Halloween, Hellfire and Drama!

Happy Halloween!

Hellfire Publishing is celebrating our favorite Holiday the only way we know how. We absolutely love sharing our Darkness and Horror with you. This time, we've decided to share some of our finest literature in Podcast.  Stop by the Drama Pod and have a listen to three carefully selected short stories from Hellfire Publishing at http://www.thedramapod.com/.  There's plenty more for you to check out there, too.  Anyone that listens to and comments on one of our great reads gets a chance to win an eBook version of the book they've listened to.  :)

Hellfire Publishing's featured and fully acted-out stories are:

A Criminal Portrait, by Robert Tangiers

Bad Moon Rising Over Oz, by Keira Kroft

Dark Water:  Beaming Smile, by Kevin James Breaux

We at Hellfire Publishing really hope you enjoy this new way to get your spook on!  While you're there, check out some of the other hot stuff going on at The Drama Pod.  It's one of our favorite new haunts!  We hope it will be yours, too.

See ya there!

Dawn

                                     

A Criminal Portrait

Beth Franklin, a young artist with painter’s block, needs to get away from it all. She rents an old country manor estate. On a chance visit to a local art curios shop, she’s captivated by a strange painting, buys the painting, and takes it home…

Thus begins a series of frightening events—trances, strange visions, ghostly portraits that Beth inexplicably paints, and a violent haunting by a ghost from the past that’s determined to enact vengeance upon Beth for the deeds of her unknown ancestor…Doctor Frankenstein.  

                                      Bad Moon Rising Over Oz

Bad Moon Rising Over Oz is a version of, The Wizard of Oz like nothing you’ve ever read before...

It is not for the squeamish or the weak.

Auntie Em has made a deal with the devil. She gave up her niece, Dorothy’s soul in exchange for a plentiful harvest. Em was smart and worked a clause into the contract. Satan could only have Dorothy’s soul in death, but she must also agree to meet the dark lord himself and shake his hand. Everything is going splendid until…

A tornado strikes, killing Dorothy, hurdling her and Toto, a shape-shifting Scottish terrier, into a beautiful land of happy midgets and bright flowers.

Unaware of her untimely demise or any satanic contract, she embarks on a journey through the Land of Oz, seeking the great Wizard in hopes that he will return her home. As Dorothy unwittingly marches through hell, she begins to notice that nothing and no one is what it seems and there is no turning back…

There is indeed a bad moon rising over Oz.

Dark Water : Beaming Smile

Sarah should have left Montgomery County when she had the chance, but now it's too late. She is trapped on the rooftop of her family home which is almost completely submerged by dark flood waters. The air smells of a mixture of sewage and mold and it’s still raining. Alone with only her thoughts Sarah is mad she did not leave town years ago when she was right out of high school, before she became the one things she dreaded most; her mother.

Haunted by the reoccurrence of an eerie thumping sound, Sarah is startled when she discovers a large hairy animal, almost the size of a cow, brushing against the corner of her house. What is it? Where did it come from? What other horrors are hiding in the dark water?

The Misfit Vampire Part VII

The Misfit Vampire

Part VII

By: Carol Marrs Phipps

Just as Toad reached for the door handle of the hearse he saw Beaumont rounding the corner of the bar and he did not look very happy. Huh, did the great woman magnet strike out? he wondered with just a tad of satisfaction at the thought as his maker approached him.

“There you are!” Beaumont said making it sound like an accusation. “I had to search the entire bar and the men’s room for you because the ladies wondered what happened to you! What did you take off for? Wasn’t that lovely red-head hot enough for you? She actually thought you were cute!”

“Oh, she’s a looker right enough, Jules, but I know how cute she thinks I am...’in an unwanted, stray cur kind of way’,” Toad quoted.

“You heard that, huh? Well, at least she showed enough interest to be disappointed when you didn’t return. She’s even willing to give you another chance if we come back here at eight o’clock this evening.”

“Yeah? Well what if I’m not willin’ to give her another chance, Jules?’ Toad fired back. Then, careful not to glance Sacha’s way, added, “besides, she’s more your type than mine.”

“You have a type, little toad?” Beaumont queried, apparently actually taken aback by Toad’s remark.

Toad’s eyes narrowed, but he just shrugged. “Could we talk about this in the car, Jules? I’ve been standing out here quite awhile and it has been a rather long night, after all.”

