Junior Inquisitor

Junior Inquisitor

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Brunette Sonya can sleep, Bryony “Bryn” Winters can't sleep, and you can help cure cancer


No real updates on The Vampire of Rome, between Reserve duty, the lovely Dr. Farish's birthday, work actually expecting work out of me, and my Advanced Operations Course (Colonel's school), I've not been able to spend much time with Brother Sebastian and crew.

In the good news column, do have a short story that will be out soon, AOC is almost over, and Bat girl, AKA Brunette Sonya is sleeping through the night, or at least most of it.

Also this Saturday, 30 July, I'll be in Mananas along with a bunch of local authors raising money for cancer research. Buy a copy of my book, and a dollar goes to charity. I'll also be doing that for anyone who orders a copy of any of my books online. So I'm giving away my profits, but it's for a good cause.


Speaking of good, what happens when you want to be good but you inadvertently hurt people every time you fall asleep? Molly Fenning explains -

Bryony “Bryn” Winters can harm people by dreaming. With no control over whom she hurts, a condition called Somnus, Bryn can’t even be sure she won’t kill her own family. Protecting them means running away and trusting a mysterious company that possesses as much authority as amorality. And when Bryn meets Cedar Blackthorne, a Somnus with captivating eyes, she can feel he’s hiding something. So why can’t Bryn help trusting him? And what if she’s making a deadly mistake?


Excerpt:
Unlike most high school students, Bryony Winters hated sleeping more than anything in the world. Spiders, germs, and heights included. Mrs. Adams slouched over the podium in front of her class. The students stared blankly at the sheet in front of them as her monotone voice read it verbatim.

Having managed to skim the paper at least three full times before Mrs. Adams finished droning out the first paragraph, Bryony propped up her head with her arm. Dark, curly hair fell across her face as her eyelids slowly slunk shut.

Having been Bryn’s best friend for more than four years, Caleigh Everest should have known this was not a good sign – even after countless sleepovers, Caleigh had never actually seen Bryn sleep.

Unfortunately, as with most dull teachers, Mrs. Adams had a sixth sense that alerted her
the instant a student’s eyes closed. She peered up from her diminutive spectacles, lips pursed. “Bryn? Please continue reading.”

Bryn replied with a soft snore. Caleigh shook her, whispering, “Wake up!”

Mrs. Adams harrumphed, throwing down her glasses before prowling toward Bryn’s desk. She dropped the weighty textbook with a slam. Bryn let out another snore.

Suddenly, the collar of Mrs. Adams’ white blouse grew crimson. Color seeped down
the front as if it were dripping. She gasped. Her hand flew to her eye as it swelled like a balloon under a faucet. Dark, blobby bruises appeared across her face and neck. Nobody was within reach to harm her, and nobody had moved a muscle.

Nearby, Erin Archer jumped up as if she had been bitten. She yelped as a rip cut through
the back of her jeans, exposing a newly formed laceration. Shrieks erupted around the room. Blood squirted and splattered everywhere. Tables and chairs crashed over, spewing red-stained papers as the students tried to get up.

Someone passed out in the back, their colorless lips letting out a moan before they fell with a fwump onto the floor.

Scratch marks suddenly emerged all over the students’ exposed skin. Their hands clamped onto wounds oozing blood and pus. Despite the cacophonous yelling, no one came to help them. Mrs. Adams leapt for the door, fingers shielding her face. But as soon as the lever was in grasp, she doubled over, coughing up scarlet liquid.

It was only when Bryn’s chair was knocked over and her eyes opened, that the
mutilations stopped.

She was the only one without a scratch. And, somehow, she had managed to sleep through everything.



Links: mollyfennig.com
Twitter.com/@mollyfennig
Facebook.com/mollyfennigauthor
Instagram.com/mollyfennig


Main Character's (Bryn’s) motivations
Bryn wants to find a cure for her Somnus, a condition that causes her to harm people in her sleep. Part of her desire for a cure stems from a desire to protect her family, especially her little sister Lynea.

