Category: Historical

More First Lines of Novels, Our M/M Fiction First Line Quiz and This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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More First Lines of Novels,  Plus Our First Line M/M  Novels Quiz!

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People tend to disagree over what are the most favorite/best loved lines in literature, especially when compiling lists.  When scanning over a number of the Top Ten, the same lines and books appear over and over, but after that? It can get lively.

Sometimes the lists can surprise you, baffle you and delight you.  Here are some of the first lines I found on lists that dismayed, baffled and delighted the heck out of me, and yes, that one huge thing is one sentence.  Read it and weep for whatever emotion takes you and consider if they did their job…made you want to read the book.

What line dismayed me?   This first line found on multiple lists, which I still find dismal. Up to me, this book would have remained unread, even by that year’s standards.

“I was born in the Year 1632, in the City of York, of a good Family, tho’ not of that Country, my Father being a Foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull; He got a good Estate by Merchandise, and leaving off his Trade, lived afterward at York, from whence he had married my Mother, whose Relations were named Robinson, a very good Family in that Country, and from whom I was called Robinson Kreutznaer; but by the usual Corruption of Words in England, we are now called, nay we call our selves, and write our Name Crusoe, and so my Companions always call’d me.” Robinson Crusoe (1719), Daniel Defoe

What baffled me? This one sentence, yes, one line opener.

“Once upon a time two or three weeks ago, a rather stubborn and determined middle-aged man decided to record for posterity, exactly as it happened, word by word and step by step, the story of another man for indeed what is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal, a somewhat paranoiac fellow unmarried, unattached, and quite irresponsible, who had decided to lock himself in a room a furnished room with a private bath, cooking facilities, a bed, a table, and at least one chair, in New York City, for a year 365 days to be precise, to write the story of another person—a shy young man about of 19 years old—who, after the war the Second World War, had come to America the land of opportunities from France under the sponsorship of his uncle—a journalist, fluent in five languages—who himself had come to America from Europe Poland it seems, though this was not clearly established sometime during the war after a series of rather gruesome adventures, and who, at the end of the war, wrote to the father his cousin by marriage of the young man whom he considered as a nephew, curious to know if he the father and his family had survived the German occupation, and indeed was deeply saddened to learn, in a letter from the young man—a long and touching letter written in English, not by the young man, however, who did not know a damn word of English, but by a good friend of his who had studied English in school—that his parents both his father and mother and his two sisters one older and the other younger than he had been deported they were Jewish to a German concentration camp Auschwitz probably and never returned, no doubt having been exterminated deliberately X * X * X * X, and that, therefore, the young man who was now an orphan, a displaced person, who, during the war, had managed to escape deportation by working very hard on a farm in Southern France, would be happy and grateful to be given the opportunity to come to America that great country he had heard so much about and yet knew so little about to start a new life, possibly go to school, learn a trade, and become a good, loyal citizen.”  — Raymond Federman, Double or Nothing, 1971

What delighted me? That I found these opening lines on a couple of lists.

“Where’s Papa going with that axe?” said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast. (E.B. White,Charlotte’s Web)

“When the car stopped rolling, Parker kicked out the windshield and crawled through onto the wrinkled hood, Glock first.” –Donald E. Westlake writing as Richard Stark, Backflash

The drought had lasted now for ten million years, and the reign of the terrible lizards had long since ended. –Arthur C. Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey

“Nobody ever walked across the bridge, not on a night like this.” –Mickey Spillane, One Lonely Night.

This little hunt so entertained me that I decided to compile a list of my own, with help from the rest of the reviewers here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.

We started to look for the first lines from some very popular M/M Romance/Fiction stories and we came up with what is sure to be the first of at least 3  Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words M/M Romance First Line Quizzes!

Look for the answers in next week’s Sunday’s post . How many, if any,do you think you will recognize?

 Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words M/M Romance First Line Quiz

In what m/m romance fiction books do these first lines appear?

