Bite of Story Thursday

Night Children: Dark Threats

Chapter Six

In her werewolf form, Grace appeared thin but healthy. The attacking werewolves all dwarfed her due to her smaller size. She was roughly the same height as Roland and possessed his defiant temper. Despite being two different creatures of the night, Roland and Grace seemed perfect for each other.


Her opponent smiled a toothy grin. “You would do well to join up. We’ll find your precious clan. And when we do, I’ll take your head to your brother Coinín as a trophy. He’s the king of your tribe now, correct?”

She grinned as well. It took a lot more than false bravado from one of Dominic’s trained mutts to get under her fur. “You’re welcome to try.”

The werewolf lunged. Grace dropped to the ground and darted between his legs. She flipped, grabbed the extra fur on his back, pulled herself up and slashed at his eyes and throat. He let out a dreadful gasp as she bounded off his shoulders and somersaulted in the air. Grace outstretched her feet, landing on a table. She picked up a silver knife with a napkin and crouched, ready for his attack.


-----

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.

Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Servo Guardante

SERVO GUARDANTE

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


Other names: Ol' Stinky, Smelly, Mr. Creepy


Name Origin: Watching Servant in Italian.

Physical characteristics:

Always hunched over, filthy, wild eyes, creepy smile, balding with pock marks and scars on skin and dressed in dirty rags.

Personality:
Creepy, back stabbing spy who only serves his master and himself. Clever enough to know the value of escaping to live another day. Completely devoted to Dominic and will betray or kill anyone if it means gaining his master's favor.

Abilities:
Servo is a ghoul. If a vampire bites a human twice in rapid succession their physical and mental being becomes corrupted. They become stronger and faster than most humans. Their reflexes and senses are sharper. In short, they gain a small fraction of the power of a vampire. They cannot mesmerize others, fly or chance shape. The sun weakens then a fraction but does not burn them. Ghouls have long life spans but it is unknown if they can achieve the full immortality that vampires have. Most die in the service of their dark masters.

Known History:
At some point in the past Dominic found Servo in Italy and made him a ghoul. Servo has served Dominic for centuries, spying on Dominic's enemies across two continents and within many nations. He always puts Dominic first and travels a lot to fulfill his master's wishes. He mortally wounded Thomas Dunston, forcing Annabelle Foresight to turn Tom into a vampire. Most of Servo's dark history is so far untold.

Merry Christmas!

 


Just a quick message to wish all my blog followers and those hidden in Lurky-ville a wonderful and merry Christmas and happy holidays.

Hope your holidays go great and bring you peace and joy.

Scott

Bite of Story Thursday

Night Children: Dark Trials
Chapter Five

She caught a glimpse of Eliza. The men held her tight, pulling her to the center of town. Why didn’t she try to defend herself? Annabelle punched and scratched her way to Eliza. The angry shouts and constant attacks from her attackers made it impossible to concentrate. If she could think for long enough to change her form or mesmerize the mob, Annabelle might be able to rescue Eliza and escape.


Where are Roland and Thomas? she thought in panic.

Henry continued to shout over the mob, “Reginald Worthing told me they were killing Johnny. He said they lied to me and they’ve always served the devil.”

The crowd of hostile villagers tripled in size. Men were joined by their wives, fathers by their sons. Annabelle wondered if the entire town had gone insane. Other voices joined Henry: “We have to stop them before they kill everyone in town.” “Don’t let them murder our children.” “Let’s hang them at the town square.”

Henry shouted over the mob, “Hanging won’t work. We’ve got to burn them!”

Her body tired and her mind in panic, Annabelle couldn’t stop the mob from dragging her after Eliza. Bloodthirsty cheers roared in her ears while her voice was raw with all her screaming.

Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Grace Faolchú

GRACE FAOLCHÚ

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

Other names:  Graine, Grainné, Princess, Wolf Princess, Hot-headed mutt

Name Origin:
Graine : Irish name meaning "love."  Graine was translated into English Grace.
Grace: English name derived from the vocabulary word, meaning "grace."
Faolchú: Wolf.

Grace's father, Alastar, changed his last name after exile. He was exiled from his clan after being bitten by a werewolf in the first part of the 1600s. He roamed early Britain, found other exiled werewolves and formed his own clan.

Physical characteristics:


She's thin and short. She has long red hair that flows down to her butt. For awhile she cut it to a cropped short look. Thin facial features. When she transforms, she gains a thick red coat of fur. Her bright green eyes turn yellow.

Personality:
Aggressive, strongly opinionated, strong minded, like her father. She can also love fiercely. Everything she does, she does with passion.

Abilities:
Grace has the standard werewolf abilities. She can transform into a half-wolf half-human form or all wolf form. In both forms she's stronger, faster and has better agility and enhanced senses. She can access her enhanced abilities and sharp nails and teeth even in human form. As an Alpha Wolf, she's immortal. She seems to age slowly, perhaps a year per one-hundred human years.

Known History:

Like her little brother Coinín, Grace was born a werewolf to two werewolf parents, Alastar and Maureen Faolchú. She is a werewolf princess and a member of royalty among the clans. She is a Alpha Wolf, like her father and brother. This means she'll live forever and has the makings of a future pack leader like her father.

As of this writing, much of Grace's history has not been chronicled. She met Roland and Annabelle in the mid 1700s when the Clan Faolchú paid their yearly visit to the Mullo gypsy tribe. She has helped Roland multiple times and in 1941 was referenced as his "girlfriend" by Annabelle. It remains to be seen if Annabelle was speaking out of turn or if Grace and Roland ready did/do have that kind of relationship. It should be noted that it is taboo to romantically link a vampire with a werewolf.

Night Children: Dark Birth - the Proof is here!

The printed proof has arrived for Dark Birth. I actually hold in my hands a copy of my 1st novel, the one that I've been blogging about since '06 and working on since '04. It's so surreal to open it and see text I've tweaked and revised for so long. Originally it was called Annabelle & Roland: The Night Children. I like the new concept of titles I'm using.

As an actual novel, Dark Birth is thicker than Dark Threats. I compared it to several books on the shelf and found it to be about the same size.

I learned from my formatting errors on the proof of Dark Threats. There are very few things wrong with the Birth proof. I'm revising Book Two's title (sigh, again) so I need to change that bit on the last page. Other than that I think it turned out great.

Next step, order copies to give away at speaking engagements/book signings and also to loan out for reviews. Meanwhile it's set up so Amazon will soon have it available to order.

It's so exciting to finally hold it in my hand!

Bite of Story Thursday

NIGHT CHILDREN: DARK BIRTH

Chapter Eighteen

She rushed deeper into the forest, sweat running down her brow and pooling behind her neck. Her undead body shouldn’t be having these reactions. Annabelle had no pulse yet it quickened. Terror caused her body to tremble. Her inhuman mind was demanding certain responses of her body and it was following suit.


