Supernatural Soul Mates

Today is a magical day. 
A SUPERNATURAL day... 
[posted at midnight on 13th Feb 2013]

It's Valentine's Eve... that special time of year when Hope & Appreciation for Love burns hardest and brightest in our hearts. It's time for us to pause and consider love in all its forms, not just for our soul mates, if we're lucky enough to have found them yet, but also for our dearest friends who fill our hearts and lives in ways that only *they* can.

You know who I mean...

For me, it's my husband, who is many thousands of miles away for the whole week on business, and yet still manages to be with me in spirit and make me feel special, even when I don't really deserve it.

It's also the day I pause to share a thought and a hug for my friends whose soul mates have already crossed the final threshold and are waiting for them on the other side. My heart aches for them.

But it's also the day when not even death or distance can keep us from feeling the most powerful emotion of all for our loved ones.

And it's the day I love to raise a glass to all those strive towards keeping love alive, against all odds.
They're the real heroes and heroines.

Please feel welcome to share in my toast;

To Lovers who've felt the Sting of Love and 
still Strive to Nurture it every day!

-by AA Bell, author of the multi-Award Winning Diamond Eyes Trilogy #SheSeesThruTime

Buy Now with Discounts from Amazon and Fishpond

Vampires Gone Wild Release Day!

The very first Supernatural Underground anthology, VAMPIRES GONE WILD, is on sale today! Published by Avon Impulse, the anthology features stories by Kerrelyn Sparks, Amanda Arista, Kim Falconer, and me. And, yep, they're about vampires.

My story, A Forever Love, is set in Vamp City, the world I created for my Vamp City series, which began with A BLOOD SEDUCTION, but stars a new couple--Lukas, a centuries-old vampire, and Elizabeth, a school teacher. Two years ago, Elizabeth's boyfriend, Lukas, disappeared from her life without a trace. Though they'd only dated eight months, she'd been head over heels in love with him and had thought he felt the same. She has no idea he's a vampire, no idea he's trapped in the dark vampire otherworld of Vamp City. When she accidentally stumbles into that world and finds him, she thinks everything she believed about Lukas was a lie. But Lukas has pined for the beauty who stole his heart. And now it will take every ounce of cunning he possesses to keep Elizabeth alive.

         The hoofbeats of another horse caught her attention.

         “Hold!” The voice, not the youth’s, called from a short distance. A voice that sounded wonderfully, achingly familiar, as if she’d conjured it up in this desperate moment.

         A tiny flare of hope had her head snapping up as the fourth horse and horseman approached, deep in the twilight shadows. All she could make out was a form big enough and broad-shouldered enough to be Lukas’s. As he drew closer, she could tell the hair was a little longer, in need of a haircut. Logic told her it wasn’t him, it couldn’t be. Her agitated mind was merely attempting to overlay his image on the male who approached, the image of a savior. A hero.

         It wasn’t Lukas.

         But as he drew closer and she finally saw the strong jaw and high cheekbones of the face that had haunted her for two years, her knees gave way.

         “Lukas,” she gasped.

         How was this possible?

         He was dressed in a black shirt and tan pants, the same as the other pair, two swords strapped to his back, their hilts rising from behind his shoulders like wings.

         The man she loved pulled his horse to a stop beside the male with the pierced face and stared at her with an expression she’d never seen, his mouth hard, his eyes at once cool as frost and angry as hell.

         Her heart began to shatter.

         “I’ve been searching for you, Elizabeth,” he snapped.

         Her eyes narrowed with confusion. “What? Here?”

         “No way,” the male as her back exclaimed, tightening his hold on her until she cried out with the pain shooting through her chest and shoulders. “You’re not claiming her, Lukas. She came in on the sunbeam, and don’t try to deny it—she’s got Starbucks. She didn’t get that in Vamp City.”

         “She was my slave in the real world,” Lukas said smoothly. Slave? “I expected her to find her way to me before this.”

         “She’s not your slave.”

         “She knows my name, doesn’t she?” His expression was so hard. Cold blue eyes pinned her. “Are you mine?”

         She stared at him, her heart thundering. Yes, she’d been his. The old Lukas’s. She did not know this man.

         “You left me.” The words came out unbidden, as raw as the pain in her heart.

         For a swift second, she thought she saw that pain mirrored in his eyes, but a moment later he stared at her once more through hard, blue crystals.

         “Are you mine?”

         “Yes!”

         “Yes, master,” he snapped.

         This was not the man she knew. Yet at the very first sight of him, her heart had begun, very slowly, to unfurl, to blossom, and it continued to do so. Her heart was an idiot.

         “I saw her first,” the pierced male grumbled. “I should at least get a taste of her.”

         Lukas swung down off of his horse far slower than the bearded man had, his movements deliberate, threatening. And she didn’t think the show was for her.

