readers

Let’s Be Real Here

This topic comes up in just about every interview I’ve been in (whether as the interviewer or the interviewee)…

DO YOU UTILIZE REAL PEOPLE, REAL PLACES, REAL EVENTS IN YOUR WORKS OF FICTION?

Truth is there is always a figment or two (or three or four) of reality in fiction. Whether it be a location the author is familiar with, crafting a character similar to someone you know (it’s fun especially if you don’t like the person), or a message you hope to convey in your writings.

In REKINDLED PROPHECY, I’ll admit that is a lot more truth/reality than you would think in a story about guardian angels, angels, demons, shadow creatures, etc.

  1. I do believe in guardian angels, angels, demons, shadow creatures, ghosts, etc. For me as an author, my own types of characters are 100% real. While the story is a figment of my imagination, I still believe in the truth that these entities exist.

2. The locations in REKINDLED PROPHECY are all based on real places.

The country western bar in the beginning (while with a different name that I do not even remember) did really exist along the Arkansas/Tennessee border. I spent way too much time there during the early 1990s.

The Irish bed & breakfast in rural Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley 100% existed. How do I know? I was married there, underneath the same gazebo Kelly and Matthew were married under. The name was changed in the book since the inn was under foreclosure at the time and I could not get owner approval from the bank to use the name – they said to wait until the property sold and ask the new owners but that never happened.

There really was a koi pond made from a refurbished rectangular pool and the bull frogs were so loud that the innkeeper did leave ear plugs in guest rooms. Sadly, the inn is now closed and for sale if anyone is interested in retirement as an innkeeper.

Even the area of town in Washington, DC where Greylyn goes to find the psychic and battles a demon army – yep! 100% described based on real life knowledge of DC.

3. I may have based a few characters off my friends at the wedding party in the book. And yes, they were known as the “Sex and the City” girls as a joke. And of course, the lovely innkeeper was based off the innkeeper at the time of my own wedding (again, name and hair color changed). Seriously though, that sweet woman made the best eggs benedict!

4. Greylyn’s pride and joy – her 1968 British racing green Camaro? Well, I just so happen to own one. It’s currently being reconstructed from the inside out by my hubby and youngest son who hopes to one day claim it for his own. (Ain’t gonna happen, sweetie!)

Stock photo

5. The drink Greylyn prefers – the Godfather – is my hubby’s favorite cocktail and the only way I will drink scotch.


Ingredients
60 ml Whisky – Blended Scotch whisky
20 ml Amaretto liqueur

So you see, I like to include a lot of truth in my fiction stories.

For places I have not gone to, I research and even find native residents of the location to give me tidbits so I can describe the area accurately. While I have not gone to Ireland yet myself (it is at the top of my bucket list) but I was lucky enough to find a sweet lady originally from one of the areas in Book 3 of the series (which is mostly set in Ireland, and Hell but I haven’t met anyone from there yet). She spoke with me at length about Dun Laoghaire and sent me pictures of the local pier. She even suggested I add something about a 99 (which is Irish for soft serve ice cream and is sold on the pier at Teddy’s), which I did.

For me, there should always be a hint of authenticity in every piece of fiction. It makes it more interesting. So whether you are reading my guardian angel stories, or anything else by me, you can trust there will be glimmer of truth in every one.

The fun part is figuring out what’s truth and what is fantasy.

Thanks, dear friends! And I hope you have an amazing Autumn Equinox!

Epic Fail but Will Always Try, Try Again

Last Friday (2/7/2020) evening I held an Author Reading from my debut fantasy/paranormal novel, Rekindled Prophecy – Book 1 of the Greylyn the Guardian Angel series.

book cover FB promo

Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bzoaBE

Well, that was an outright disaster!

Several lovely friends showed up to listen to me read, and asked questions, made comments and generally it was an overall good time.

So what went wrong?

I coughed throughout the entire reading!

No, I don’t have the flu, or the corona virus.

What I had was allergies to all the drywall and general construction dust from my office. The room has been under renovations for some time now, and completely unusable, but I insisted (to myself) that I should do the reading from my office (mostly to avoid any of the other people living in my house from intruding – most of the time they respect the sanctity of my office).

You’ve been warned, but if you’re interested in listening to the reading and the Q&A session, here’s a link to the video on Facebook.

Now I am a self-proclaimed non-techie so I haven’t figured out how to edit the footage yet, and I’m rather certain there wouldn’t be a lot left if I took out all the coughing. My next best alternative is to record the whole thing, but then you’d miss the discussion and Q&A.

In lieu of a teaser for this week, you may have to work for it to listen through the reading of the Prologue from Rekindled Prophecy. Now there’s a lot of controversy these days in the literary community about prologues and epilogues, but I LOVE them and use them frequently. Every book in the series will start with a prologue giving the reader a glimpse from Greylyn’s past that has significant impact on her present and future. It’s a peek behind the curtain.