She didn’t want to die and if this madman found her everything would be over. She wondered if all their training on how to kill vampires would be used on them. The man almost got Roland’s heart. He could have any weapon at his disposal. Deep fear rippled through her body as she continued to blur away from each arrow.

The stranger seemed to get closer by the minute. While he didn’t have her speed, he did have a certain skill with his weapon. Every time they would emerge from one set of trees, more arrows pierced the night. It took all her speed to avoid them.

He’s good, she thought, I can only stay a step ahead of him. If we keep running, he’ll get us. Where do we go? She looked through the trees and then glanced up. Annabelle leapt high into the branches while holding her brother. Once on a limb, she gently leaned him against the trunk and remained deathly quiet.

Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Penelope Chesterfield: Bride of Domi

THE THREE QUEENS / BRIDES OF DRACULA

This is the closest I have to a pic of them.

artist:(if you know the artist, please let me know so I can credit him or her).

Who:
Elizabeth Báthory, Roxana Dawn and Penelope Chesterfield.

What:
Their mission is to watch over Domi's interests and keep an eye on the Seven Tyrant Lords.

Penelope Chesterfield

Name origin:

Latin form of Greek Penelopeia, meaning "weaver of cunning."

Physical characteristics:

Long, straight light-brown hair. Bright brown eyes with thin eye lashes. Likes to dress in long black robes with a long flowing cape.

Abilities:

Typical vampire abilities:

She possesses the abilities of all vampires. This means she is faster and stronger than humans, her senses are extremely acute as are her reflexes. She can fly and can mesmerize humans. It took her a long time to learn how turn into a bat and mist.

Special abilities:

She’s an expert witch. Penelope has mastered dark magic and loves to use it on Dominic’s enemies. There are very few warlocks and witches who have become vampires. Of their limited number, Penelope is the greatest. She’d rather focus on her spells than master her vampiric abilities.

Known History:

Insane, Penelope Chesterfield lost her parents to illness in Colonial America of the late 1600s. She was found by Dominic Pratchet, whom brought her to one of his witch covens in North America because she showed a penchant for witchcraft. She became part of the coven and lived with his senior witch, Gertrude. Penelope was always more comfortable with her cats (familiars). She has a familiar named Moonlight that she hexed into a werecat.

She is obsessed with Dominic. She continuously tried to prove herself to him until he finally turned her into a vampire. Her goal is to one day be one of his queens. Eventually she proved herself and became one of his Brides. She recruited the Invisible Man.

Met another fan!

I found out today that one of the copies at the Purple Cow bookstore sold yesterday. You can imagine how excited I got.

Well that excitement went into overdrive when I was at Wal-Mart. A boy came up to me, admitted he was the one who bought it, and told me he loved it!

I love meeting fans! THAT is what it's all about. Writing stories that entertain. Sharing characters who inspire and help others.

I LOVE THIS!

Bite of Story Thursday

Night Children: Dark Threats
Chapter Two:


A twig snapped ahead in the darkened wood. Annabelle and Roland stopped in their tracks and stiffened. Two heartbeats pounded nearby and Annabelle silently chastised herself for not listening closer to the surrounding woods.


“Smell that?” she whispered to her brother.

“Yeah,” Roland agreed. “The breeze was blowing the other way before, hiding their scent. It’s them.”

Two familiar women hid just ahead. Menace oozed off of them.

“Who?” Tom peered into the dark wood fearfully.

“The witches, Tom,” Ann explained. “I need you two to run as fast as you can.”

“That’s not going to work,” Penelope said. Sixteen years old and completely devoted to evil, the younger of the two witches stepped onto the path with the much older Gertrude beside her. “Time to die.”

I GOT PAID!

Monday I had a surprise in the mail. My first royalty check from Amazon.com! I couldn't believe it. It was for the ebook sales for August, September and October.

I made more money in October than the other two months, probably due to the Blog Hop and speaking engagements. I need to schedule more of those, along with some book signings.

Anyway, this is exciting!

Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Thomas Dunston

THOMAS DUNSTON

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

Other names: Silly Boy


Name Origin:

English form of Greek Thōmas, meaning "twin."

Physical characteristics:

Curly blond hair. Red eyes. Small white fangs.

Age Chart:

He was turned at age 11. Every hundred years he ages one year. He actually experiences his years longer than normal humans. Vampire children remain that age emotionally and mentally, perhaps for self preservation so they do not go insane living as an adult trapped in a child body.

How he handles immortality remains to be seen.

Advancement Chart:

b. June 6th 1681 d. 1692

born a vampire 1692-

Age 11= 1692-1792

Age 12 = 1792-1892

Age 13 = 1892-1992

Age 14 = 1992-Present Day

No other ages available at the moment.

Personality:

Tom is fun loving. He likes to joke around and always tries to bring some humor to a otherwise stressful situation. When things are really tough, he'll be serious as well. He's fiercely loyal to Annabelle and Roland.

Abilities:

He has the standard vampire abilities. This means he’s faster and stronger than humans, his senses are extremely acute as are his reflexes. He can fly and turn into a bat. He can control humans through mesmerization and communicate with lesser beasts.

In later years he has shown the ability to transform into any kind of animal but how he learned this has yet to be told. Most vampires that have mastered transformation abilities can only become nocturnal creatures like bats and wolves. Thomas mastered the ability to transform into any animal. While in these forms he is still subject to all vampire weaknesses such as wooden stakes and sunlight.

Known History:

Thomas grew up in Jorgantown, Massachusetts along with his older brother Henry and his kid sister Polly. He loved adventure and often pretended to be a pirate or explorer. He decided to apprentice at the general store because he enjoys being around people. Tom likes to make others laugh and always finds humor in any situation.

In 1692 Annabelle and Roland Foresight arrived in Jorgantown from London. Tom became a close friend and was deeply hurt when he thought they’d been killed by wolves.

When he found out they were actually vampires he became very excited. Maybe due to his crush on Annabelle, but Thomas desperately wanted to become a vampire just like her. She swore to never turn him but thanks to unforeseen circumstances, she had to change him in order to save his life.

Thomas has been a faithful companion to Annabelle throughout the centuries. There have been troubles and challengers over the last three-hundred years. He has mastered some unique talents and tried to bring a smile to his friends during their darkest times.

As of this writing, his future is still a mystery.

synchronicity

Do you ever have one of those random moments of synchronicity where something happens that strangely links to a past event of your life? I did recently.

Last month my wife and I attended the annual Tooele Writer's Holiday Dinner.

Keep in mind, I've been with this local collection of talented authors since the first meeting at the local library. I showed up for that meeting because I wanted to meet local authors. After all those years of feeling like I was alone, it was nice to find others crazy like myself.

So I'm following the directions to the dinner when I stumble upon a shock. The author who is hosting the party just happens to live at Jeff Russon's house.

