I knew I was being ridiculous. So she rode a bull in her teens. So I wasn’t the biggest, strongest beast she’d ever mounted, or the greatest thrill she’d ever experienced bouncing up and down. Get over it, I told myself. Don’t be so immature.

The problem, I soon realized, was that the apartment was too small. She wasn’t getting as much of a thrill riding me because I didn’t have enough space to reach my top speed. “Let’s go outside,” I said, “where I can carry you across an open field, just like he did.”

So we went to the park. I picked a downward slope to help me go faster, full of mounds and potholes to make the ride rough. Up she went, piggyback style once more, and down the hill I went, accelerating with each step, bouncing her all over the place. I even tried to sound like a bull, though, in retrospect, I probably mooed like a cow.

Halfway down the slope, I caught my foot on a rock and began to stumble. Sensing I was about to fall, she gingerly dismounted and landed on her feet. I, meanwhile, fell sideways and tumbled down the rest of the slope into a small pond at the bottom. My head had just popped out of the water when I saw her crouching at the edge of the pond. “Boom, boom, boom?” I said hopefully.

“No,” she answered. “But he go in water, just like you. He was water buffalo.”

That still wasn’t good enough for me. So I took her home and made mad, passionate love to her. “Boom, boom, boom?” I asked when it was over.

“Hmmm,” she said, scratching her cheek and looking sheepishly at the ceiling.

“Damn!” I said, frustrated.

“Oh, don’t worry,” she replied. “At least you not hung like bull.”

“Pardon?”

“One year, we hungry, have to kill him for food, hang him upside down to cure the meat.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes.”

Relief swept over me. My rival had been reduced to mere mincemeat. Despite his massive size, bulk, and power, in the end the only thing he could carry was the top of a hamburger bun.

My Third-World Girlfriend

Then I remembered that Jan had once ridden that bull for the sheer fun of it. She talked about him like he was a pet, yet, when pressed, she still killed him for food.

That made my situation crystal clear. If I don’t want to end up hung like a bull myself, I’d better keep her well fed!

And Remember: If you want to read My Thrid World Girlfriend, you can download it for free for the next 48 hours (or 2 days) from Smashwords using this code: TW68L

Hurry! The code expires Sunday October 23, 2011!

Thursday Progress

I have no progress to report. Except I've finished 3 books within the last 2 days and am now scouring my Goodreads list for what I'm in the mood for.

Recommendations?

Wednesday Review: Ides of March

March 15 isn't as popular a voodoo day as Friday the 13th but it should be. If your name is Cesar and you're a tyrant that is. This movie had its moments, but overall I found the ending a little flat. I suspect it's because 1) it's based on a play (the real kind not a Broadway musical but a real play) and 2) I'm cynical enough to believe everyone loses their idealistic nature about something sooner rather than later.

Granted, I also think it's probably one of the more honest political films in years. And given the recent protests (OccupyWallStreet or OWS, OccupyPhilly, OccupyBoston) rather apropos.

It'll probably be an Oscar contender but won't get my vote. Because while I think it's timely and decent, it never really moves into "Stays with me afterwards" or "grips my attention" or even "I'm not looking at my watch or checking my email".

An idealistic staffer for a newbie presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail. Based on the play by Beau Willimon.

Monday Musing

Monday Monday, so good to me,
Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be
Oh Monday morning, Monday morning couldn't guarantee
That Monday evening you would still be here with me.

Thursday Progress

I haven't posted much because I'm deep in editing mode. Trying to get a couple books ready for public consumption. Between that and life, it's difficult to keep up with all the social networking I'm a part of. I am reading several books now--well listening to 1, reading 2 (one on my nightstand, one on the table for lunch breaks)

Canticle for Leibowitz on the dining room table
Geek Wisdom on my nightstand
Thereby Hangs a Tail on audio

National Writing Month

Which is technically November but I saw this on today's BBC America and needed to share. If you ever wanted to write a book, November is the time to start. 50,000 words in 30 days is rough. Traditionally, November is a busy month for me, but probably not for others.

NaNoWriMo challenges authors to write novel in month

Guest Gordon A. Kessler

Thanks for hosting me on your blog Sexy Adventures, Passionate Tales, Isabel!

So, I’m to blog about anything I want? Oh, my! So much to say and so little mind to say it with!

*grin* Thanks for joining the party, Gordon! Glad you could make it.

Well, I hope it’s obvious that I love to write. I wrote Jezebel for therapy while going through a divorce—thus the violence and sex seemed appropriate at the time. I’m not really a horror writer. I like writing thrillers, and this one just ended up leaning toward horror.

In all my novels I enjoy using specific types of characters/tools: a romantic connection, a tension-heightening storm, at least one dog or horse, a Native American, a deadline that shortens, and a strong, smart woman. I feel that this combination of ingredients provide for an exciting and surprise-filled, dynamic story.

Jezebel was a blast to write. I love dogs, and this is about a very large dog that gets caught up in a conspiracy and used in a hideous manner. After she kills her master, she’s on the loose, and terrorizing the city. But is she the one who’s really doing all the killing? Meanwhile dogs all over the city are attacking their masters and the person who seems to be at the center of these crazy and heinous attacks is the animal control director, Tony Parker. Tony’s going through a mid-life crisis and has his own problems. His lovely wife feels the tension and see her husband’s attraction to his beautiful, young and seductive assistant.