         “Release her.” Lukas’s gaze pinned the man at her back. “No one touches what is mine.”

         In the blink of an eye, the arm across her shoulders disappeared. In the blink of another, Lukas was beside her, his hand gripping her upper arm. Too fast. Either she was suffering some kind of head trauma or they were moving too damned fast.

          Her head felt suddenly full of helium and she began to sway. Lukas swept her up as if she weighed nothing, and she grabbed at her purse as it slipped off her shoulder. He strode to his horse, deposited her onto its back, and swung up behind her.

         As his arm slipped around her waist, as he pulled her back against the chest she’d once loved so much, she finally found herself in the one place she’d longed to be for two years. Once more in Lukas’s arms.

         But instead of the joyous reunion she’d imagined, she was shaking with shock. And fear. Lukas Olsson was not the man she’d thought he was.

         She wasn’t certain he was a man at all.

Short Stories are Hell

I was joking with a writer friend of mine (and there is a distinction between writer friends and other types of friends, trust me) about how the publishing world came up with short stories just to taunt novel writers. The two of us are epic story line people. We think in universes. It makes for interesting conversations.

But short stories aren’t about the universe; they are about moments within that universe. So writing a shorter piece for the Vampires Gone Wild anthology was a serious challenge for me (out Feb 12^th- shameless plug, I know). I’m a subscriber to Vogler’s Hero’s Journey, all twelve epic steps of it. I like finding a structure to figure out if I’m torturing the characters enough. I’m dark; we all know this.

The switch I had to flip in my head was that short stories still have that journey, but it is the work of a moment. Its boiling a crisis down to the actual thought the character has that takes them from man to hero, from woman to Amazon. There were SEVERAL guides online about the structure of a short story, so I frankensteined this structure from about three of them.

Setup- who is doing what where

Trigger- what is the choice going to be about

Surprise- hero learn interesting information

Choice- moment of choice

Testing the choice- does the hero doubt?

Resolution- what happens because of the choice

This is not the bible of short story writing, just something that helped me make sure that I was focusing on the choice within the story, the moment of change. With a structure, I could go forth and write about Valiance and Esme and both their choices that changed them.

So I proudly present to you the Setup of my contribution to Vampires Gone Wild.

*   *   * 

First Dates are Hell, Or How Valiance Got His Groove Back

            Valiance walked up behind the Prima lounging at her favorite table. Six. There were six ways he could attack her while her back was to the main entrance of the coffee shop.

            He looked around.  The space hummed, pulsed with life. Even under the coffee’s aroma and the espresso-soaked floors, he could smell the life of this place, the life of every person in here. His stomach growled.

            This was a test of some sort. His Prima was famous for them. Pushing everyone that extra step to make them better. Scheduling his monthly meeting here instead of in his own place of business was a test. Her directive to be unarmed was a test. And by the uncomfortable nakedness between his shoulder blades and the pressure of the others energy, he wasn’t going to pass this one.

            But he could at least teach her something. Make her better. 

            Finding the ebb and flow of the life around him, he moved toward her, in sync with the others in the café. Their heavy steps along the wooden floor covered his boots as he slid up behind her. He wasn’t going to ignore the irony of stalking a werepanther.

            Valiance slow knelt down and whispered in her ear, “You could be dead.”

            The tall woman jumped in her seat and turned around almost as fast as he could blink. Then she laughed as she smiled down at him. “You really shouldn’t stalk people like that, Val.”

            “You really shouldn’t sit with your back to the door.”

            Violet pointed to the amulet above the door. “Most powerful charm in existence. Nothing bad is getting through these doors, Val. You’re safe here.”

            He exhaled. Her faith was going to be her downfall, but he would fall with her for the faith she had put in him. “You still shouldn’t make a habit of it.”

            “Lesson learned, solider boy. Sit.”

            Valiance slid into the seat across from her, folding his hands on the table between them. From this vantage point, he could see everything in the shop. At least one of them should be on the offensive, no matter how protected the Prima thought she was. Better a thousand times safe than once dead. 

-------------------------------------
Amanda Arista
Author, Diaries of an Urban Panther
www.amandaarista.com

Happy Birthday "Pride & Prejudice": 200 Years Old This Week!

 .
Yes, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was first published on 28 January 1813, so Monday this week was it's 200th birthday — and still in print: outstanding huh?


I think most of us will have encountered the story in either book form or one of the very many film and television adaptations, and it can be argued that the romance between Darcy and Elizabeth forms the template for most Romance literature — the rich, handsome, but initially ill-mannered hero, and spirited but impetuous heroine who must go through several misunderstandings before realizing they are right for each other...  Plus, Colin Firth as Mr Darcy, Romance with a capital "R", no question of that!