Who's Jeff Russon you may ask? Jeff was a 6th grade teacher for West Elementary ( a local elementary school).

After finishing my rough draft of what is now Dark Birth, I called the school librarian (an old family friend) and asked her if she knew any 6th grade teachers who would read it and give me advice. Jeff's name came up.

So with a belly full of nerves, I jumped into the deep in for the first time with this author job and called Jeff. He was thrilled to hear from me and we set up a meeting. It was in his kitchen I discussed my novel with the first stranger (not a friend, co-worker or family member). He read it, loved it but found oh so many things that needed improvement.

I eventually spoke to two of his classes. Jeff's an old friend now. He moved to Washington (the state) some time ago.

So imagine my surprise when I re-entered his house and even stepped into the same kitchen that started so much for me so long ago. I walked in there a self-published author, amidst other authors, for the purpose of a writer's dinner.

And the strangest thing of all? Dark Threats was on her shelf. In the same house where I swallowed my fear and took a chance at having someone look at Annabelle's story, her first published story sat on the shelf years later.

So weird. Cool. Awesome as all heck. But weird.

Night Children: Dark Threats NOW at the Purple Cow Bookstore!

My novella, Night Children: Dark Threats, is now at the Purple Cow children's bookstore! Come one, come all to grab a copy.

It'll be at the bookstore, located in Tooele Utah, for a 90 day trial period. If it sells, they'll want more.

Please, if you're able, come grab it and help a local author out.











You read that right, Night Children Dark Threats will be on thier shelves!

Book Review: The Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus #2)

I absolutely loved it! As always, I find Rick Riordan’s writing refreshing, exciting and inspirational. I couldn’t put it down and found myself flipping pages way too quickly.


Its fun seeing Percy, Tyson and Mrs. O’Leary again. It’s also great being in Percy’s head. I could always relate with him. Frank and Hazel are also very strong, well-written characters, too. Darn you Riordan! All seven half-bloods are wonderful. Who could we possibly sacrifice?

It was nice seeing a brief glimpse of Jason, Piper and Leo. This book performed an amazing job of following the last and leading to the next tale. Can’t wait to see SPOILER again.

Adding to my personal list of “Things That Prove Riordan is a Fellow Comic Geek”, we have a super-speed horse that uses the Flash’s run-on-water technique, questions about amazons that would make one think of Wonder Woman (i.e. talk of what powers they do and don’t have), animal shape-shifting abilities and a possible mention of Beast Boy, more talking to aquatic animals like Aquaman, and more trick arrows like Green Arrow and Hawkeye (as seen before with the Party Ponies). Yes, I keep a mental list. I think it’s cool that he draws inspiration from one of the places I do.

Anyway, I loved this book and cannot wait till the next!

Bite of Story Thursday

Night Children: (Book Three) Dark Quest

Chapter Three


Annabelle and Thomas hurried outside to find the entire camp gazing into the forest, their eyes searched for the source of the terrible sounds.


The eerie howling took her back decades ago, to a single night when she, Thomas and Eliza looked for her brother on a dirt road through the wilds of Massachusetts. It was the first time she’d heard a werewolf. The strange mix of human and wolf calls made her hairs stand up on end.

This time it was far worse. A large choir of wolf creatures sang to the bright full moon. Their song grew louder from three sides around the camp and oddly enough, the vampires and humans didn’t seem concerned. In fact, a small glow of excitement crossed their features.

By contrast, Thomas, Roland, Eric and Mary stood as ridged as Ann. Charlotte clung to Mary for protection while Selina and Samuel perked up, curious about the coming threat.

Fear gripped her as eerie yellow eyes dotted the darkened wood. They were surrounded by too many rapid heart beats. Things that smelled of musky fur hungered, obscured by the thick trees.

A large red beast pushed out of the foliage, followed by five more of similar build. Each werewolf stood on two hairy legs and were adorned in patterned kilts with bright sashes across their chest.

The large red one sniffed the air as Yoska stepped forward. His bright red eyes locked with the werewolf’s yellow pupils. Each stood firmly, as if daring each other to attack first. Annabelle’s breath caught in her chest.

----

Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Roxana Dawn: Bride of Domi

THE THREE QUEENS / BRIDES OF DRACULA

This is the closest I have to a pic of them.

artist:(if you know the artist, please let me know so I can credit him or her).

Who:

Elizabeth Báthory, Roxana Dawn and Penelope Chesterfield.

What:
Their mission is to watch over Domi's interests and keep an eye on the Seven Tyrant Lords.

Roxana Dawn:

Other names:
Roxie, Lady in White,

Name origin:
Latin form of Persian Roušanak, meaning "dawn” or "break of day." 

Physical characteristics:
Pale complexion, short black hair mostly bobbed Ala a 20's "Flapper" girl. Thin, small body. Girlish round face. Small dimple on her left cheek. Likes to wear "Flapper" girl styles such as long dresses and plenty of long necklaces. Used to dress like a western show girl back in the mid-nineteenth century. Used to wear gobs of make up like her sister but gave it up. Loves to wear white lace. She always wears lace gloves.

She has a sweet disposition but is actually a terrible back biter.
Abilities:

Typical vampire abilities:

She possesses the abilities of all vampires. This means she is faster and stronger than humans, her senses are extremely acute as are her reflexes. She can fly, turn into a bat, wolf, rat and she can mesmerize humans.

Special abilities:
She can control almost anyone, human or creature, with her voice. As soft and high pitched like the tinkling of a bell, Roxana's voice can control a person's body, allowing her to make her victim do anything she wants. Has no affect on Dominic or Elizabeth Báthory. She also carries a small silver blade with a leather handle.

Known History:

Roxana lived in ancient Rome with her older sister Lucretia. While Lucretia was more obsessed with her looks, Roxie developed a passion for Dominus.  She became very loyal to him and jumped at the offer of vampirism. Trained by Dominus’ chief General, Adad, to be great fighter. Along with her older sister, she has always dreamed of being on of Dominus' Three Queens.

Domi commanded Lucretia and Roxana to hide during the Exodus War. They rejoined him one he escaped his prison in the Dark Place. She has been an active follower ever since.

There is much left to discover about Roxana's long, evil life.

What I'm thankful for

Everything! I'm thankful for everything!

As I sit here, Thanksgiving morning, the intoxicating aroma of turkey flowing through the air, I realise how grateful I am for my family, my home, my job, my ability to write and the opportunities I have in both writing and drafting (my day job). I'm grateful for my material blessing and even more grateful for my eternal blessings like my wife and kids.

I just thought I'd mention these things. Now I'm going to go back to what I was doing, sitting here smelling the turkey that has been cooking all night, it's annual aroma of insane goodness is driving me loopy. I swear the moment will come this morning when I "check" the bird, my sharp fork clutched in my trembling hand. Come, bird. Come and know death!

