Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Vanessa Kimball

VANESSA KIMBALL

No picture at this time. Hopefully that will change someday.

Name Origin:

Kimball (English; Derived from the Welsh first name Cynbel meaning "chief war" or the Old English first name Cynebald meaning "royal boldness".)
 

Physical characteristics:
Vanessa is blond and tall.

Personality:
Vanessa gives off an elegant air. She always behaves as if she is royalty. She liked to use people for her own desires and was not afraid to step on others to get what she wanted. This began to change after the vampire Reginald broke her heart. She secretly wanted to change her ways.

Known History:
Vanessa Kimball was of royal birth. She grew up with everything she wanted. The vampire lord Dominic Pratchet came into her life and wooed her. She became a vampire and willingly served him. Dominic named her Sovereign of the British Empire Covens. This means she became the head of the rich upper class vampires of London. Dominic did as he always does and left her.

After awhile she was bored, so she turned a group of spoiled upper class young men. They became known as the Rakes. Her personal servant and ghoul is named Chester.

Dominic constantly shifts from one empire to the next to keep an active eye on his subjects.  He returned and discovered the rowdy and frivolous Rakes and almost destroyed them but Vanessa made them swear an allegiance to him. They paid him many tributes of captured humans.

Vanessa fell in love with one of her Rakes, Reginald Worthing. He didn't feel the same way about her and used her to gain power among the Rakes and London's vampire society. Reginald fell in love with a call girl named Abigail Black and turned her. They ran away together and Vanessa's heart was broken.

She began to get second thoughts about her life and the corrupt things she did. When she met Annabelle Foresight and Thomas Dunston, two vampire children from America, she began to think on a major life change.

 

Scholastic Editors Forecast Top 10 Trends in Children's Books for 2013

Hey there gentle readers. Those folks at Media Room have posted Scholastic Editors Forecast Top 10 Trends in Children's Books for 2013.

I don't try to write to trends, but it's always good seeing what is going around in the reading world.

Percy Jackson will meet the Kanes!

Now I've already gobbled up and reviewed the final book in Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles, The Serpent's Shadow. But I read yesterday a bit of shocking but expected news.

The soft cover version coming out this May will have a new short story included. The Son of Sobek.
In that story is the event I keep predicting will happen. Percy Jackson (from two sets of series involving Greek Gods and monsters) will meet the Carter and Sadie Kane (from a series involving

Egyptian Gods and monsters).

I read the preview page and not only does Carter create a giant fist (Ala Green Lantern) but the main point is that Cater and Percy meet, disagree, get mad and begin to fight in true super hero meeting (aka Marvel cause they did it first) fashion!

And ooooh is it going to be gooood!

I can't wait!

I'm telling you, I swear this confirms it! Riordan is a closet comic book fan. Come out and admit to it. I need to talk to this man! He is what I want to be!

Blog Tour featuring Mikey Brooks and Terron James!

Recently I was invited to join a blog tour where we get interview questions from the last person on the tour, answer them and then pass the baton onto the next blog.

I was tuned in to this by Author and artist extraordinaire Mikey Brooks. He's the author of Bean's Dragons and ABC Adventures: Magical Creatures. Check him out! These are wonderful books for every kid or even the kid at heart.

Here are his interview questions for me and my answers...

What is the working title of your next book?
NIGHT CHILDREN: DARK CHANGES

Where did the idea come from for the book?
When I was first creating the rough draft for book one (NIGHT CHILDREN: DARK BIRTH) I planned out the basic first ideas for this one as well. Later on I split the story in two.

What genre does your book fall under?
Middle Grade Historical Fiction Fantasy


What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
No clue because by the time my books are popular for a movie, anyone around today would be too old to play them.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
Vampire child Annabelle searches the London Underworld for her brother Roland whom is actually serving as a vampire pirate under the dreaded Captain Worthing and his crew of Bloody Buccaneers.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Self published… for now.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
3 years.

What other books would you compare this to within your genre?
The Harry Potter series, the Percy Jackson series, the Fableheaven series, the Circu Du Freak series, and the Janitors series.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I saw a scene from a movie about a frightened vampire child. It got me thinking about how I would do things differently. I decided to try my own and Annabelle, my main character, walked out of my head and onto the page.

What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
Famous Pirates! Vampire pirates! Shadow creatures! London blood suckers! Vampire orphans! A crazed mob! Natives! Sword fighting with super powers! A sea serpent!

Next up on this Blog Tour Relay is Author Terron James! He's a good friend, teacher of future generations and the author of his upcoming book Insight! Here is an intro to Terron penned by the man himself...

Terron is the author of the YA fantasy series, Beholders, and the Tooele Chapter president of the League of Utah Writers.

Born in the wrong age, Terron James continually fantasizes of shining steel, majestic stone architecture, thundering cavalry rushes, and opportunities to prove his honor. Under the direction of his queen, Terron labors diligently in his kingdom, striving to prepare an inheritance worthy of his four heirs.

When he finally graduated from the University of Utah with his English BA, Terron had become besties with most of the English department staff, as well as the employees of Brio, who make a wicked cup of hot chocolate.

Spaghetti sauce inevitably finds its way behind at least one of Terron’s ears at every meal.

Although he currently resides in Tooele, UT, Terron’s dream is to capture every sunset with his wife, fingers interlocked, the reflection of his soul in her brown eyes, and the ocean surf rolling over their bare feet.

Terron is the Tooele Chapter president of the League of Utah Writers and a member of Pikes Peak Writers.

To schedule a book signing, appearance, or interview with Terron James, please contact his publicist, Kirk Cunningham, at kirk@jollyfishpress.com.

 

Bite of Story Thursday

Here is a sneak peek at my current work in progress, Myths. This is from the rough draft so it does not reflect the final product. Enjoy!

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Myths
Chapter Ten :  Big House On The Prairie

Celeste joined him by the glass.  “They don’t teach us much about them in school.  They’re called the Nephilim but most races in Farnalla call them simply giants.  They always keep to themselves and remain neutral in the wars.  The Verbena Forest is the only place in Farnalla big enough to hide them.  Who knows what their correct size is or even how many kinds of giants there are?”

Eli spied a raggedy doll on the bed.  It resembled a girl but had to be at least eight feet tall.  As bedrooms go, the child’s room seemed simple.  She didn’t have a lot of toys or books.

He turned back to take in their prison.  A simple wooden box surrounded them.  Bits of torn up bushes and some tree limbs lay scattered around the box.  A few large rocks were strewn throughout, which some of his friends sat upon.  Tiny holes allowed for air but their circumference was much too small for Flitty to escape through.

His eyes caught on a few sinister objects.  A couple dead locusts were piled in a corner and a minotaur skeleton lay in the opposite corner with some leaves on top.

Celeste explained, “We figured that’s her last ‘toy’.  I covered it up out of respect.”

Heilgar’s primal scream startled everyone.  He charged the glass but when his body hit it, he simply bounced back into a bush. 

“Aw Heilgar,” Flitty said.  “That trick never works.”

The dwarf stood up and gave her a fiendish look, “I don’t care.  You’ll never catch me becoming a pile of bones in a child’s bug box.”

How to Respond to Negative Reviews by Author Beth Revis

Author Beth Revis posted this great article on her blog about how we as authors should respond to negative reviews.

As many of you know, I've had my fair share of down and depressed black moods all caused by negative reviews. Some of you were responsible! And thank the good Lord you were. If it weren't for you and many like you my 1st novel would still be unreadable.

So ultimately we need the negative to smack us out of our writer haze and force us to refine our work.

But sometimes our work is good and what is wrong is simply that it's not right for some people. Some love Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Twilight, Ender's Game and Hamlet. Some don't. No big deal.

When we're the most down on ourselves due to other's opinions, we must sift out what helps us, what we really need, and the rest we can throw away and consider just a different opinion.

It's not always easy though. Sometimes we need things to lift us up. Beth Revis' has the right idea.

Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Molly O' Connell

MOLLY O' CONNELL

No picture at this time. Hopefully that will change someday.

Physical characteristics:
Molly has brown hair and a thin build. Her eyes used to be green before she became a vampire. After her transformation they take on the normal red color.

Personality:
Molly is sweet and loving. She would give her life for her students. She's very cautious, afraid that her "orphanage" would be discovered.

Known History:
Molly moved to England from her native Ireland to find work as a teacher. She fell in love with a young nobleman named Ryan. She found a great job at a boarding school and became popular among the students.

Ryan began to hang out with the wrong sort, other young noblemen who liked to stir up trouble. He Always enjoyed that sort of lifestyle and Molly knew he wasn't right for her but she was too afraid to break it off. Ryan and his friends started to visit Vanessa Kimball, a member of royalty whom was secretly a vampire. She turned them.

Ryan turned Molly against her will. She rejected him so he captured five of her pupils (Mary, Eric, Selina, Samuel and Charlotte) and turned them in their sleep.

Molly took in each of them and found an abandoned building in the heart of London where they could hide. She named their home the Palmer Orphanage after a famous vampire hunter. It was her way of rejecting their new life. Despite her feelings, Molly continued to teach the children what little she knew.
 

Actually did some writing!

Last week I actually wrote 1.207 words! Sure that's not a lot and it was only on one afternoon but hey, when you're busy balancing family and work you take what you can get!

I worked on Myths. Last year I wrote a few chapters on Myths and then decided to reshape the books focus. So I changed a lot and then added a lot more story set in the world of Farnalla. I always planned for them to reach their destination of Stonehenge and travel to our world, but I simply delayed that trip.

Well thanks to my recent meager efforts they have reached their destination and finally have been sent to a mythical land called Earth!

Now to write the 2nd half of the book!

Good Advice about Goodreads

Check out this great article from Novel Publicity for great advice to authors on how to use Goodreads.

Now if I could just find the time to do these things!

I'm on local TV!

Check out this cool interview Doug Radunich of TooeleTV did with me during the children's Book Festival!

TooeleTV: "Night Children" by Scott Bryan:

Coming in March: Two more cool blog hops!

In the month of March I'll be participating in he Lunar Love Giveaway Hop and the Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop!

Both hops will give me the opportunity to giveaway Night Children: Dark Threats.

Keep watching this space!

Interview with Terry Brooks by Sword and Laser

Some great advice here from a great author!

Bite of Story Thursday

Night Children: Dark Birth

Chapter Thirteen: The Shopkeeper

The firmness in Eliza’s voice grabbed their attention. “Roland, next time control your temper and focus.  He cannot harm us.  He has no wooden stake or any other weapon.  To properly mesmerize someone you must push your thoughts over theirs.  Push your will.  Now try it.” 

“Mister Shopkeeper, it’s not nice to bully others.  You should be more polite.” 

The man mumbled the word, “Polite.” 

“Now please go fetch that red ball.  Yes.  Thank you.”  Roland placed the money on the counter and continued with his practice.  “Now forget you ever saw us and... leave.  Yes!  Leave town.” 

“Roland, wait.  You can’t just tell him to--” 

Annabelle’s voice must’ve broken the trance because the shopkeeper’s eyes opened wide with terror.  Eliza spoke up quickly.  “The trance I put him under has completely broken.  He can see us for what we truly--” 

“You’re vampires!” His face white with fear, he shouted, “Vampires are in my shop!  I’m going to die!  Help!” 

Eliza blocked his exit and tried to mesmerize him.  “He’s too upset.  We must flee.” 

“Can we mesmerize him while he’s unconscious?” Annabelle asked quickly.

“What?” 

“Can we mesmerize him when he’s unconscious?”  A frantic fear turned her stomach upside down as the shopkeeper’s voice got louder and louder.  She rapidly glanced out the shop windows.  Someone had to hear him.

“Yes!” 

“Good.”  Annabelle sped around the shop so fast the shopkeeper blinked.  She picked up the wooden stool and hit him over the head with it.  He dropped to the ground with a heavy thud. 

