RHA Presents Whatnots & Doodads by Stacey Kennedy

RHA is happy to present the Whatnots and Doodads by Stacey Kennedy Book Blog Tour hosted by BK WALKER with The Virtual Book Tour Cafe as a part of the Romancing Your Darkside Paranormal Book Tour

                                                     
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A witch with unruly magic, a demon gone good, lava-hot passion and a tornado of emotions–just another night in Strange Hollow.

For Bryanna, a witch from the Asheville Coven, magic is on the fritz. Shunned by her coven and her boyfriend Layton for her unruly magic, she seeks a new life for herself. It just so happens, fate steps in and brings her to Strange Hollow–a place where being different is not only acceptable, but encouraged.
When Bryanna arrives in Strange Hollow, Zeke, a demon gone good, is burning with Hell’s fire over her. Not only has she set his world ablaze, but he’s found one soul he can save. He’s determined to free her from the insecurities that have damaged her soul.
Together they experience lava-hot passion as they weave their way through a tornado of emotions. But when Layton returns for her, will Zeke’s attempts to break the unworthy cage woven around her be enough to keep her in Strange Hollow forever?

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Teaser

She began to walk along the square garden, weaving her way through the flowers, leaning down to sniff one now and again. Just around the bend, a swing appeared. It was so old the white paint was flaked and rust layered the bars. It creaked with the wind as it swayed. She sat down on the cushion and leaned against it. Never had she felt so peaceful. Not once had she experienced anything so serene. Only adding to the perfect moment, the demon who walked toward her. He wore a grin that spoke of so much mystery, as if he knew all the answers and only waited for her to ask. His dark eyes, meant to frighten, only showed her the kindest of emotions.

He trailed his hands from flower to flower with a soft touch to insure no damage. She followed his every step. Her mind captured by thoughts of his hands along her skin, cupping her breasts, caressing her as carefully as he did the flowers.
When he plucked a fuchsia dahlia from the ground her focus came back to his face. With a slowness that nearly pained her to watch, he raised the flower to his nose and sniffed it. His eyes closed, the little furrow in his brow suggested the scent overwhelmed him. She gripped the cushion below her as she gulped deeply. By the elements, she’d never seen anything so sexy in her life, and she’d seen a man smell a flower before. But when Zeke did it, she melted.

His eyes snapped open, bored intently into hers. She did nothing to hide the fact he had completely and utterly aroused her. She wished he enjoyed her as much as he did the scent of the dahlia. He may be a demon, but right now, it didn’t matter. He was too delectable to ignore. Besides, she deserved a little fun after what she’d been through these past days. Using him as an outlet to bring some happiness into her life was nothing she would feel bad about.

He waited only a moment. Something changed in his demeanour, almost an acknowledgment that he’d waited for. In only a few strides, he closed the distance between them, knelt down and held the dahlia up. “You know, I’ve never been one for roses. The way a dahlia feels against your skin is much more pleasing.” He touched the back of her hand with the flower, and that earned him a little shudder. “The petals feel like a hundred fingertips along your skin.” He began to slowly run the flower up her forearm.

Her breath sucked back into her lungs. Unable to stop her eyes from shutting, she revelled in the way he touched her. So gentle, yet intent, done in a way to entice her. Slowly, the petals danced along her skin until the tips tickled her jaw line. He ran the flower from her cheek to her lips, where he slid it in a soft whisper across her mouth.

At that moment, he stopped, the flower no longer touching her. Her eyelids fluttered open, and her breath whooshed out in surprise to find his face so close to hers. He held the flower out, smiling in a way that melted her insides. “Did you enjoy the touch of that?”

“I did.” If she’d been bolder, she would have asked for more. Instead, she took the flower from his hand and raised it to her nose without taking her eyes from his.

His expression turned molten, suggesting where he wanted to take this. And she wouldn’t stop him. She needed him just as much. There was something to him, a way about him that she wanted to lose herself in, even if for only a moment. She wasn’t stupid to the ways of the world. She’d seen how cruel love could be. Zeke wanted her body, nothing more. Something she was all right with. A relationship with no strings attached was just the thing she needed to get over Layton. Her heart couldn’t handle any more pain.

With that, she gave him a sultry look to egg him on. His gaze smoldered like the fires in Hell. He leaned forward and cupped the sides of her face. “You must decide now if you want this.” He ran his thumb over her lips and licked his own. “Because once I kiss you I won’t stop.”