Sorry. Got carried away.

Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Roland Foresight

ROLAND FORESIGHT

artist: Adam Diller

Other names:
Night Child, Island Keeper, annoying brother, Bloody-Buccaneer

Name Origin:

Old German name meaning "renowned land." 

Physical characteristics:
Straight red hair. Red eyes. Small white fangs. Wears a variety of clothing but likes to wear combinations of red and black.

Age Chart:
He was turned at age 13. Every hundred years he ages one year. He actually experiences his years longer than normal humans. Vampire children remain that age emotionally and mentally, perhaps for self preservation so they do not go insane living as an adult trapped in a child body.

How he handles immortality remains to be seen.

Advancement Chart:
b. October 13th 1679 d. 1692


born a vampire 1692-
Age 13= 1692-1792
Age 14 = 1792-1892
Age 15 = 1892-1992
Age 16 = 1992-Present Day

No other ages available at the moment.

Abilities:
Roland tends to have dreams of the far future, although he isn't aware of this at the beginning of the series. When he learns of this talent remains to be seen. He has the standard vampire abilities. This means he’s faster and stronger than humans, his senses are extremely acute as are his reflexes. He can fly and turn into a bat. In later years He has shown the ability to transform into a wolf, rat and mist but how he learned these things has yet to be told. He can control humans through mesmerization and communicate with lesser beasts.


He became an expert sword fighter thanks to his years as a Bloody-Buccaneer.

Known History:

In 1692 Roland Foresight moved with his family to the wilds of Massachusetts. The Vampire Lord Dominic Pratchet killed his parents and left him and his sister Annabelle for dead. Dominic's wife Eliza turned them into vampires, taught them the things they needed to know and became a surrogate mother to them.

As the centuries have passed, Roland became a hero to many, constantly fighting Dominic's forces as a member of the Order of Righteous Vampires. He prefers to drink the blood of animals instead of humans. Roland is possessed with an overwhelming desire to finish Dominic off once and for all.

He's rebellious, acts before thinking, hot-headed and gets overly excited about new things without thinking about the consequences. He isn't afraid of much in life and is filled with a wanderlust for adventure and travel.

He learned to sword fight when he became a Bloody-Buccaneer. Those years were both some of the best and worst of his life. Two men have filled him with a passion for revenge; the vampire hunter Hawke and Dominic, the monster lord who killed his parents. He has also had a few loves in his long life.

Any more information would be spoilers at this time.

FAN ART!

Years ago I searched online for Harry Potter fan art. We only had three movies but more books and I was dying to see images of those great book scenes that had not yet been captured on film. As I saved tons of drawings for my collection a silly thought crossed my mind.

What if someday aspiring artists created masterpieces of my books? I knew it was far off because after all, I was still massively editing book 1.

Guess what? That day has arrived! The following are two great pieces from Elizabeth Hansen.

 

Thank you so much Elizabeth!

Bite of Story Thursday

NIGHT CHILDREN:  (BOOK TWO)
DARK TRIBULATIONS

Chapter Twenty-One

“Of all the stupid, selfish things to say.” Annabelle exclaimed as she passed back and forth on the carpet back in their apartment. Thomas smiled.


She turned to him and gave a look that would frost his heart, “What?”

He smirked despite the apparent danger of annoying a passionate vampire child. “You knew that was going to be his response didn’t you?”

She flopped down in a chair and sighed loudly. “Yes. I did. Just once I’d like to get a straight answer from that man. Just once.”

“I know, Ann. Believe me I know.”

“Come, let’s go find something warm and juicy. I need to drown my sorrows.”




-------


Dark Tribulations is due next year. More info as things develop.

Dark Threats will be at the Purple Cow Bookstore!

The Purple Cow is a local children's bookstore in Tooele, Utah. I've spoken with them and gave them a copy of Night Children Dark Threats. After reviewing it they have decided to carry the book in thier store.

You read that right, Night Children Dark Threats will be on thier shelves!

I'm so excited! It's $8.99 and will be in stock at the store within the next two weeks!

Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Elizabeth Báthory : Bride of Domi

THE THREE QUEENS / BRIDES OF DRACULA

This is the closest I have to a pic of them.

artist:(if you know the artist, please let me know so I can credit him or her).

Who:

Elizabeth Báthory, Roxana Dawn and Penelope Chesterfield.

What:

Their mission is to watch over Domi's interests and keep an eye on the Seven Tyrant Lords.

Elizabeth Báthory:

Other names:

Elizabeth Báthory: Báthory Erzsébet in Hungarian, Alžbeta Bátoriová in Slovak, Blood Countess, Blood Queen, Lady of the House of Domi, Head Bride, Countess Dracula.

Name origin:

Anglicized form of Greek Elisabet, meaning "God is my oath."

Physical characteristics:

Dark hair, pale complexion, commanding presence. Posses a regal air. She’s strong, powerful, constantly in control.

Abilities:

Typical vampire abilities:

She possesses the abilities of all vampires. This means she is faster and stronger than humans, her senses are extremely acute as are her reflexes. She can fly, turn into a bat, wolf, rat and mist. She can also mesmerize humans.

Special abilities:
Her typical vampiric abilities seem more refined. She's a master at all of them, perhaps due to her personal training by Dominic. The various servents under Domi share rumors that she might be as powerful as the master.

Known History:

Domi warped the mind of Elizabeth Báthory, followed her as she grew up, spoke to her in secret. She fell in love with him. Completely devoted. She wanted to become one of his Three Queens (Brides of Dracula). He demanded she marry for political reasons to another mortal.

At age 35 he finally turned her after she gave him a present, the constant supply of young maidens from her land. She forced others to help her kill over 650 victims. She’d bathe in their blood as well as drink it. She was psychotic, thanks to Domi’s constant influence. Grateful for her “gifts”, Domi turned her in secret.

As punishment for her crimes, the mortals imprisoned in her home, Csejte Castle. She was bricked within a set of rooms. Domi faked her death. Allowing her to secretly escape in the night. He trained her in every skill. She is the closet he has ever loved anyone.

She became is Head Bride and rules by his side to this day. Serves him faithfully, watching over the Seven Generals, making sure they don’t betray Dominic.

Speaking Engagements for 11-11-11

Yesterday I had the fortunate opportunity to speak to two classes again.

In the morning I first went to Mr. Bryant's 8th grade US History class at the local Junior High. They listened politely as I explained who I was. I told them of Annabelle's story and my journey as a writer. I showed them pictures and even read part of my Salem chapters to them (that's what they had recently studied).
While I read, Mr. Bryant placed their names in my cauldron. I then opened it up for questions. Two kids asked several good questions and after I was done reading I chose a winner for a copy of Dark Threats. The lucky boy asked me to sign it (I'd forgotten beforehand). I finished off by chucking candy at them. All in all it was a good visit.