Beaumont’s ire cooled a bit as he glanced at the sky noting dawn was not far off. “You’re right, we need to leave here now,” he replied with a nod. A moment later they were both safely inside the hearse. “Better take us back to the crypt, Sacha,” Jules said to his sister who merely nodded in response.

“I’ve got a better idea,” Toad piped in from the back seat, earning him a surprised stare from both Jules and Sacha. “Seriously,” he continued, I mean, why should we spend another night in that moldy, old crypt when we can stay at my place?”

Sacha and Jules exchanged a look, but as Toad expected, Beaumont took charge once more. “As much as I appreciate your kind offer, little toad, surely you realize that we would not exactly fit into a quiet little residential area in this fine city? In fact, our arrival in such a section of town, in a hearse in the wee hours of the morning would almost surely get us the kind of attention we seek always to avoid. No,” he shook his head as if he truly regretted refusing Toad’s offer, “I’m afraid that ‘moldy, old crypts’ in forgotten cemeteries are the safest place for us.”

“I’m not talking about a sleepy little residential area, Beaumont. My home is actually only a few blocks from my veterinary clinic, on west 23^rd street.”

Beaumont frowned. “But that’s in the business district...or at the very outskirts of it. You must be more well off than I thought, my strange little friend. Nevertheless, I’m afraid we’d not fit in there any better.”

“On the contrary,” Toad said, leaning forward in earnest and hoping his maker would finally hear him out, “my home is exactly the kind of place where people would expect to see a hearse arrive at any time of day or night.”

“What are you saying, Toad? You live in a funeral home?” Beaumont asked with genuine mirth in his eyes.

“Bingo!” Toad said grinning as he sat smugly back into his seat and savored the surprised look on Beaumont’s face, and even more, the amused look on Sacha’s. “So, you interested now?”

“I...that would depend. Why, exactly do you live in a funeral home when you are a veterinarian?”

“I inherited it from my parents,” Toad sighed. “I always meant to sell it and get a nice little place of my own, but somehow, I hadn’t gotten around to it yet. It’s not like I had a hot social life and needed a nice place to bring home the ladies or anything, so it just didn’t seem like there was any real rush.”

“Ah, well, that makes sense. So, your place hasn’t actually been used as a funeral home for awhile, then?”

“No, not since my mother died a year-and-a-half ago. She hired a mortician and kept the place going when I refused to take over for my father.”

“You mean, you actually are a trained mortician yourself?” Sacha asked with wide-eyed interest.

“Yeah, of course, trained and licensed. My parents, especially my father, expected me to follow his footsteps in the time-honored family profession, just as he had before me and his father had before him. Yup! The Wainrights have been morticians since they came to this county in 17 93. You’ve no idea how upset my father became when I told him I had decided to break tradition and was going to become a veterinarian instead of a mortician. He never spoke to me again. Not even as he spent his last breaths upon his deathbed,” Toad said, as his voice dropped to barely above a whisper. He vividly remembered the last few moments of his father’s life when had so hoped to be reconciled to him. After a moment he shook off his sad memories and met his maker’s eyes. “There are still a number of unused coffin’s in the mortuary and I guarantee you it is much nicer there than in that stinkin’ crypt. What do you say?”

Beaumont turned to his sister with a questioning glance. She nodded almost imperceptibly, but Toad was encouraged by it, nonetheless. “Tell Sacha the address and we will see this Funeral home for ourselves,” he said.

Toad smiled with satisfaction and gave the lovely Sacha the address to the home he had been born in and now would hopefully reside in for all the days of his un-death.

***

The first thing Beaumont noticed as the hearse pulled up to the funeral home where Toad resided was the size of the place. It was huge. The second thing he saw was the lights burning in the upper west wing. He didn’t like that at all. Toad had not said anything about anyone else living here with him and that just would not do...yet, dawn was nearly upon them and he knew it would be impossible to go all the way across the city to the crypt before the sun rose.

Toad had already scooted across the back seat to open his door when Jules spun ‘round in his seat and locked onto his wrist with an iron grip. “What deception is this? You said nothing of house mates, little toad...”

“That’s because I have none,” Toad said, more than a little angry himself that Beaumont had instantly jumped to such a conclusion, apparently because lights were shining from the windows in the west wing. “I always leave some lights on in my apartment when I am away. I like it to appear as if someone is there, you know?”

Beaumont released Toad’s wrist. “You could have warned me of this before we arrived,” he said somewhat defensively, Toad thought.

