Wednesday, November 1, 2017

It's here-- NaNoWriMo 2017

So it's that time of year again--caffeination, long hours, and frantic writing to get to your 50,000: NaNoWriMo!

So I wanted to share a little about my project for this year: This is actually a project I've been planning for a couple years now and am super excited to finally get to share it with everyone.


A Vampires Tale is going to be an eventual serial web series in episodic form about a modern day Vampire named Jared Everett as he goes about his life, just trying to make it in today's society.

About:

Jared Everett is just a vampire living in the 21st century and trying to make his way in a world where the humans aren't even as human as the monsters that walk among them. Along with his roommates--A nerdy werewolf, the ghost attached to the apartment trying to finish his thesis, and a demon who's a real lady's man-- and a spunky little girl who just wants to live a real childhood, Jared narrates this satire on society with a good dose of dark humor. 


Excerpt:

My name is Jared Everett and I am a vampire.

I guess I’ll start with saying that this is a project I’ve thought about for a while, writing down my, I guess you could almost call it autobiography, but it’s more like a journal really, of some of my trials living as a vampire in 21st century America. It’s really not glamorous like they show in all these stupid books and movies that everyone loves so much. It’s not even about feuding with werewolves and running from hunters. My best friend and roommate is a werewolf and I have never seen a legit hunter, and no fake ones outside of Halloween or nerdy horror conventions. We live nine to five lives just like the average human and try to stay under the radar as much as possible. Pretty much just normal. No glamour, mainly just boredom.

Let’s get a few things straight first because I’m sure you have some questions. First off, no, I do not sparkle like a disco ball, nor do I have cute hair and good fashion sense. My hair is always messy and I wear worn jeans and boots and usually a button-up and t-shirt or plain sweater. My skin is pale, yeah, put it doesn’t look like I covered myself in my six-year-old sister’s body glitter.

Fangs? They pop up when I need them, but I can smile in public without scaring old ladies and children.

Sunlight? I burn easily, I wear sunglasses when I’m outside and long sleeves since I don’t get hot or cold, kind of a perk of being undead, or whatever the kids are calling it these days. But no, I don’t burn to a crisp. SPF 100 is always a good call if nothing else.

Experienced? (aka ancient creeper in an 18-year-old’s body who still goes after girls his death-age) Nope, not unless you want to call the 90s ancient. I’m a baby vamp, only turned about ten years ago, still stuck in a 23-year old body, but that’s cool right? At least I beat acne before it happened.
Garlic? Delicious on pizza; only keeps me away if you breathe in my face.

Wooden stakes? Yes, those do actually work, as well as a machete to the neck. It’s a two-step process but don’t tell anyone that. Stoker was pretty darn accurate.

Coffin? No one sleeps in coffins but weird emo freaks. Dracula probably just liked to feel cozy. Or maybe he was just a Victorian goth.

Grave dirt? I don’t know about that one. I wasn’t buried, I never died—just un-died or whatever.
And for the question everyone probably wants to know: Do I drink blood? Yep, I am a vampire, that sort of defines my kind, but that doesn’t mean I also don’t enjoy a bacon cheeseburger or a slice of pie on occasion either. But, I have tried to go vegan.

And by vegan, I mean, I only eat vegans.

 What else do you think would possess me to work at a vegan cafĂ©?

Okay, so it might seem a little callous, but I have to eat too, and they are healthier for vampires even if they do taste like wheatgrass and soy. Studies (by obscure vampire scientists that only a few of us know about) have shown that by ‘going vegan’ as a vamp, you can sort of wean yourself off blood, not need it as much. As long as you supplement it with lots of red meat, which I was not at all unhappy about. Besides, I found a certain irony to it. They didn’t like to eat meat, yet I ate them. Joke’s on them. I mean, in reality, grass eaters are at the bottom of the food chain, right? If you don’t eat meat, you’re practically asking for it.