  1.  “This is the way my world ends.”
  2. “Once upon a time…that’s how the old stories always begin.”
  3. “It was pouring when I walked outside to use the pay phone.”
  4. “He was on his third beer of the evening when he thought he heard a noise in the backyard.”
  5. “His elegantly decorated hospital room looked regal and stately, much like the man lying in the bed in the center of the room.”
  6. “I don’t disagree with you Mother, Clarissa is a very beautiful woman. “
  7. “I wish to buy a boy,” the stranger said.”
  8. “I would say that I never let harm come to him, but in this world harm comes to us all. “
  9. “At eight in the evening on a Friday, Roosevelt High School was dark and abandoned.”
  10. “The whole thing started because of Lizzy’s Jeep.”
  11. “Dad, I’m gay.”
  12. “This is not a coming-out story.”
  13. “He wore the navy suit because it was her favorite, the light blue shirt because when he looked down at his cuff, the slender line of color made him remember her eyes.”
  14. “The smell of cheap motel rooms was comforting to him, like his oldest, rattiest T-shirt.”

 

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This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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Sunday, October 4:

  • More First Lines of Novels, Our M/M Fiction First Line Quiz and This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, October 5:

  • Cover reveal for J. Johanis ‘Dream Gods’ (cover reveal and contest)
  • EE Montgomery ‘Just The Way You Are’ Keep Me In Mind Tour and Giveaway
  • Coffee Sip and Book Break:  Small Wonders by Courtney Lux (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A Stella Review: Blueberry Boys by Vanessa North
  • A Mika Review: Signs of Life by Melanie Hansen

Tuesday, October 6:

  • Book Spotlight: Dragon’s Eye by Lexi Ander (excerpt and giveaway)
  • Author Spotlight Special: Sloan Johnson  “Triple Play”-rescheduled for Oct 2oth
  • Coffee Sip and Book Break:  Roping Him In by Jena Wade (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A Free Dreamer Review: Strength To Let Go by Alina Popescu
  • A Barb, A Zany Old Lady Audio Review: Pura Vida by Sara Alva ~ Audiobook narrated by Joseph Northton

Wednesday, October 7:

  • Kate Pearce’s Tribute Series Returns with the Retribution Tour and Contest
  • Valerie Brundage ‘Another Creature’ book blast and contest
  • Coffee Sip and Book Break with Missy Welsh – Take Your Pick (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A Stella Review: Base Instinct by Larissa Ione
  • A PaulB review: Shades of Power by Beany Sparks

Thursday, October 8:

  • Grein Murray ‘Keeping Joshua’ book blast and giveaway
  • In the Book Spotlight: Purpose by Andrew Q Gordon (excerpt and contest)
  • A Jeri Review: Let The Wrong Light In by Avon Gale
  • A Free Dreamer Review: First Contact by Alex Gabriel
  • A Mika Review: Redeeming Hope by Shell Taylor

Friday, October 9:

  • Riptide Publishing’s 4th Anniversary Celebration Tour and Contest
  • Coffee Sip and Book Break with P.D. Singer ‘Otter Chaos’ (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A BJ Review: Winter: Haunted Heart #1 by Josh Lanyon
  • A Free Dreamer Review: To Catch A Threeve by Alexis Duran
  • A MelanieM Review: Where the Grass is Greener (Seeds of Tyrone #2) by Debbie McGowan and Raine O’Tierney

YA Saturday, October 10:

  • An Aurora YA Review: Mad About the Hatter by Dakota Chase

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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Has the Answers You Want Next Sunday!

In the Meantime, grab up those old favorites, check out those first lines!  Can’t find the ones above? Ok, how about the ones you don’t need but find that are pretty cool? While you’re at it, write those down and submit them here to us at melaniem54@msn.com to use for our next quizzes.  You’ll never know when a  prize will pop up and you will have a least one line in the “know”.