“If I had known how you’d react to a few lights, Jules, I certainly would have,” Toad snapped back. “Besides, you could have simply asked me about the lights, rather than assuming the worst! Do you truly believe I would offer to bring you here if I already had someone living with me? That would be crazy...”

“You’ve made your point, Toad...I...apologize. Now, I really believe it behooves us to get inside as quickly as possible. Dawn is mere minutes away and any further discussion could prove most...unfortunate, for both of us.”

“Right!” Toad replied. He and Jules immediately sprang from the hearse and began to hurry along the short walk to the funeral home door when Toad suddenly stopped and turned back toward the hearse, but it was already pulling away.

“What now?” Beaumont asked, unable to keep the irritation out of his voice.

“I was going to ask Sacha to stay here, too. There’s plenty of room in the west wing and she could take her pick of rooms.”

Beaumont sighed as he turned Toad back around to face the funeral home and urged him forward once more with a slight push. “Very thoughtful of you, and I’m sure Sacha may even consider it, but it will have to wait. Now, might we proceed so that we both survive until this evening? Then you can extend your invitation to her.”

Toad nodded and sped up his pace to the door, unlocking it and leading his maker to the lower level where the working part of the mortuary was. Beaumont wasted no time choosing a casket and shutting himself within. Toad shook his head and flicked off the lights. “I really don’t see the need for sleeping in a coffin when this room is not only underground, but has no windows at all. I personally intend to sleep right here on this sofa by the wall today. I’ll be damned if I’m going to willingly close myself into a coffin like a stinkin’ corpse,” he muttered as he threw himself down upon the comfortable couch with a sigh of contentment and mumbled, “now, if only I can convince Jules to go along with the rest of my plan...”

***

Toad awoke to someone jostling his shoulder, demanding he awaken at once. He hadn’t realized how exhausted he had been. He wanted more than anything for the person shaking his shoulder to disappear so he could turn over and go back to sleep. “Get off!” he grumbled as he tried to push the hand away, but that only made the person shake him harder.  He cracked one eye open to glare at his tormentor, then sat bolt upright when he saw his maker with a very irritated expression on his too-handsome face. “Uh...sorry Jules, I wasn’t awake yet,” he mumbled as he started to rise from the sofa, but the sound of the mortuary door creaking open caused both him and Beaumont to freeze and stare in horror at the door.

***

to be continued...

Twelve Things You Didn't Know Thursday

TWELVE THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT ME

By Sharlana Williams 

1.  I had a pet chicken when I was three years old. We ate her for dinner.

2.  One of my earliest memories is running around the farmhouse asking, “Where’s Snow White?” (the pet chicken). Everyone in the kitchen was crying and kept trying to push me out the back door.  (They were cooking the chicken).

 3.  I learned at age three that life has its rules (the damn chicken must be eaten at a certain age or the meat will get tough. No exceptions. Thanks, Grandpa.)

4.   Strangely enough, I have no qualms today about eating chicken wings.

5.   I have two cage birds. I love things with wings.

6.   I’ve had good luck in selling stories about birds, cats and dogs.

7.   I pre-ordered the new Amazon Kindle Fire seven-inch tablet with Wi Fi due out in Nov.

8.   I watch my DVD’s on my laptop with the French or Spanish subtitles on.

 9.  I don’t have cable. My 15” HDTV unit has an antenna, stuck in my window,  that looks like a laptop. It pulls in 19 channels.

10.  Poe’s complete works are on my Kindle.11.  I wear black and gold sports shirts to honor the home teams, even when they lose. Go Steelers, Pens and Pirates!

12.  For self-promotion, I pass out Hellfire Submission Guidelines with my business card and a blurb for my Hellfire publishing credits at the bottom.

Writer To Writer Wednesday

Writer to Writer Wednesday

                                                                                                                                          

This week I, Robin Renee Ray, will be interviewing the amazing Christie Silvers, and I happen to be her number one Fan!

She is the author of:

Please help me welcome one of the most talented authors to hit the market.

Hello Christie and welcome to the Herald. Thank you so much for taking the time to be with us. How are you on this lovely day?

Christie:  I’m doing fabulously. Thank you for having me.

You have to tell us what got you into the world of writing.

Christie:  I’ve always been a writer at heart.  Even at the tender age of 5, I was creating my own yarn bound “books” with crayon illustrations picturing of dogs, trees, and little Indian girls.  As I got older, writing turned more toward school essays, book reports, and test papers and less toward enjoyment and entertainment.  Luckily, I kept devouring books and finding new genres to enjoy.  This ultimately brought me to the genre I love the most: urban fantasy!