Colin Firth's Mr Darcy

My own first encounter with Pride and Prejudice was when I was given my first, hand-me-down edition at around 9-10 years old. Obviously a great deal of the subtler elements of the story, the irony and social nuances of early 19th century society, were over my head, but I certainly "got" the basic plot: the duel of manners and wit between Darcy and Elizabeth. And I can still recall laughing out loud at Mr Collins' proposal to Elizabeth—even at 9-10 I fully appreciated the ridiculousness of the situation, both the proposal itself and the subsequent roles played by each of Elizabeth's parents.

Elizabeth Garvie's Elizabeth

I have since re-read the book many times, as well as watching all of the major dramatizations that have come out, and find I always get something new out of the story with each reading. Certainly, as I grew up I picked up on the ironic observation of human nature within the story, as well as the illustration of the very narrow range of choices available to women. To me, the ability of a book to reveal something new at each reading is magical writing — while all the original elements of the story: the romances of Darcy and Elizabeth, Jane and Mr Bingley, as well as the many layers of humor, continue to delight.

Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth

In terms of the dramatizations, I suspect you've already gathered that my favorite Mr Darcy is Colin Firth in the 1990's television adaptation. My favorite dramatization is the 1980 BBC/ABC production, with the story adapted for screen by Fay Weldon. (She did a great job!) I also love actress Elizabeth Garvie's interpretation of Elizabeth in that production, although Jennifer Ehle was also very good in the 1990's production.

But perhaps because I'm am author and a reader, at the end of the day I have to say it: great as all the dramatizations are, for me they still can't beat reading the book!

Halloween in January - Why not?

Giveaway - $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Gift Certificate
The winner was Sullivan. Thanks, everyone, for your comments.
 

C'mon, admit it - Halloween comes only once a year and you miss it already.

That's why you're here at Supernatural Underground - to get your fix of the spooky, the fantastical, and sometimes the icky. It's okay. I get it. I wrote a paranormal short story, "Deadline," with a Halloween theme. I'd like to share it with you. The fun part is that there are two endings to this story. You get to choose which one you like and let me know.

But first ...

Deliverance, the third book in the Mortal Path series, has won the 2012 USA Best Book Award for Fantasy, and I have to say I'm thrilled about it! I'd post a video of me doing my happy dance, but decided that might be too frightening even for a post about Halloween. :-)

Now about that story. Just click on the drippy Deadline below to read it. (Is that blood? Yes!) Then leave a comment mentioning your choice of Ending 1 or Ending 2 to enter the drawing for the giveaway of a $25 gift certificate to Amazon or Barnes and Noble, your choice. You need to do the Rafflecopter signup, because the winner will be selected only from those who do. Now that all those holiday bills are coming due, wouldn't you love to have a little mad money to spend on yourself? Get busy and enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Vampires Gone Wild!

Congratulations to Lisa of Maine for winning the signed copy of Eat Prey Love! Thank you all for the comments!  Please come back Feb. 25th for my next contest. And don't forget to grab Vampires Gone Wild on Feb. 12th!

Your friendly neighborhood vampires are scheduled to go wild on February 12! We're excited here at the Supernatural Underground, because Vampires Gone Wild is our first official SU anthology. I was delighted to participate with fellow undergrounders Pamela Palmer, Amanda Arista, and Kim Falconer.  We each contributed a novella. Mine is titled, "V is for Vampwoman," and stars that mysterious Russian vampire Mikhail as the hero. Who is VampWoman?  She wears spandex and a masked cape like Batman, and she fights evil. She doesn't think anyone will see past her clever disguise, but of course, our hero will!

For those of you who like your books in print, there will be a print version available about three weeks after the e-book releases. I'll be signing some print books at Katy Budget Books, so feel free to contact them if you would like me to sign a print book for you!

Today, I'm offering a signed copy of Eat Prey Love since Mikhail appears in that book and actually speaks!  He's normally a man of few words.  Mikhail is more a man of action, and when VampWoman appears, he definitely wants some action!  Just leave a comment for a chance to win the signed copy of Eat Prey Love. International entries welcome. And be sure to go wild with the vamps February 12th!  I can't wait to read the other novellas!

Celebrating with a friend

This is an exciting day for me because I get to spruik the debut book from one of my best friends, Donna Maree Hanson.

'Rayessa and the Space Pirates' is a YA SF romance published by Escape Publishing here in Australia but available world wide.

Rae is 16-years-old and she's lived the last few years along with just the mentally-damaged giant Gris for company. When Alwin Anton, an auditor from AllEarth Corp arrives, he not only stirs up Rae's life and reveals the truth of who she is, but he stirs things in Rae as well.

It's a rollicking good read - if you love your SF pulpy and fun, this is a great book for you.

