Guardian of Monsters
Sleuths of Shadow Salon Book One Catherine Stine Genre: Urban Fantasy, Supernatural Private Investigation Thriller Publisher: Konjur Road Press Date of Publication: August 6, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-7333901-7-0 ASIN: B0CD9VP4NS Number of pages: 236 Word Count: 65k Cover Artist: Christian Bentulan Tagline: Supernaturally on the case! Celestine LeBlanc and Luna Finley are the Sleuths of Shadow Salon. Book Description: Guardian of Monsters (Sleuths of Shadow Salon, urban fantasy PI series, Bk 1) Celestine, witch and wolf shifter has a talent for prophetic drawings. She’s shocked when she draws her landlord Ray with his eyes gouged out and a strange winged-mermaid leaning over him. Later she finds an eyeless Ray dead on the sidewalk. All she wanted to do was open a gallery, but first she must apprehend his killer. In a note she found after he died, Ray revealed he wasn’t just a leather-smith but a supernatural pirate mage. Years back, his Jekyll crew trapped the evil Demon Three Eyes clan. Ray had feared they’d escaped, were stalking him, and would soon wreak havoc on Savannah. Oryn, a fellow student in Celestine’s continuing ed art class, is a fae and a thorn in her side, when he asks nosy questions about the case. Yet, she’s drawn to him when he’s her masseur at the spa she frequents, and he’s clever at brainstorming leads regarding Ray’s case. He insists his air magic could come in handy. When pirates in Ray’s old crew are murdered, their body parts stolen, Celestine puts more horrifying clues together. She’ll need everyone on board, including Oryn and Luna, a mermaid asking to show her sea-glass sculptures at Celestine’s new gallery—the very same mermaid in Celestine’s tragic drawing of Ray. Otherwise, the lethal monstrosity Demon Three Eyes is unleashing on Savannah will destroy the city and everyone in it. This series may appeal to fans of Kim Harrison and Charlaine Harris. Amazon BN Apple Kobo Smashwords Books2Read Excerpt: Mics were thrust in her face as she stepped toward the front stairs. “How do you feel about Ray Bartello’s murder?” “Do you have a statement for the press?” “Is it true that your drawing predicted Bartello’s death?” “Why would you draw him eyeless?” “Are you the murderer?” She waited until that last crappy question—more an accusation—to say anything. Then she stared at the reporter. With scalding rage contained in a deceptively quiet hiss, she said, “Ray Bartello was a good friend of mine. I’m heartbroken by his passing.” She glanced at Oryn for moral support. His slightly narrowed eyes seemed to say, Go slow, you don’t owe them. She agreed. After the supernatural attacks, she was not going to hint that she knew a damn thing, because the more that bad entities knew she was trying to figure out the case, the more they would try to maul, even kill her. Oryn gave a faint nod, his eyes tinting green. She went on. “I know nothing about how this happened. You could camp here for days, and I still couldn’t tell you more. The proper place to provide any tips or leads is to the Savannah Police.” As she pushed through the group, Oryn walked slightly behind her, since the reporters were busy photographing them together, no doubt fuel for salacious media. “How do you know Miss LeBlanc? Are you dating her?” some ballsy reporter asked Oryn. He didn’t answer. “Did you know Ray Bartello? Did you or Miss LeBlanc have a fight earlier on the day he was found?” asked another. “Can you tell us anything more about the case?” asked a third. Oryn face wrinkled in disgust. “Look, Miss LeBlanc needs peace. She’s said what she can. Yes, we’re friends, not that it’s your business,” he added sharply. “You may as well go get some sleep. Camping out here won’t get you what you seek.” He swept his arm around Celestine, and they hurried up the stone stairs leading to her place. Oryn stopped on the stoop while Celestine unlocked the door. “So, I’ll see you at class tomorrow? Will you be okay?” he asked. “If you want, I can cast a few air wards around the house so you can get a worry-free night’s sleep. Otherwise—” “It’s not your job to protect me,” she said, gazing up at him and realizing how very much taller he was, next to her five-foot, seven-inch frame. Good goddess, the man must be six and a half feet tall if he’s an inch.
Witchy and Supernatural Power of the Feminine Fun Facts!