I think everyone knows how much I love your work. Can you tell us a bit about what you are working on right now?

Christie:  Right now I’m finishing up the third book in my Liz Baker series, the one you love the most, if I’m not mistaken, Robin.  Liz is a hard woman to get down.  Finding out that you’re half human and half vampire makes life difficult when other monsters aiming to kill and/or control you start coming out of the woodwork at every turn.  In this story Liz starts out trying to take a mini-vacation while on the hunt for her vampire father, but then she’s called home where dangers run rampant.  I really wish poor Liz could get that beach vacation she wants so badly, but what fun would that be?

What is your favorite book that you have written to date?

Christie:  While Liz Baker is my favorite main character and I adore her books, my favorite story is actually the steamy vampire erotic novella Dark Promises.  This story is full of hotness!  Someone once told me that it’s, “So hot it’ll make you sweat while you’re reading it.”  If that’s not a glowing endorsement I just don’t know what one is.

Can you tell us a little about your first series?

Christie:  My first series was the three book story of Alex and Fiona.  Alex is a vampire and Fiona is a werewolf.  One night they discover each other solely on scent.  Alex thinks Fiona smells like a wet dog and Fiona deems he smells like an old corpse.  It’s love at first scent!

In the first book (A Midnight Infatuation), Fiona is confronted with the laws of her wolf pack.  She is forced to participate in their “Fight or Wed” law, wherein she must either marry the mate chosen for her or fight him to the death to win her freedom.  Her decision to fight leaves her dying on a forest floor, where Alex comes in to do what vampires do. . .turn her!

In book two (A Birth at Dawn), Fiona faces another threat to her life and that of her new husband Alex.  Only this time it comes from the vampire side of the family when Alex’s maker shows up wanting to take Alex back into the fold of evil and away from his weak, peaceful ways.

Lastly, book three (A Twilight Abduction) opens with the vampire queen demanding the life of Alex and Fiona’s newborn daughter.  How could a vampire impregnate a werewolf, even a hybrid werewolf?  It’s impossible!  Queen Lilith will have none of this nonsense!  Fiona takes her injured husband and newborn daughter in search of help and sanctuary to the home of her Aunt Belle, where she soon learns that things in Belle’s world were never the way she remembered them.

This series is available in paperback books, e-books, and even a hardcover with all three in one book. 

I hear they are now an international series…would you share a bit of how that came about?

Christie:  Oh yes!  The Alex and Fiona series, as well as the first two Liz Baker books, have been contracted by a Turkish publisher to be translated and sold in Turkey.  A Midnight Infatuation has already been released under the title Balans and from what I’m told it has received a very warm welcome.  A Birth at Dawn is soon to be released under the title Dönence.  It should be out in November or December.

As for how it happened, well, I guess I was just having a lucky day.  The editor contacted me with the company’s interest in translating and releasing these five books and it went from there.

Everyone that knows me knows I love The Chad..LOL.  How do you come up with these amazing characters?

Christie:  Well, most of my characters are a mixture of people I meet throughout my life.  I might take hair from one person, physique from another, mannerisms from a third, etc. and put them all together as one.  Sometimes the characters come to me as I’m writing about them.  Chad actually started out as a background character, someone to just be there and interact with when the need arose.  However, on occasion these characters take on a life of their own and decide that being in the background isn’t very fun.  They jump forward, waving their arms, shouting, “Me, Me, Me!  Pick me!  I wanna play too!”  Sooooo, Chad got to play.  And boy does he play.

I have to agree ‘The Chad’ is AMAZING! Would you mind sharing a blurb from Kill Me Next Week?

Christie: Of course.

BLURB: I thought life would get back to norma l after I offed Marcus. I wanted adventure, but not the kind that could kill me with the glimmer of an idea. Yeah, he was a god in bed, but what fun would that have been if I never felt my own feelings and thoughts again?

Now I'm surrounded by more monsters. I somehow knew there couldn't be just vampires in the world, but a girl can hope can't she? Oh well, that's not how it works in the real world.

Adele's estate is gorgeous, much bigger than I'm accustomed to, and it turns out to be an excellent headquarters once Cole McIntosh--Wendigo Extraordinaire--shows up and demands my services. Hell, I don't even know how to use the powers I supposedly have and this bastard wants me to reverse a gypsy curse. It's not my problem he's a dumb ass and got himself split in two. I happen to like his better half anyway. He makes a great sandwich.

