Fictional Werewolves: Guest Post by L. Diane Wolfe, Author of In Darkness: A Werewolf

Welcome L. Diane Wolfe! Today I'm celebrating my friend L. Diane Wolfe's newest book release, In Darkness: A Werewolf as part of her book blog tour. L. Diane Wolfe is the CEO of Dancing Lemur Press, a professional speaker, a multi-book published author, a Christian who writes and works in the secular side of publishing, and someone I consider both a mentor and a friend via the IWSG, an online group. We've never met in person, but I hope to, someday.

For today's post, I asked L. Diane to share some insights into Fictional Werewolves in celebration of her latest release In Darkness: A Werewolf.

Well, technically, there aren’t any non-fiction werewolves. Not in the truest sense, although the legend of a man who could become a beast goes back centuries.

There are many famous werewolves, both in books and movies. I thought I’d touch upon a few of them.

The Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King / Silver Bullet

This began as an engaging and unique book by King and eventually became a movie.

The book is a month-by-month account of a werewolf terrorizing a small New England town and the boy who tries to solve the mystery of the killings. The movie compacted the events into half the time but it’s no less effective. While scary and sometimes gruesome, the movie is a story about redemption.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Also made into a film, this book introduced readers to Remus Lupin, a werewolf bitten by Fenrir Greyback who serves under Lord Voldemort. Remus taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts. He is a sympathetic character who ultimately dies defending what is right.

The Wolf Man staring Lon Chaney Jr.

This was the first of five movies with Chaney playing the werewolf. While not the first cinematic werewolf, it was the film that launched the creature into stardom. It was part of the Universal Monsters line of movies and Chaney endured 5-6 hours of makeup time to prepare for his scenes.

 The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer

First a series of four books and then five movies, it featured Jacob Black, a werewolf and Native American of the Quielute tribe in La Push. Love them or hate them, this series established a sympathetic and vulnerable side to the werewolf legend.

 Hotel Transylvania

An animated series of four movies, it features many famous monsters and creatures. One of the most amusing it Wayne the werewolf, voiced by Steve Buscemi. Wayne is Dracula’s best friend and has dozens upon dozens of kids with his ever-pregnant wife. Beaten down by his huge brood, he is one tired but funny werewolf.

Yes, the last one was thrown in for fun, but kids will know Wayne for sure! (And those of us grownups who are suckers for such movies.)

In Darkness: The Werewolf

By L. Diane Wolfe

Souls shrouded in darkness…

On her own in England, Vicki trains at a prestigious fencing school. Face marred by a birthmark, she’s suspicious of Nicholas’ attention. A dinner date reveals his genuine interest and they begin to connect. Nicholas is attractive and she wonders why he’s so shy and reclusive.

Then one evening she happens upon him changing into a lycan. Every werewolf legend is challenged by the gentle, fearful creature before her. Vickie accepts his secret, but Nicholas knows he’s an unpredictable beast. Can they trust love enough to overcome their physical challenges?

Release date – Sept. 5, 2023

Romance/Paranormal/Shifter, Romance/Paranormal, Fantasy/Paranormal

$3.99 eBook ISBN 9781939844927

A professional speaker and author, L. Diane Wolfe conducts seminars, offers book formatting, and author consultation. She’s the senior editor at Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. and contributes to the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

http://www.spunkonastick.net/ - Spunk On A Stick
http://www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com - Spunk On A Stick’s Tips
http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/ - Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Links for In Darkness: A Werewolf:

Amazon -  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRR4VLN7/
iTunes - https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6445310855
Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940165994548
Kobo - https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9781939844927
Scribed - https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9781939844927&language=0
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75711711-in-darkness

Guest Post by Patricia Josephine: I'm Joining the Zombie Horde

 Please welcome author and awesome writer buddy Patricia Josephine!

I’m joining the zombie horde

I’ve always stated that if the zombie apocalypse happens, I’m joining the zombie horde.