A few hours later I spoke to Mr. Palfreyman's high school 10th grade English class. I followed a similar pattern but I think I was more relaxed. Maybe it was because my wonderfully energetic wife helped me open up? Maybe it was because most of my daughter's friends were in the class? I don't know but it went really well. Several kids had a lot of questions (one of Katie's friends would ask every time there was a lag in conversation) and my wife Janeen broke it up with the book giveaway and the candy chucking.

I'm grateful to both classes for having me and hope to do it again.

Bite of Story Thursday

NIGHT CHILDREN: DARK BIRTH
Chapter Four

Time seemed to stop. They all looked at Dominic, confused and shocked.


His strong, pale face drew Annabelle’s attention. His eyes seemed to glow red like two burning embers in the night. His mouth opened into a fiendish smile.

“Mr. Pratchet, be careful! The wolves are--”

Roland’s words trailed off as the wolf pack paced towards them. He whispered, “Nice doggies. Can we go home, Father?”

Annabelle knew the wolves were too close. She and her family were trapped. Her breath caught as she peeked through her mother’s arms.

Dominic gestured and the beasts stopped in their tracks. Before she could bury her head again, the man attacked. He lifted Father from the ground as easily as if he were a feather and held him in the air.

Anthony flailed wildly, striking the lantern against Dominic’s head. The fiend latched onto it and flung it to the ground.

Roland surged forward, but Mother pulled him close.

Annabelle fought her mother’s tense grip. “Let me go! We have to help!”

“No!” Mother cried, “There’s nothing we can do!”

-------


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. Soon to be on paperback!

Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Annabelle Foresight

ANNABELLE FORESIGHT

By Adam Diller

Other names:
Ann, Night Child, bossy sister

Name Origin:
ANNABEL: "Beautiful grace." A compound name consisting of English Ann, "grace," and French Belle, "beautiful." Variants include Anabel, Anabella, Anabelle, Annabal, Annabelinda, Annabell, Annabella and Annabelle.


Physical characteristics:
Short in height. Red bushy hair. Red eyes. Small white fangs. Wears a variety of clothing but likes to wear combinations of red and black.

Age Chart:
She was turned at age 11. Every hundred years she ages one year. She actually experiences her years longer than normal humans. Vampire children remain that age emotionally and mentally, perhaps for self preservation so they do not go insane living as an adult trapped in a child body.
Annabelle, however, is more mature for her age. How she handles immortality remains to be seen.

Advancement Chart:

b. October 13th 1681 d. 1692

born a vampire 1692-
Age 11 1692-1792
Age 12 = 1792-1892
Age 13 = 1892-1992
Age 14 = 1992-Present Day

No other ages available at the moment.


Abilities:
She gets dreams that show the near future (but presently in the books she is unaware of this. When she learned of this ability remains unknown). She has the standard vampire abilities.  This means she’s faster and stronger than humans, her senses are extremely acute as are her reflexes. She can fly and turn into a bat. In later years she has shown the ability to transform into a wolf, rat and mist but how she learn these things has yet to be told.  She can control humans through mesmerization and communicate with lesser beasts.

Known History:

In 1692 Annabelle Foresight moved with her family to the wilds of Massachusetts. The Vampire Lord Dominic Pratchet killed her parents and left her and her brother Roland for dead. Dominic's wife Eliza turned them into vampires, taught them the things they needed to know and became a surrogate mother to them.

As the centuries have passed, Annabelle has become a hero to many, constantly fighting Dominic's forces as a member of the Order of Righteous Vampires. She prefers to drink the blood of animals instead of humans. Annabelle is deeply concerned about the safety of mortal children.

She is determined, loyal to family, feels love for others and angry if someone hurts her family.  Annabelle is outward friendly,book smart, a quick learner and sometimes acts too serious to make up for her reckless older brother. She tends to pretend to be brave and mock the bad guys.

She takes life too seriously and can be bossy. She takes over when she should sit back. She can often make decisions before consulting others. She's afraid deep inside if she doesn’t just make things happen, they will fall apart right away.

Before vampirism she loved animals and winced when they got hurt. After becoming a vampire she now sees them as something to eat. In some ways she has lost touch with who she was. She has a deep fear of two men, Hawke the vampire hunter and Dominic, the vampire who killed her parents.

NOTE: I added a "NAME ORIGIN" to Dominic's entry below.

Book Review: Insight by Terron James

Oh ho! This book surprised me! Yes, the cover did throw me off. The guy on the cover is so depressed. But are we not told to NOT judge a book by its cover? Well I’m so glad I didn’t. Before I tell you why, I will say here that this cover actually is perfect after you follow Lon’s tough journey. Author Terron James is planning on changing the cover but let me tell you the story inside is good enough no matter what the cover looks like.

Insight is the story of a boy who becomes a man, gaining “insight” as he discovers everything he knew was wrong. It’s a coming of age story set in a realistic world of warring nations, exiled people and years worth of false hatred. Appernysia could easily be any place on Earth, where people were raised up to believe the other people “over there” are bad and we’re good. Lon grew up in a small community where everyone lived the lives they were expected and never stepped out of line or challenged their world.

But what happens if the “bad guys” come to Lon’s sleepy outskirt community ? What happens when Lon discovers that these Rayders seem to be just as human as anyone else?

It doesn’t help that Lon discovers the reason behind his headaches, the amazing untrained abilities he now has and the terrible dangers those abilities bring his loved ones. If unchecked, his new abilities could kill him.

Revelation after revelation completely turn him upside down. He’s forced to leave his loving parents, his hot-headed twin sister, his home and the love of his life. He must go to the one person who can help him, the scholar Omar, deep within the Rayder’s world.

How does his sharp tongued sister Mellai or his love Kaylen feel about this? What do they do and where do they go as a result? How does Lon fit into the harsh military world of the Rayders and how will he become the man he needs to be? Will he master his gifts or will they destroy him? Will he grow into an amazing leader or die by the sword and his pride?

This book is filled with adventure, romance, shocks, humor, realism and fantasy. It even has a monster or two. I identified with Lon and Mellai. They were two of my favorite characters. I also enjoyed Omar and Tarek. There are also plenty of characters you’ll love to hate like Braedr and Commander Rayben Goldhawk.

All in all I really enjoyed this book. I recommend it to anyone. The chapters end in ways that you just have to turn the pages and devourer more. The story starts slow and continues to build until you just can’t stop reading. The final last two chapters alone are so amazing when… wait. Go get a copy and find out for yourself. It’ll be worth it!

Book Two Name Change again

Yes, once again I've decided to change the name of my 2nd book. Now to clarify, Dark Threats is a collection of short stories and NOT part of the ongoing numbered series. It's an addition to it.

Dark Birth is Book One. Any book that is published keeps it's title. I will not change the name of Threats or Birth.

