Saturday, June 26, 2010

Why I Write Fantasy - Cinsearae S.

Welcome Cinsearae S. author of dark paranormal romance, dark humor and horror.

Amber: Why do you write fantasy?
Cinsearae S.: The reason why I write fantasy is easy. :) The real world is boring as hell. I grew up reading the likes of Poe, King, L.J. Smith, R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike. Those worlds were SO much more interesting than the one I lived in, and eventually I started to create my own worlds with the same volumes of eeriness and paranormal predicaments. The big question would be whether I would want to live in my own worlds or not. Yes AND no. Fantasy is a hell of a lot of fun, but can also be dangerous in a way, lol!

                                                    
Amber: What brought you to write about the dark side?

Cinsearae S.: The 'darkside' of fantasy has always been a part of me, and has kept me a bit estranged from the mundane world, but still, I wouldn't have it any other way. Creepy movie? I'm there. Creepy book, especially if it’s non-fiction? I'm on it. There's something about the odd and unusual, the mystifying and arcane, and the exotic and dangerous, that has always kept me enraptured. It has also brought me together with many other like-minded folks that share in that same world, with extraordinary talents in more than just writing! I also created my own dark writers group, (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Gratista_Vampires) which houses some exceptional authors such as Anton Glascow, Tony-Paul de Vissage, Kody Boye, Mahogany Silverrain, Annie Alverez, Camille McKeever, Jeff Mullen, Phyllis Sullivan, and John Neumeister, to name a few! And to encourage new and emerging writers with those same tastes and a desire to be heard, I created Dark Gothic Resurrected magazine, which has been going strong these past few years, also winning awards from Predators & Editors in 2008 and 2009. I'm a firm believer that you can find a lot of beauty in the darkness...if you aren't too afraid to look!


Amber: Why do you think readers love fantasy?
Cinsearae S.: I believe most folks today need that 'escape' from the harshness (and boredoms) of reality, and don't mind delving into someone else's fantasy, if only for an hour or two. Fantasy offers tons of options not available in 'the real world' and gives them a chance to indulge a bit. Everyone needs a break sometime! :)

Amber: Would you write fantasy even if no one read it?
Cinsearae S.: I sure would. I was writing ever since 3rd grade, before I even THOUGHT of taking it more seriously and onto to the publishing level. Writing is my OWN escape from things, lol!

Amber: And I can't wait to take a look at her latest which proves  -
"""Just the slightest tweak in history 
makes all the difference in its outcome." 
Read a chapter and view the trailer:






Cinsearae S. has been writing, editing, and producing her own works through POD and conventional publishers. She is the creator of the Blood Touch series (2004). Her recent project is the dark paranormal seris ABRAXAS.  
A digital artist and still photographer, She is also editor Publisher of Dark Gothic Resurrected magazine (2nd place finalist in the 2008 Predators and Editors Readers Poll - Dark Gothic Resurrected prefers unique edgy stories that are out of the box and gives new and unpublished writers and artists of the dark genres a change to shine. 
Lots of Free Chapters and Trailers for
The ABRAXAS Series
Dark paranormal romance, dark Humor and Horror
(Some stores have two or more elements)

Contest!
Place her author banner
on your social network site, blog, personal website, etc. 
Send Cinsearae S. the link.
2 winners will be chosen at random
to receive a signed copy of either one of her short stories: 
Doppelganger or The New Kid,
plus a goodie bag of cool swag 
(pencils, stickers, buttons, bookmarks, and more)
Ends July 4th!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Why I Write Fantasy - Jane Toombs


Welcome Jane Toombs, author of dark paranormal fantasy.

Amber: Why do you write fantasy?
Jane: I’ve been thinking about this and I’ve decided what started me off was that even as a child I loved reading fantasy--which predisposed me to want to write it. I grew up reading fairy tales, also E.A. Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, A. Merritt and Andre Norton. Loved them all, even though some of the stories ranged into horror. The problem with horror was it never had a happy ending and, though, I enjoyed being scared, I missed the HEAS.