Compiled by Author Catherine Stine Before people had hospitals and surgeons to fix people, they had midwives and herbalists. When babies or moms died in childbirth, or the herbal fix was insufficient to cure what we would now know was a fatal disease, who do you think was blamed? The same women who delivered babies and gave expert herbal remedies! In a fearful and ignorant world, they were labeled as witches, or agents of the devil. *** Ironically, in ancient Rome even though women were housebound with zero political power, the most revered, influential people were the high priestesses presiding over the oracles, such as the one at Delphi. These women were said to be able to predict the future, wield supernatural powers and have innate knowledge of the divine realms. Greek citizens would go on pilgrimages to seek out their womanly wisdom. *** In Chaucer’s and Boccaccio’s European middle ages (mid 1300s) people were expected to be devout in their Christianity. Many believed literally in the devil and the power of witches. Interestingly, as devout as they were to the going religion, they also prayed to the sprites and night nymphs of their recently dropped Pagan beliefs. They also believed in Fortuna, or the wheel of Fortune: that fortunes rose and fell by the whirl of a wheel, often portrayed by a beautiful woman, Fortuna. How’s that for supernatural female power! *** During the Victorian Era in 1899 Charles Godfrey Leland published a book called Aradia or Gospel of the Witches. This Aradia goddess, the incarnation of Diana/Artemis was going to bring magic to the Victorians and hopefully free women from the oppression of the times. *** Tamsin Blight 1798-1856 was a famous English witch healer, able to remove curses or spells from a person. She was also said to have put spells on those who displeased her. She was also known as Tammy Blee and Tamson. *** In the 1920s and 30s there was a craze for psychics, card readers, and mediums who claimed they could communicate with people’s dead relatives. Harry Houdini, the famous magician, ironically made it his life’s work to try and debunk these folks. Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote the Sherlock Holmes series was a huge believer in the supernatural. He had heated debates with Houdini. *** The Tarot fascinates me. I collect cards for their variety and amazing images. They are thought to have originated all the way back in ancient Egypt, as a cosmic source of wisdom and divination of the future. The Egyptian word TAR means royal and ROmeans royal – thus the royal road to wisdom. Later, in northern Italy, a complete deck for card playing and gambling was devised. In France in the 1700s, a “cartomancer” named Jean Baptiste-Alliette created the imagery in the decks we often see today. There are cups, swords, wands, and pentacles. And the Major Arcana cards that hold great symbolism, such as the hermit, the world and the death card (which can also mean rebirth!) Here’s a playlist I created for the spooky season with all things supernatural. Enjoy! I Put a Spell on You – Nina Simone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDprYZ-tgiA You Make me Feel Like it’s Halloween – MUSE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyu1WO0hRB0 Wake the Witch – Karliene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZcDFMmqWAw Alice Underground– Avril Lavigne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMeiP69HlCM Season of the Witch – Donovan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAzTnsSgs2s Heartless – The Fray version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBTdJHkAr5A Black Magic Woman – Santana https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyQUCYl-ocs Hunting for Witches – Bloc Party https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmPNuruWMTA Heavy Like a Witch – All Them Witches https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhzvanE-O14 Do You Believe in Magic? – Lovin’ Spoonful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDYNuD4CwlI About the Author: Catherine Stine is a USA Today bestselling author of paranormal, urban and historical fantasy, all with romance and suspense. Witch of the Wild Beasts won a second prize in the Romance Writers of America’s Sheila Contest. Other novels have earned Indie Notable awards and New York Public Library Best Books. She lives in New York State and grew up in Philadelphia. Before writing novels, she was a painter and fabric designer. She’s a visual author and sees writing as painting with words. Catherine loves spending time with her beagle Benny, writing about supernatural creatures, gardening and meeting readers at book fests. Learn more at catherinestine.com Website: http://catherinestine.com/wp/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@catherinestine7 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kitsy84557 Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/catherine-stine Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorcatherinestine/ Newsletter: https://catherinestine.com/wp/get-the-newsletter-contact-me/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Stine/e/B001H9TXJC Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1018139.Catherine_Stine Spooktacular Giveaway 1 signed paperback of Guardian of Monsters with stickers and a bookmark.
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Halloween is almost upon us! Time for some book recs to get you in the mood for spooky season.
