Another Unnatural Law Review

Hi lovelies. I forgot to post this review for Unnatural Law and wanted to take this opportunity to share it. You can read the review by visiting this link ---) A Book Vacation

Check Out My Latest Book Review

Yay! Thank you, Hannah! 

My Book Journey: REVIEW: DARWIN'S CHILDREN: Darwin's Children Author: Natasha Larry Series: Yes, #1 Publisher: Penumbra Publishing Release date: June 2011 Genre: YA Kindly given...

Casting Call for Darwin's Children: The Dey-Vah Guard and a Minor

Yay! It's that time again. What time? Time for me to keep picking my dream cast for the characters in Darwin's Children. As I disclaimed last week, I only do this for fun. =) Today I want to cast two members of the Dey-Vah Guard, actually, the only two  important ones.

This one was hard to do... 

Lucy of the Dey-Vah Guard. Okay, I only picked Megan Fox because she has that crazy look in her eyes and she's wearing red in this photo. =) Well, Lucy is nuts, and often wears red. Picture her with wings, and pointed ears. Yes? No?

Michael of the Dey-Vah Guard! I figure if Allison's going to be running around with a fairy, he better be really hot. ;) For the ladies.

Alright, those are the only two fairies important enough to cast. This week, as an added bonus, I want to cast another of my supers, Steven Fowler from Unnatural Law.

Steven Fowler! The adorable and geeky technopath. I've always loved Glee, and think Daniel Criss would be great.

Next week I will cast some more characters from Unnatural Law and maybe even a new character from the next installment, Common Descent. 

Check Out My Latest Interview and Giveaway

I was recently interviewed by the lovely Jaidis Shaw. You can read the interview Here at Juniper Grove. There is also a chance to win a copy of Darwin's Children and Unnatural Law!

Get Me Free Today!

What's better than Natasha Larry for free? Darwin's Children by Natasha Larry for free! Cheesy? Totally, but the book is still free in the Amazon store, and that happens to be awesome! Go download it =)

The Blurb!

Life can get pretty complicated for any seventeen-year-old girl, but for a home-schooled telepathic  girl trying to survive in a prestigious private school in small-town Jonesborough, Tennessee, it can be maddening - especially when her telepathic father keeps eavesdropping on her thoughts!

Jaycie Lerner's family isn't the usual mom-dad-kid setup. Jaycie's mom's MIA, but Allison, her personal live-in 'trainer,' is more than a mom, with her own special abilities, like being able to lift cars and run incredibly fast. And Jaycie's godfather John is more than persuasive - he can literally convince anyone to do anything.

As far as the rest of the world's concerned, Jaycie's on the outside looking in. The townsfolk love Jaycie's pediatrician father, but she doesn't fit in with 'normal' kids, and she doesn't really want to. Most of her free time is spent training to keep her telekinetic and telepathic powers under control. But there's one thing she can't control - and that's her feelings, especially when her best friend Matt is nearby. If only he knew what she was truly capable of...

Everything seems to be status quo for Jaycie until she receives a cryptic message from a stranger and meets a very unusual girl new to Jonesborough. Then all hell breaks loose!

What are others saying?

Natasha Larry is a funny and witty writer who knows exactly how to make her readers laugh out loud and also knows how to make a story so suspenseful that you're biting your nails as the pages turn. This book has the perfect balance of comedy and drama. We all know I love books with as many surprise and expected elements as possible, and Darwin's Children is one of those books! It's an amazing story filled with super powers, supernatural beings, humor, love, family, and plenty of drama- Carole from The Life of Fiction  

Where Can I Get It?
On Amazon Today for FREE 

 

The dangers of putting too much of yourself in a story

Hi all :) Taking a little break from editing to write this. Another busy week for me at work and lots of shoveling, winter sucks :( (at least here way up north in Newfoundland) but I digress. Tonight I thought I'd speak about a writing issue/subject I've thought on a fair bit lately, namely writing what you know and in particular putting yourself in your stories.

First though a message from our sponsors (namely me and Tasha): My book The Newfoundland Vampire will be on in April 2012 (still working hard on editing) and Tasha’s books (the second one I’ve read and highly recommend) are out now.