Now Rick's pissed at me, Chad's looking as smoking hot as ever, and I have a handful of staff, friends, and my new high-class lawyer helping out...but will I be ready when Cole comes knocking at the front gate?

Now it’s time to get a bit personal. You have such a busy life with being a wife and mother…How do you find the time to write?

Christie:  Time?  What is this ‘time’ you speak of?

Time use to be hard to come by when the children were smaller, but now that my youngest has gone to school I have a good five hours of writing time most days of the week.  I can’t say that I always get that time--family obligations, bill paying, unexpected phone calls, grocery shopping, husband off work and pestering me--but I do enjoy the time alone I do manage to squeak out.  So, if you see me online, particularly on Facebook, between the hours of 9 A.M. and 1 P.M. EST tell me to get my butt in gear and start writing.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Christie:  Oh yes, most definitely.  At least as far back as I can remember, and there’s proof of it from the age of 5.

I know you love fingernail polish and have read about Liz, your main character being the same way. Do you often add a bit of yourself into your characters?

Christie:  Sometimes I do.  I particularly enjoy Liz’s obsession with nail polish, almost more than my own.  Liz has a much better nail polish collection than I do though, and now that she’s a millionaire she’ll have even more.  Eek!

Will you tell us a bit about Liz and Chad?

Christie:  Well, it started out innocent enough.  Liz the owner of a bar, Athena’s Ambrosia, and Chad is an ex-cop turned bar bouncer in her employment.  She admired his rock hard abs and he admired her ass-ets.  He was her go to guy when it came to needing someone with weapon skills and even after she shot him he didn’t discount her problems as her own.  He was ready, willing, and able to go whenever she called for help.

Their time together eventually brings them closer than boss and employee, or even friends.  This is when the real fun begins!

After you finish the next book in the Liz series…what’s next?

Christie:  After book three, Killer Intentions, there will be a book four.  It is yet to be titled, but I already know the overall premise of the story.  Look for book four in mid-2012.  Before that, I’ll have a Liz short story that I’ll be giving away on the website as an extra little goodie for all the Liz fans.  And there will also be an erotic novella in 2012 titled, A Girl and Her Djinn.

That’s sounds so cool and I will be there waiting when you finish it..LOL Before I let you go, I have to ask… I have to ask…What will you be wearing this Halloween?

Christie:  I adore the Halloween season.  All the decorations fit right in with my world.  However, this year I won’t be dressing up.  I have in previous years, but so many things happened this year that I haven’t even begun to consider a costume.  It’s hard enough to get the kids dressed up.  LOL!

What advice would you give to a writer when they are struggling with writers block?

Christie: The best suggestion I can offer is to set a given time to write each day.  Even if you don’t write a word (which I highly doubt will happen), sit down at that computer, or with notebook and pencil in hand, at the same time each day.  Something, anything, everything will come to you.  Leave the distractions behind.  Turn off the television, click off the internet connection, send the children away to relatives in another dimension… it doesn’t matter, just write.

One more thing before I let you go…I know you have an erotica romance out now and I have to ask. What does your hubby think and is he an inspiration for those hot scenes in your book. ;) You knew I would ask..LOL

Christie: LOL!  Well, Tim doesn’t read any of my books.  You’d think he would, but he’s just not a guy who likes to read anything other than the occasional Nascar update on ESPN.  There are times when I’ll be thinking, “Wow, that totally needs to go into a book.”  Or descriptive phrases will come to me and I’ll have to write them down as soon as possible.  As I’ve said in the past, some things do mimic life experiences, but I’ll never share which things that is.  ;-)

I can understand, mu hubby does the whole football thing..LOL Thank you so much, Christie, for stopping your extremely busy life to share your world with us. Would you like to share a few words with those who are thinking of getting into the world of being a novelist, but have doubts?

Christie:  I’ll share what I tell all young writers (both in age and experience):  If you have a story, tell it!  Only you can tell your story the way you imagine it.  Don’t worry about how it will end, or what will happen in the future.  Focus on the now, on starting your story, on getting it out of your head and on paper/computer screen.  The first draft of any story is NEVER the finished product.  There will be time for edits, revisions, changing, adding, deleting, etc. when you get that first draft done.  Don’t worry about anything else until you say, “The end.”  That’s when the real work begins.