She was ready to say “Get on with it.” But there was a smidgen of hesitation that had her worried. “I’ve never … been with a demon.” She looked at the bulge in his pants. “Are … is everything the same?” Who knew what he had in his jeans?
His deep chuckle sent shivers down her spine. “My body is human in every sense–you won’t find a devil’s pitchfork in my pants.”

She laughed nervously. Well, what could he really expect? Her mouth parted to answer him, but she decided action would speak her point well enough. She closed the distance and kissed his mouth. If she’d doubted how much he wanted her, she didn’t now–his kiss couldn’t lie. His hands tightened around her face as his mouth encouraged in sync with hers. Tongues entwined, lips pressed together firmly. Every touch sent tingles straight to her center and caused heat to build between her thighs.

After a final swipe of her tongue, he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and bit down very gently. He released it, still holding her face in his hands. His eyes bore into hers in a way no man had ever looked at her before. His eyebrow arched up suggestively. “Bryanna, are you ready to play with fire?”
“Holy earthquake, am I ever!”

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My Review:

Whatnots & Doodads
by
Stacey Kennedy

I am not familiar with  Stacey Kennedy's work but if Whatnots & Doodads are an example of it, then I can say "where do I get more?" I absolutely LOVED this book! And to be honest, it was way too short, it should have been probably another two hundred pages or so! When I started it, I could not put it down, and when it hit me it was only 47 pages long, I felt my heart sink! I never want the story of the 'broken' witch Bryanna and the 'mushy' demon Zeke to end! I could see so many possibilities for this story to continue,  I wanted to contact Stacey and ask her to make a part two of the book. *smile*

I am a huge fan of the paranormal, but have yet to read a novel with witches in it. For me, a story with witches in it, they'd have powers to fight demons, vampires, werewolves etc..and would probably become boring to me. But when I read Bryanna conjuring up things she called 'whatnots and doodads', it held my interest. I guess because I grew up watching Bewitched and how I'd dream of what it would be like to be able to twitch your nose and make things appear at command. Being able to have anything you could possibly want in life. 

This book is for ADULTS ONLY. It is a fun book to read and I enjoyed it tremendously, but the sex scenes in it are very graphic and I would not recommend it for anyone under the age of 30! Just joking! But seriously, it is for adults only and would be nice to have your partner near by. *wink*wink*

Even though it is a short read, I highly recommend it! And I can bet you are going to feel like me afterwords, wanting more!

I give Whatnots & Doodads five stars *****

Reviewed by
Nora Chipley Barteau
http://norachipleybarteau.blogspot.com/

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About the Author:

Stacey Kennedy

(Bio For Stacey Kennedy (Bio from Stacey's Web Site in her own words)

I love the paranormal romance/urban fantasy genre and love a series more!! Nothing can hook me in more than an adventure and one that keeps on going. I love a page turner, one where I’m up at a ridiculous time and my eyes burn because I can’t stop reading. Witty characters, dominant men, danger, action, romance and hot sex―oh my!

My novels are lighthearted fantasy, heart squeezing, thigh-clenching romance, and even give a good chuckle every now and again.  I’m not a planner.  I don’t write with a set idea because no matter what I plan, the characters’ voices always come through and demand I listen to them. So, I gave up trying to fight it!

The journey as a writer all began when I was a teen and wrote poetry, which still to this day I pull out to have a good laugh.  Later on, I tried a couple of times to put a book together with no such luck.  Couldn’t ever get past the first few chapters.  But once I was exposed to the paranormal world, ideas came quickly.

At first, it was a way to keep my brain alive since being a stay at home mom can be a little let’s say―numbing. It was an escape from screaming kids, dirty diapers and plain old mom duty.  It started as a hobby, but as the stories progressed it became a passion. Now, I indulge at nap time, especially the juicy bits! Every mom needs a good thrill!

So here in Ontario, Canada, I am a thirty one year old wife, mom, house cleaner, cook, teacher, play-doh extraordinaire, swing pusher, toddler chaser after – who loves the outdoors, curling up with the latest flick, and if I’m not plugging away at a new novel, I’ve got my nose buried deep in a good book.  So there it is―my life!