A Wynter Review: Kaminishi (Bittersweet Dreams) by Jan Suzukawa

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Kaminishi coverCollege student Michael Holden wakes up in an impossible reality: mid-nineteenth century Japan, face to face with Shinjaro Kaminishi, a living, breathing samurai warlord Michael has seen in a dream. Imprisoned by the warlord and interrogated about the future, Michael has no idea if what he’s experiencing is real… and then he finds himself back in present-day America.

Shinjaro’s commanding presence and smoldering sexuality draw Michael again and again to the past, where dangerous information is revealed and Shinjaro’s life is threatened. Through the mists of time and in the reality of modern Japan, Michael searches for the truth—and for the man who now owns his heart—Shinjaro Kaminishi.

It is a rare thing, coming across stories that blended the East and the West, even more so when stories take place in the past during a time period where such things weren’t ever heard of. So when I came across Kaminishi and its blurb, I was fascinated. Modern day America crossing with Samurai Japan. Two worlds with ideals as far apart from one another as it could be. I was interested in how the author handled the historical elements in her story and the conflict that was sure to come about.

The story had a great start. The premise was familiar – time travel. Suzukawa did a good job describing the mannerisms of her characters in such a way that I could hear the characters’ voices differently for each one, and I found myself liking our two MCs – Michael Holden and Shinjirō Kaminishi from the get-go. After chapter five, however, the journey started feeling long despite the history being enlightening. I think it was great that the author included as much of her research into her novel as she did and tried to show through Michael just how much of a culture-and-time-period-shock any one of us would experience if we were to find ourselves in Michael’s shoes. However, one of the hardest things about writing history or working within it was preventing it from becoming as dry as a history textbook. This wasn’t quite there, but it ventured pretty close in some parts.

This story made me think of the setting in The Last Samurai (movie edition), and straight from the introduction of Shinjirō, I read his character with the voice of Ken Watanabe, which just sent all manners of thrills for me through the intimate parts, I might add. The differences lie in that The Last Samurai takes place during the Meiji Period whereas this novel takes place during the Edo Period (with 20 years between them during which the Bakumatsu took place for about 15 of those years).

As I mentioned before, the story did drag through some parts, but it was also easy to follow and guess where the author was taking it. The context of the story, if one understood the history and how the way of the samurai operated, prevented this story from having a Happily-Ever-After (HEA) or a Happily-For-Now (HFN) ending. At least, that was my expectations as I read along.

I hadn’t realized that this novel came with 2 books, silly me. There wasn’t a table of contents, and the author never actually used any version of “the end” to tell where the story may have ended. So when I came upon the last page of Book 1, I thought the story was over, and that “final” chapter left me intrigued. I read there was supposed to be a sequel to this novel, and I figured Jan Suzukawa was going to write the journey of our characters finding each other in that book with the hope that there may be a happy ending there.

It made me think “Book 2” of the novel was an excerpt for the next novel. So when I realized there were a few more chapters to the story, I finished reading it and walked away with the feeling of disappointment. Book 2 stripped that sense of intrigue and build up I finally got at the final chapter of Book 1. It covered too much all at once, but it did give the men a happy ending of sorts.

I feel that Book 2 had the potential to be its own novel, and a very good one at that.

Some will love the story. Others will not. Whichever is the case, I think the story is worth reading. Despite some shortfalls, it managed to keep my attention though many parts. I do feel it necessary to inform readers that there are dark parts to this story involving suicide and beheading as per the custom of a time period, as well as an event that involved rape.

Give it a chance. Pick it up. It’s a stand alone if you don’t like it and choose not to continue.

The cover art was illustrated by Anne Cain (annecain.art@gmail.com). I think the simplicity in it and drawing it to resemble Japanese manga/Japanese art actually caught my attention faster than a more modern approach.

Personally, I think having a reference to how the characters looks like right there on the cover makes the book even more intriguing from the start. A samurai in the background paired with a modern looking man.

It seems to beg the question, “What’s their story?”