Stephen King's IT - a favorite of mine. A killer clown preys on children in the small town of Derry. A group of friends work together to find a way to stop it before IT kills again. The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke - People are disappearing around an old lighthouse said to be cursed. Twenty years on, one of the missing children reappears but she hasn't aged a day. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill - Victoria McQueen goes up against a vampire who takes kids off to Christmasland, a place they can never return from. She escapes him, but years later, he comes for her son. Can she stop him again? Rules For Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall - Sara's sister Becca disappeared when she went searching for an urban legend. A year on, she decides to follow the same path in a bid to save her. All these books are available through major book retailers. Suspicious Minds is an upcoming book in the shared universe of the Accidental Zodiacs. People have unusual powers depending on the zodiac sign they are born under. I chose Scorpio as mine as that is my zodiac sign.
My main character Cordelia has the power to control a person's emotions, though she has trouble controlling her own. When she is framed for murder, she must work with a Zodiac Enforcement Agent to clear her name. There are three types of zodiacs - Sinless, Wandering and Fallen. Sinless are the good guys who usually work for the ZEA. Wandering are on the fence, not good and not evil, like Cordelia. Fallen have crossed the line and cannot be trusted. New books are revealed every couple of months and you can grab Suspicious Minds in November, or preorder now. Send in the Clones - The Onslaught of AI Computer Generated Books Is Upon Us by P.Mattern Although usually ensconced in my writing cave, I remember hearing some buzz a few months ago about AI computer generated novels, made possible by breakthroughs in the field of Machine Learning-basically the ability to write software programs to absorb reams of data, text, and information and be able to recognize the common themes, character depiction and word choices used, incorporating them in the form of custom made Bot-created novels. That sounded kind of fringe to me at the time, something that might take place in the future? What a shock to discover recently, as I was doing research for a scifi novel, that HUNDREDS of these machine created tomes had already landed on Amazon and other platforms with no heads up or warning labels to distinguish them from the books produced with the usual time-honored blood, sweat, inspiration, and tears put forth by human authors. I began receiving email petitions from organizations like Thriller Writers to join protests against the methods used by these book writing Bots because apparently many of them program the AI Novel writing software by downloading already published novels containing copyrighted protected work without any permissions to do so. One of the dozens and dozens of Writing services listed (you can Google them under “AI writing services”) offers to do the “heavy lifting”s o that would-be authors can write their “bestselling novel”, free from the usual stress of having to think of their own original characters and plotlines and without fear of being slowed down by the dreaded “writer's block”. One popular AI novel writing program, ChatGPT “learned” to write by scanning millions of pages of existing text. Reviews by CNET, a technology reviewing group, found the books produced by ChatGPT to contain errors and also some plagiarized passages. Uh-oh. For those who consider writing to be a craft rather than a commodity, AI created literature is not good news. A short sampling of AI Bot-generated titles, many of them children’s books, reveals not so stellar plots and stilted phrasing. There is something to be said for both the quality and the authenticity of tales told by those human wordsmiths who impart the kind of vibrancy, soul and spirit in their writing that is perhaps impossible to replicate by artificial means. In the meantime, while human authors and readers are sleeping, computers are busy generating more and more completed novels to flood the already saturated market, inputting millions of already published and copyrighted titles by human authors as grist for their nefarious mill. -Maybe they just uploaded YOUR book! About The Author
P.Mattern is a USA TODAY BESTSELLING,Amazon Bestselling and Award Winning author.also known as "MAMA FANG", she is the author of over 81 published books and novellas and included in many bestselling anthology collections. Born with a stylus in her tiny hand she wrote stories to entertain classmates in elementary school and won awards for fiction and poetry in college.After being laid off from her professional job in Mental Health she began writing down all the stories she had carried in her head.. She was inspired by Anne Rice and her differently abled son to write Book One of Full Moon Series 'World of Azglen'♡ about a widow and her adult handicapped son who becomes brainy and strong after being bitten by a vampire. Soon her children J.C.Estall and Marcus Mattern joined her in writing Full Moon Series. She is the author of the Amazon Bestselling Vampire Princess Trilogy, The Winter House, The Creatures Who Love Me, Queen of the Fireflies, Andy of the Damned, Strident House,Shock of Night, Vampire Orphanage,Forest of Bleeding Trees and others. She is currently working on book 10 of Full