My dog would rather lick you to death than attack. Unless you're holding out on a treat & teasing her of course...

I love the tension that builds in this story, and planting little clues that makes the reader say, “Oh, yeah! I should have seen that coming” when the plot twists and things get out of hand. I’ve had several readers tell me that they’ve read Jezebel several times, just so they could find those clues and see the story from an enlightened angle each time.  This is a novel that scatters clues throughout, and I challenge anyone to predict the outcome. Jezebel isn’t a who-done-it—that’s obvious within the first few chapters; it’s a what’s-going-to-happen-next thriller.  The suspense is intense throughout—I think it’s a perfect Halloween season read.

After Jezebel, I wrote Dead Reckoning—a real fish out of water, or should I say “in hot water” mystery thriller. A female NCIS agent goes undercover aboard a ship of horrors to find out why crewmembers are disappearing one-by-one. There’s romance, mystery, and murder—what a wonderful combination.  And I challenge anyone to guess who-done-it in this one. 

NCIS? I'm so there!

My latest novel is Brainstorm. Once again, there is romance, mystery, big thrills, and high technology. This one gets into remote viewing, and man was it fun to write. I loved writing the mind trips, and paranormal scenes. Still, I tried to ground the story in realism to make it believable in the real world so that I didn’t have to create a whole new one. I know you’ll enjoy this one.

No cheating—don’t read the end of any of my novels first, it will absolutely ruin the story for you. And don’t ever put any of my books away without reading the epilogue. There is always a surprise or two just to top it off. The very best surprise right now is that all three of my thrillers and a couple of short stories are currently on sale as eBooks for only $.99 just to get those numbers up and to reward my readers for their loyalty. You can find them on Amazon, B&N, Kobo, iBooks, Sony—all the major online bookstores, as well as http://www.readersmatrix.com/. Of course you can also get them in hardcover and paperback.

So now I’m working on sequels for all three thrillers. You can find out a little more on my blog and my website. Please check them out. And, you can always email me. Drop me a line!

Thanks again for giving me the opportunity to give my spiel on your blog! Happy reading.

BLURB:

Sleep lightly tonight…

A madman has come to town seeking a diabolical revenge and large dogs begin attacking their masters for no apparent reason and with heinous results.

Animal Control Director Tony Parker must find out why and stop the murderous attacks. Meanwhile, Jezebel, a huge black Great Dane has killed her master and is loose, terrorizing the city and stalking Parker and his family. Parker and Sarah Hill, his beautiful and seductive young assistant, attempt to unravel the mystery and stop the terrible carnage while dealing with their own demons and lusty desires.

The attacks must be stopped. Jezebel must be found-and soon, you see--there is one other complication. Parker seems to have come down with an annoying little virus. No, it's not one of those irritating summer colds. It's certain death.

She's a murderess, huge and black as a hell-bound night.

Beware. Jezebel is on the loose!

EXCERPT:

In the grayish soup, a dark vision appeared.  Floating down the middle of the street, it slowly formed into a recognizable shape.

An animal.  A large black animal.  A huge Great Dane.  It walked with confidence.  Long, thin legs.  Mouth closed, head and eyes fixed straight ahead.  Occasionally, its feet splashed one of the pools.  Light from the streetlights caused a sparkle from underneath its neck with every step of its left forefoot.  A large diamond, set on a gold tag, captured the light and shot it out like a laser.  The dog maintained its pace for what seemed like minutes.

Finally, it stopped.  With its body still pointing down the street, it slowly turned its head to the right and looked up a sidewalk leading to the front door of a house.  It stared, still emotionless, at the door.  At Tony Parker’s door.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Author bio:  Gordon A Kessler is a former US Marine parachutist, recon scout, and Super Squad team leader, with a bachelor's degree in creative writing. He is a Master Instructor for Johnson County Community College, National Academy of Railroad Sciences, and the BNSF Railway. He has taught novel writing for Butler County Community College, English Composition for Hutchinson Junior College and has previously indie-published the thriller novels Brainstorm and Dead Reckoning, and a book about the novel-writing craft, Novel Writing Made Simple.

He is a founder and current president of the Kansas Writers Association and tries to stay connected to writers and the writing industry by doing speaking engagements at writers conferences and for writers organizations, and does his own "The Storyteller" seminar in Wichita, Lincoln (Nebraska), Kansas City, and other Midwestern cities based on his Novel Writing Made Simple book.

His websites, http://www.writersmatrix.com/ and http://www.indiewritersalliance/ are landing pages for writers to help them in their writing endeavors. His author website is http://www.gordonkessler.com/ .

Other links:

http://http://www.readersmatrix.com/

http://www.Twitter.com/GordonKessler

http://www.Facebook.com/GordonKessler1

http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/GordonKessler.

Studying

In a couple weeks I'll be at NJRW doing a workshop on writing with a partner. Okay the technical term is that we will be there but since it's easier to use I than WE, there is it.

The outline is made, the handouts are in the rough draft stage, and the content is simple--for us at least! If you're going, this workshop is designed to help you understand the needs of yourself and your potential writing partner and help you work together.

See you there!