So when I started writing my book seriously about two years ago (I actually started it way back in 2002) I decided to base the main character, Joseph, largely on myself. I know it's been done but I couldn't resist. You're supposed to write what you know and what better do I know than myself? From the time I was thirteen I imagined what it would be like to be a vampire, so naturally when I wrote a vampire book the easiest way to write the main character was to imagine how he/me would act as a vampire.

I wrote the book initially as a sort of wish fullfillment/diary of what I had done in my life and how I imagined things could have turned out differently. The biggest problem with this idea (that I discovered much later on) is that like most people I don't have a very exciting life. So when you write a vampire's story and not much happens to him for the first 13 chapters or so, well it's not the most exciting read.

I see that now but for a long time I didn't. It's a strange phenomennon that when you write something so personal it feels good (I guess a little therapeutic even) but it takes the perspective of an objective reader to make you realize this does not make an engaging story. (Thanks Pat, I know you're reading this :-)

I became very personally invested in Joseph because so much of him was me that I lost objectivity, this was a mistake I can see now. I wish I had an exciting life like Hemmingway or William Shanter (give the guy credit, he's over 80 and still acting! :) or even Oscar Wilde.
("Picture of Dorian Gray" is amazing) but I'm not like those people (well maybe Shanter a little ;) and I had to make Joseph's adventures exciting and thus gave him some adventures I wish I had (and others I'd never want anyone to experience.)

But hopefully my life will get a little more exciting (I did have a car catch on fire last month) and in the meantime Joseph and my other vampire creations can be vicarious thrills for me and hopefully bring excitinment to those who read them. Until next time dear readers, I am . . .

Who wants to live forever? Vampire immortality

Well I'm a couple of days late but it's been a busy week. Of course I can't forget about my loyal fans :) So continuing to think about vampires and their powers I wanted to discuss one of their biggest, immortality/eternal youth.

First though a message from our sponsors (namely me and Tasha): My book The Newfoundland Vampire will be on in April 2012 (working hard now on editing) and Tasha’s books (the second one I’ve read and highly recommend) are out now. Tasha also recently said on Twitter she's working on a handbook and I've already started book 2 of mine, so expect lots from both of us in the future.

Live forever? HELL YEAH! At least that's my initial reaction. Most everyone has at least some fear of death and would love nothing else than to avoid it entirely but what lengths would you really go to for life eternal? Would you be able to drink blood from the living? Would you kill other vampires? Would you kill humans? Friends? Relatives?

In my book I give the vampires the traditional eternal life/youth power but not without it's price. Joseph, the main character, is turned into a vampire without his knoweldge or permission and while he does find great comfort in the notion that he will live forever, he comes to realize that his normal human life is quickly coming to an end. He learns that vampires don't always get along and that he has to fight to survive. More importantly to sustain his life he must drink the blood of the living and while he often settles for wildlife (or livestock) the temptation of the exquistite human blood gnaws at his resolve. Regret and the knowledge that you killed someone would never go away but you certainly find ways to cope with them, especially with superhuman abilities.

I think the worst part of immortality would be knowing that you will outlive everyone you know, they would get old and die and you would remain the same. Of course that leads to the other dilemma, who would you turn? Sure some friends and realtives would love you for it but what about if you significant other hated you for all eternity? What if you made an enemy that would hunt you down or torture you for all of time? Cassandra (the other main character in my book) faces a very similar situation to this.

Obviously there would be a best part to life eternal. Aside from the superficial fact that you would never have to look older, the incredible benefit of being to take as much time as you want to do anything would be immensely satisfying. Imagine taking 5, 10 even 20 years to write the perfect book (some writers actually do this, or at least try to ;) and knowing that you could master this formula forever. Or any skill/hobbby/past-time you could literally spend an eternity on. Imagine knowing that you coudl travel the world/universe and experience every important event in history from now until...

I think that ulimately if the blood list didn't change you than the longer you lived would make you immensely detached from soceity/human nature. Unless you had some kind of immortal partner it would become an incredibly lonely life. The thought of being with someone for hundreds or more years though would be the ultimate test of any relationship.