Book Two is in the edit phase and is scheduled for release sometime next year. I'd had some trouble with it's name but recently my daughter Katelyn gave me a great idea.

NIGHT CHILDREN: DARK TRIBULATIONS

There are some major life altering situations in the vampire children's lives. "Tribulations" seems to cover a broad collection of trials so as of this moment it fits best.

Pirate vampires! Shadow vampires! Lots of new characters! Love! Death! Watch for it next year!

Bite of Story Thursday

NIGHT CHILDREN: DARK THREATS

Chapter Six

Cam let out a commanding bark and the two werewolves that were guarding the exits joined him. They flanked Cam, ready to attack. Annabelle quickly glanced at Thomas. His clothes were torn but he seemed all right. He knelt by Grace. She began to stir.


With a mighty howl, Blood Reaper pushed Roland down to his knees, and then brought up his own knee to smack Roland in the mouth. Roland fell to the ground, dazed. The large werewolf raised his right gloved hand; the silver claws reflected the dance hall lights.


-------

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.

Who's Who in the Annabelle Universe? Dominic Pratchet

DOMINIC PRATCHET

This is the closest I have to a pic of Dominic
 "Vampire: The Masquerade" developer: Nihilistic Software publisher Activision
artist:(if you know the artist, please let me know so I can credit him or her).


Other names:

Domi (original name), Vlad Dracula, Vlad the Impaler, Domhnall (Gaelic), Dominicus (Latin), Dominick (Old English), Dominik (Czech and Polish), Dominique (French), Domonkos (Hungarian)

Name origin:

DOMINIC: "Belongs to the lord." English name derived from Latin Dominicus. This is a name traditionally given to a child born on Sunday. His mother Lilith named him this as an insult.

DOMHNALL "World ruler." Gaelic name composed of the elements dubno "world" and val "rule."

Physical characteristics:

Tall, commanding presence, night-black hair, red eyes, and sharp white fangs, pale and radiant. Usually wears black suits, sometimes with a cape.

Abilities:

Dominic possesses the abilities of all vampires, only perfected with thousands of years of experience. This means he’s faster and stronger than humans, his senses are extremely acute as are his reflexes. He can fly, turn into a bat, wolf, rat and mist at the very least and has complete control of others through mesmerization, perfecting it at a lever beyond any other vampire.



Known History:

The vampire known as Domi seems to be as old as history itself. He has been behind all the terrible events of history and an advisor to various rulers through the ages. Throughout many cultures and eras there has been rumors of a powerful lord of the night who commands dark armies. His grim goal has always been to rule the world, turning a portion the population into food stock for those creatures he has deemed fit to survive. He has had many names, some lost through history.

Much of his personal history is shrouded in mystery. The vampire Annabelle has told me that she knows more and at the proper time she’ll reveal it to me. As the chronicler of her stories I’m extremely intrigued.

I have so many questions; if he’s so old, how come he hasn’t taken over yet? What is this Exodus War he was tied up in? How can he be the famous Romanian ruler Vlad the Impaler if we know Vlad wasn’t as old as Domi is supposed to be? What is his relationship with the Falabranwyn because every time he shows up, they do as well. Why does he have so many wives and who are the Three Queens? Who are the Seven Tyrant Lords? Why did he speak of future events as if he knew them?

I suspect we’ll find out together as Annabelle’s story continues.

This Is Halloween

Originally posted on 11/1/09 for the Charge of the Write Brigade.




I sit here typing my article, my legs numb and my flesh sore. The only reason my stomach doesn’t ache is because I’m too tired to walk to the freezer to get any candy. If I allowed gravity to win and dropped to the bed, it would be the morning of November 1st before I could open my eyes.

Am I complaining? No. Actually, I’m smiling. I’m going to stay up, watch something spooky and fun, eat some sweets and totally love the fact that this night falls on a Saturday this year.

I love Halloween. Absolutely adore it. This year we walked a couple blocks to the main street Trick or Treat thing. All the businesses along main hand out candy and give off a neighborly feel at a time when small town friendliness is a thing of the past.

We then went to a “Trunk or Treat”. Here in Utah various members of my church park their cars at the church parking lot, open their trunks and hand out candy. They do this, seeing it as a controlled environment so that kids are off the streets. Its fun and a chance to visit your neighbors.

After that we went to dinner, and then knocked on a block of houses, gathering more sweets. For the last month, whenever I’ve passed two houses decorated to the max during the nightly dog walking, I'd swear to visit them.

One had blinking lights set to music. A vampire glowed to the tune while smiling from its coffin. A tombstone reads “Here lies the last dog that pooped on my lawn” as a werewolf glares from behind. Pumpkins flash, a ghost wails as it travels down a wire and various ghouls grin at any visitors who dare hunt for candy. The yard resembled a fun house set to a Haunted theme. More kiddie than scary, I found it very fun.



The other one had a different, yet equally enjoyable effect. Skeletons stood around an eerie graveyard. Some played cards on an over turned barrel while another bent on one knee and purposed to his ghoulfriend. A giant spider crawled down from the roof while a demon lurked in front of the red-lit basement window. All was lit with a strange, soul eating green light as if the other side ripped open, setting free it’s dark citizens into our world for the night.



My mind raced with ideas for that one. How will the skeleton army look when Roland or Annabelle command them in later books? Will there be any giant spiders when Ann visit’s the Arachnid’s kingdom in the 11th book? What strange colors and creepy feelings will accompany the unusual events in these later stories?

Now we’re home, relaxing and resting. Halloween was a success once again. My creative brain is buzzing with even more worlds and situations to make life a unloving Hell for Ann and her brother.

What about you? What seasonal events inspire you?


*Update: In Halloween '10 it rained and we ran a bit late. Regardless it was a good evening. Halloween '11 just finished. We did all the things mentioned above and had a good time. I hope all of you had great Halloweens as well.

Movie Review: Let Me In

OK, I finally saw this flick. I managed to TiVo it and watched it late at night when all the impressionable people were fast asleep and far from nightmares.

First off I'm NOT a gore guy. I do not watch films like Freddy or Jason. I get turned off my gore and of course this film had gore in spades. Yes, the gore turned me off. But that didn't hurt my over all rating of the film.

I liked it. The writing was strong.  I really felt bad for the human child Owen and of course I felt bad for vampire child Abby.

As you know, I am obsessed with vampire children. I suppose that's because I needed to tell Annabelle's story. That obsession, while controlled, is still strong. I worry that with each new interpretation, we'll see Ann exactly rendered in another story before she's made it into the world on her own. I know the fear is silly, but it drives me to search out these stories.

In Let Me In we find a vampire child with a conscience. Abby doesn't want to hurt others, feels terrible for what she puts her adult guardian through (he has to kill innocent people to bring her blood) and fiercely defends her human friend Owen.