“Is he dead?”  Roland asked while looking over his body. 

 

 

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For more check out Dark Birth at your local online store. Links to Dark Birth on the web can be found on the Store Page on this blog or you could just go here, Dark Birth on Amazon.

How Many Times Has the World Ended?

Here is a fun graphic put together by Allison Morris and the good people at OnlinePsychologyDegree.net

I realise we're all chillin' in out hot tubs, sippin' hot chocolate and just being grateful those crazy Mayans in their togas were wrong. I know it's all old news. But I thought I'd share this cause frankly it's just so darn cute. ;)

Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Hawke

HAWKE

No picture at this time. Hopefully that will change someday.

Full Name:

Ethan Hawke but he goes by his last name.

Physical characteristics:
He wears a trench coat loaded with specialized weapons as well as a belt and straps loaded with more weapons and ammunition. He has a long scar across his right eye thanks to the vampire Roland. Several other scars cover his body from many battles. He is missing two fingers on his left hand.

Personality:
Hawke is gruff, vengeful, and angry. He is also very careful and calculating. To stay alive as long as he has, Hawke is always careful to watch his back and never stay in the same place twice. He has no scruples and is not above killing other humans to get at his prey.

Known History:
Ethan Hawke had a brother named Aaron. Aaron became obsessed with mythical and supernatural creatures after an incident when he was a child. He traveled the world researching the strange and unknown and then compiled all this information complete with sketches into his book; Aaron Hawke’s Guide to Mythical Beasts.

Enraged at this, the Vampire Lord Dominic slaughtered Aaron and his parents. Ethan arrived home late and caught Dominic in the act. He hid himself and was able to escape Dominic's attack. From that moment on Ethan dedicated himself to the eradication of every creature in his brother's book.

He began to only go by his last name with the hope that it would strike fear and terror into the creatures' hearts. He trained himself in every way to battle and kill the monsters that inhabited his world.

He has two katanna swords, a gift from a Samurai vampire hunter. Rumored to be folded so tightly that they can cut through any form of magic or magical beast. He also has throwing stars, a long knife, a grappling hook, a crossbow and a quiver full of silver tipped wooden arrows as well as plenty of silver shot for his arsenal of guns. Every weapon has been soaked in holy water. He can set expert traps, track monsters from nation to nation and has set up safe houses in ever country. His favorite weapon is his small sword Hell-Slayer. It has a thick tip that tapers down to it’s hilt. A flick of a latch and two smaller blades sprung out from either side. The weapon resembled a warped cross.

After his death Hawke's arsenal, safe houses, journals and maps of various creatures’ lairs were found by the man called Talin. Talin dedicated his life to following in Hawke's footsteps and called himself a "Hawke". Through the following centuries the Hawkes became the biggest threat against vampires, werewolves and any creatures of the unseen world.

Self Publishing Thoughts

Interesting thoughts on independent publishing. Check out this link from Write NonFiction Now.

I like publishing the Night Children series myself for many of the reasons shown in this article. I might still resubmit it, but this time a rejection won't bug me because I personally like the control I have over it.

So why do I even consider resubmitting with agents and publishers? The marketing. It's hard for me with a full time job and family, to have the time to properly get it out there. Also I don't have the funds to really push it out.

So having the money and resources of a publisher would help.

It's a toss up but I'm enjoying the journey either way.

Movie Review: The Hobbit -Spoilers-

I saw the Hobbit last week. Earlier in the year I reread the book. I read it when I was 12 but that was a long time ago. So I felt that if I was going to see the movie. I'd better have an understanding of the original story.

I've spoken to some who have seen the film and heard their reviews. They felt the additions to the story were not needed and detracted from the film. I do not agree. I really liked how they added more depth to the back story. I felt that have a stronger depth to Thorin Oakenshield.