Sales Links:  DSP Publications | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

  • Author: Jan Suzukawa
  • Length: paperback, 270 pages
  • Language: English
  • Series: Bittersweet Dreams
  • Published: 1st edition published by Dreamspinner Press, 2011; 2nd edition September 2015
  • ISBN-13: 9781615818501
  • Digital ISBN: 978-1-63476-111-6
  • ISBN: 1615818502

A Free Dreamer Review: Such a Dance by Kate McMurray

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

When a vaudeville dancer meets a sexy mobster in a speakeasy for men, the sparks fly, the gin flows, the jazz sizzles—and the heat is on…

New York City, 1927.

Such a Dance coverEddie Cotton is a talented song-and-dance man with a sassy sidekick, a crowd-pleasing act, and a promising future on Broadway. What he doesn’t have is someone to love. Being gay in an era of prohibition and police raids, Eddie doesn’t have many opportunities to meet men like himself—until he discovers a hot new jazz club for gentlemen of a certain bent…and sets eyes on the most seductive, and dangerous, man he’s ever seen.

Lane Carillo is a handsome young Sicilian who looks like Valentino—and works for the Mob. He’s never hidden his sexuality from his boss, which is why he was chosen to run a private night club for men. When Lane spots Eddie at the bar, it’s lust at first sight. Soon, the unlikely pair are falling hard and fast—in love. But when their whirlwind romance starts raising eyebrows all across town, Lane and Eddie have to decide if their relationship is doomed…or something special worth fighting for.

Meet Eddie, a Broadway starlet in 1927, NYC. He’s gay and fine with it, but if the truth about his sexuality ever got out, his career would be over. Because you just aren’t openly gay in this day and age. Sure, it’s an open secret that many of the men working in the theatres on Broadway are gay, but actually knowing that a somewhat famous man like Eddie is queer would be something else. But Eddie is fine with that. After all, queer men don’t fall in love, right? So when the mood strikes him, he buys some company for the night and goes back to his normal life the next day.

Lane is a mobster and gets bullied into running a speakeasy for queer men. His boss believes he’s the man for the job because of his peculiar tastes. Just like Eddie, Lane prefers men, but unlike Eddie, he knows that queer men can and do fall in love. First, Lane isn’t too fond of having to run a speakeasy. But then he decides to make the best of it and create a safe haven for men like him, which easier said than done. Being queer is illegal and serving alcohol is as well. In order to remain in business and out of jail, he regularly bribes the police officer who seems to have taken a special interest in this particular speakeasy.

When Eddie and Lane meet in Lane’s speakeasy, there’s an instant spark of attraction. But how can there ever be more than that, when Eddie’s so convinced love between queer men doesn’t exist and being seen anywhere near the speakeasy is a very real threat to his career? Because Eddie is married to his career and loves his show. And when Lane faces trouble with his suppliers and the officer keeps asking for more and more money, the clock starts ticking.

“Such a Dance” is definitely very unique. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a book with a similar setting and I’ve most definitely never read anything like it. I was hooked from the very beginning.

I loved reading about Eddie’s work. He lives to perform. It’s a little sad to watch how lonely he is in the beginning, even if he keeps telling himself that his career is the only thing that matters and that he can’t fall in love anyway.

Lane was also quite intriguing. He has such a sad past and it’s inspiring how he gets over it and falls for Eddie. I liked that he wasn’t completely callous about his work in the mafia but at the same time wasn’t all broken over it either.

The setting of the speakeasy felt very real to me. It was like I was on the dance floor with Eddie, showing the men how to do Charleston. Or sitting with Lane and watching Eddie dance. I could practically hear the jazz, smell the cigarette smoke and taste the gin.

The tone was very realistic. There was no magic pocket of firmly tolerant people surrounding Eddie and Lane so they could live happily despite everything. No, they had to face homophobia and were slightly racist themselves. They weren’t extremely racist, but there was the occasional casual remark that just fit with the opinion of black people back then. Like when Lane talks about a black musician and says that the man is good, “even though he’s a negro.” That’s just how people back then were and more often than not, historical novels tend to gloss that part over, making only the antagonists racist and intolerant.