So, my love of fantasy ranges from fairy-tale-like stories to those with heavy paranormal elements, to sometimes dark. Which is what I write. For example, the first book in my UNDERWORLD Series, Unwise, from Eternal Press (October) has many fairy-tale elements. While the first book in my DARKNESS OF DRAGONS Trilogy , Dragon’s Pearl, from Devine Destinies (June) is far more paranormal.

Then again my DEADLY DECEIT series from Red Rose Publishing (first book sometime in 2010) is far darker than either of the ones I’ve mentioned. So sometimes .my fantasy stories can also be dark, But all have happy endings, because I’m addicted to HEAS.

My first published book was a gothic romance, Tule Witch, published by Avon in 1973. Gothic is often a combination of romance and fantasy and always has a happy ending. The heroine in Tule Witch really was a witch, and paranormal elements combined with dangerous reality threads through the book.

So, yes, I enjoy writing gothics as well, such as my recent Null and Void, the first book in Red Rose Publishing’s SHADOWED HEARTS Series.

Which means my interpretation of fantasy is very broad. Basically, it boils down to the unreal--writing about events and/or characters that don’t exist in the real world we live in.

Amber: Why do you think readers enjoy fantasy?
Jane: These books take them away from the mundane world and offer glimpses of a different world where strange and wonderful happenings occur--plus the ending is always a happy one.

Amber: Would you write fantasy even if no one read it?
Jane: I enjoy it so much I used to try to sneak in into my Special Editions when I wrote for Harlequin/Silhouette. Usually the editors spotted and removed it, but once in a while a hint slipped past them. Other major publishers weren’t so picky, so many of my books that aren’t strictly fantasy, do have fantasy elements in them.

But I’m a practical Capricorn so I might not write fantasy if no one wanted to read it. Writers want to share their books with readers, which is part of the fun of writing--you get to share with others. Besides the practical aspects of writing a book no one would want to read, I’d also have no one to share it with. A real bummer.

Here’s to fantasy in all of its different forms!


Jane Toombs, author of 70 plus published books, enjoys reading and writing--especially paranormal fantasy. In the winter she admires the beautiful swans on mid-Florida lakes. In the summer, she lives where she grew up, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula wilderness where the wolves prowl. Jane has always been fascinated by wolves and she's thrilled by the occasional sight of one crossing the road near her house.  

has more information about her numerous 
paranormal and fantasy books.
Jane's Giveaway (you can't lose)
Win a copy of Seacliff House
a paperback gothic romance full of fantasy (Champagne Books. 
Jane will let her calico cat, Kinko, pick a winner from those who leave a comment.
She'll write names on slips of paper, curl them up, and put them in a basket. Kinko loves to pick them out one my one and  scatter them. The first name she chooses wins.
Other commenters will receive a CD with excerpts of all her recent books - covers and all. 
Include an email address where she can reach you.
Ends Saturday, June 26th.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Why I Write Fantasy - Nimue Brown

Welcome Nimue Brown, Gothic Fantasy author and webcomic writer

Amber: Tell me why you write fantasy and why a webcomic?
Nimue: I’ve always written fantasy, or stories with fantastical elements for the simple reason that I love the genre. I’m a pagan, and my experience of reality includes a fair bit of what could be called ‘magical realism’ so I write a mix of how the world is for me, and how I imagine it could be.

The move into webcomics came about some years ago, thanks to my partner; artist Tom Brown. We weren’t a couple at that point, but I had very much fallen in love with his art work and ideas. He persuaded me to try writing for him – I didn’t think I was up to it initially. I love the work though, and am continually impressed by how he transforms my stories by drawing them.

Webcomics are very different from purely text books, especially with regards to the fantasy elements. It’s much easier to show than to describe, so this medium really lends itself to the genre. You can focus on the story, rather than getting bogged down in descriptions.

The webcomic Personal Demons – is dark fantasy, with strong gothic and Lovecraftian elements. It isn’t steampunk (although we do sneak in the odd device!) but it does seem to speak to people who like that genre. Tom loves inventing creatures and drawing things with tentacles, creepy trees, and peculiar people. My writing for the comic has developed in response to this.