But if you don’t want to wade through my coughing fits to listen to the prologue, please direct message me here or on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/KCFreemanAuthor/ and I’ll send you a word document copy of the text.

Next month, I’ll make another attempt at a live reading from my book and hold another Q&A session. Because…why not? It was fun, despite the coughing.

 

 

 

 

Teaser Tuesday

paper bags near wall

Photo by freestocks.org on Pexels.com

It’s the day after Cyber-Monday, a four days after Black Friday (hope everyone finished their holiday shopping and everyone is giving and receiving books this year), and two weeks since the release of my debut fantasy/paranormal novel, Rekindled Prophecy (Book 1 of the Greylyn the Guardian Angel series).

Rekindled Prophecy Hardcover 3d

If by chance you haven’t finished your shopping, and the person(s) on your list enjoy reading fantasy/paranormal fiction, check out this little teaser from the above story. Regardless of the completion of your gift-giving list, check out this excerpt from the book.

***

Just as a small ray of early morning sun peeked between the slate-gray clouds, the shadowy outline of Gaelic Haven came into view. There were no lights on in the main house or the Carriage House. Breathing a sigh of relief, she tiptoed from the car to the Carriage House and opened the foyer door without so much as a creak.

“Didn’t realize you were such a partier, Greylyn. If I had known you wanted to party all night, I could’ve joined you.”

She froze in place. Despite the sarcasm, there was an underlying tension behind his words. The words were more clipped than usual. Greylyn didn’t know what to make of it and was too tired to care. Ignoring him, she reached for the door to her room.

The shadow at the top of the stairs pounced like a preying tiger to stand between her and the door. The little light that was available in the foyer from a small tabletop lantern reflected the gold in his eyes as they stood almost nose to nose, staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity. No matter how she tried, there was no looking away.

How could she be this tired and still be so affected by his closeness?

Without warning, his hand came up to her face, causing her to flinch. Instead of striking as she expected, his hand caressed the place just below her eye where she had been sliced earlier. His fingers softly moved over the now dried and crusted blood. Her skin warmed, as if she’d stepped too close to a bonfire.

His eyes strayed back to her own. The pupils enlarged, registering alarm and something else she couldn’t place. In a strained, gruff voice, he whispered through clenched teeth, “Who or what did this to you?”

It was difficult to think, much less speak or move, with Kael this close to her. His hand, still cupping her face, paralyzed her. She repeated to herself, “This is the enemy. This is the enemy,” in an effort to free herself from his hypnotic gaze.

The best she could manage was to say, “What’s the big deal? Worried that someone else might kill me before you’ve had your chance?”

She had wanted to sound sarcastic. Instead, her words came out more like a breathy whisper that ended with a pitiful squeak.

He leaned in closer, a mere inch or two from her face, his eyes locked on her own. “I don’t want to kill you, Greylyn. I would never allow anyone else to hurt you either. Haven’t you figured that out by now?”

***

If you are enticed by the above teaser, please check out the entire story. Rekindled Prophecy is available on numerous book retail sites, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Audible, Walmart eBooks, Google Play, Abebooks, Book Depository, Alibris, Better World Books, and Indie Bound.

Here’s a link to the ebook at Amazon, but the hard cover is also available.

Also, I’m trying to build up my newsletter. If you believe you’d enjoy regular updates about the book, the series, general discussion of all things related to guardian angels, my silly rants and ravings on a myriad of topics, please check out my newsletter signup at http://www.eepurl.com/gDp4Jr

As an added enticement, I’ve joined with 9 other authors in a December Reader Appreciation/Newsletter Buildup campaign. Leann Ryans, L.P. Dillon, Becca Dawn, Nora Nolan, L.V. Lane, Krya Fox, Rowan Thalia, KC Freeman. V.T. Bonds, and Mandi Konesni have joined together to offer 24 days worth of prizes in December.

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From December 1st through the 23rd, one person on our newsletter subscriber list will be chosen each day to win a prize leading up to the grand prize drawing on the 24th. The grand prize winner will receive 15 ebooks, an audiobook, 3 paperbacks, and Amazon gift cards totaling $50.

You must sign up for all 10 newsletters to qualify to win a prize. The winner each day will be notified and announced on Facebook once their subscriptions are verified. Each author is responsible for delivery of their book and prizes to the winner.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1LCoDbQsFeACRukRT_t0ZjyTQLDs7oKdXezS9HsCADgY/viewform?fbclid=IwAR25TxaSx_2wYzQgdX4-JfGXz-SgFHnb31SqsNlxJqav6Tay4_O7YVgb5BU&edit_requested=true

Happiest of holidays to everyone! Ciao for now! Come back next week for another teaser.

 

 

 

 

 

December Reader Appreciation GIVEAWAY! 10 Authors/Amazing Prizes Every Day

December Giveaway!

Leann Ryans, L.P. Dillon, Becca Dawn, Nora Nolan, L.V. Lane, Krya Fox, Rowan Thalia, KC Freeman. V.T. Bonds, and Mandi Konesni have joined together to offer 24 days worth of prizes in December.

From December 1st through the 23rd, one person on our newsletter subscriber list will be chosen each day to win a prize leading up to the grand prize drawing on the 24th.

The grand prize winner will receive 15 ebooks, an audiobook, 3 paperbacks, and Amazon gift cards totaling $50.

You must sign up for all 10 newsletters to qualify to win a prize.

The winner each day will be notified and announced on Facebook once their subscriptions are verified. Each author is responsible for delivery of their book and prizes to the winner.

Here’s a quick and easy link to use to sign up for each author’s newsletter:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1LCoDbQsFeACRukRT_t0ZjyTQLDs7oKdXezS9HsCADgY/viewform?fbclid=IwAR25TxaSx_2wYzQgdX4-JfGXz-SgFHnb31SqsNlxJqav6Tay4_O7YVgb5BU&edit_requested=true

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The Road to “Rekindled Prophecy” AND a Giveaway!

Rekindled Prophecy FB cover

My debut novel, Rekindled Prophecy (Book 1 of the Greylyn the Guardian Angel series), released last week (11/19/2019)! To say I was ecstatic would be an understatement.

The story bounced around in my head for years while I dealt with life (went to college, worked my @$$ off for years to make it in the corporate world, got married, had kids, raised and still raising kids, moved, etc, etc, etc…). Took about a year to write the first draft as I only had a couple hours here, few minutes there, weeks where I had no time to write, and sometimes just general procrastination and making up excuses. Writer’s block may have occurred from time to time, but mostly I got in my own way. A couple dozen draft revisions later and it was ready to leave my hands and get some honest feedback.

Writing is scary. For me, it’s like pouring out your soul onto paper. That part is fine, but then giving it over to someone else to read? That’s terrifying. But I finally did it! I joined a wonderful group online through Scribophile where authors critique each other’s work in exchange for critiques of their own work. I found an amazing community of authors/reviewers within Scribophile who I love and adore for their honesty, their knowledge, their friendship, and their support. If not for them I would never have gathered up the courage to take the next step…querying.

Querying agents and publishers is a mind and soul numbing experience. Well, eventually numbing. At first, terrifying and heartbreaking as rejection emails come in and no responses from others. Some asked for full manuscripts and then I’d wait weeks, months. There were even a couple agents I waited for over a year to hear back from. Heart-wrenching process. Thankfully, I had my author friends from Scrib to bolster my mood and confidence so I kept going.

***Seriously, if you are an author, get on Scribophile! http://www.scribophile.com***

Now, where as I? Oh yes, the process! While querying I remained busy. I drafted Books 2 and 3 of the series. I edited and proofread for other authors (and some high school seniors looking for help crafting their college application essays). During this time I was asked to join with other amazing romance authors for two short story anthologies. While my series is more of a PG-13 rating (some cussing, violence, and some romance but nothing explicit), there stories were definitely more for mature audiences. If you’d like (and your over 18 years of age), please check out the anthologies. One even introduces one of the characters from the Greylyn series, but we won’t truly meet her until Book 2.

 

Finally, I had just about decided to punch the Amazon publish button myself or archive the files for the series and walk away from it for awhile when I received the most blessed news. A publisher was interested and asked for the full manuscript. Next thing  I know they called me (yes, an actual phone call, not email) and they wanted to publish my book! Thank you Zimbell House Publishing for believing in me and my story. (side note: The day after I signed with Zimbell, a literary agent I had queried several months back emailed me and was interested in signing me! After a desert of interest, all of a sudden…people wanted my story!)

Moral of the story — authors, keep on writing, keep on querying, keep on keeping on, and keep on believing!

That brings us to last Tuesday, 11/19/2019 when Rekindled Prophecy released in hard cover and ebook! To say it was one of the best days of my life, would be an understatement (I think I’m repeating myself now). It was also one of the scariest days of my life. For now, the story is no longer just mine. It belongs to the fantasy and paranormal reading world now! It belongs to you! It is my gift to you, as I believe every author who writes even one line gifts the world with their talent.

Speaking of gifts, you are probably wondering about that giveaway mentioned in the title of this article.

I will giveaway a free Kindle version of Rekindled Prophecy (or if you already have the book, you can choose one of the anthologies referenced above).

What do you have to do to enter for your chance to win?

Cyber-Monday I will select a winner and announce it here and on my social media pages.

But that’s not all!

If you’re not chosen for the grand prize, your name will go back into the hat for a consolation prize…a $10 Amazon gift card! The winner of the gift card will be announced the following day.

So please help me celebrate the release of my debut novel, Rekindled Prophecy by entering the Giveaway contest.

If you have already purchased the book and read it, please do an author a huge favor and leave an honest review on Amazon, GoodReads, and any other book retail sites.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!