I interviewed Donna - a strange thing to be doing to a good friend.

Tell us about Rayessa and the Space Pirates.


Rayessa and the Space Pirates is about 16 year old Rae Stroder, who has been living on derelict outpost inside a hollow asteroid. She’s been living with Gris, who is a bit brain damaged from the pirate attack that supposedly killed her father. They eat hard tack and beans mostly and their clothes are made from metal plating, insulation and the remains of other material.

Rayessa is a dreamer and spends her time watching vid movies, with fantastic plots and beautiful heroes and heroines. sort of like Bollywood in space. She hasn’t been to school as far as she can remember and she mostly reads checklists to get things done.

In comes Alwin Anton, super clean and smart auditor and her life turns upside down. He’s handsome for sure but he wants to take Rae back to Earth to be tried for embezzlement. Rae doesn’t even know what that word means. This is where the fun begins. Space pirates attack and Rae is off on an adventure that has more ups and downs that a roller coaster.

Who is your favourite pirate?

Gee that’s hard. I mean none of them are nice. Let me go check.(searches manuscript). I think one of the pirate woman is okay. Case, is her name. She has a twitchy face but does something nice for Rae. I also like coming up with their names. Space Pirates have weird handles like Cleaver the Curry Eater.

Who is your favourite SF heroine?

Ohh now you are ripping of the bandaid off. Tedra from Warrior’s Woman by Joanna Lindsay. OMG. Awesome book Awesome hero and Tedra takes no shit. (NICOLE - Donna and I share a mutual love of  his book).

Who is your favourite SF hero?

Aside from some of my own fictional heroes in my unpublished words, I’d say Challen from Warrior’s Woman. He’s a bit of a fantasy for me. All that warrior if you know what I mean. I have a few movie and tv ones too, but I’ll stick to Challen.

Why did you write this as YA?

I don’t think I did that intentionally. It was just how the story came out. I stuck my head into Rae’s world and that’s what I got. I don’t often write in first person either so it is her story truly in that respect. I hope people like it. It’s a fun adventure!

Here is a short excerpt from when Rae meets Alwin Anton for the first time.

‘Phew. That still smells strong.’ I sniffed and looked down. The smeared remains of an aging turd were hanging off my boot.

‘Crap. What next?’ I angled my foot and scrapped what I could off onto the verge grating. Time was running out. So I gave up trying to clean my boot and headed for the airlock to meet Alwin Anton, representative of AllEarth Corp, before he stumbled into something he shouldn’t, all the while repeating my father’s first rule, ‘Act Stupid’. I was doing a good job so far and I wasn’t even trying.

The hatch began to open and then halted with a grating crunch. Surprised, I looked up. The darn thing was frozen. With Mr Anton trapped on the other side, I rummaged through a service bin looking for the WD2040. After tossing bits of equipment casually over my shoulder, I put my hand on the aerosol can. I aimed and squeezed it into the frozen seal.

I was greeted by the shush of air when the two atmospheres interacted. My ears felt heavy for a moment while they adjusted to the change in pressure.

I looked up from examining my boot, nose still hitched in a sniff when Mr Anton hove into view. He was a head taller than me, with lightly-tanned skin. Athletic looking, his dark eyes glittered as they looked me up and down. With his short black hair, straight nose and white teeth, he’d pass for a movie star. If the expression on his face was anything to go by, he was surprised. He stared for a moment and then his face creased and he staggered backwards. ‘Good god. What is that stink?’ he blurted out in what the vids would call a private-school accent.

‘Sorry, slight malfunction,’ I replied with a nervous shrug. ‘We’re having it fixed right away. Now if you’ll follow me I’ll take you round to the control room.’

‘Who are you?’ He crossed the threshold.

I swung round and felt my face heat and my underarms itch with sweat. I didn’t have to act stupid in the way my Dad instructed, since it obviously came naturally. ‘Oh? Yes, sorry. I’m Rae Stroder. Captain Stroder’s daughter.’

‘And where is your…Captain?’ His dark eyes were narrowed under trim dark eyebrows. He seemed to be looking everywhere at once. ‘Avoiding me I suppose. They always do.’

***
Rayessa and the Space Pirates is available direct from the publisher and at all the major electronic bookstores.


Donna Maree Hanson is an Australian writer of fantasy, science fiction, horror, paranormal romance and romance. As well as over 20 short stories published in various genres, she had a small press publishing house, been an editor, slush reader and science fiction convention runner. She works for the Australian Government undertaking audits of other government departments and their programs. She lives in Queanbeyan, near Canberra, with her youngest son, her ginger tom cat and her partner.

If YOU were asked your favourite SF heroine/hero, who would it be? My heroine would probably be Princess Leia and hero - Captain Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly.