Illustrations of Characters

I commissioned these drawings from a college friend of mine, specifying what I want in each picture. I'm paying her in advance for a Human and Demons and Elves one next time I see her. At readings, I have prints of these so that those who have an electronic copy of a book or can't currently afford a copy can have something signed for a small donation of their choice. It has worked out pretty well.

This Halloween Romance illustration shows Ferdinand putting his fangs to use as a letter opener. Selene is showing some amusement; this is one of her good nights.

Here we have Dianne Anghel, only her eyes transformed, for Bite Me. She is with both her parents in their animal shapes. Ferdinand is a bit tiny at the moment, but that's okay.

Here Taylor Calvin from Waking Echoes is reluctant to hear from Tylianvornika.
I'm excited to see how the next one turns out.

Book Reading: Success!

Twelve people came, not counting my mother, and though I knew all but one of them I am told this is a very respectable showing. It was also pouring rain in a largely pedestrian area at the time. I don't currently have photos of the reading itself, but here are a few of the bookstore:

They let me sit in that big read armchair for the reading. It was like having a throne!

I made $55 in sales and donations. Happy times. I will definitely do another next semester.

My second book reading Friday!

I'll be reading extracts from all three published novels, and a bit from Humans and Demons and Elves. Only two people attended my first reading, but that was on a Monday and the store didn't have time to promote it heavily beforehand. Fridays are better, they said, and I have put up a score of flyers and written in chalk all over campus.

To RSVP, go to this page:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=170054053044827&index=1

Finalized Humans and Demons and Elves Cover

I love Amanda Kelsey's work!

Interview with Angela Verdenius

1. What is your release called and what is it about?

Shattered Soul is a sci-fi/futuristic romance, and is about a warrior woman mystically frozen at the time of her dying. Dragged from the arms of death to do The Overlord's bidding, Rani, a once proud and nobel warrior (though of an outlawed race), loses her mind and becomes insane, but through better forces, is able to regain her senses. However, her destiny is to serve The Overlord and his dark minions in the Outlaw Sector, to keep (ironically enough) the Lawful Sector safe.

The hero of the book is Fredrico, a space pirate who has made brief appearances in earlier books. Now under the control of The Overlord, he is true to his commands, but eventually comes to fall in love with the Reeka warrior woman.

This story has a bit of everything - mysticism, dark mystics, aliens, dark power, demons, space pirates, mystery and romance. The road to true happiness is an uncertain one in this book, but the ending, I feel, comes together quite nicely, because not everyone cane escape their desstiny...but true love must still prevail.

2. Could you give me a short sample passage?

There was a whooshing sound and the ice went to water. One second, frozen ice, the next water rushed across the floor and the warrior was there, clear to see, real to touch. Kneeling on one knee, braced on one hand, her hand at her bloodied throat. Her hair, wet and straggling, slapped against her arm as she looked up at him.

Brilliant green eyes looked directly into Fredrico’s, and he saw the fear and pain, the horror and acceptance, all in one split second. He felt the touch clear down to the soles of his boots. Returned to life, only to find she was dying. It would have been as if nothing had happened to her, as if time hadn’t stopped for years. For the Reeka, this second would never have ended.

Involuntarily, he straightened.

Opening her mouth, she choked, and scarlet spilt down over those pink lips, turning her chin red. She fell forward, the gurgling sound of blood and air combined loud in the room.

It happened fast, everything blurring. The orange spiral of smoke struck, covering her face, forcing itself into her nostrils and mouth, filling her. Tendrils came from the open gash in her throat as she convulsed on the floor. Water and blood drenched the stone floor and the stench of blood and decay filled the air sickeningly.

Fredrico had seen sights enough to make a sane man scream and turn from the world of reality. This wasn’t the worse he’d seen, but he’d never seen anyone fight as much as the Reeka.

3. Whom do you consider your writing influences?

I don't know that anyone actually influences me, but I know that Laurel K Hamilton's books showed me to not fear to tread unknown territory!

4. Where are you from?

I live in West Australia - where it's dry and I can't remember what rain looks like!

5. How experienced are you as an author?

Ummm...I guess I have some experience. I have 18 novels, 2 novellas, a short story and some short stories in an anthology all published. My recent short story is Zombie Hospital ( a lot of fun - satire and horror, what's not to like? Plus Zombies rule!)

6. Is there anything else you would like your readers to know?

I'm currently working on my first contemporary romance, and having a lot of fun. It's on a subject many of us know, and I'm not just talking romance!

7. If I lived in an enormous mansion where you were welcome to stay, what would you want your guest room to be like?

Warm and cosy, with a big window, and room for my cats to come with me

Interview with Zvi Zacks

1. What is your release called and what is it about?

A VIRTUAL AFFAIR. Barbara is computer software that goes from sexual simulation to virtual messiah in 100,000 words. She thinks she knows what's best for humanity, but she isn't human. What if she's wrong?

2. Could you give me a short sample passage?

What an idea. He had come to cyberspace to have sex with a stranger. His real purpose was to test a program, but he thought of it as having sex. The executive board had wondered at his hesitation. Even his wife, Janice, had laughed at his reluctance. No one but him seemed to think it awkward.

3. Whom do you consider your writing influences?

Hard to say. Certainly, Asimov is my favorite writer.

4. Where are you from?

Philadelphia.

5. How experienced are you as an author?

I've been writing for years, but this is the first year I've had success in publishing novels - two already out, and a third on the way.

6. Is there anything else you would like your readers to know?

My stories, A VIRTUAL AFFAIR, and IMPLAC, are wonderful and worth buying at Amazon or B&N.

7. If I lived in an enormous mansion where you were welcome to stay, what would you want your guest room to be like?

Comfortable with good music, internet access, and facilities for my dogs.

Another Resurgence

I've revived my Twitter account: donayahaymond . Follow me if you wish. I'm adept at texting these days so it should work better (my last phone couldn't send texts).

Also, thanks to the encouragement of my biggest non-professional fan, Sam, I've restarted my first non-Laconia novel, Seasons Four Open the Door . I'm posting it chapter by chapter at the following locations:

http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2393577/7/Seasons_Four_Open_the_Door

http://fanstory.com/displaystory.jsp?id=417291

http://www.textnovel.com/story_detail.php?story_id=2091&_p=1

It's less than a quarter finished and it's already in excess of 25,000 words, so it's going to be one of my longer ones. I want to have something to offer other publishers while I wait for Eternal Press to get through all of Laconia, which will take the next few years. I would offer it to EP too, but I can only offer one novel at a time, and only three months after the previous one is published. That's to be fair to the people who didn't spend their high school years typing in the basement :D .

Here is a summary for the novel:

Jared finds that his mother's basement has been turned into an underground lake from a world where no one is surprised by anything. He saves a young woman who claims to be Spring. Meanwhile, Kira of the Temperate Zone finds that killing Summer, no matter how much he deserves it, has started opening portals between the realm of the Seasons and what they call Next Door.

Magical realism, urban fantasy, and dashes of both cyberpunk and steampunk.