Thank you all for stopping by. Leave Christie a comment or ask her a question to win a signed copy of Kill Me Next Week…You can find more about Christie’s world at:

http://www.ChristieSilvers.com

http://www.facebook.com/authorchristiesilvers

http://www.twitter.com/christiesilvers

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002BLQJNS

Table Talk Tuesday

Interview between Hellfire Publishing executive editor,

Dawn Binkley and Brett Williams.

Hello, welcome to Table Talk Tuesday we are so very glad to have you with us. Hellfire Publishing would like to extend a warm welcome to Brett.

Thank you for having me.

Editor: How are you doing today?

Brett: I've been busy. Busy is good! I've got lots of stuff brewing here in Brett world.

Editor: You have a story with Hellfire Publishing entitled The Dancer at Brokkton Inn. What is that about?

Brett: It's about a dancer in a fantasy world who comes to believe she may be the subject of an ages old legend when she discovers dagger. The discovery spurs her to escape the only life she has ever known. The story takes the reader along for the ride.

Editor: You have a story coming out soon though Hellfire Publishing entitled Nailed Through The Heart. What is that about?

Brett: It's my first paranormal romance story, which will be included in the Wooden Stakes and Silver Bullets anthology. I'm really excited about it. I think it showcases my ability to write interesting relationship dynamics. Basically tension, banter, and ultimately fun. Plus it has love, lust, violence, and a Brett Williams brand of paranormal romance that readers should enjoy.

Editor: What made you choose that title?

Brett: It just popped into my head. I like it because it has dual meaning.

Editor: Where did the idea for your story come from? Since it's a short story and I don't want to give too much away, let's just say love and lust can make people do things for seemingly one reason when really there are ulterior motives.

Editor: What made you choose Hellfire Publishing?

Brett: As an emerging author, who better to choose than a business-minded emerging publisher.

Editor: Please share a particular detail about one of characters.

Brett: Colby simply cannot accept the fact that Nadia won't turn him. He can't eat, can't sleep, and he'll track her across Texas if he has to. Because if he can't have her, nobody will. So, buzzing on caffeine and adrenaline, he's ready to confront his undead lover.

Editor: Please tell us about any future projects you are planning.

Brett: Let's just say southeast Missouri will never be the same. If wide-open expanses of fields or raised 4x4 trucks don't creep you out, hopefully in 2012 they will.

Editor: Are you currently running any contests? What are they?

Brett: When the "Up Close and Evil" and "Wooden Stakes and Silver Bullets" anthologies come out I'll have drawings to give away goodies such as copies of "The Dancer at Brokkton Inn" to help promote them.

Editor: We have a special place for unpublished writers in our hearts, here at Hellfire Publishing. So what advice would you give to an unpublished writer?

Brett: Keep reading and writing. As cliché as it sounds, practice makes perfect. And when it comes to writing, nobody is perfect.

Editor: Are you only with Hellfire Publishing or do write for other publisher’s as well?

Brett: Right now Hellfire Publishing and Pill Hill Press are the only places that I've published multiple stories. I'm hoping that changes in 2012 as I am now being asked for submissions.

If I might add to the previous question, another bit of advice is submitting the right story to the right publisher. I'm just learning that makes a huge difference.

Editor: Can you share your blurb with us?

The Dancer at Brokkton Inn

Rumors, spread by whores, spoke of a woman. A whore much like themselves. These tales spoke of a woman, with the strength of three men, killing in the night and disappearing with the moon. Tales of a thief stealing from kings.

A woman so beautiful no man could resist her. So exotic, no man could possess her for long. The tales spoke of a woman whose passion burned hotter than the pits of Demarkos. Whose loyalty held stronger than the gates of Geodeus.

This woman, promised the rumors, brandished an exquisite dagger. A dagger encrusted with the image of a serpent, having rubies for eyes.

Now Kalanna, having discovered such a dagger, must decide to fight, and ultimately flee, the only life she's ever known. Or remain an object to be purchased by men, night after night.

Either choice, will begin with a dance and end with pain…

One lucky commenter will win a free e-copy of The Dancer at Brokkton Inn.