Moon Series 'CROON', a thriller/horror novel, 'SUFFICIENT EVIL',and 'MIDNIGHT MAGNOLIAS'. P.Mattern is a member of Thriller Writers Association. Her work has appeared in numerous ezines and anthologies( Hearts Unleashed, Once Upon a Broken Crown,Collected Christmas Horror, Collected Horror Drabbles, Santa's Naughty List, and her work appears in many additional and notable horror collections. P.Mattern currently lives in the midwest and is currently involved with one of her characters. ("It's complicated.") She is a RONE nominated and Winner Tell-Tale Publishing VIncent Price Award in 2015 for 'Terrible Choices' 1) Tell us about your book Werewolves of Eden: Wild Things is actually the first book I released and I recently had the cover updated. I plan on putting out the second book early next year. It follows Cheyenne, the daughter of a werewolf hunter who wants to follow in his footsteps. When a classmate is attacked and turned, she discovers a plot by the wolves to make an army of werewolves. 2) What themes does your book explore? The main character is trying to stand on her own two feet, to prove herself as a hunter, but her father looks at her differently from her brother. For her classmate, there are some very literal changes happening for him and he has to decide which side he is on. 3) Tell us something unusual about your main character? I'm not sure if it's unusual, but as the book progresses, she realizes that things are not as black and white as she has been told. There is more to it. She has sympathy for her classmate and because of that, she tries to do things differently from her father. 4) Is this a standalone book or a series? It is a series. I have about half of book 2 written, and I have for a while. I got caught up with another series and it fell by the wayside, but I will be working to get it completed. 5) What is next for you? I am working on a set called Magic Discovered and finishing the final book in my Tempest Knox series. I can't write very quickly, but I'm getting there! Kat Gracey writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels featuring her two favorite supernatural beings - witches and werewolves.
She currently resides in the UK, where she enjoys yoga and catching up on her favorite shows. You can learn more about her books via her website: After dicussing the SAG-AFTRA issue previously, I wanted to take the time to discuss the myths around income and earnings when it comes to authors and service providers such as cover designers and editors.
Let's start with authors. It is very easy to think that anyone who has books up for sale is making a lot of money. There are many famous writers out there such as Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, she who I refuse to name after her abhorrent behaviour and others who have made a name for themselves and had their books made into movies and TV shows. Unfortunately, that kind of fame is not easy to come by. Most indie authors are not making enough money to pay their bills. That is a simple truth. Those that are, would probably make more working a coventional job, or they need to keep their job in order to survive. Writing is not an easy job, there are no guarantees and you are self employed. On top of that, you have to pay for editors, cover designers, advertising, which leaves a lot of authors in the red when they start out and it can take years to climb out of that hole. Are there indie authors out there making six figures a year? Absolutely. But again, most authors don't see a penny of profit for a very long time. We write because we love it. Even traditional writers who get deals with top publishers are not making all that much. I believe the average amount a typical traditionally published author can hope to make during their book's run is around $5000. That's it. Hardly fame and fortune. Yes, they might get lucky and it could get optioned for a movie, but again, this is rare. When an author releases a book, they depend on sales to pay for future books and covers. That means that if they release book 1 in a series and a reader decides to wait until the full series is out to read it, then there is a possibility it will never be released in full because the sales aren't there. We live in a society where we get everything instantly now. You can download a book in seconds, you can stream an entire season of a TV show in one day, but they are relatively new things. We did once live in a world where you had to wait a year or more for the next book, or week to week for a TV show. Is there anything wrong with waiting? It builds tension, excitement and it is something to look forward to. Perhaps you disagree, I was one of those people who had no trouble waiting until Christmas Day to open presents, purely because that's when it was the most special. So if you like an author or think a book sounds interesting but it is the beginning of a series, please buy the book. It will be just as enjoyable to read even if you have to wait a little while for it. Cover designers have been suffering too lately, especially with the introduction of AI. It is now easy for people to create images using AI that they go on to add to their books. The problem is they are using stolen, copyrighted art and if and when the law changes, they could get in a lot of trouble for using them, possibly even sued by the original creators. Cover designers spend years perfecting their craft and many hours on creating designs to sell. You may think they are expensive and