For me I still answer yes, it would be tough I'm sure but eternal life/youth is a price I'd pay. Now I just need to find a vampire...;-) Have a nice weekend everyone, I better get back to editing =)

Who can it be now? Vampires in disguise

Natasha Larry is enjoying my posts (Thanks Tasha!) and since I also have a few fans I'll keep doing them :) Today I'd like to talk about the idea of stolen idenities and dopplegangers (and of course vampires) but first these messages ;)

Shameless plug: My book The Newfoundland Vampire will be on in April 2012 and Tasha’s books (the second one I’ve read and highly recommend) are out now. Tasha also recently said on Twitter she completed book 3 and I'm working away on book 2 of mine, so expect lots from both of us in the future.

The idea of stolen idenity is not a new one. I first saw the film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" many years ago (scared the crap out of me then, still creepy now). For my novel I decided to twist the idea and give vampires the ability to change their apperance. Since vampires can also read minds (and for mine access your whole life when they drink your blood) they can easily impersonate someone they kill and take over their life.

As humans one of the things we value most is our uniqueness as the dominant creature on earth and the fact that we are different from anyone else. The idea of having your body, your mind and your life stolen is an inherently terrifying one. For me of course this leads to great dramatic possibilites in my book.

Once the reader knows vampires exist then the main character Joseph (who is basically me) wonders who in the world is a vampire? Celebrities? Historical figures? Politicans? World leaders? His best friend?

Even more disturbing could some of the most evil murderers still be alive and look like someone else? Who is really in charge of the world? Can he ever trust his own creator? Some of these questions are addressed in my book while others are left hanging for future volumes. While many people have experienced stolen credit card numbers and idenity theft (I've experienced the former and it is a real nusicance) the concept of your whole life stolen truly horrifies. Another person/vampire who could quite literally take your place in every way is the kind of thing I think about and the kind of dilemma Joseph must consider in my novel.

Until next week dear readers, keep a hold of your idenity, you never know who might be watching you ;)

My stake in Buffy: The Vampire Slayer Comics

Natasha Larry liked my first guest post so much (Thanks Tasha!) I've decided to do another :) I'll try to make this a weekly thing, though anything could come up (like I'm going to be in an amateur movie where I play a Star Fleet officer and help people speak Klingon :-).

Shameless plug: My book The Newfoundland Vampire will be on in April 2012 and Tasha’s books (the second one I’ve read and highly recommend) are out now.

Enough promotion though. So like lots of people I am a huge fan of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. It is one of the only things I liked Sarah Michelle Gellar in (aside from a couple of movies, I haven't seen the newer show she did) and one of Joss Whedon’s best (and most successful) TV shows. Also like most people I was sad to see it end and delighted when Joss began doing Buffy: Season 8 in comic book format.

I thought the concept of a teen-age/adult vampire slayer was a clever one and of course her having a thing for vampires is a great twist.

The neat thing about the comics is Joss (or whomever does the writing) can do anything they want. There’s no worry about getting the actors, money, special effects or any of the other traditional show/movie constraints.

To be honest I haven’t read all the comics, I only just finished Volume 4 but I think I’ve read enough to comment on them.

Volume 1: excellent story. Great to have the whole gang back, super-sized Dawn was a nice twist. Xander is funny as always.

Volume 2: Very interesting story. I always loved the Faith character, a flawed slayer who screwed up but still has the powers. Giles recruits her to do the kind of work Buffy won’t.

Volume 3: My favorite (so far). How can you not love Xander being buddies with Dracula? Even though the Count doesn’t have a soul he sure has style! (and unique powers). Like any vampire fan I've always been a huge fan of the Count (he's in my book in a rather unique way =) and I was happy to see that Buffy hadn't really killed him during the show. To top this volume off it off Dawn gets in a fight with a super-sized robot version of herself, in Japan! A hilarious tribute to the Godzilla movies and a treat for any Buffy/anime/Godzilla fan.

Volume 4: Very good story. I have always admired Joss’ ability to make up new languages for a story (he did a great job of this for an episode of “Dollhouse” and of course everyone in “Firefly” had a unique way of speaking.) The future slayer time bubble twist was cool and I liked how we all got to travel back with Buffy to her high school days in the final dream chapter.