Don’t get me wrong, I like being alive, but it just doesn’t seem worth it. It takes a lot of effort to stay alive. You have to be healthy and fit. You have to know how to defend yourself. You have to find yourself food. You have to trust other humans won’t stab you in the back.

Being a zombie on the other hand is much easier. You only care about one thing: Brains. All you want is to eat those tasty brains and not much deters you. A bullet to the leg? Nope. Lose an arm because a pesky human chopped it off? Big whoop. You’re still going. You have a one track mind. Then if you do get a bullet to the brain or your head lopped off, well… now you have zero things you care about.

You see, belonging to the zombie horde is a no-brainier. It’s less stressful. Less demanding. It’s just easy. Unlike being a human. We’re struggling with that without the addition of zombies.

Tweets:

The cure to stop the zombie apocalypse is hidden in Upper Michigan. Erin’s only chance at securing it rests in her ability to train a zombie.

Available at your favorite retailer. https://books2read.com/u/mBZpkp 

The zombie apocalypse could have been prevented. People didn’t have to die. Erin’s world didn’t have to be destroyed. But there’s a cure and she’ll do anything to get her hands on it.

Available at your favorite retailer. https://books2read.com/u/mBZpkp

Every human in the world becomes a zombie when they die. But Erin refuses to accept the world as it is now. She’s heard about a cure locked away in a lab in Upper Michigan, and she plans on retrieving it. To do so, she needs a zombie. Not just any zombie, though.

Zee is Erin’s link to the lab. His connection to the living world is her bargaining chip. But only if she can teach him to control his mindless impulses.

Can a zombie be trained? Or will Erin be Zee’s next meal and become a zombie herself? The fate of humanity rests in her hands.

Universal Buy Link - https://books2read.com/u/mBZpkp

Add to Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58343851-the-cure

About the Author

Patricia never set out to become a writer, and in fact, she never considered it an option during high school and college. She was more of an art and band geek. Some stories are meant to be told, though, and now she can't stop writing.

Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, and has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow.

Social Media Links:

Website – http://www.patriciajosephine.com

Newsletter – http://www.patriciajosephine.com/newsletter

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13460894.Patricia_Josephine

Amazon Author Page - https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00UH7GAK0

Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/pjlauthor

Don't Forget to Breathe by Cathrina Constantine

 Happy Labor Day!

Please welcome Cathrina Constantine to my blog today! 

DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE

Leocadia arrives home from school to find her mom’s body. Unaware that the killer still lingers, she rushes to her mother’s side, only to be grabbed from behind. And everything fades to black.

 

Leo has been battling personal demons after a year of retrograde amnesia. She’s been having vivid dreams of that day. And her dreams are getting worse—she’s starting to remember. Two more bodies are discovered and they are oddly linked to her mom’s unsolved homicide.

 

Leo befriends her new neighbor. He’s eager to visit Star Hallow’s notorious haunted mansion. It’s located on a deserted cul-de-sac where she once lived and where her mom was murdered. But it’s the Lucien Estate, the mansion next door to her old home, where they happen upon misty ghosts, ghosts that just might help to unravel the homicides.

 

Will Leo's memories send her reeling into a relapse, or will she be able to overcome her demons to find her mother’s killer – only to become the next victim?

Amazon Universal Link: SMARTURL.IT/LEOCADIA

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Forget-Breathe-Cathrina-Constantine-ebook/dp/B09D9NT6LH/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2X9RZ8OJGNUAJ&dchild=1&keywords=don%27t+forget+to+breathe+cathrina+constantine&qid=1630690455&sprefix=don%27t+forget+to+bre%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-1

Cathrina Constantine

Amazon Author's Page: http://www.amazon.com/Cathrina-Constantine/e/B00EPENYGE/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/wickedly333

Blog: http://cathrinaconstantine.blogspot.com

Twitter: @cathconstantine

An Advocate for Victims and Survivors: Guest Author Chrys Fey and The Story Behind A Fighting Chance

 

Welcome! Today, I have a guest author at my blog. Chrys Fey, the author of The Disaster Crimes Series, and the Write with Fey books, is here to discuss a serious aspect of her romantic suspense series. 

 

Tyrean Asked: Why are a lot of your characters survivors of domestic violence/abuse or advocates for victims of abuse?

 

Chrys Fey’s Answer: It’s not something I consciously do. It’s automatic. So many of my characters (published and unpublished) have a history dealing with some kind of abuse, and I think it’s because I can relate to that.

Growing up, I experienced sibling/domestic abuse, as a child and through to my teen years. I never knew it had a name. I didn’t even know to call it sibling abuse until a couple of years ago when I learned this term and realized, holy shit, that’s what I experienced. I had also witnessed child-to-parent abuse, meaning the child (in this case a grown adult) abuses a parent. All of those things impacted me heavily. Still do.

I never discussed it, never understood that for all those years after, even while removed from the person in question, that I was going through PTSD. Knowing that it’s possible, that you can have PSTD from any level of abuse, I can look back and pinpoint moments when my PTSD was aggravated—the fear I had whenever I heard a loud truck outside my apartment or saw a note stuck to my front door.

I am drawn to characters who are survivors, as I am a survivor, although they may have gone through different things. I want to write about these heroines of steel. I want to live through them and feel their strength.

In my life, I also want to be an advocate for those who have or are experiencing abuse, so that’s why my characters stand up for victims of all kinds, as that’s my goal, too.

I will always write about these characters. Maybe not for every single story, but for a lot of them. It’s my calling.

 

Pages: 154

Genre: Romantic-Suspense

Heat Rating: Hot

 

BLURB:

*A FIGHTING CHANCE is Book 6 in the Disaster Crimes series, but it’s a spin-off featuring a new couple, so it can be read as a standalone.*

Thorn has loved Amanda from afar, giving her whatever she needs as a survivor of abuse—space, protection, and stability. He yearns to give her more, though, to share his feelings, kiss her, love her, but he's worried the truth will frighten her away.

And Amanda is afraid. She’s scared of her attraction for Thorn. Most of all, she’s terrified of her ex-boyfriend, who is lurking nearby where no one can find him. When she grows closer to Thorn, Damon retaliates, jeopardizing their happy ending.

Up against an abusive ex and Mother Nature, do Thorn and Amanda have a fighting chance?

 

Book Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes

 

EXCERPT:

Amanda looked up from the current list of up-to-date payments for classes. A movement outside the glass storefront caught her eye. She tilted her head to see a man coming up the sidewalk from the side where the picnic bench sat. Through the vertical blinds, she glimpsed a square face—a short, rugged beard and long, dark hair pulled into a man bun. Her breath fled from her lungs. Her body went from icy cold to flaming hot in the span of a millisecond. She dropped to the floor and slid under the counter, beneath the ledge where they put their purses and cell phones.

“What—” Beth peeked at the windows. Then she snapped her fingers at April and pointed at the stools.

April jumped into action. She pushed the stools in so they blocked Amanda. The bell attached to the door jingled as April removed the jacket she wore and draped it across the stools, creating a curtain to shield Amanda.

From a crack, Amanda watched Beth move to stand in front of the twins, who were in their walkers playing peacefully. “I’m sorry, but we’re going to be closing.”

“I don’t give a shit. I’m here for Amanda.”

The sound of Damon’s voice had her heart beating even harder. That voice had haunted her nightmares, had come back to life in her memories.

Beth cocked her head to the side. “Who? There’s no one by that name here.”

“Don’t bullshit me. I know she works here.”

His voice was closer now.

 

 

***FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME***

THE DISASTER CURSE

 

 

Book Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes

Author’s Note: I wrote The Disaster Curse to answer a few lingering questions readers may have after reading A Fighting Chance, and to tie the whole series together with a neat, shiny, perfect little bow. Plus, there was one disaster that I hadn’t written about yet. *wink*

 

The Disaster Crimes Series:

*The Crime Before the Storm (prequel)

Hurricane Crimes (novella, #1)

Seismic Crimes (#2)

Lightning Crimes (free short, #2.5)

Tsunami Crimes (#3)

Flaming Crimes (#4)

Frozen Crimes (#5)

A Fighting Chance (spin-off, #6)

The Disaster Curse (short story, #7)

*Free exclusive story to newsletter subscribers.

 

 

***LAUNCHING A WEBSITE***

TheFightingChance.org is a website dedicated to domestic violence and sexual assault awareness. Inspired by the Disaster Crimes series.

 

 

***GIVEAWAY***

Prizes: Hurricane Crimes (Disaster Crimes 1) and Seismic Crimes (Disaster Crimes 2) eBooks (mobi or epub), Hurricane Crimes Playing Cards, Girl Boss Sign, and a Volcanic Blast Scented Candle

Link: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/23d974a92670/

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Chrys Fey is author of the Disaster Crimes Series, a unique concept that blends disasters, crimes, and romance. She runs the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Book Club on Goodreads and edits for Dancing Lemur Press. https://www.chrysfey.com

Author Links:

 Newsletter / Website / Facebook Group /Blog / BookBub

Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Amazon

 

 Thank you, Chrys, for your advocacy and your excellent writing! 

 

 

Guest: Elizabeth Seckman and Mainstream Fiction

Thanks for having me over Tyrean!

Thanks for visiting, Elizabeth! It's great to have you!

I had a conversation with some writers last week over whether or not good decent grace-saved, messed-up Christians should be writing mainstream fiction, or should we be writing Christian fiction? Or in the very least, concentrating on sweet fiction devoid of adult language, situations, and alcohol? When I first started writing, I tried to stay in these parameters, but I came up with nothing. Not a single story thread. Zero. Zip. Nada. Not even an idea.

So, I ran with my broken characters with their less than perfect lives and the stories returned.

Then, a friend of mine dedicated her first book to God. We published about the same time, so I considered doing the same. But then I wondered if God would want a book with premarital sex, lies, and drinking dedicated to Him. So, I didn't.

But the more I write. The more I get out to conventions and meet readers, the more certain I am that I am doing what I am called to do.  Broken people are reality and their lives are messy and sometimes even jaded, but they are just as loved. They are just as important.

And this broken believer will happily write their stories. And if someone in real life wants to know how I make it through life with joy, I'll share.

Am I on a holy mission? No. I just don't see the point in hiding who I am.

So, this time...I dedicated this ornery book to the One I owe everything.

*Now, to be clear- when I say ornery, if this book were a movie, it would rate a PG-13. There are adult situations and content, but no F bombs or super steamy scenes. I don't want to get my poor mother-in-law worried that I am acting like her rotten son. Hehe.

The Blurb:

Jo Leigh Harper comes from a long line of trouble-making, white trash stock.

Tanner Coulter comes from a longer line of wealth-creating, blue blood stock.

Jo graduated college top of her class, moving toward a future full of possibilities.

Tanner dropped out of college, trading a law degree for drinking games and one night stands.

A family crisis throws the rich party boy and the poor genius girl together. The attraction is immediate, though neither one is a heart-in-the-sand-drawing believer in true love. But as the summer sun heats up along the shores of the Outer Banks, so does the connection between them. Maybe, just maybe, they can win at love by defying reason.

 

Author Bio:

Elizabeth is a multi-published author of books for people who are believers in happily-ever- after, true love, and stories with a bit of fun and twists with their plots. The mother of four young men, she tackles laundry daily and is the keeper of the kitchen. She lives along the shores of the Ohio River in West Virginia, but dreams daily of the beach. 

Facebook/ Blog/ Website/ Buy Link

Guest: C. Lee Mckenzie's Great Time Lock Disaster and Opening Lines

AMAZON

Today, I'm excited to hand my blog over to the talented and wonderful C. Lee Mckenzie!

There's nothing’s more dangerous than a wizard-in-training. And Pete Riley, has just proven it. He's worked a bad time spell--a very bad time spell.