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My Interview with Stacey:

 RHA: Where are you from? I live in Ontario Canada with my hubby, two kids, one dog, three cats and two guinea pigs. Yes, it’s a zoo! 

RHA:Tell us your latest news?  I just recently received a release date of April 2012, for my urban fantasy romance, WEREWOLVES BE DAMNED. It’ll be available in paperback and ebook. I love this story…so I’m excited for it to release.

RHA:When and why did you begin writing?
The journey as a writer all began when I was a teen and wrote poetry, which still to this day I pull out to have a good laugh.  Later on, I tried a couple of times to put a book together with no such luck.  Couldn’t ever get past the first few chapters.  But once I was exposed to the paranormal world, ideas came quickly.
At first, it was a way to keep my brain alive since being a stay at home mom can be a little let’s say―numbing. It was an escape from screaming kids, dirty diapers and plain old mom duty.  It started as a hobby, but as the stories progressed it became a passion. 

RHA: When did you first consider yourself a writer?
After I received my first acceptance letter and realized I was actually kinda good at it.

RHA: Do you have a specific writing style?
My novels are lighthearted fantasy with heart squeezing, thigh-clenching romance, and even give a good chuckle every now and again. But within the stories you’ll find fast paced action, life threatening moments and a big bad villain that needs to be destroyed.

RHA: How did you come up with the title?
For Whanots & Doodads (thank you for the review), I came up with the title because the character decided to call her magical mishaps this. It was a total fluke, but the second I wrote the words, I knew it was the perfect title.

RHA: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Of course, I’d love for the readers to connect with the emotions in the story, but honestly, I just hope it gives them a fun break away from everyday life. 

RHA: How much of the book is realistic?
Zero! It’s all fantasy, baby!

RHA: What books have most influenced your life most?
Pretty much every single urban fantasy/paranormal romance out there. I love the genre so all those stories I read seemed to rub off on me and awakened my muse. 

RHA: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Katie MacAlister. Her dragon series is one of my most favorite…and I’d really LOVE to get writing tips from her. She rocks!

RHA: What book are you reading now?
Right now, I’m reading One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost! I have a serious crush on Bones, so of course, I’m lovin’ the story!

RHA: What are your current projects?
I’m so busy in edits right now it’s insane. But I’m also writing a new urban fantasy romance called, BITE ME, I’M YOURS. I had intended to make this a stand-alone story, but for whatever reason, I always end up doing series. It’s shaping up nicely and I hope to have it done in a couple months.

RHA: What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Revisions—I LOATHE them! I grumble the entire time and breath a big sigh of relief when they are over.

RHA: Do you have any advice for other writers?
Write and keep on writing. Even after you’re done a book and have submitted it, write your next one!

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 Coming Soon

 

RHA Presents Annotated Carmilla Book Tour

Growing up in the lonely forests and valleys of Styria, Laura had only her father and two governesses for company. Until she came. Carmilla. Beautiful and fragile. Kind and friendly. As mysterious as she was devoted. But also ... hungry.

For the first time since it was published n 1872, here is a complete guide to Le Fanu's classic vampire tale. Over four hundred footnotes give detailed answers to dozens and dozens of questions. Where is Styria? When is this story taking place? What is an awl? An escrutcheon? A hippogriff? Why did Carmilla seek out Laura? Also, unanswered questions and intriguing possibilities are charted out, one by one.

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The Annotated Carmilla

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Notes by
D. MacDowell Blue
Preface by
Andy Bolan
Introduction by
David A. Sutton
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My Review:

I usually do not compare any of the books I have reviewed with any other books I have read. I think the book is pure genius and admire everyone who was a part of it. Sometimes words cannot  describe nor give credit to the magnificent imagination it takes and took to compose a work like Annotated Carmilla. Nowadays the spotlight is usually put on the male species of the vampire while little is contributed to a the beautiful female species of the vampire. Upon completing the book, it makes the reader or it did me, want to read more and search out more information, or let's just say made me hungry for more. If a person is a true vampire admirer/lover, they should want to know all aspects and origins of how the vampire came to be and how it has changed over the centuries. I just wish deep down that the 'vampire' as it is told in so many stories today, was a real creature...would be amazing. However, with this one, there is another book I found almost equal to this one in being informative, in depth, extensively researched, detailed, and a must have for all vampire lovers and admirers! That book is by Bertena Varney who wrote Lure of the Vampire. It takes the 'rose colored glasses' off and let's you see where the real vampire originated from, what it means and all of the history. It's nice to lose ourselves in the erotic, romantic world of the vampire that is depicted today. But for me, it's also great to see people do the amount of research it took to put these books out. If we are to love and admire the infamous 'prince of the night', we need to look into the darker realm of the vampire and yes that includes the famous 'female' vampires. For me the review on these two books were not easy and I notice that a lot of sites that have review The Annotated Carmilla say the same thing. Although I feel it is a little bit like 'cheating', I also notice they sum it up and say it just like I would like to but can't seem to do. Therefore, I am going to include some of these reviews in this portion of what is called 'My Review'.