I’ve heard rumors of this series getting crappy but it hasn’t happened yet. I’m along for the ride Joss, someday I’ll have to catch up with Angel and Firefly comics as well.

Talk to you all next week and feel free to check out my own blog where I do lots of movie/book reviews.

Vampires: they're good, they're bad and the fangy

Sorry I couldn’t resist, I know the title was a bad pun but it seemed funny to me. So Natasha Larry asked me to do a guest post (on vampires no less), so how could I say no? (Thanks Tasha! you rock)

For those who don’t know me my name is Charles O’Keefe. I’ve loved vampire fiction, movies and TV shows since I was about 13. Finally after three previously unsuccessful attempts I managed to write my first first vampire novel. It will be on in April 2012 but for now if you’re curious I have plenty of excerpts and other info here.

Enough promotion though. For me the fascination with vampires has always been their struggle between good and evil. (Obviously I don’t write them as simple soulless monsters.) Just because it is in your nature to drink blood and kill, does that mean you have to do it? Isn’t the point of free will that we all have choices and have to live with the consequences of our actions?

When I wrote “The Newfoundland Vampire” I approached vampires from the standpoint that if you suddenly found yourself a creature of the night, how would you cope with it? I don’t think most people would be able to abandon their morals and conscience, you would just have to find a way to cope with this sudden blood lust.

I think that a good person would find a way to drink blood without killing anyone and would hopefully learn to use his or her powers for good rather than evil. In particular for my character, Joseph, since as a human he was a vegetarian, he would only drink animal blood and not even kill an animal.

My author friend Natasha takes a somewhat similar approach in her book Unnatural Law (in which vampires do play a minor but still significant role). She makes a similar distinction that the move civilized and good vampires only drain psychic energy, while the more savage and brutal ones drain blood (and are called sanguine vampires, as in exsanguinate, clever huh? :-).

While in my book sometimes the lines are blurred and their are exceptions generally a vampire who drains a human (or an animal) of all blood with no feelings of remorse is more of a monster and has lost their humanity so to speak.

My point here is we are not defined by our physical nature (i.e. our genes or DNA) but by the choices we make. Granted we may be inclined to make a choice one way or another but ultimately what makes a person (or vampire) a monster is not what they are but what they do. Doing the right thing isn’t always easy and sometimes you may need to break a few fangs…er I mean rules in order to do it.

Book Review: Unnatural Law by: Natasha Larry

Check out my latest review for Unnatural Law by clicking on the following link: 


Book Review: Unnatural Law by: Natasha Larry

Happy Birthday K.C. Neal!

No one loves a Sagittarius quite like... another Sagittarius. That is one reason I adore K.C. Neal. I have decided that we were destined. I had no idea who she was as I wrote Darwin's Children and yet, I choose December 8th, off all days, for Jaycie Lerner... because K.C. was born on the same day.

When I found out we wrote in the same genre, I was convinced that Twitter only exists so that the two of us could meet. =) Let me talk about Pyxis to kick off this giveaway.

The book is frickin' awesome and 100% original in every aspect. I asked K.C. how she pulled this off and her reply was, "Well, I didn't think I could write a good twist on vampires or anything, so I figure I'd better start from scratch."

A very Sag thing to say =)

Corinne lives an average teenage life working at her dad’s cafe, hanging out with her best friend, and trying to forget a falling-out with her almost-boyfriend Mason. Things take a strange turn when she uses her late grandmother’s food dyes for a bake sale, and her customers suddenly find her irresistibly alluring. Then she discovers she and Mason are haunted by the same dreams of a dark force that consumes everything in its path. Pursued by shadowy figures and a crazy woman with with secrets from the past, Corinne must find out who her grandmother really was. In her quest to unravel her family’s history, she learns she is destined to protect this world--and the dark world of her dreams. Will she find the answers she seeks and fulfill her destiny before her nightmares break free?


  

Are you in YA heaven yet? 