No YouTube, no smoothies, no Manga. Not ever again. Not unless Pete figures out how to reverse his spell and free Weasel and him from Victorian England. 

He has until the next full moon. Only a few days.

Tick. Tock.

C. Lee On Opening Lines

Opening lines are the hardest for me to write. So much hinges on them. I’ve gone through books and read hundreds of first lines to find out successful writers’ secrets for getting me into a book. 

Then I started doing a bit of research. The best definition of a great opening came from Sol Stein in Stein on Writing. Here’s a short version of what he says: 

The first lines must: 

• excite the reader’s curiosity, preferably about a character or a relationship.   Stein later refers to this as “quick characterization.”
• introduce a setting.
• make the story important enough for the reader to continue.

I’d add that the first lines must sweep me away from where I’m reading in my chair and plunk me dead center inside the world of the story.

Here are three of my favorites. 

1. Today I moved to a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water.  Alcatraz sits smack in the middle of the bay—so close to the city of San Francisco, I can hear them call the score on a baseball game on Marina Green. Okay, not that close. But still. Al Capone Does My Shirts, Choldenko

2. Tad was beginning to hate the spear. 
It was his first spear, and—when he had woken on the morning of his twelfth Naming Day—he had thought that it was the mist beautiful thing he had ever seen. His father had always pretended that Naming Day presents were brought each year by the Moon Elves, who traveled to Earth on moonbeams and brought gifts to well-behaved girls and boys. The Waterston, Rupp

3. “Where’s Papa going with that axe?" said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast. Charlotte’s Web, White

• In each case, we immediately locate the character(s). 
• We sense their emotions and know a bit about them: 1) a relocated, not too happy person  2) disappointed  12-year-old 3) kid who’s curious and a bit fearful 
• We know which point of view these stories are going to be told in. 
• We know a bit about the setting: 1) isolated place, unattractive, sense of coldness 2) a different way of life with Naming Days and kids with spears 3) morning, maybe on a farm

Now here’s my attempt from The Great Time Lock Disaster. I’m up against some stiff competition. 

One minute the clock was tick-tocking on the mantel and the next it was a smoldering mess.

“No,” Harriet shouted. Then she braced one hand on her desk and covered her eyes with the other. 

Pete froze, not blinking, not breathing, but waiting to see if Harriet would point one of her long, bony fingers at him and turn him into a turnip or something slimy. 

******

To celebrate the launch of The Great Time Lock Disaster I'm giving 20 eBooks away. Hope you'll jump in to the copter and go for a ride!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Usually, C. Lee takes on modern issues that today's teens face in their daily lives. Her first young adult novel, Sliding on the Edge, which dealt with cutting and suicide was published in 2009. Her second, titled The Princess of Las Pulgas, dealing with a family who loses everything and must rebuild their lives came out in 2010. Double Negative (2014) was her third young adult novel. Researching it turned her into a literacy advocate. Her fourth YA, Sudden Secrets came out in December 2014. 

When she really want to have FUN, she writes middle grade books. Alligators Overhead and The Great Time Lock Disaster are now available.

WEBSITE   BLOG   FACEBOOK  TWITTER  GOODREADS

Just a quick note

I'm back and finally visiting blogs this week.

Blogging from the road didn't quite work out and I'm looking at August with a need to take it slowly and make some decisions about my blog for the fall season.

For now, I'm celebrating a guest post at Jeff Chapman's Writing blog on Faith in Fantasy today and an interview I had last week at From the Writer's Nest.

Unless I guest post or have guests, I will be lurking in the comment sections of blogs until the last week of the month.

I'll be in the writing/planning/preparing-for-fall cave until then. (And weeding through the gazillion pics we took on our trip)

And, if you hadn't heard, Alex J. Cavanaugh is hosting a blog fest on September 22nd! Check out the Underrated Treasure Blogfest and sign up!

Guest Laurel Garver answers Why Read Poetry? and Celebrate the Small Things

Please give a warm welcome to Laurel Garver, author and poet!

Why read poetry?