There was plenty of plot outside the romance, which is something I highly appreciate. We get to see Eddie perform and read about Lane’s trouble with running the speakeasy. We also get to read about the difficulties they face eventually, because obviously they can’t live like this forever. This could’ve easily turned into an extremely angsty read, but it didn’t. Sure, there are some dark elements, but the author doesn’t focus on those. There is homophobia, but it’s not the main theme. Both protagonists have had their fair share of trouble in the past, but again the author doesn’t focus on that. Instead, the plot focuses on the here and now, on the happy parts as well as the darker parts. It’s perfectly balanced.

Still, sometimes it kind of missed a certain something. I can’t even say what it was exactly, but the book somehow missed some spark to make it not just really good, but absolutely amazing. That’s why I decided to give this “only” 4.5 stars, and not the full 5.

Overall, “Such a Dance” is a very unique, realistic historical novel that I enjoyed very much. The setting is extremely well done, there’s plenty of plot outside the romance and the characters are very interesting. I really enjoyed this novel, even if I felt there was a bit of a spark missing at times. I’m definitely going to read more by this author and would love to read more about this time period, which previously didn’t interest me at all.

Cover Art: I have a kind of love-hate relationship with the cover by Ellen B. Wright. When I first looked at it, I thought it was kind of ugly and rather generic. Then I read the book, looked at it again and suddenly realized that this is Eddie, right out of a scene from the book. So now I actually think it’s great, even if it’s still kind of ugly.

Sales Links:  Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details: ebook, 320 pages
Expected publication: October 27th 2015 by Lyrical Press
ISBN:  9781616507992

What are you all reading now – part I- and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

What are you all reading now?

I was over at J Scott Coatsworth’s Queer Sci Fi Facebook group (if you love fantasy, science fiction, the discussions held there will blow you away).  Any how, that day authors of  some gay graphic novels were there talking about their latest couples and releases.  I thought the pictures and storylines were hot, hot, hot.

Now I love anime’, cut my teeth on comic books and early graphic novels.  Found Yaoi, never looked further, which was a mistake.   So I took a quick “run” around the web and found some pretty neat LGBTQIA graphic comics out there. ALEX WOOLFSON and ADAM DEKRAKER: Queer Sci Fi ran interview/chat with the creators of The Young Protectors as part of their wonderful Graphic Novel Week.  That started August 25.  Check out the entire week’s contributions when you have the time.  But that made me wonder?

Do you all read graphic comics?  If so, which ones? Which authors? I’ve included a small poll to see how much we  read and follow graphic novels.  Please feel free to chime in with your comments as well.  Thanks.

Now on to this week’s schedule after the poll.

 

 

This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, September 20:

  • KC Wells ‘First’ book blast and contest
  • What Are You All Reading and This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, September 21:

  • Enter the Dystopian World of Bane by Amelia C. Gormley (Riptide Tour and contest)
  • Beany Sparks ‘Shades of Power’, book blast and giveaway
  • Coffee Sip and Book Break with Lisa & TJ Oliver’s ‘Uncaged’ (excerpt and contest)
  • A BJ Review: The Complications of T (The Actor’s Circle #1) by Bey Deckard
  • A Free Dreamer Review: The Demon You Know by Barbara Elsborg

Tuesday, September 22:

  • In the Spotlight: Draven St. James ‘Lost in the Fire’ (excerpt and giveaway)
  • Special Cheryl Headford Guest Post with Character Interview (giveaway and excerpt)
  • A Barb The Zany Old Lady Review: Fit To Be Tied by Mary Calmes
  • A Mika Review: Unbreak Broken by J.K. Hogan
  • A PaulB Review: Not A Line of Bull by Charlie Richards

Wednesday, September 23:

  • Whistlestop Book Blast for Alyssa Astra ‘Fiery’ (excerpt and giveaway)
  • In the Book Spotlight: Chris McHart ‘Small Steps’ (excerpt and contest)
  • Its Hot, Its Sexy, Its the Manchester Ménage Collection with Nicole Colville ‘Discovering Dalton’ (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A Barb The Zany Old Lady Review: Other Side of the Line by Marguerite Labbe
  • A PaulB review: Kissed by Nemesis by Andi Anderson
  • A Free Dreamer Review: Such a Dance by Kate McMurray

Thursday, September 24:

  • Coffee Sip and Book Break: Fai Marie Dawson ‘Please Understand’ (excerpt and giveaway)
  • Time to Heat Things up with H.C. Brown ‘Stalked’ (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A Stella Audiobook Review: Going Up by Amy Lane (Audiobook)
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Empty Nests (Nested Hearts #1) by Ada Maria Soto
  • A MelanieM Review: Tequila Mockingbird (Sinners #3) by Rhys Ford

Friday, September 25:

  • Its Release Day for RJ Scott’s Texas 7 (contest)
  • Coffee Sip and Book Break: Theresa Hissong’s It Takes Two Tour (excerpt and giveaway)
  • A Jeri Review: Beautiful Thunder by Louise Lyons
  • A MelanieM Review: Sloe Ride (Sinners, #4) by Rhys Ford
  • A Stella Review: ACID by Wulf Francu Godluck

Saturday, September 26:

A MelanieM Review: Texas Wedding (Texas #7) by RJ Scott

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Mika Review: Dangerous Spirits (Spirits #2) by Jordan L. Hawk

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Book 2 in the Spirits Series
Previous Book: Restless Spirits

Dangerous Sprits coverAfter the events of Reyhome Castle, Henry Strauss expected the Psychical Society to embrace his application of science to the study of hauntings. Instead, the society humiliates and blacklists him. His confidence shaken, he can’t bring himself to admit the truth to his lover, the handsome medium Vincent Night.

Vincent’s new life in Baltimore with Henry is disrupted when a friend from the past asks for help with a haunting. In the remote town of Devil’s Walk, old ties and new lies threaten to tear the lovers apart, if a fiery spirit bent on vengeance doesn’t put an end to them first.

Classic Jordan L. Hawk, amazing characters, plot and ending. She has shown us different races, ethnicities, and genders in this series. I love how they all come together; it’s definitely why she is one of my favorites. This is a really good continuation from book one. We start off 6 months after the tragic incidents at Reyhome Castle. Henry and Vincent have managed to combine their businesses and have a store in Baltimore. They are going strong with their work and Jo & Lizzie aren’t far behind. Henry and Vincent each think they are doing well, but doubts come out throughout the story.

Poor Henry and his good guy ways, he’s ashamed when they don’t get a grant. Instead of being forthcoming, he decides to take a little white lie that somehow blossoms into something huge. Their relationship is a sore point for Vincent. Internally he is dealing with acceptance and abandonment issues. Henry is internally thinking he’s not good enough. Argh!!!! I just wanted them to talk to each other. Goodness gracious even in the 1800’s men were stubborn. We are introduced to some new characters, who right off back I don’t think they are sincere in their reasons.

The group heads to Pennsylvania to deal with the burning lady. I loved this ghost story. As usual her plots are wonderful, exciting, and pulls you in like we are riding along with the group. Another amazing story from one of my favorite authors. I’ll continue to read anything by this author.

Cover Art by Jordan L. Hawk, Another great cover. I love this portrait of Henry; I’m crossing my fingers that the next one will show Vincent or a group with Jo and Lizzie. I love these covers, really beautifully done.