There is more 19th Century vampire literature than one might, at first glance, think. There are some wonderfully obscure works with fabulous lore. Be that as it may there are three main works; a short, a novella and a novel that had more impact on the genre than any other piece of 19th Century literature (and, I would argue, remain the most influential works through into the 21st Century).

John Polidoris The Vampyre: A Tale created the prototype for the nobleman vampire, the story was the first English language vampire tale and in many respects it started the genre.

Bram Stokers Dracula is the singularly most influential vampire story ever. Through the book, and subsequent retellings, re-imaginings and downright alterations in other books, plays, TV shows, webcasts, movies and even breakfas... [via Taliesinttl

For fans of the undead, a favorite topic of debate remains comparing the various film versions of “Dracula.” Even limiting oneself to those explicitly based upon Stoker’s novel, over a dozen versions exist from “Nosferatu” (original and remake) to both Universal versions in 1930, both adaptations that starred Christopher Lee, all three BBC Draculas, the films starring Jack Palance, Gary Oldman, Patrick Bergin, etc. as well as different adaptations in countries from Turkey to Pakistan. Then one gets into the sequels.
But prior to Bram Stoker’s work, one of the most famous pieces of vampire literature was penned by another Irish writer. Joseph Sheridan LeFanu (1814-1873) wrote “Carmilla” a full quarter century before the Transylvanian Count ever saw print. No explicit evidence shows Stoker ever read the novella, but it is difficult to believe he did not. LeFanu’s story includes tropes that found their way into Stoker’s. A more-or-less professional vampire hunter, the idea of a victim perceiving the bite as a semi-erotic dream, doctors summoned to diagnose a mysterious wasting illness—all standards today, but brand spanking new when “Carmilla” was published in 1872.

Differences abound as well, which might explain the relative dearth of filmed versions of this earlier work.

Unlike the (for the time) high-tech mystery/adventure which is “Dracula”, LeFanu’s novella feels dreamlike. Its POV remains resolutely with one narrator, the victim/lover of the title character. Laura. We never learn her last name, although she turns out to be a distant relation of the vampire. As written, “Carmilla” has only two main characters with no more than five supporting ones, fairly minor ones at that. Compare that to the crowded cast in “Dracula” that results in many of them usually ending up cut out during adaptation! Much of the excitement in the story takes place off-stage as it were. Much more time and ink ends up devoted to Laura’s dreams than to talk of the undead. Subtle and sensual details abound. The swans in the moat of the old schloss. Carmilla combing Laura’s hair for hours. The actual feel of blood being drawn, like a stream of water against the bare flesh of a girl’s breast. Whereas the latter novel clearly takes place in physical locations one can find on the map, the former seems set in a place nearly outside time or space—a schloss (castle) amid mist-shrouded forests somewhere in Styria (southwest Austria). Careful examination of the text leads one to believe it takes place around 1845 or earlier. Maybe. Probably. It hard makes much difference.
One would think a classic horror novel about a lesbian vampire would have been filmed more often, and the actual number of genuine film versions (not including a few direct-to-video movies with budgets barely enough to purchase a car) are five in number:
In 1872 one of the greatest and most influential vampire stories was published - Carmilla. The short story written by Irish author Sheridan Le Fanu is the inspiration behind countless vampires tales we all know and love. With its amazing style, wicked sense of horror and its risky use of vampiric lesbianism, it was a perfect vampire tale. A story that influenced many writers, including the legendary Bram Stoker, who according to some scholars, wrote Dracula thanks to Le Fanu.