What is Bryn’s secret strengths/ weaknesses
Bryn is smart, protective of those she loves, and has a powerful Somnus. At the same time, she struggles with germophobia, clumsiness, and loneliness.

Any philosophical issues in this story? If so how do you address them, how does MC live and over come them?
Some philosophical issues include discerning the nature of reality (especially in regards to dreams), how sensation and perception play into knowledge (or perceived knowledge), and how to determine if someone else is trustworthy.
To find out how Bryn overcomes these issues (and to look for more), you should read my book.

Any offbeat obscure or 80s references?
There are Star Wars references in the book. I'll let readers see if they can find them.

When did you start to write this one and why?
I started to write InSomnus in January 2015 because when I was little and had trouble falling asleep I told myself stories. I figured that if sleep was so hard to obtain, something wonderful (or horrible) must happen once I finally fell asleep. I was also frustrated at not being able to control when I fell asleep and the dreams that I had. This prompted the idea for InSomnus.
I wanted to write a book because I have always loved reading and wanted to be able to create stories like the ones I loved to read.

What's next in this series or in your next book?
I'm working on a companion novel with the same setting but different characters and storyline.

When will it be available?
InSomnus will be released at the beginning of August. (Check for updates at http://mollyfennig.com/insomnus)

 
 
Excellent concept and sounds like it'll be interesting, I think you should horde your money and get ready to order a copy when it comes out in a few more days.

However if you have cash burning a hole in your pocket maybe give my books a gander, and if you do it this weekend you'll be helping fund cancer research as well?

Good stories and helping eradicate cancer?

That's a twofer my friends.
 
Junior Inquisitor Book One  
Inquisitor Series - http://goo.gl/mJtTf8
  
Soulless Monk Book Two  
 Smashwords - https://goo.gl/NXw3Gr
Inquisitor Series - http://goo.gl/5lCyaX
 
 The Witch’s Lair Book Three 
Smashwords - https://goo.gl/MokJnC 
 Inquisitor Series - http://goo.gl/mJtTf8
 
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Thursday, July 21, 2016

Narcoleptic Vampire wants to bite you as soon as she wakes up


Sorry for the late posting of this, but have been a bit run down. I think there’s a cold running through the Farish Demesne, and while I don’t get really sick, I do sometimes need to go to bed an hour or two early.  As was the case last night.

The Vampire of Rome is still with my editor, last check she is about 1/3 of the way through what I have sent. I have been, for the most part, working on the finale, and with luck will have that wrapped up here shortly.

There is also a short story about Brother Maurice, which will be out in the not too distant future.
Werebooks - http://werebooks.org/ is run by some friends of mine, they asked if I had a story they could have, which would become public domain. As I have a few short stories taking up computer space, I agreed to let them have one. The others I think I’ll toss in with an omnibus edition, or maybe with the paperback edition of future novels. I’m still thinking about it.

Vampire stories have been told for centuries. Kinky vampire stories have been around for years. There may even be a Rammed in the Butt by a Kinky Vampire by Chuck Tingle out there, not that I’ve read it of course. But how about a vampire with narcolepsy? One that’s being hunted? Does that grab your attention? It should, and Dicey Grenor has a captivating story she’d like to tell you. Take it away Dicey –







Blurb: Ever since vampirism became illegal, the undead have been hunted to near-extinction. So Willow has to watch her back to make sure no one finds out what she is. And that's not easy considering she's a vampire with narcolepsy. Blending in with the nightlife as a fetish performer helps a little. Falling for a patron with a personality disorder, does not.

 









Remi’s heart almost leaped through his chest with palpitations so loud, it must have been strapped to a microphone and amplifier. Since my finales were his biggest turn-ons, he’d make his way to a private room in back, if one was available, and jack off afterwards. He had enough social grace to do it in private, but at Pit of Hades Fetish Club, he really didn’t have to. Here, there was no shame, no taboos.