 
 Seventeen-year-old Jaycie Lerner’s psychokinetic power surge is over, and her astounding powers are under control for the time being – sort of. As she struggles to maintain her humanity in the face of the awesome terror and responsibility of her abilities, she also yearns for the chance at a normal life – and a relationship with Matt Carter, the best friend she had to leave behind. But Matt’s got a few tricks up his sleeve, and he’s not about to give up on his feelings for Jaycie.

As Jaycie and her family grapple with the day-to-day routine of trying to keep their world together, Jaycie’s mother figure, Allison Young, endures a personal crisis of her own. The superhuman blonde possesses the physical equivalent of Jaycie’s awesome psychic power. So evolved, at ninety-two she still looks twenty. But what good is extended life when everyone else around her is so fragile? With no one to share her unusual life, she’s a uniquely lonely woman yearning for the romantic love she sees all around her. But in a dream she gets her wish – and it quickly turns to a nightmare for everyone else in her life. The memory of a rose is all she can hold onto in the storm of obsession that nearly sweeps her away.

Things quickly turn deadly for the vampires, but the Dey-Vah Guard fairies refuse to acknowledge there’s an imbalance in the nature they protect. As the danger gets ever closer to Jaycie and her family, the race is on to find answers before a secret plot can destroy them all.

Remember this is our birthday bash! Leave a comment. Have some cake. 

Visit K.C. Neal's Blog on December 11th-the day I was born by clicking here:
Author K.C. Neal's Blog 






Astrology Joke Time!

SAGITTARIUS: After Near Death Experience - Sag floats out of her body and has to laugh at the stupid way she bought the farm. After somehow BREAKING the tunnel of light, she absolutely refuses to return to the body, since she's been trying to get out of it for all these years (via clumsy accidents). Because Sag is immensely curious about whether the so-called organized religious have any validity at all, this stroke of luck leads to some amaaaaaazing lessons, until, alas, the astral folks tire of her and trick her into returning to Earth for the duration.

Sag Prayer: "OH ALMIGHTY, ALL KNOWING, ALL -LOVING, ALL -POWERFUL, OMNIPRESENT, EVERLASTING GOD, IF I'VE ASKED YOU ONCE, I'VE ASKED YOU A THOUSAND TIMES --- HELP ME STOP EXAGGERATING!!!!!!!!!!"


After Sex: Sagittarius: "Don't call me--I'll call you.

Get Ready for the Birthday Bash of Authors K.C. Neal and Natasha Larry

Tommorrow starts the birthday bash of Nala and Neal. What's up for grabs? Awesome things from Nala and Neal. Fun fact of the day. Jaycie Lerner and K.C. Neal were both born on December 8th-before I knew who she was.

I arrived 3 days later. This is why being ruled by Jupiter is awesome.

The only sign adored by all other signs in the zodiac. Why? Because even our lack of tact is logical. ;) We demand generously. We are honest with good humor. Did I mention our luck is contagious?

December 8th-K.C. Neal's Birthday-Giveaway Announcement and Pyxis Love HERE
December 11th-Natasha Larry's Birthday in K.C. Neal's Blog: Here

Words To Follow: BLOG TOUR : Unnatural Law (Darwin's Children book ...

Words To Follow: BLOG TOUR : Unnatural Law (Darwin's Children book ...: SUMMARY: Seventeen-year-old Jaycie Lerner’s psychokinetic power surge is over, and her astounding powers are under control for the time be...

Cover Reveal and Giveaway at My Neurotic Book Affair

Another one of my favorite book bloggers did me the honor of hosting my cover reveal and a giveaway to celebrate the release of Unnatural Law. What can you win? Both Darwin's Children and Unnatural Law PLUS a $25 dollar Harley Davidson gift-card. Why Harley? Well, because Jaycie and Mason Lerner are Hog enthusiasts of course! Visit the following links for details and to win!

My Neurotic Book Affair

Good luck and thank you Shari B!

Check out Jaycie Lerner's Blog and My Latest Review

Jaycie recently blogged at one of my personal favorite blogs: Belle Books!

In other news, check out the latest review for Darwin's Children: Words To Follow

TUESDAY TIPS AND TIDBITS - Coming Soon, Darwin's Children Book 2

COMING SOON!