You can find Brett Williams at:

http://www.BrettWilliamsFiction.com

You can find The Dancer at Brokkton Inn. at:

Hellfire Publishing http://www.hellfirepublishing.com/dancer.html

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Dancer-Brokkton-Inn-ebook/dp/B0052AI4G0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8HYPERLINK "http://www.amazon.com/Dancer-Brokkton-Inn-ebook/dp/B0052AI4G0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1306541376&sr=8-7"&HYPERLINK "http://www.amazon.com/Dancer-Brokkton-Inn-ebook/dp/B0052AI4G0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1306541376&sr=8-7"qid=1306541376HYPERLINK "http://www.amazon.com/Dancer-Brokkton-Inn-ebook/dp/B0052AI4G0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1306541376&sr=8-7"&HYPERLINK "http://www.amazon.com/Dancer-Brokkton-Inn-ebook/dp/B0052AI4G0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1306541376&sr=8-7"sr=8-7

Straight from the Desk of Sharlana Williams

TWELVE THINGS I’D RECOMMEND TO OTHER WRITERS

                        By Sharlana Williams

1.      I write just about every day. Discipline, discipline.

2.      I never feel guilty when I’m daydreaming because it’s really ‘cooking a book in my head’.

3.      A good time to ‘cook a book in your head’ is when you watch your garden grow.

4.      I write even when it seems like nobody wants to read what I write. (In other words, never give up. Keep researching markets and trying to target them.)

5.      A really super feeling is when you write something and sense that it has that extra special spark, then you send it off and someone buys it. That keeps me going even in the midst of an economic downturn when markets shrink.

6.      Read bios of other writers. Esp. those who trailblazed. Writers of every era. The inspiration will help keep you writing.

7.      When you’re stuck at a certain point in a story, it’s probably because something is wrong further back. Go back to the beginning and reread. The answer is either there somewhere or will become clear to you. Allow yourself the luxury of ‘piddling around’.

8.      If it doesn’t become clear, do more research. Something will put you on the right path or jar your creativity. If nothing else, you’ll have some interesting notebooks to draw from later.

9.      Get into a good writer’s group where you can get regular critiques. If they’re part of a larger writer’s organization, join it. If they have a yearly conference, attend when you can. (I’m a member of Pennwriters, a networking organization of Pennsylvania writers ‘and beyond’, as they advertise themselves. I go every other year to their yearly conference when it’s held in my home city.)

10.  Share market news with others. This is sowing seeds and the good you do will come back to you.

11.  When you’re doing a rewrite, don’t be afraid to follow a new thread even if it means you junk half your product. Don’t look at the stuff you have to junk until you follow the new thread through, it will hold you back. Maybe you can use the detritus in another story.

12.  Remember, nothing bad happens to a writer. You can always use it in your next book!

The Misfit Vampire Part VI

The Misfit Vampire

Part VI

By: Carol Marrs Phipps

“Sacha you can drop Toad and me at the Old Towne Pub over on Broadway,” Beaumont said once the hearse was underway with Sally’s body stuffed inside the coffin in the back of the hearse. Now Toad understood what it was there for. I thought perhaps the coffin was back there in case of emergencies, like if Beaumont ran late...er, or early, in his case and was unlikely to make it back to the crypt before daybreak. Toad shuddered at the thought, and then shuddered even worse when he realized there was only one coffin.

Sacha nodded and looked up into the rearview mirror at Toad and smiled. He saw her and beamed back as his heart did a flip flop. She smiled at me! Then he immediately chastised himself for even considering for a second her smile had any meaning other than encouragement for the humiliation he was about to be put through by her brother. Sacha is, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. What’s more she is the only attractive woman who has ever said anything to me that isn’t derogatory. Other than my professional contacts at the clinic, of course. And that really doesn’t count. But...I know she just feels sorry for me...still...even that is more feeling and compassion than I’ve ever gotten from any attractive woman. Oh, damn! I think I’m falling in love with her...

Toad was jarred out of his thoughts when his door was suddenly jerked open and Beaumont bent over to gaze in at him. “Come little toad, we have arrived at the pub,” he said, somewhat more kindly than in times past, Toad thought as he scooted across the seat and joined his maker. Beaumont then bent and spoke to Sacha once more. “Come back as soon as you’ve taken care of our passenger in back. I don’t think we will need more than a couple hours this time.”

Sacha nodded, then cast another quick smile Toad’s way. “Have fun!” she chirped as Beaumont shut the door. As she sped off, Toad vowed to never let her see his yearning for her. He knew he couldn’t bear her revulsion...or even worse, her rejection.