Considering how often I’d performed sex and death scenes with guns, nooses, and swords, you’d think the audience would be ready for anything. But they gasped and screamed, and in some cases vomited, when I plunged the dagger’s stainless steel blade into my chest. They’d known it was coming, yet they were still horrified and awed. And ready to fuck.

But it wasn’t an act.

I grunted on impact. It hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, but I’d heal. Realism was most important in pulling off a death scene, after all.

Once I withdrew the dagger, I plunged it again, and then again, grunting from pain each time the blade went into my chest. The sound of the hilt slamming into my skin repeatedly seemed to echo throughout the club.

Slumping forward, I let my blood run down the sides of the coffin onto the floor, taking comfort in knowing Remi would replenish it later. I kept falling until I slid to the floor in a heap.

Bright flashes went off left and right as people snapped pictures. Security was everywhere frantically grabbing cameras, admonishing patrons. This was a no-photo-taking establishment unless you paid the club’s photographer to take authorized still shots of or with entertainers in the designated booth. Performances were never recorded or photographed due to graphic content and patrons were never filmed unless they consented. The owner’s respect for privacy gave patrons freedom to let their hair down and enjoy whatever deviant sex they were in to. Everyone knew the rules. You didn’t get in without an invitation, signed contract and approved membership…and definitely no cameras. Violators had their memberships revoked immediately.

I liked the rule. It prevented patrons from having incriminating evidence of my supernatural powers. So far, everyone assumed I used fake blood and props. Didn’t want anyone to start thinking otherwise and having proof to boot. They’d wonder how I recovered from fatal wounds night after night. I could be practicing witchcraft or be some other legal supernatural being. But if anyone happened to suspect I was a vampire, I would be clawing myself from a pile of shit as deep as the Grand Canyon with nothing but a fingernail file as my tool.

Suddenly, I felt strange. My fingertips numbed, my tongue dried. I began trembling and feeling light-headed, but I wasn’t alarmed. It wasn’t a reaction to me stabbing myself. It was my illness, my body’s inability to regulate its sleep cycle. My narcolepsy with a side of cataplexy was about to carry me away to a deep, short sleep.

Considering I was at the end of my set, it was good timing.

Hades was silent again as the audience held its breath.

I inhaled deeply. Exhaled completely. Exaggerated several more deep breaths then spasmed wildly for the sake of dramatizing my finale, my death.

Then, as if on cue, darkness engulfed me and my narcolepsy put me to sleep.

 When I awoke a short time later, the first thing I noticed was standing applause, cheering, whistling. Next, I noticed a commotion at the corner of the stage. Punch, Hades’s head of security, was dragging Remi back to his table, threatening to put him out. Remi’s jeans were undone and blood was smeared all over his arms and face. My blood.

Remi had been a regular Saturday night patron for over a year and knew it was against the rules to touch performers while we were onstage. I just hoped he didn’t make Punch put him out of the club. Or make Punch beat him so badly I wouldn’t be able to take blood from him later.

Punch was a huge Godzilla-size dude, nearly seven feet tall with biceps as wide as fucking watermelons. His smooth dark chocolate skin emanated a wild animal don’t-fuck-with-me warning scent. And though I didn’t know what he was exactly, I knew what that meant. It meant Punch was not someone Remi wanted to fuck with.

I felt famished and Remi was supposed to be my dinner tonight.

Shit!










 

Dicey Grenor is a wife, mother, attorney, and fearless writer, who tackles complex, taboo subjects from the perspective of quirky, compelling characters. She frequently crosses genre boundaries with unpredictable plots, and mixes darkness with comedy for the fun of it. Her ideal reader is open-minded and loves diversity in fiction. Fans of shows like Penny Dreadful and other dark, twisted works, may enjoy The Narcoleptic Vampire Series, a set of multicultural, erotic urban fantasy books. Please visit her website at: www.diceygrenorbooks.com to learn more.