Check out the cover and book summary for Natasha Larry's second book in the Darwin's Children young-adult paranormal series...

UNNATURAL LAW
Darwin's Children Book 2
by Natasha Larry
Young-Adult Paranormal

Seventeen-year-old Jaycie Lerner’s psychokinetic power surge is over, and her astounding powers are under control for the time being – sort of. As she struggles to maintain her humanity in the face of the awesome terror and responsibility of her abilities, she also yearns for the chance at a normal life – and a relationship with Matt Carter, the best friend she had to leave behind. But Matt’s got a few tricks up his sleeve, and he’s not about to give up on his feelings for Jaycie.

As Jaycie and her family grapple with the day-to-day routine of trying to keep their world together, Jaycie’s mother figure, Allison Young, endures a personal crisis of her own. The superhuman blonde possesses the physical equivalent of Jaycie’s awesome psychic power. So evolved, at ninety-two she still looks twenty. But what good is extended life when everyone else around her is so fragile? With no one to share her unusual life, she’s a uniquely lonely woman yearning for the romantic love she sees all around her. But in a dream she gets her wish – and it quickly turns to a nightmare for everyone else in her life. The memory of a rose is all she can hold onto in the storm of obsession that nearly sweeps her away.

Things quickly turn deadly for the vampires, but the Dey-Vah Guard fairies refuse to acknowledge there’s an imbalance in the nature they protect. As the danger gets ever closer to Jaycie and her family, the race is on to find answers before a secret plot can destroy them all.

High praise for DARWIN'S CHILDREN

Excerpts from reviews for Natasha Larry’s first novel in the series, Darwin’s Children...

“I completely fell in love with the storyline and the characters from page one! ... The characters are very well developed, at times I actually wished these characters could be real and they would adopt me into their family. You can feel the love and devotion the family have for each other through the pages. ... Overall, I loved this book! It captures so many different elements in it, family dynamics, love, romance, paranormal elements, science and genetic elements and learning to deal with your past and love who you are now!” –Belle Books Review

“...this book is amazing. There are some crazy twists and turns. I was seriously shocked at quite a few points in this book. I teared up and I was like, ‘holy snapples!’ There were some definite ‘oh my God’ moments, quite a few of them actually. I just can’t wait to read the next books that come out. I can’t wait to see Jaycie grow even more and see how her family deals with all the coming changes.” –Amber R., Awesome Sauce Book Club

“Darwin’s Children is a layered, smart and complicated story. I really enjoyed the intelligence that was undoubtedly at work writing this book. Darwin’s Children was a book thoroughly unlike anything I’ve read before. Sure, I’ve read books about humans with super abilities, but none with so much thought, creativity and explanation behind the abilities.” –Andrea, The Bookish Babes

“Darwin’s Children is a fun read about a new generation of superheroes.” –My Neurotic Book Affair

UNNATURAL LAW, Darwin's Children Book 2...

Available soon in ebook and print!

Darwin's Children Giveaway

 A giveaway for two signed copies of Darwin's Children ends on 10-15. Visit the Link.

I Am a Reader, Not a Writer

Check out my Interview on Romance Radio

Check out my very first podcast interview with the charming Desmond Haas on Romance Radio Network. You're welcome ;)

What My First Draft Looks Like

Given that my debut young adult/paranormal novel: Darwin's Children has recently been released, I thought I might blog a little bit about my writing process and what my first draft looks like. For some reason, when I write I can't do it at the computer...and most of the time I need colorful sharpie markers...

Don't ask because I have no idea either.

This is my favorite journal and houses a few scenes in the third novel of Darwin's Children

This inside of the journal shown above and some horrid handwriting

A few of my journals The top green one is where I keep my character details such as physical descriptions and birth dates. Oh yes, and I love Batman. 

The journal I started the third book of Darwin's Children in. I love that color marker. 

See all the scribbles? This is from the second book in the series...the scribbles are code for "that just doesn't work."

Yes, I know. I put the "rough" in rough draft, but I've found when something works for you, go with it. I encourage you to do the same, no matter how ridiculous it is. Now I have this to show for it:

Available now in e-book at Amazon, Barnes and Nobel and Smash Words.