yes, it can be difficult to source a few hundred dollars for a cover with everything going on right now, but you are paying for the skill, the training and the time spent on it. The image you choose could increase your sales and work toward improving your author brand. Many cover designers rely solely on the income from selling covers. If you consider how many hours goes into making a cover and then how many sell, you will soon see that they are barely making a living. If for example they sell premade covers at $200 and they are able to make three covers a week given the time that goes into it. That's twelve covers for the month. If they sold them all, that is $2400. According to Google the average monthly salary in the US is over $6000. Still think they are making a lot of money? Of course that is only if they sell every cover, which rarely happens. They are relying on customers needing that particular type of cover at that time. They might sell half of the covers for the month. A mere $1200. Add to that the number of people who are turning to AI and you can see why they are scared of losing their livelihood. Likewise with editors. They spend hours and hours going through every line of a book and they are dependent on authors needing an editor at that time. An good editor is invaluable. They can't be replaced by programs that make frequent mistakes because they don't understand things like slang or dialogue. We are all struggling with the cost of living crisis, but it is important to remember that small business owners are not our enemies. Greedy corporations are. They would happily replace as many people on the planet with AI as possible, if it meant paying less money. Hoarding that wealth. For what? If there are no jobs, there's no money, no one is buying anything, the entire system collapses and they are sitting on a pile of worthless cash. At least that's how I look at it. So please consider using small businesses, local vendors and buying books from authors that you think you would enjoy when you can. We should all be supporting each other. At the very least, we should not be tearing each other down and making assumptions about income that can be damaging to those businesses. 1) Tell us about your book It’s Dragon Wrath, book 1 in the Other Series. I know I should not say this, but come on. This book is one of the favorites that I wrote. There’s just something about the people in it, so much passion and feelings and hardship, I can’t help but loving them. And of course, I have a major crush on every male in there. 2)What themes does your book explore? Mainly justice. Shifters are kept as second-class citizens, are forbitten to go to school after 12 grade, marry a Pure (non-shifter), can’t own property. They can’t be imprisoned for only existing, but they can’t achieve much either. So, it’s about them, starting to fight to access that, and being able to build the life they want, not only the crumbles of what they allow them to get. 3) Tell us something unusual about your main character? Ronan is a dragon, so there’s that for unusual. He’s also a very high-end civil right lawyer. He couldn’t have gone to college, let alone passing the bar. He managed to get where he is by hiding, which means a steely self-control, a good dose of paranoia, and more than a dash of denying his needs as an Other. Of course his carefully built world crushes down, but you have to read the story to know the details. 4) Is this a standalone book or a series? It’s a series. The prequel of it, Swan Fury, is about the couple that started this revolution and it’s available only if you sign up to my newsletter. 5) What is next for you? I just started the first book of a contemporary suspense Series, Heartstrings and Shadow, that follows the lives and tribulations of a country band. Then I have the Angels novella that will start another series of Archangels or angels (I haven’t decided yet) but I want MC, leather, and tattoos, and I’m absolutely excited for that. I’ll stop here because I have plans all the way to 2026 and I feel like it would be too much. About The Author
Viv writes contemporary suspense as MacKade, and paranormal and fantasy romance as V.V. Strange. She was born in the Italian countryside in the Langhe region, where the wine is good and Nutella flows, carried by her family's hazelnut farm. She got out of Law School alive and with an MD in comparative law. Never a lawyer, she will always be a scholar of the law. She and her husband moved to Norwich, UK, after University. She would spend 6 amazing years there, and it’s where she started dreaming of writing stories for a living. Florida is when things started getting serious. Kids, a house, and books started to add, and she made it to Amazon's 100 paid books list twice. In her words, “I write contemporary suspense because I love the adventure, the danger, the mystery of it, and I love to see the leading couple getting out of trouble (that I put them into. Sorry, not sorry). And I write paranormal/fantasy because I love the possibilities. Also, writing new worlds is a fantastic thing to do. Besides all that, I write because I need it.” So, why would you read whatever she writes? Because her female leads are never stupid. Might be confused or scared, but never stupid, never needy. And her male leads are good guys. Might be broken and lost, maybe even rude, but they are good. Unless you have been living under a rock, you have no doubt heard about the SAG-AFTRA strike, but what is it all about?