Twitter @DiceyGrenor

Instagram @DiceyGrenor



 

Main Character's motivations
Sleepy Willow is mainly motivated by a desire to grow past previous hurts and abuses, and to help others who have suffered as well.

 

What is her secret strength/ weakness
Willow's secret strength is her ability to be empathetic, even as a vampire. Her weakness is that she is too trusting, until she learns she can't be. Everyone has secrets. Hers are mild and harmless in comparison.

 

Any philosophical issues in this story? If so how do you address them, how does Willow live and over come them? There is a layer within the story that deals with philosophical issues, and I'm pleased when readers point out that they noticed. I won't spoil the plot by mentioning them, but Willow overcomes these issues by keeping an open mind and surrounding herself with people she can learn from.

 

Any offbeat obscure or 80s references?
Some of the music mentioned is from the 80s, and probably some of the dialogue...since I'm old. There's plenty more "weird" stuff, since I tend to like things that aren't considered mainstream.

 

When did you start to write this one and why?
I started and finished writing SLEEPY WILLOW'S BONDED SOUL (The Narcoleptic Vampire Series Vol. 1) in 2011. I'd always wanted to write a vampire story, since that was my favorite creature of the night, but I wanted something unique for a saturated market. During a conversation with my hubby, we came up with an outrageous storyline, and I started writing it immediately.

 

What's next in this series or in your next book?
SLEEPY WILLOW'S REDEEMED SOUL (The Narcoleptic Vampire Series Vol. 4) will be released within the next few months. It is the next book from Willow's perspective after a hiatus that included several years of writing other characters.

 

Preview of your next book?
I will have Chapter 1 up on my blog soon. Don't want to spoil the surprise yet.

 

When will it be available?
Between you and me...I'm aiming for late September.

So if you like a bit of zest with your Vampire stories, as well as some humor Dicey is your go to author. Check out her books.

Now if you want to walk on the dark side, check out what I’ve got for you -


Junior Inquisitor Book One  
Inquisitor Series - http://goo.gl/mJtTf8
  
Soulless Monk Book Two  
 Smashwords - https://goo.gl/NXw3Gr
Inquisitor Series - http://goo.gl/5lCyaX
 
 The Witch’s Lair Book Three 
Smashwords - https://goo.gl/MokJnC 
 Inquisitor Series - http://goo.gl/mJtTf8



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Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Another Lincoln, Little Girl B-day and The Vampire of Rome


The Vampire of Rome is now with my editor, well most of it, there's still the wrap-up, okay the final battle and wrap-up I need to complete. And of course my Reserve Weekend was far to busy for me to get in any good writing time. Hopefully this weekend.

In family news, Little Girl, AKA Veronica turned three. I'm a bit in the dog house because when the candle was lit, she didn't know what to do. I told her, “Blow it out, like this,” and while I didn't mean to blow out the candle...yeah. Oh well, there's next year.

It's my Birthday and I'll eat pizza any way I want
Here's the Birthday Girl enjoying pre-cake pizza. Brunette Sonya was unimpressed with the evening. I think she was saving up her energy to stay awake all night as Bat-Girl, you know because there's a lot of crime in the 'burbs.

Enough of me let's talk about a real author, who is also named Lincoln, kinda. Meet real horror author, award winning author, J. Lincoln Fenn.


What Kirkus has to say - “ An uninhibited thriller with a dash of social commentary where the devil is in the details.”


DEAD SOULS


Blurb:
When Fiona Dunn is approached in a bar by a man who calls himself Scratch and claims he’s the devil, she figures it’s just some kind of post-modern ironic pickup line. But since he offers to pick up the tab, what the hell. A few drinks in, Scratch offers something much stranger—a wish in exchange for her immortal soul. Fiona has been wondering if her boyfriend is having an affair. What if she could become invisible, see what he's really up to? It can be done, but for a price—in addition to her soul, Fiona must perform a special favor for Scratch whenever the time comes. Fiona finds the whole thing so hilarious that she agrees.
Bad idea. Not only does Fiona soon discover that she really was talking to the devil incarnate, but she’s now been initiated into a bizarre support group of similar “dead souls”—those who have exchanged their immortal spirits on a whim, and must spend their waking hours in absolute terror of that favor eventually being called in...and what exactly is required from each of them in order to give the devil his due.