By Laurel Garver, author of Muddy-Fingered Midnights

 

If you want to write more stylishly, one of the best places to learn about writing craft is in a book of poems. Poetry is by nature condensed and intense. Every word matters. Beyond craft considerations, reading poetry can also expand your understanding of where moments of change happen, and how to navigate the deep seas of human emotion.

(Yes it does!)

 

Like fiction, poetry also has sub-genres: lyric (descriptive), narrative (story), formal (following rhythm and rhyme patterns), concrete (artistically shaped lines), found (“stolen” words and lines combined artistically), spoken word, Flarf (avant garde combos of pop culture), and many more. There’s a little something in verse for everyone—even fans of “pulp fiction,” romance, SciFi or horror. (For an extensive list of magazines with poetry, see Poets & Writers database here.

 

 

I fell hard for poetry while taking a contemporary poetry course as an undergrad. The prof began the class by lining us around the perimeter of the room and having us shout random portions of Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” at one another. This was a universe away from the precious ponderings of Wordsworth and a game changer for me creatively. Many scenarios I would’ve previously thought unpoetical became grist for the mill--my janitorial work-study job, memories of Dad slaughtering chickens, a weedy patch in a slum--because truth is beautiful, no matter where you find it. That, in turn, helped me think more broadly about what warrants description in fiction, and what evokes our deepest feelings.

 
(I love Laurel's thought that "truth is beautiful, no matter where you find it.")

Taking courses in poetry also pushed me hard to develop my vocabulary, to delve deep into the world of words. A poet must look not only at a word’s definition, but also its connotations and connections. A poet must hear the tones and feel the textures of words. Studying poetry has made me especially aware of the power of sound devices: alliteration (repeated initial sounds), assonance (repeated vowel sounds within a word), and consonance (repeated consonant sounds with a word).

 

I believe these devices can make anyone’s writing more musical. The thinking behind sound devices is often onomatopoetic; the sound and meaning are linked. If you want to convey a sense of something sliding, for example, you’d choose hissing, sibilant words containing “s”, “sh” and “sw.” For example, “In her rush, she slipped sidelong, smearing grease along one sleeve.”

 

I like to quietly work these devices into my fiction during revision to undergird the texture and emotion. Of course, like any technique it can be overdone, so I’m careful to use vocabulary that’s natural to the character and save the effects for important moments. Watching poets do it well was an important first step.

 

National Poetry Month may have come and gone, but for writers building their skills, every day should have a little poetry in it.

(I completely agree, Laurel!)

 

===

Laurel Garver is a magazine editor, poet, and writer of faith-based fiction. She enjoys quirky independent films, British TV, and geeking out about Harry Potter and Dr. Who. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and daughter.

 Blog / Twitter / Facebook

 

About Muddy-Fingered Midnights

This thirty-poem collection is an eclectic mix of light and dark, playful and spiritual, lyric and narrative free verse. In an intricate dance of sound play, it explores how our perceptions shape our interactions with the world. Here child heroes emerge on playgrounds and in chicken coops, teens grapple with grief and taste first love, adults waver between isolation and engaged connection. It is a book about creative life, our capacity to wound and heal, and the unlikely places we find love, beauty, and grace.

 

Buy Links: $1.99 e-book Kindle  / Nook  / iTunes all other e-readers  $6.50paperback

 Thank you for bringing some poetry to my day, Laurel!

 

 

1. I climbed the hill (see Wednesday).

2. The National Day of Prayer.

3. The Premier showing of my daughters' performing arts class film, "The Lady of the Earrings." - We had a red carpet evening!

4. Laurel's Guest Post today! Thank you Laurel!

5. Time for writing.

6. An awesome critique partner.

7. Ironing . . . this would take an entire post to explain all of why I'm thankful for this, but in short, I get some imagination time in while ironing.

 

Thank you VikLit for this time to celebrate and give thanks for the small things.

 

 

 

The scripture verse that I'm praying over today is: 1 Thessalonians 15: "Rejoice always" - two words, big meaning.