Currently members of the Writer's Guild of America are on strike for being underpaid by major production companies that are pulling in millions every year thanks to their hard work. They attempted to negotiate for better pay but when a deal couldn't be met, they went on strike. They were later joined by the Screen Actors Guild in a show of support and to try and negotiate for residual payments from streaming sites. During this time, actors and writers will not work or cross the picket lines to promote any current movies as a show of solidarity. Another major issue they are fighting against is the use of AI in both writing and when it comes to background actors. The people in charge of the production companies want to replace writers with AI and use AI software to capture the image of an actor that they can then use forever, while the actor only recieves a one off payment of just a few hundred dollars. Many actors get their start in the industry as background actors, so this will push them out of the industry. Despite public opinion, most writers and a lot of actors do not receive millions for their work. While there are A listers who may get paid more, that is not consistent with every movie, and their co-stars are paid much less. For example, in 1994, Jim Carrey was an A list actor and he received $7 million dollars for his role in Dumb & Dumber. His co-star Jeff Daniels received only $50,000. They are both the stars of the film and it would be impossible to make the film without both of them, yet the studios clearly view things differently. Admittedly, $50,000 might be more than some of us see in a year, but when you consider that they are relying on a movie being popular to get more work, which they can't know in advance, and the time between filming and the movie coming out, which can be years at times, then that $50,000 probably won't last very long. Regardless if you think actors are overpaid or not, they have done the work and they deserve to be compensated. How many of them have starred in your favorite shows or movies? Writers recieve much less for their work and are seriously undervalued. Many are not hitting the threshold to receive health insurance. So until an agreement is reached, they will continue to strike and shows and movies will be delayed. When you consider that the money they are asking for is less than 1% of the studio's profit, you can see how greed is driving the studio execs' decision. Hopefully, a fair agreement can be made and they can return to work soon. 1) Tell us about your book My book, Elfhame Academy, is about an elf slayer named Cassie who attends the supernatural university and she’s trying to figure out who is behind a string of recent murders on the Academy’s island. As well as figuring out her forbidden relationship with her magus (who is like a watcher). Think Buffy but with elves. 2) What themes does your book explore? My book explores the themes of forbidden romance and trying to find your place in the world. 3) Tell us something unusual about your main character? She has a baby dragon as a sidekick who likes stealing steaks and diamonds. 4) Is this a standalone book or a series? She has a baby dragon as a sidekick who likes stealing steaks and diamonds. 5) What is next for you? I’m going to be writing book 3 of the Elfhame Academy trilogy and then wove got a couple of epic fantasy series that I want to finish and one that I want to start writing. Tiffany Shand is a writing mentor, professionally trained copy editor and copy writer who has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. Born in East Anglia, Tiffany still lives in the area, constantly guarding her work space from the two cats which she shares her home with.
She began using her pets as a writing inspiration when she was a child, before moving on to write her first novel after successful completion of a creative writing course. Nowadays, Tiffany writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, as well as nonfiction books for other writers, all available through Amazon and on her own website. Tiffany’s favourite quote is ‘writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go’ and it is armed with this that she hopes to be able to help, inspire and mentor many more aspiring authors. When she has time to unwind, Tiffany enjoys photography, reading and watching endless box sets. She also loves to get out and visit the vast number of castles and historic houses that England has to offer. You can contact Tiffany Shand, or just see what she is writing about at: I have always been a reader even at a young age. My first love has always been horror, as I devoured the Goosebumps and Point Horror books. When I finished those I moved on to Stephen King. King has a way of sucking you into his books and I was hooked. I love characters who are real, warts and all. They make mistakes, they choose the wrong path, but they are relatable. While I may have read King much too young, it made me a lifelong fan. I love the scope of his books and the fact that he has created his own shared world.
Horror may be my first love, but I do read many different genres. I am a huge fan of Meg Cabot. I love her dialogue and the way it flows. In the early 2000s, I discovered Kelley Armstrong and fell in love with urban fantasy. It felt like I had finally found my genre, a world that blended horror and the real world together. The idea that supernatural beings could exist and live alongside humans without them knowing is a fun idea that can be written in so many different ways. These authors will always be an inspiration to me and while I will never be as good as they are, I think we have a lot to learn from the experts. Read extensively in your genre and you will soon see trends, ideas, and tropes that flow through all of them. You don't need to reinvent the wheel, simply make the work your own, while appealing to an audience eager for more. Happy writing! |
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About the Author:S. K. Gregory is an author, editor and blogger. She currently resides in Northern Ireland. “Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.” Archives
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