This is a world where vampires can't substitute human blood for animal blood like they do in Twilight and in my Night Children series. Abby has no choice. She looses control of the blood lust and kills. To get this through to the viewers, it has gore. But I feel bad for Abby. She wishes she didn't hurt people and longs for a normal life.

She has the current vampire powers; speed, acute senses, strength, speed and agility. It's cool watching her scale a palm tree and a 6 story building. When she fights it's done in shadow. She kinda looks like a blood thirsty Gollum. She crawls/zooms around the victim, biting everywhere. Her eyes go funky and her face slightly distorts. She also goes pale.

As with the title of the movie, it's foreign predecessor movie and the original book, the tile "Let Me In", which is the scaled down original title "Let The Right One In" refers to the age-old vampire tradition that vampires have to be invited in. Other classic vampire concepts are in this film as well. Sunlight burns and kills them. Also as she let go of the high hospital window the closed caption (I watch everything with captions) revealed she "fluttered" away which suggests flight. She herself said she flew during the film. So as with Night Children, vampires in this universe have the Anne Rice current abilities AND the Bram Stoker abilities and problems as well. That earns a high score in my book.

Claudia in Interview With a Vampire was irredeemable due to her selfishness and lack of guilt. The children in The Little Vampire were never shown dealing with real issues like addition and murder. Nessie from the Twilight series is sweet and a personal favorite. Abby joins the list of vampire children and has made my list as well. She does feel guilt and is very relateable.

Chloë Grace Moretz pulls off an amazing and believable performance as someone Annabelle could have become if eating animals wasn't an option and she had to live with the guilt. It's a very adult, strong performance. The same is true for Kodi Smit-McPhee who pulls off the frightened, teased loner outcast child in many of us. Abby's loss of control and blood feast didn't scare me. The bullies teasing Owen scared me much more. Kodi showed the absolute fear we all felt when confronted with a bully at school.

So over all I give it a 9 out of 10. Yes, the gore took it down a peg as did the brief flash of upper nudity from a neighbor. The story and acting is powerful so if my warning about gore, violence and 1 second upper nudity doesn't scare you off on principle (which is why I warn my friends), watch it.

And the winner (for October Blog Hop '11) is...

Mary-Ellen! Congrads Mary! After placing all the contestants into a hat and drawing randomly, your name was pulled out. I'll be contacting you shortly.

I really enjoyed participating in the blog hop. I plan to do many more in the future.

Thanks again to everyone who added me to their followed blogs. It means a lot. I may not be the most frequent poster, but I have plans to change that.

To anyone who wants to read Dark Threats can find it on Amazon electronically as well as paperback. It's also found on Barns and Noble.com and iBooks for the Apple.

Thanks everyone!

Coming Soon:

Hey guys, sorry it's taken be a bit to choose the winner of the Blog Hop. I've had a crazy few days. At this moment I'm putting names in a hat and preparing it for a child to randomly pic. The winner should be announced tonight!

Successful Writer Day!

Friday the 14th: Successful Writer Day!
I think from now on I'll post entrees called "Successful Writer Days". Once in awhile things happen in a writer's life that make all those rejections or brain-stalling less productive days seem worth it. I call those "Successful Writer Days".

Thursday was fun. I spent the day with my sweetheart (October 13th is her birthday, just like Annabelle). It was a very relaxing day.

Yesterday, Friday the 14th, was successful.

1st off Janeen and I visited a Tooele High Creative Writing class. I spoke of my writer's journey and briefly about the books, showing slides of my various influences and research pictures. I'm grateful to say that the students were curious and began to ask questions. Lots of hands went up and lots of smart questions came my way. 
I love creating interest in my stories. I simply want to entertain and inspire, so when people show interest, I just get more excited.
I never spoke to High School students before. I found them very curious and their questions involved a lot of the mechanics of my world. Excellent! It gets me thinking and simply drives my creative juices further.
Janeen got my back, keeping track of those who asked questions so we could give one of them a free copy of Dark Threats. She was (and always is) a perfect help meet. She helps me keep track of who has their arms up the longest and provides added perspective on my books. Also, she loves to throw candy at the students. :)
Congratulations to Shantelle for winning Dark Threats!

We had a nice lunch. Afterwards I spoke with John at the Purple Cow (a local bookstore). He's going to pass out my book marks at his store and at the Children's Book Festival. Also, he's reviewing Dark Threats to see if it's appropriate for the store. More on that as news develops!

Finally, we attended the last speaking engagement of the day. We visited the West Elementary 6th Grade! Janeen had a brilliant idea to set up our projector and her lap top so that we could show my pics again. We let it slip that kids who ask questions might qualify for books. Of course I was assaulted with wonderful questions about the books and characters. We decided to have the kids place their names in a hat and the two 6th grade teachers pic the winners. Congratulations to Andrew and Dawson for winning copies of Dark Threats! My sweetie helped run the slides and answered questions for children to shy to ask me. Janeen got a chance to throw candy to all the kids, resulting in some fun chaos for a minute. :)

Of course everyone got a book mark as well.

So all in all a fine successful writer day. Next speaking engagements will be October 28th. I'll be visiting a High School English class and the Jr. High History classes. Can't wait!

October Blog Hop!

Welcome to the October Blog Hop, where you can visit new blogs, enter to win prizes, and have a great time!



At the bottom of this post, you'll see a list of participating blogs. Just click on each link, check out the prize, and follow the easy instructions to enter. You can enter on each blog, so it's possible to win multiple times. It's frighteningly easy.



On this blog, you can win a paperback copy of NIGHT CHILDREN DARK THREATS!

To enter, all you need to do is:



1. Become a follower of my blog.



2. Leave a comment on this post and tell me why you'd like to win this prize. If your e-mail address isn't visible through your Blogger profile, please also leave it with the comment so I can notify you if you win. You can enter until midnight MST on Saturday night, October 15th.



That's it! You are now entered. Now please go visit all my friends on the list below. It's almost like trick or treating!

October Blog Hop Participants

1. Tristi Pinkston 2. I Am a Reader, Not a Writer 3. Bonnie Harris 4. Michael D. Young 5. Misty Moncur 6. Debbie Davis 7. Mandi Tucker Slack 8. Mary Ann Dennis 9. Deanna Henderson 10. Laura Bastian 11. Kristy Tate

12. Kristy Wilson 13. Jennifer Debenham 14. Jenny Moore 15. Elizabeth Hughes 16. J. Lloyd Morgan 17. Close Encounters with the Night Kind 18. Billy Boulden 19. Scott Bryan 20. Maria Hoagland 21. Shirley Bahlmann 22. Shelly Brown

23. Marcy Howes 24. Lynnea Mortensen 25. Jaclyn M. Hawkes 26. Diane Stringam Tolley 27. Gail Zuniga 28. Betsy Love 29. iWriteNetwork 30. Canda's InkBlast 31. Stacy Coles

Learn more about October Blog Hop here.
View More October Blog Hop Participants
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The 1st ever BOOK MARK CONTEST!

