Nominated for Best Book of 2012

Getting good news on Monday mornings is a great way to start the week! Mine came in the form of a nomination from Long and Short Reviews for my book THE ETERNAL KNOT which is up for Best Book for 2012. Wow! How cool is that?

You might remember that last year, The Eternal Knot was rated as Best Book by Long and Short's reviewers in their Science Fiction & Fantasy catagory, and then voted Book of the Month (May 2012) in the polls. (Click HERE to see). As if all of that wasn't enough, now it's up for Best Book for 2012. Sweet!

Voting begins February 1st until midnight EST February 14. Once the link goes live, don't worry, I'll be sure to remind you again.

In case you didn't know, The Eternal Knot, is the the final book in the Lancaster Trilogy, published by Champagne Book Group under their SF/F arm, Burst Books.

SFFSat - Jan 19

Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday (SFFSat) is a place where a bunch of us post snippets from our written works and also shoot the breeze a little. And before I get ahead of myself, thanks and appreciation as always to those who stop by and leave fantastic comments.

Today, I'm revisiting another WIP called Time Fracture, a sort of paranormal sci-fi short story where the culprit is Time itself. We have our hero (a nameless man with a family) trying desperately to escape from Time's wicked clutches...

In this scene, our hero stands poised before an old pocket watch, debating a few things.

            I purchased an old pocket watch from an antique shop, amazed that it still worked considering the manufacturing date of 1897 stamped on its back. At first, I was afraid to wind it up, activate it, fearing Time would find me and make me pay for destroying its Markers. My hands trembled terribly as my fingers hovered over the winding mechanism.

Despite our resolve to be free of Time, we still needed a Marker. I could not tell the passing of the day by looking out at the sun, since having depended on a Time Marker all my life it had rendered me ignorant and blind to the workings of nature. Nor could I accurately read a sundial. By keeping one Time Marker, we would not draw attention to ourselves and Time would not notice that we had disappeared from its watchful eyes. If I were to wind up the old pocket watch twice a day, at the same hour each time, Time would still catch a small glimpse of us. Slowly, gradually, we would abandon this device as well, and learn like the pioneers to read the passage of the sun and shadows to determine the time of day. It was not just resetting Time itself, but our lives.

If you are interested in participating in next weeks SFFSat, just click HERE, and follow the rules. Sign up is open every Wednesday - and if you're on Twitter, use the #SFFSat hashtag.

Cheers!

SFFSat - Jan 12

Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday (SFFSat) is a place where a bunch of us post snippets from our written works and also shoot the breeze a little. And before I get ahead of myself, thanks and appreciation as always to those who stop by and leave fantastic comments.

To Catch A Marlin
is available in Ebook and
Paperback from Amazon

I'm sticking with my new WIP for the To Catch A Marlin series. This is a short story with the working title of The Devil Inside.

To Catch A Marlin is a futuristic cat and mouse tale involving Special Inspector Pedroni and the vigilante Jax Marlin, who just happens to be a super sexy woman with ninja skills.

In this scene, we have Inspector Pedroni mulling a few things with his Chief Inspector.

            “Your vigilante girl’s lost her freaking marbles, Pedroni.” Chief Inspector Aoki wiggled his tie with agitation; his round Asian features puffed even further as he worked his mouth into a twisted line. “She’s on killing spree.”

Special Inspector Michael Pedroni pinched the bridge of his sizeable nose. The recent report file of the house fire, which turned into a veritable conflagration that leveled the structure to a blackened stump, graced his cluttered desk. The victim, a suspected serial arsonist, had disintegrated to dust. Not even their best scanner could detect any trace of his DNA. The only evidence that the fire wasn’t caused by the arsonist was the marlin pendant placed inside his mailbox at the end of his front yard, untouched by the destructive flames.

Jax has gone rogue.

With this sinking realization, Pedroni let out a breath.

If you are interested in participating in next weeks SFFSat, just click HERE, and follow the rules. Sign up is open every Wednesday - and if you're on Twitter, use the #SFFSat hashtag.

Cheers!

Next Big Thing Blog Tour

I got myself tagged!
I've never been any good at running, or anything requiring quick responses...unless a cockroach is involved.

But as tagging goes, this one's a good thing. I got nabbed by a fellow writer, Cary Caffrey, who got himself tagged last week. See what he had to say about that right HERE.

So, the rules are simple and the questions never change, just the answers. And to keep the tagging momentum going, I've decided to hit up the fabulous JC Cassels. So you can check back with her next Wednesday.

So, here we go...

What is the working title of your book?
It will be called To Catch A Marlin, followed by the working title, so something like this: To Catch A Marlin - The Marlin Strikes Again. At the moment, I'm collecting and sorting through some ideas for some short stories involving my character, Jax Marlin. Her debut was this past October when the full length book, To Catch A Marlin, was released.