Sales Links:   All Romance (ARe)  | Amazon | Buy It Here
Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 157 pages
Expected publication: September 15th 2015 by Widdershins Press LLC
ASINB01255T684
edition languageEnglish
seriesSpirits #2
Books in the Series:
Restless Spirits (Spirits, #1)
Dangerous Spirits (Spirits #2)
Dangerous Sprits cover Restless Spirits cover

Author and Book Spotlight: Jordan L. Hawk and her latest release, Dangerous Spirits (Spirits #2) (author interview and giveaway)

Dangerous Sprits cover

Dangerous Spirits (Spirits #2)
by Jordan L. Hawk

Cover art by Jordan L. Hawk

Sales Links:  All Romance (ARe) | Amazon  |  Amazon UK | Smashwords | Nook  |  iTunes

I’m happy to welcome Jordan L. Hawk here to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words to talk a little about her latest release, Dangerous Spirits, her writing process and the paranormal world. Welcome, Jordan!

. Good morning! I hope you all had a great weekend. This is just a quick note to let you know my latest novel, Dangerous Spirits, hits the virtual shelves today.

I can’t wait to share it with you. I think it contains one of the creepiest scenes I’ve ever written, although that might just be because I based it on a childhood fear. But don’t worry, between the scares there’s still plenty of romance and drama with Henry and Vincent! Can these two opposites forge a relationship that works for the long term, or will the heat that flared between them at Reyhome Castle burn out?

And yes, before you ask, Jo and Lizzie are both along for the ride once again. 😉

Dangerous Spirits Coming Sept 15

My Interview with Jordan L. Hawk

  • I love the name Dangerous Spirits. Where do you get your inspiration for your titles and even your characters?

Thanks! I try to keep the titles in a series linked somehow if I can. So all the SPECTR books are called “___er of ____” all the Whyborne & Griffin titles are a single word that usually (but not always) refers to the location where the action is taking place, and all the Spirits books will have the word “Spirits” in the title.

As for characters, I usually have a vague idea who one of the MCs might be, then ask myself who would be his opposite on the surface. So with Spirits, I wanted one of the characters to be a medium who was a bit decadent, into fashion and art and the like, witty and confident. So I figured his apparent opposite would be more into the physical world and science, rather on the stuffy side, and more insecure. Voila, Vincent and Henry.

  • Are your stories long in coming together or can they sometimes just spring to life in a burst of creativity that you fill in with details later?

It’s a bit easier in an established world, but some stories just come together more easily than others. The SPECTR books pretty much go from outline to finished first draft without a lot of rewriting and frustration. Whyborne & Griffin usually means a lot of rewriting and digging deeper to get at the aspects of the story. Spirits seems to be somewhere in between. Although I did end up throwing out the entire original outline I had for Dangerous Spirits about 10,000 words into the book. It was one of those things that looked great in planning stage but didn’t work at all when it was time to put it on the page.

  • What first prompted you to write?

I don’t remember ever not wanting to write, honestly.

  • Favorite paranormal character?

I’m not sure I have an answer to that. I love too many!

  • If you could create a world to live in, what would be a favorite element?

If I could create a world to live in, it wouldn’t look anything like the ones I put my poor characters in. Those are just a bunch of deathtraps.

I dunno, I really like seeing how far and fantastically modern technology has progressed in my lifetime. So I’d probably build myself some kind of sci fi utopia.

  • If you could have one magical power as part of your personal makeup, what would it be?

Probably some kind of telekinesis so I could get things down off the high shelves. 😉

  • What’s next for Jordan L. Hawk?

I’m currently working on Whyborne & Griffin 7, due out in December. I’m also in the planning stages for a follow up novel to “The Thirteenth Hex” (in the Charmed & Dangerous anthology).

Thanks for having me on the blog!

Please come back and see us anytime, and bring us many more stories!

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

 

The Spirits Series – Historical Paranormal

The Spirits series takes place in the latter part of the 19th century, and features the adventures of a man of science, Henry Strauss, and spiritualist medium, Vincent Night. The series came about because I always wanted to write a haunted house story, and what better period to set it in than the Victorian era, when the interest in seances and spirits permeated all levels of society?Dangerous Sprits cover

Blurb

Book 2 in the Spirits Series
Previous Book: Restless Spirits

After the events of Reyhome Castle, Henry Strauss expected the Psychical Society to embrace his application of science to the study of hauntings. Instead, the society humiliates and blacklists him. His confidence shaken, he can’t bring himself to admit the truth to his lover, the handsome medium Vincent Night.