Welcome to the first ever BOOK MARK CONTEST. Well, it's more of a free giveaway than a contest but still, check it out:

Front

Back

The first 10 people who send me self addressed stamped envelopes will receive a free book mark and the FIRST TEN PAGES of DARK BIRTH!

Envelopes must be sent to...

Scott Bryan
128 West 200 South
Tooele, Utah, 84074

Looking forward to receiving your envelopes!



Book marks are here!

Hey guys, my book marks arrived! Here is an image of the front and back...

I'll be giving theses away at the four school visits this month.

Tomorrow I'll announce the first ever BOOK MARK CONTEST!
Keep your eyes pealed to this site!

Zach's Game Room now has puzzles!

At the top of this page is a link to Zach's game room. Go try your hand at some puzzles. At the moment there are four to choose from but more will be added in the future.

Author Reflections

It's so hard for me to realise that Book One is on Amazon. I simply can't get over the fact that this book, the self same one I've tiled over for seven years, is now available for others to enjoy.

All those many years ago I couldn't get her out of my head. I had to write about Annabelle. At first I thought she belonged in the Parodyverse (a beloved fan-fiction site I belong too). As I posted tiny stories with her there I realised she needed to reach further. She had to be in school libraries and book stores and regular libraries. She needed to inspire and entertain children everywhere.

Is she doing that now? Of course not. These things grow very slowly.

But I feel inside that she will. One day.

For now, Smashwords, Kindle and the Nook will be the beginning...

My review of Dark Birth on Goodreads

Night Children: Dark Birth by Scott Bryan


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What more can I say about this book? It was fun to write it. Obviously I’m biased as the author, but there is something about Annabelle and Roland. Once I step into their world, I just can’t let go. I thirst for more. I hope you feel the same way.




View all my reviews

I won the Liebster Blog award again!

Another big THANK YOU, this time to my fellow Tooele Writer and a great friend, Roseanne, for giving me this award...

This is my 2nd time winning the Liebster Blog award and I'm very grateful to have another chance to pass it onto others who need some attention.
As I mentioned before, Liebster means "friend" in German.  This award is aimed at those who have fewer than 200 followers.
Here are the rules...

- Link back to the person who gave you the award.

- Pick five other people to give the award to and notify them on their blog.

- Post the award on your blog.

- Bask in the camaraderie of the most supportive people on the internet—other writers.

- And best of all—have bloggity fun and spread the love.


The winners are...

Terron

Clare

Emily

J. A. Bennett

And my fellow writers at Tooele Writers

Night Children: Dark Birth News!

All sorts of news about THE book.

Night Children: Dark Birth is my first novel. "Wait Scott, wasn't Dark Threats your first one?"

Actually no. Seven years this month I watched Interview With a Vampire and found myself searching for something. Days later I found it as I tried to write my own vampire child story and Annabelle walked out of my imagination and onto paper.

Years of beta readers, critique groups, 6th and 8th grade classes, a professional editor and several drafts brought me to the current version of this novel. 

Dark Threats is one chapter removed from that original novel plus a lot of new stuff written just for the my debut  into the world of eBooks. Threats is a collection of short stories to introduce people to the world of Annabelle and Roland.

Months ago I decided to break the first novel into two books; Dark Birth and Dark Trials. Last Friday I changed my mind. This story stands better as one.

I've gone through and formatted it for online publishing. I had some troubles but I finally mastered it last night. I uploaded it to Smashwords and it's available there.

Dark Birth on Smashwords!

I wont reveal it to Facebook and Twitter yet because I'm waiting for it to be reviewed by the Smashwords team for any format errors.  Once it's good, I'll load it on Amazon and Barns & Noble.com.

Also, thanks to my Highland-loving coworker and pal, Don Phillips, I have a pic that has been used for the cover.

So much going on! I can't wait for you to read my real first book, Annabelle and Roland's origin story! Hope you like it!

10 years ago - 9/11/01

I was reading a book about life in America after the world collapsed. It was by Orson Scott Card and seemed to be pretty good. The UTA bus dropped me off at the International Center, on the outskirts of Salk Lake City. Just another day. I don't remember September 6th or 5th or the 1st but I remember that morning.

I get to my desk, turn on my computer and got ready for the day. Chuck (a coworker and fellow drafter) had his radio on. Normally the morning DJ's would be goofing or music would be playing. Pop? Country? I don't remember. I think country but it doesn't matter. It was 7:50 AM so NYC time it was at that fateful hour.

Those morning DJ's weren't joking. They were talking about a plane that crashed into the 1st tower. At the same time they were trying to figure why a plane would crash (they thought it was a small one) I opened my Internet explorer.  The same event was plastered on MSN.com but they were stating it was big. I remember those DJ's reporting the second plane and the Pentagon crash. One guy on the radio said their were dog fights in the air of New York. It's amazing how panic and fear can affect how we report things.

The office was a buzz. It was a small staff of 10 to 15 people but on that morning we were less than ten. Soon everyone was in the conference room watching Good Morning America. We were in shock.

The personnel manager called a meeting and told us we could go home and be with our families or since we were contractors to the government, we could keep working to show the terrorists life will go on here. We elected to stay.

I do feel pride in the American spirit. Even as a child I welled up with tears when I heard America the Beautiful.  I love this country and am fiercely loyal to it. I hope my future novels will illustrate some of my patriotism.

To this day, however, I question if remaining at a small company, trying to focus on drawings that don't matter in the grand scheme of things, and listing to the radio play patriotic songs all day, was the best place for me. That job went under. They are a foot note in time. I couldn't focus on tracing PDF files of electronic F16 harnesses into Auto cad. All I could do was force back the tears as Amazing Grace played with bagpipes and I thought of those poor people.

I wanted to be home. My wife and kids were glued to the TV and I wanted them in my arms. I was and will always be grateful that we are blessed to be alive. I just wanted to be with them.

It was hard those days. We felt defeated as a nation. Maybe the last time Americans felt that defeated was when Kennedy was shot. I don't know. That was seven years before my birth. But we also felt something else. Remember? Yes, we had hate and anger and those are wrong but understood because of the circumstances, but we felt pride.

Strong, unified, powerful pride. Like Pearl Harbor. Like the Alamo. Like those long gone days of the Revolution. The kind of pride that made Paul Revere and Sybil Ludington race at night to warn their countrymen.

We have our differences. We cant agree on money or jobs or the environment. We believe lies about each other and worse, spread them. We lose faith in one another and fear the future.

BUT WE LIVE ON. In ten years we will still be what we are now. In twenty, eighty, a hundred years. We will be Americans. We were forged by a desire for personal liberty. We will not die. We will continue to be a nation and we must forever remember who we are and how we became.

Remember.