Unfortunately, no one in the universe could understand what I have to go through just to get a meal. Another reason I decided to write this down. I hope to enlighten the common reader about the underground supernatural world that exists that isn’t actually so underground after all, and isn’t just out to eat you or cause problems. Unless you’re a vegan, of course. We typically, just try to live lives like normal people.
~~~~~

If you want to be my Buddy on the NaNo site, you can find my profile HERE 

Friday, September 29, 2017

An Interview with Claire Banschbach!

Hey everyone! I'm super excited to be hosting a spot for a friend and fellow inide author today. Claire is republishing her fantasy series Rise of Aredor and I have an interview with her for you to read today. I haven't gotten to read this series of hers yet but it sounds amazing, and I am quite fond of her writing style from what I've read of it so far =)



The Rise of Aredor
Lost in a foreign land and separated from his family, Corin does his best to survive as a slave in the household of a Calorin lord. With newfound friends he fights for survival in ambushes and wars. For one act of bravery, he is awarded his freedom and returns to a home that has been invaded and ravaged by the Calorin armies. When Corin sets foot on Aredor's shores, he has one goal in mind: find his family. He is driven into the forest, where he is reunited with childhood friends. From the shelter of the woods, they begin a spirited rebellion against Corin's former cruel master, who now holds sway over Aredor. Follow Corin's path in his quest to free his imprisoned brother, find a father who has vanished, and ultimately free his country in The Rise of Aredor.






The Wildcat of Breaton
His term of service to Lord Rishdah now complete, Aiden returns to his home in Braeton. As he travels he hears rumors that trouble plagues Braeton. Clan Canich is being attacked from within. He arrives, determined to save his father, his brothers, and his Clan from the treachery of one man.

A year has passed since the Calorins were driven from Aredor and Corin is struggling to rebuild his country. Despite the peace, a fear haunts him that the Calorins aren’t far away. The Hawk Flight takes to the forest again to defend the borders against a possible attack from the neighboring country of Durna and its Calorin ally.

As Aiden and Corin struggle to adapt to their new lives they know one thing for certain - war is coming to the North! 





About the Author

Claire M. Banschbach is a native West Texan. She discovered a deep and abiding love for fantasy and science fiction at a young age, prompting her to begin exploring worlds armed only with an overactive imagination and a pen while obtaining degrees in Kinesiology from Texas A&M and Physical Therapy from Texas Tech University.
She talks to fictional characters more than she should while struggling to find time for all their stories. She currently resides in Arlington, TX where she works as a Pediatric Physical Therapist.
You can connect with her on Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Blog | Instagram



Interview


H:So, first off, what was your inspiration for Rise of Aredor? How did you come up with the idea for the series?

C: So, the original idea was brought on by a deep and abiding love for The Horse and His Boy and all things Narnia. Then I got the wild and crazy idea that I could make it my own with my own world and characters. You can still see the influence in some of the names. Originally it was just going to be The Rise of Aredor, but then my sister fell in love with Aiden/Emeth, and demanded he have his own story. I had a few ideas knocking around for another story and mashed them together for book 2.           

H: Awesome! So how do you best like to write? A special place, soundtrack music etc.

C: I don’t usually write at a table or desk – I will when I’m super distracted or it’s in a quiet place and I need to focus. But usually I’m on the couch, or recently on the floor, typing away. As far as music, I typically have my 20 hr inspirational soundtrack playlist going, but I’ve been known to switch it up to Disney, showtunes, or a truly random playlist with things like Celtic rock, oldies, Christian, and pop songs. Lol!

H: My playlists are quite varied as well ;-) What is your favorite part of the writing process?

C: I’d probably have to say the first draft actually. I know everyone moans and groans about how terrible it is, but as a plantser, it’s exciting to discover the world, the characters, even plot twists, as I write.

H: Most authors are inspired to write because of books they love to read. Are there any books in particular you have read or grown up with that gave you the writing bug?

I still love Brian Jacques’ Redwall series. I methodically devoured each year’s release growing up. They’re still the first thing that pop into my head whenever someone says fantasy/adventure, so I wanted to write stories along those lines. And Narnia really inspired the earliest and scariest beginnings of the idea for this series. So I have Lewis and Jacques to thank (blame?) for throwing me onto the writing path.

H: Brian Jacques was one of my inspirations as well! He made me write *better* stories haha. What do you feel is the most annoying part of the writing process?

C: I go back and forth on editing. Sometimes I enjoy it, typically when I have all the good ideas for rewrites. Otherwise it’s kind of a pain. lol!

H: Okay, so it’s hard to choose, but who is your favorite character in the Rise of Aredor series?

C: This is kind of a funny question. So obviously I have a really big soft spot for Corin and Aiden, the two main characters in the series. But I like to write short stories about side characters or events that are mentioned as having happened. One of those is about Liam, one of the outlaws in Corin’s band. He’s not in the books much, but after writing part of his back story, I really fell in love with him.

H: I like doing that too! I think side characters are much funner to write back stories for because you may not know as much about them as the main characters. Finally, care to share what you might be working on next?

C: My current big project is a N/A fantasy about brothers, outlaws, politics, and a fair amount of stabbing. :P Grad school put it on hold and I’m trying to finish it off before it finishes me. :P The next writing project is kind of up in the air. I have book 3 of my Faeries of Myrnius series to write, and several other really exciting ideas I’ve been itching to dive into for a while now, that include things like King Arthur, fairy tales, cyborgs, airships, motorcycles, spaceships, and epic sibling relationships.

H: That sounds awesome, because brothers, outlaws, and stabbing are things I enjoy very much :P And I totally didn't know I needed Arthurian Sci-Fi in my life either until now… I wish you luck on your endeavors! 


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Claire is also offering the first book in the series for .99 cents on Kindle during the tour so go and get a copy now!




Also don't forget to enter the giveaway for these awesome prizes! 










Also, Claire has written a special short story "A Taste of Freedom" for the blog tour. You can read it HERE on her blog