I didn't ind the addition of the white orc or how he was substituted for the goblins during the forest battle. I enjoyed the action and the fun and appreciated the dramatic moments of the film. The goblins eagles, and wargs were just as I expected. I also liked the White Consul. I think it makes sense that there would be a small gathering of leaders to plan and watch for bigger threats. I got a kick out of the scene with old Bilbo and Frodo. It was taken from the beginning of the Fellowship book so it was good finally seeing that scene.

It was good to see Sir Ian McKellen again as Gandalf. While Sherlock star Martin Freeman did a perfect job as Bilbo. Andy Serkis gave me chills as Golum. Very inspirational for my writing.

So all in all I loved the film. Can't wait for the blue ray.

Of course some think it could have ended differently...

Movie Review: Frankenweenie

I finally saw Frankenweenie. I really enjoyed it. I purposely stayed away from spoilers because I'd already seen the live action from several years ago. I knew the story. I liked the story but I didn't understand why we needed a claymation treatment of it.

Now I understand.

Tim Burton was able to throw in all sorts of treats into this film. Of course the whole thing is a tribute to Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein but what I didn't know was all the many other tributes to classic horror.

I mean we see Boris Karloff and Vincent Price immortalised in clay. We get tributes to werewolves and vampires and mummies and gremlins and even Godzilla.

Excellent. I love the classics and this film served it up in spades. A must own for me.

Question Time

I'm going to pass on a great question from J. A. Bennet, What music inspires you the most? For me it's Lorena McKennit for NightChildren & Myths, Danny Elfman for Night Children and the LOTR soundtrack for Myths. How about you?

Bite of Story Thursday

Night Children: Dark Threats

Chapter Eight: Present Day, Hyde and Seek

Annabelle’s cold fist smashed through the zombie’s ribcage.  With her other arm she wacked off the creature’s head, sending it spiraling into a tombstone.  If she were human, these things would scare her, but she hasn’t been human for a long time.

Her brother Roland, laughed as he ripped a zombie apart and began to move at top speed around the graveyard, smacking the undead with a firmly held corpse.  His weapon of choice crumbled in his pale hands.  “Darn.  These things just don’t hold up like they used to.”

She smiled as she slashed a zombie in two with her nails.  “Whoever reanimated this horde didn’t take their time with the spell.”

Annabelle looked across the misty graveyard.  Gross bodies continued to shuffle from their graves.  Grey fingers clawed to the surface, revealing more decrepit enemies to fight.  So far none had escaped the sacred grounds of the cemetery, but with the sheer amount of undead, she knew it wouldn’t be long.

“And why zombies?” Roland asked as he unsheathed his silver cutlass.  “It’s so last week.  Why couldn’t it be living skeletons or mummies?”  He began to slash away at the horde, the moonlight reflecting off his sword.

Annabelle took to the air, hovering just out of the grasp of an undead man in a tux.  Half his rotten flesh seemed to fall off on its own.  “Could be worse.  They could be gremlins.”  She brushed off pieces of shredded corpse from her clothes.

“Ugh!  Please not those again.”  Roland flew into a mass of petrified bodies and began to slice them to shreds.  His blood-red eyes flickered and a wicked grin stole across his pale face. 

Annabelle continued to hover ten feet above the graves.  She focused on anything unusual. 

“You’re enjoying yourself.  Not a bad way to do our ‘sibling night’ patrol.”  He smiled as he continued to destroy more zombies.

“Still,” she continued from eight feet above, her red jacket flapped in the cool night breeze, “Something’s not right.  Zombies are normally weak, but these are pathetic.”

“Are you going to hang up there all night while I do all the work?”  His black jeans and sweatshirt began to turn grey with zombie remains.  “I’m working up a thirst.  We haven’t even gone hunting for breakfast yet.”

“You and your stomach.  I’m sure we’ll find a plump cat or dog to feed on soon enough.  Do you smell that?  There’s a hint of magic in the air.  I think one of our enemies left some kind of voodoo trinket somewhere in the graveyard.  If I could just spot it...” 

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For more check out Dark Threats at your local online store. Links to Dark Threats on the web can be found on the Store Page on this blog or you could just go here, Dark Threats on Amazon.