DEAD SOULS
With Fenn’s “wicked raw and proudly untamed” talent (Bloody-Disgusting.com), Dead Souls is a terrifying venture to the dark side that will haunt you long after you’ve turned the last page.


Main Character's motivations

Fiona's motivation is pretty simple - she wants to get out of her deal with the devil. She didn't mean to make the deal—she was a few drinks in at a bar, drowning her sorrows—and when a man approached and said he was the devil, she thought he was joking. Whoops. There's another, equally powerful motivation at work that I can't talk about because...spoilers. And there's a certain level of irony because she's a marketing manager—her job is to manipulate people for the company's profit. So in a certain kind of way they're in the same line of work.

What is her secret strengths/ weaknesses

Well she trades her soul for the power of invisibility so she can check up on her boyfriend and see if he's cheating on her. That was fun for me to play with in the novel—if you could be invisible and find out what people really say or think about you, would you want to know? As a character she has a tenacity that's admirable. Her weakness is her insecurity, and the way she projects her insecurity on her relationships.

Any philosophical issues in this story? If so how do you address them, how does Fiona live and over come them?

Fiona sees something, makes an assumption, and that assumption leads her to an act that undermines her life. There's a lot of assuming going on right now in our culture, especially in social media. We get a small nugget of information that may or may not be true, then we add our own assumptions, which creates divisiveness. I remember I saw a meme that quoted a governor which really upset me, and I was just about to share when I thought, 'I wonder if this is true?' So I googled the quote and found that Snopes had debunked it. If I hadn't taken the time to question that meme, I would have been part of it spreading, and maybe someone down the line would have acted on this bit of misinformation. Fiona desperately tries to undo the consequences of her act. You'll have to read DEAD SOULS to see if she's successful.

Any offbeat obscure or 80s references?

Well there's a bit in there about Sea Monkeys. Talk about your misleading marketing. Sheesh.

When did you start to write this one and why?

It started in 2014 with the first two paragraphs, then I added fifteen pages which I showed to my agent. At the time Gallery Books was reviewing my proposal for THE NIGHTMARCHERS, and I wondered if she thought it'd be worth pitching too. She got excited about the DEAD SOULS pages, and asked me to flesh it out with another proposal. Gallery ended up picking up both.

This seems to be my process. With POE I started out with the first few pages and a strong character, and no idea what the story was going to be. DEAD SOULS at least had an outline, but the themes reveal themselves in the writing as it goes. It's like developing pictures in the darkroom, where you're not sure what you have until the image slowly appears. Of course, I realize there's a whole generation reading this going, 'Darkroom? What's that?'.

What's next in this series or in your next book?

Next up is THE NIGHTMARCHERS, which is going to be creepy. Very, very creepy.

When will it be available?

DEAD SOULS is out September 20th, and then THE NIGHTMARCHERS is probably going to be 2017 or early 2018. Which reminds me, I need to get back to writing it.

DEAD SOULS

Go on pre-order DEAD SOULS , you know you want to. And comment if you'd like a chance at a free copy. I'll even try and get her to sign it for you.

While you wait for DEAD SOULS, perhaps you might want to check out -
 
Junior Inquisitor Book One  
Inquisitor Series - http://goo.gl/mJtTf8
  
Soulless Monk Book Two  
 Smashwords - https://goo.gl/NXw3Gr
Inquisitor Series - http://goo.gl/5lCyaX
 
 The Witch’s Lair Book Three 
Smashwords - https://goo.gl/MokJnC 
 Inquisitor Series - http://goo.gl/mJtTf8
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