Where did the idea for your book come from?
It just sort of came together organically. Initially, I wanted to write about a bumbling detective who accidentally solves cases (Inspector Pedroni). Jax Marlin's character (the baddie..ish) came about from various cartoon drawings I'd done over the years (I'm also an artist) and she just sort of morphed into one, becoming Jax. Then I decided to combine the two and fling it out into the wild future, complete with space pirates and debauching settings!

What genre does your book fall under?
Well, I'd say Science Fiction Romance. Heavy on the action and adventure, seasoned lightly with romance, humour, and great characters. So I've been told. It may even be labelled as futuristic or even detective thriller.

Which actors would you chose to play in your movie rendition?
Ever since I watched The Lovely Bones, I've always sort of pictured Michael Imperioli as Inspector Pedroni (he even has his first name! That was purely coincidence, though). It's just the low-keyed manner Mr. Imperioli portrays in the movie (forget his role in Sopranos), plus there is an intensity coming off him which makes his character convincing. For Jax, that's a hard one. She has so many sides to her (having been born from a combination of different characters I played around with) that her image is like a melting pot of faces. She's cheeky, sexy, dangerous and very lethal. She's a combo of cool sophisticated badassness like Lara in Tomb Raider, kickassness like Seline from Underworld and Alice from Resident Evil and even some calculating connivingness like Anne Hathaway's Catwoman. As for actresses, well think from Ziyi Zhang (Memoirs of a Geisha and Crouching Tiger fame) to Keira Knightley to Emma Watson...and yes, even Anne Hathaway. (Somehow, I just can't see her as Angelina Jolie, Kate Beckinsale or Milla Jojovich).

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
What wouldn't you do to catch a criminal?
Wait, that was one line. How about this: In the tail end of the the 24th century, a sexy vigilante is pursued by a determined inspector, taking them both of a wild, rollercoaster ride from Earth to space and then some.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
At the moment, I am with two publishers and will stay with them (Champagne Book Group and Ring of Fire Publishing). To Catch A Marlin and its subsequent series will be represented Ring of Fire.

How long did it take to write the first draft of your manuscript?
The full length for To Catch A Marlin took me a good eight months. The first fours month taking up the first draft stages, the last four with the second ad third drafts. The short stories, including this current one I'm working on, they usually take about a good, solid month.

What other books would you compare this story to?
Wow, that's difficult. While I write mostly SF-based stories, I love reading a good mystery right along with an epic fantasy or adventure tale. I guess To Catch A Marlin, like the other books I've written, is a combination of, and what I'd like to see in a story.

What or who inspired you to write the book?
Uhm...I guess it's from books, movies, events, people. Everything around me.

What else about the book might pique the readers' interest?
Captain Taris - space pirate, loveable 'uncle,' and such a loveable scallywag! He's got spin-off story written all over him.

Don't forget to stop by JC Cassels next Wednesday!

Cheers!

SFFSat - Jan 05

Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday (SFFSat) is a place where a bunch of us post snippets from our written works and also shoot the breeze a little. And before I get ahead of myself, thanks and appreciation as always to those who stop by and leave fantastic comments.

To Catch A Marlin
is available in Ebook and
Paperback from Amazon

Happy New Year and welcome back to another long year of SFFSat snippets!

Today, I have the very first opening lines of my new WIP for the To Catch A Marlin series. This is a short story with the working title of The Devil Inside.

To Catch A Marlin is a futuristic cat and mouse tale involving Special Inspector Pedroni and the vigilante Jax Marlin, who just happens to be a super sexy woman with ninja skills.

In this scene, the story continues from her last 'adventure,' where things didn't go quite as she planned (The Necromancer of the Avon), and she's having a bit of a...well...venting episode in the form of a wee killing spree. Don't worry, it's just a passing phase...

            Dead man’s punch!

Jax Marlin pivoted her body like a matador, her right elbow raised high over her head just before she delivered a powerful blow into the man’s chest.

Like a bull grunting, the man let out a gust of air, crumpling inwards then he teetered sideways, falling heavily on his side. Jax imagined his heart fibrillating from the trauma, his system would soon go into shock. Leaning over him, she drew her arm back, poised to hit him again in case the first blow didn't take.

She waited.

Red-faced, his eyes rolled up into his head as his breath came out in strained gasps.

“You will die,” Jax stated calmly. “No one is coming to save you. No one wants to save you.”

If you are interested in participating in next weeks SFFSat, just click HERE, and follow the rules. Sign up is open every Wednesday - and if you're on Twitter, use the #SFFSat hashtag.

Cheers!