Vincent’s new life in Baltimore with Henry is disrupted when a friend from the past asks for help with a haunting. In the remote town of Devil’s Walk, old ties and new lies threaten to tear the lovers apart, if a fiery spirit bent on vengeance doesn’t put an end to them first.

About the Author

Jordan L. Hawk pic

Jordan L. Hawk grew up in the wilds of North Carolina, where she was raised on stories of haints and mountain magic by her bootlegging granny and single mother. After using a silver knife in the light of a full moon to summon her true love, she turned her talents to spinning tales. She weaves together couples who need to fall in love, then throws in some evil sorcerers and undead just to make sure they want it bad enough. In Jordan’s world, love might conquer all, but it just as easily could end up in the grave.

Contact/follow Jordan L. Hawk at:  Goodreads | Twitter  |  Website  | Facebook

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Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter prize of one of Jordan L. Hawk  novels. The winner will get to choose a eBook, from Jordan L. Hawk’s backlist, winner’s choice (excluding Dangerous Spirits).  You must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Open worldwide.

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A Stella Review: To Love a Traitor by J.L. Merrow

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

Wounds of the heart take the longest to heal.

To Love A Traitor coverWhen solicitor’s clerk George Johnson moves into a rented London room in the winter of 1920, it’s with a secret goal: to find out if his fellow lodger, Matthew Connaught, is the wartime traitor who cost George’s adored older brother his life.

Yet as he gets to know Matthew—an irrepressibly cheerful ad man whose missing arm hasn’t dimmed his smile—George begins to lose sight of his mission.

As Matthew’s advances become ever harder to resist, George tries to convince himself his brother’s death was just the luck of the draw, and to forget he’s hiding a secret of his own. His true identity—and an act of conscience that shamed his family.

But as their mutual attraction grows, so does George’s desperation to know the truth about what happened that day in Ypres. If only to prove Matthew innocent—even if it means losing the man he’s come to love.

I don’t know if To Love A Traitor is the first historical story written by JL Merrow, but it was my first by the author. I’m  not a huge fan of historicals but I’m a huge JL’s fan, so I had to read it at all costs. I’m so happy I did cause this book was really good. I love the author’s style, I grew comfortable with it each new book I read and every time it’s a beautiful journey.

Contrary to expectations, one of the things I most enjoyed was just the historical part, it was detailed and really well done, in a couple of things informative to me and never boring. It made the story real and not shallow. With a plot that could be considered almost nothing special, the author was able to give it a meaningful depth, making the perfect choices in setting and development of characters. And the dialogues were so good, engaging and funny! I also liked the characters, almost all of them (not George parents, they disowned his own son cause he  was a conscientious objector), especially Matthew. He was sweet, loveable and so brave.

This was a slow burn story, nothing really happens between MCs until a little before the ending, nonetheless  I could feel the chemistry from the start, even in their friendship. And while I usually love my books to be hot and steamy almost from the start, I didn’t get this need in To Love a Traitor. It was light but at the same time very emotional, easy to read since it was so well written. I particularly enjoyed how the story solved at the end, it left me with a smile on the face. I needed a HEA and she gave it to me.

If you love historicals, especially the ones well researched, interesting and full of feelings, To Love a Traitor will be surely a winner. Highly recommended!

Cover Art by Kanaxa. I like it, of coure it’s beautiful and well done, but I prefer another style for historicals. To me the cover needs to fit the story and the first time I saw this one , I was sure I was going to read a contemporary book. It was misleading to me.

Sales Links:  Samhain Publishing | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 167 pages
Expected publication: September 15th 2015 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
ASIN B00YX4QGV6
Edition Language English