Le Fanu definitely did his research when it came to the undead. Using the old myths and legends to make Carmilla even more impressive. His character, Carmilla Karnstein, continues to be one of the greatest female vampires of all time.
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 I learned that Laura (the narrator) doesn’t seem to like men. She has kind things to say about much older members of the masculine gender—her father, General Spielsdorf, etc.—but none to say about men her own age or thereabouts. At most she withholds value judgments. But she never offers a positive word. Not once.

For another, tracking the descriptions of a full moon reveals a definite pattern. Carmilla seems to do or begin major events on or about the full moon. In the literary conventions of the time, this made sense. Vampires had come to be associated with the full moon, which in theory had the power to revive them. Bram Stoker broke with that tradition when he wrote Dracula. But reading carefully, one learns that Laura lasts at least twice as long as Carmilla’s previous victim. Why? An obvious motive lies within the text—out of feelings for her friend.

The narrator doesn’t reveal her name until about two-thirds of the way through! No wonder most film versions call her Marguarite, or Emma, or some such!

In the end, very many more questions are left unanswered about the title character and any possible accomplices than are resolved. Who was her mysterious mother, for instance? How did she come to be invited to the grand ball where General Spielsdorf’s daughter fell under the vampire’s sway? Whose face stared out of the carriage as it sped off? We don’t know. We never can know, now.

Here’s something especially intriguing. At the climax of the story, General Spielsdorf brings in official commissioners who examine the vampire’s grave and authorize what Must Be Done. Laura says she’s read the accounts. But—the tale takes place in Austria. Austrian law strictly forbade the desecration of dead bodies under the suspicion of vampirism. Empress Maria Theresa issued an imperial edict on the subject a century or more before! So what was really going on here? Who wrote those accounts really? And what actually went on in the ruins of Karnstein Castle, far from the narrator’s eyes? We only know what she was told, not the facts of what truly transpired.

Or do we know even that? I didn’t realize at first Laura is telling her tale to a specific someone. We don’t know to whom. She is female and from some kind of city, or so Laura indicates. Which brings up the question of agenda—was Laura herself telling the whole truth of what happened? Certainly many things go unspoken. As her dear friend stands accused of being a living dead monster, then her body is destroyed by stake and axe and fire, Laura never mentions her own emotions even once. What was she feeling? Laura refused to say. Her reasons, likewise, remain hidden—as was evidently her intent.

Or at least Le Fanu’s. In this case they amount to the same thing.

I learned plenty of other things as well. But you’ll have to read the book to find out more.

D.MacDowell Blue hails from San Francisco but was raised in Florida. Hence neither earthquakes nor hurricanes hold much terror to him. A widower, he is a lifelong fan of vampire stories, movies and folklore. He currently is working on an original novel, but using relatives of characters from 19th century literature as his dramatis personae—from Dickens, Austen, Collins and even Verne among others. Yes, there are vampires. His website is zahir13.webs.net.
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- Spoilers - DO NOT read if you do not want a spoiler

The story starts off with heroine Laura reminiscing about her childhood and the nightly visit to her home in Styria from a mysterious woman who caused Laura to feel needle-like puncture wounds on her breast. About twelve years later, Laura helps out a beautiful young woman who survived a horrible wagon crash. Her name is, of course, Carmilla. Carmilla appears to be the same woman from Laura’s dreams; she also looks very similar to a portrait of Countess Mircalla Karnstein in Laura’s house, painted in 1698 (many years before).

Laura and Carmilla soon develop a close relationship, but Laura growing weak and exhausted with every passing day, suffering an attack from a phantom or cat coming into her room. Her death is prevented by the arrival of a close family friend, a general, who lost his own daughter to a woman named Millarca. It is soon obvious that Millarca, Mircalla and Carmilla are one and the same. Found in the ruins of an old castle, Carmilla is staked decapitated and cremated. Laura’s final words:

 To this hour the image of Carmilla returns to memory with ambiguous alternations -- sometimes the playful, languid, beautiful girl; sometimes the writhing fiend I saw in the ruined church; and often from a reverie I have started, fancying I heard the light step of Carmilla  at the drawing-room door.

- Moonlight

I give Annotated Carmilla five stars *****

Reviewed by

Nora Chipley Barteau

http://norachipleybarteau.blogspot.com



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About David MacDowell Blue

D. MacDowell Blue hails from San Francisco, but was raised in Florida before attending school in New York City then eventually ending up in Los Angeles, California. His degree is in Theatre Arts, and he graduated from the National Shakespeare Conservatory. Over the years he has had several plays mounted in different venues (including one adaptation of Dracula) but these days his writing is usually found online in various blogs especially at vampires.com as well as his personal blog Night Tinted Glasses. His interest in the undead dates back to childhood and watching the original Dark Shadows on television (when he and his sister could do so behind their grandmother's disapproving back). He has long wanted to write a script for Carmilla and who knows but that might yet happen? Right now he is busy at work creating a web series about vampires titled End of the Line as well as writing his first full-length novel, a retelling of the nineteenth century 'penny dreadful' Varney the Vampire.


Continue reading on Examiner.com Review of The Annotated Carmilla - National Paranormal Literature | Examiner.com
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My Interview with David

RHA: Where are you from?  Born in San Francisco, raised in Florida, went to school in New York City, currently live in Los Angeles.

RHA: Tell us your latest news?  I’ve got a new pair of glasses.  Plus I’ve been losing weight.  Those are both probably related to a recent diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes.  Had to correct my diet very quickly!

RHA: When and why did you begin writing?  Honestly, I’m not at all sure.  Seems to me I’ve always loved stories and coming up with my own versions of different tales.  As a child I watched Dark Shadows and imagined my own member of the Collins family, who he was and what curse he might live under.

RHA: When did you first consider yourself a writer?  In college.  That is when I completed my first plays and had my first articles published.

RHA: What inspired you to write your first book?  Leslie Klinger’s The New Annotated Dracula, which led me to long for such a work about Le Fanu’s work.  So, I wrote one!

RHA: Do you have a specific writing style?  I hope so!  As far as defining it goes—well, I like ambiguity, the places and times between what we recognize.  Characters who are both heroes and villains, kind and cruel, brave yet cowardly.  The more I write, the more impatient I grow with the passive voice, and with the verb “to be.”  I find myself using adjectives and adverbs less with practice.  Oh, and I find myself paying very close attention to rhythm.

RHA: What books have most influenced your life most?  Interesting question!  Directly or indirectly, methinks The Bible has done a huge amount.  Looking back, methinks Ayn Rand’s Anthem had a subtle but profound impact—because when I read it something really grabbed me at the time.  A visceral lesson in the impact of words, their evocative power.  Robert Heinlein’s novels also gave showed you could be a good storyteller without turned every sentence into a haiku (or trying to, anyway).

RHA: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?  A few come to mind.  One is Shakespeare.  Then there’s Dennis Potter, late author of The Singing Detective (which is the work that introduced me to him).  Such a startling, deep, yet contemporary imagination!  Oh dear, half a dozen more just came to mind—best quit while I’m ahead!  Or behind. 

RHA: What book are you reading now?   Nearly finished with The Moth Diaries by Rachel Klein, a nice coincidence since the story parallels Carmilla in so many ways—deliberately, as the narrator has read and is fascinated by the book.  But is she mad?  Or is her classmate really a vampire?  Could it be both?

RHA: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?  Does Sarah Waters count?  She’s only written five or six novels, right? 

RHA: What are your current projects?  Well, I’m writing an original novel—a Gothic supernatural romance in Pre-Victorian England—and working with an artist friend on a graphic novel adaptation of Carmilla.

RHA: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.  By entity do mean friends?  If so I’d say my pal Suzanne probably supports me most.  She’s not the only one, I’m happy to say.  As far as institutions go, I’d have to say the National Shakespeare Conservatory in New York, because it taught so much about character, about what can really go on in a scene, how to look at a story in terms of what it all means.  Then there’s the Absolute Write Water Cooler online…

RHA: Do you see writing as a career?  Hopefully!  LOL!

RHA: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?  Probably, I’d add still more footnotes.  Four hundred doesn’t quite seem enough.

RHA: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?  Not really.  Ever since learning to read and write I know my family called me a paper junkie, constantly scribbling ideas and things down.  Mostly extremely derivative stuff, but then, I was only nine years old!

RHA: Can you share a little of your current work with us?  I can tell you the novel currently underway takes the conventions of the Gothic—young governess arrives at the isolated manor to become entwined in it’s secrets—and gives them a twist.  For one thing, we don’t see the world from her point of view, but that of two other people who meet her.  One of those is a servant, of a class such works rarely acknowledge.  Plus the whole thing is seeded with hints from period literature.  Two characters are the children of a couple from Jane Austen.  A nearby city isn’t real but forms the setting for a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell.  A Dickens character wanders by, as does someone from Wilkie Collins.  Hopefully, that’ll add some fun for some readers!