He walked into the pub with Beaumont and let his eyes take in the tasteful rustic decor. It was a nice place that catered to to the upper middle-class. Unlike Bleto’s place where the majority of the patrons were lower-class working stiffs, at best, and outright riff-raff, at worst. Even so, Bleto ran a clean establishment and had a steady, paying clientele. Of course, that was because anyone who didn’t pay up was dealt with...harshly. They were never allowed inside Bleto’s again after that, even if they could prove they had the funds to pay for their drinks. Bleto wasn’t the forgiving kind. Toad could easily afford to frequent a place like this, but he felt more comfortable with the clientele at a bar like Bleto’s. Nobody there paid much attention to anyone else, even if they looked like an over-grown toad. Mostly, Bleto’s patrons minded their own business and drank to forget their own troubles for awhile. Not like this place where people came more to see, be seen and socialize than for the booze.

Toad followed Beaumont to a cozy booth along a wall that had a good view of the huge wide-screen TV behind the bar, but it wasn’t turned on. A waitress hurried over and took their drink orders and returned with them faster than he had ever been served before. Not a real surprise, though, considering the look of invitation she flashed Jules as she handed him his scotch on the rocks.

Toad glanced aside to see the members of a small band return to their places on a stage at the far end of the bar. A moment later the lead singer asked for requests from the audience and soon began belting out his rendition of Under the Boardwalk. Nice tune...but old. He wondered idly if the band could do anything current.

Toad glanced at Jules and saw him giving one of his steamy looks to a couple attractive women sitting at a table in the middle of the room. They both smiled at him then put their heads together, apparently conferring whether or not to join Beaumont and his...odd-looking companion. A few moments later the women were standing beside their booth. Vamp or not, Toad mused with wonder and even a bit of admiration,  how does he do it?

“Hi,” the stunningly attractive and shapely blonde said, as she ogled Beaumont, I’m Dawn. She then waved a well-manicured hand at the ravishing, buxom red-head beside her and added, “and this is my good friend, Jen. You looked like you could use some female companionship, so here we are.”

Beaumont’s dazzling smile appeared and his smoldering eyes took in the pair of lovelies. “ Your assessment would be quite correct,” he assured them. Please, join us. I am Jules, by the way and,” he paused as he glanced at Toad, then continued on smoothly while he stood and ushered the woman to be seated, “my associate here is...Edgar.”

Toad immediately choked on the olive in his martini. Once he had finally coughed it out onto the table, both women stared at it in horror and excused themselves to go the the “little girl’s room”.

Jules shook his head and sighed. “You aren’t supposed to actually drink your drink, little toad, and you most definitely do not want to eat any food. I’m afraid those days are over for good. Such things will now make you deathly ill.”

Toad gaped at him. “Why didn’t you tell me that before we came in here?”

Jules shrugged, “actually, it didn’t occur to me. I’ve never actually made one of our kind before, so I’ve never had to instruct one in our ways.”

Toad frowned. “Just my luck to get an inexperienced maker,” he muttered.

“I heard that, you know,” Beaumont said, a bit of the dangerous glint flashing in his eyes that Toad was familiar with, though a faint smile twitched upon his lips.

Toad shrugged and glanced up. “The ladies are coming back.” He stood and let Jen slide back into the booth on his side while Dawn performed the same maneuver on Beaumont’s side. However, instead of re-seating himself Toad bowed to first Jen and then Dawn and said, “If you two beauties will excuse me I believe I’ll drift on over to the bar. I think I see someone I know over there. Besides, I’m no longer needed here. Jules just brings me along because being seen with me always makes him look even better. And, here the two of you are, so I am no longer needed.”

The last thing Toad saw as he turned and headed for the bar was Beaumont’s incredulous glare and the bemused looks of the two lovely women. Just before he got out of earshot he heard the sexy blonde say, “Well Jules, your toad-like companion is rather hideous, but he has a sense of humor that is rather endearing...don’t you agree, Jen?”

“Yeah,” Jen replied, “he’s even kinda cute in an unwanted, stray cur kind of way.”

Toad’s back stiffened and he strode past the bar, then on out the door. He took a quick look around before he headed to the parking lot on the side of the pub to wait for the return of Sacha with the hearse. He leaned against the wall  as he glumly imagined himself standing in alleys and parking lots throughout the city with a tin cup, piteously begging passersby for a few drops of their blood to help out a poor, deformed vampire.

 By the time Sacha pulled up right in front of him an hour and a half later, he was deep into a different  thought. He had the makings of what he considered to possibly be a very good survival plan. One that would actually benefit all of them. If he could only convince Jules and Sacha both of its merit.

***

to be continued...