Usually I write and then he draws, but the art does affect the directions some of the stories have taken, and sometimes, the images came first and I responded to them.

Amber: Why do you thing readers love fantasy?
Nimue: Based on the feedback we get from fans of Personal Demons a fair few of the people drawn to what we do (and other forms of fantasy) are seeking a different way of life. It’s not just escapism. For Steampunks, it’s often a lifestyle, not just a hobby. I think there’s a lot of dissatisfaction with the world as it is, and by exploring fantasy, people are reinventing themselves, and exploring new futures, as well as working out how they don’t want things to be. Fantasy often speaks in metaphor about the world we actually live in, and no matter how removed from ‘ordinary’ life it is, the core of such stories has to be human, or it doesn’t work.

Amber: Would you write fantasy even if no one read it?
Nimue: Working with someone else to build a world is the most incredible adventure. I love the process of sharing ideas and playing with possibilities – we have a lot of fun with that and I suspect it shows. So I think that yes, even if no one was reading the webcomic, we’d still be making up monsters and imagining worlds for them to live in.

Amber: Thanks so much for visiting and sharing your fantasy world. 




Nimue Brown writes gothic fantasy stories for the webcomic www.itisacircle.com and the accompanying flash fiction newspaper www.hopelessvendetta.wordpress.com

Under the pen name Bryn Colvin she also writes erotica, much of which has paranormal and fantastical element for loveyoudivine




Photo: Tom and Nimue Brown 

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Why I Write Fantasy - Sapphire Phelan and Pamela K. Kinney

         

 Welcome Sapphire Phelan and Pamela K. Kinney! This week I have two guests in one.

Amber: With two names that both write in the fantasy genre, do you have two reasons to write fantasy?
Sapphire and Pamela:
As Sapphire Phelan, I can write erotic romance to my fantasy stories, unlike Pamela, who would write straight horror, fantasy and sci fi, along with nonfiction ghost books.

Amber: Is this a personal choice?
Sapphire and Pamela: Just a personal choice, though I have written sweet too (like To Save the Day). Erotic paranormal is selling well though, so a lot of authors are doing it.

Amber: Any other reasons why you write fantasy?
Sapphire and Pamela: Because I read it and I can make my heroes and heroines a werewolf or fey and they still have all the problems and headaches a normal human has.


Amber: How does your non-fiction ghost research benefit your fiction writing?
Sapphire and Pamela: I got into writing the nonfiction ghost books when my editor, Dianh Roseberry, a fellow horror/sci fi/fantasy author became editor of this subdivision at Schiffer Publishing (only does nonfiction publishing). She posted on forum at Haunted Mid-Atlantic Horror Professionals if any like to do 'real' ghost stories for a book. So I submitted a book proposal and was accepted. Wrote Haunted Richmond, Virginia and it was published. Researching the real thing and even doing paranormal investigating, it helps me in fiction writing and gives me some cool ideas, too. Also the ghost books sell well and I think people now want to read my fiction too, once they read my nonfiction ghost books.

Amber: Why do you think readers love fantasy?
Sapphire and Pamela: With people still being laid off and reality (since 9/11) can be too much for anyone, this is a way to escape into a world where the hero or heroine battles monsters and wins. It's like taking a vacation from the mundane troubles of our world.

Amber: Would you write fantasy even if no one read it?
Sapphire and Pamela: Yes, I would. For I know there are still those that will read it and besides, I love writing in this world.

Amber: Thanks to both of you for stopping by.

Sapphire Phelan is an author of erotic and sweet paranormal, fantasy, and science fiction romance, along with a couple of erotic horror stories. She also writes as Pamela K. Kinney, for horror, fantasy, science fiction, and two nonfiction ghost books, Haunted Richmond, Virginia and Haunted Virginia: Legends, Myths and True Tales. She lives in Virginia with her husband and two cats, Ripley and Bast. She admits she can always be found at her desk and on her computer, writing. And yes, the house and husband sometimes suffers for it!

Sapphire Phelan's Books and Stories
Where to find Sapphire Phelan -
Passion Corner Blog
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