RHA: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?  Ha!  What don’t I find challenging?  But the big thing is to actually put one word in front of another, again and again and again and again.

RHA: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?  Don’t think I have one single favorite.  Lois McMaster Bujold writes wonderful stuff, funny and touching, with ideas that reach into the heart.  Tanith Lee manages to weave her dreams into words as few I’ve ever seen.  And so on.

RHA: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?  Nowhere near as much as I’d like!  But I have been around quite a bit and use that to my advantage.  Lived through earthquakes and hurricanes, big cities and small towns.  Travelled by airplane, ship and train.  Deserts, swamps, forests—buildings new and old.  Over the years I learned to observe.

RHA: Who designed the covers?  For The Annotated Carmilla that was me!  Hopefully I won’t have to do that many more times.  Publish on demand is fine, but so much better if you can get experts to handle the marketing.

RHA: What was the hardest part of writing your book?  Keeping track of what I’d already added as far as the footnotes go!  Didn’t want to repeat myself time and again.

RHA: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?  That unanswered questions sometimes make much better backstory than answered ones.  Thought I knew that already, but honestly, I didn’t.  Not really.

RHA: Do you have any advice for other writers?  Finish.  Once you finish it, then edit the thing.  But don’t look for perfection.  Competence in storytelling, in composing words to tell your tale, that way lies achievement.  Do your best and let others judge you as they will.  Forgive imperfection.

RHA: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?  Other than “Buy my book please?”  Well, I’d like to tell everyone to be on the lookout for a new cinematic adaptation of Carmilla currently in post-production.  Got to interview one of the writer-directors, and Styria sounds like a dream I want to have.  So looking forward to seeing it!

 --
"O let my name be in the Book of Love, if it be there, I care not of that other book above.
Strike it out!  Or write it in anew... But let my name be in the Book of Love!"

--Omar Kayam

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6

Triton Rising - A New Novella by Sonnet O'Dell

My Review:

Triton Rising
by
Sonnet O'Dell

I have become very familiar with Sonnet's writings and have enjoyed each and every one. However, this one takes it to a whole new height! Triton Rising IS NOT for children or teenagers, it is clearly for ADULTS ONLY. I advise you adults to not read it alone, but to wait for a night when you have a partner nearby, within reach, for once you read
Triton Rising, you will understand the need to not be alone. But this is not to say you cannot 'enjoy' it if you are alone also. *smile*

I applaude the imagination and creativity Sonnet has shown in her newest work. It is a book that will take you away to a world that will push your own imagination to the depths of your soul. It will test your need for that ultimate release in your own love life, allowing you to be lost in the character's world of passion, love, change and sexual pleasure and release. Always remember, it is a love story between two very unusual characters Karsh and Anna, who will leave the reader asking themselves what if?
I give Sonnet's Triton Rising, without hesitation, and a MUST read,
five stars *****

Reviewed by
Nora Barteau
http://norachipleybarteau.blogspot.com/
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About The Author:

Sonnet was born at the John Radcliffe in Oxford and spent the first six years of her life living in the town of Abingdon close to both her grandparents and most of the rest of her family.

She moved after that to Cornwall for three years and then to Devon for another three before moving to where she has lived for the last fourteen or so years.

Sonnet now lives in Worcester, Worcestershire, famous for Lea & Perrin’s Sauce and as the site for the last battle of the Civil War.

Sonnet has had a passion for the written word from a very young age and enjoys nothing more than to read a good book. The world created by words.

Some of her favourite authors include Laurell. K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Molly Harper and Rick Riordan.

Her own work tends to be worlds of Urban Fantasy, alternate reality and contains a heavy amount of magic, mystery and mythology.

Sonnet is a Leo, which is a creative Fire sign and often influences her in her works.

Sonnet likes:

Books, movies, comedy, music, anime, animals and anything that is so unbearably cute is make her want to squeal   >_<

Sonnet dislikes:

Bullies, broccoli, haters, criminals and people who talk at the theatre.

*About Author Taken From Sonnet's Website*

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You can reach Sonnet and see other great works by her at her Home Website.