Magicmen

 The Monster Within has many villains, monsters, creatures that the characters strive against. It starts with the goblins who are more of a nuisance than bad guys. The swarm is a menace to be sure, and the Boar is another danger, but for me nothing is more monstrous than the magicmen. Creatures who were once human, twisted by their addiction to souls, most particularly, the souls of children.

I cannot claim that the magicmen are creatures of my imagination. They belong wholly to my husband. When he was young, he came up with a group of superheroes he called The Repellers led by a fallen angel to save the world. In high school, he designed a role-playing game around his concept and for four years we battled magicmen, My’riah, Hotep, and black widow sharks amongst many other villains.

My character was an empath who had a particular aversion to magicmen. She developed a sixth sense for when they were around, but oftentimes her companions didn’t believe her until they came to light. She developed a big of a Cassandra complex from it. The magicmen were her nemesis and one even ended up stealing her own daughter.

I don’t remember exactly how I came up with the idea to use them in Monster but Keir loved the thought of me including a creature he created. The fey kissed link was new to this book, but everything else about the magicmen derived from Keir. They’re hard to detect because they tend to lie low. Each magicman feeds differently, and some aren’t quite as evil as Andre Nightingale. Which was often quite a dilemma for my high school character.

When it came to designing this particular magicman, I was greatly influenced by Stephen King’s Storm of the Century. I loved that movie. I loved the horror of the choice the town had to make. I loved the sheriff who kept fighting to keep all the children safe. How he kept searching even after it was too late. (There is definitely a bit of him in Constantin.) And I really loved that bastard who forced that choice on the town.

At first glance, he looked completely normal, that seemingly bland face that held such evil. The way he relished the townspeople’s infighting and pain stuck in my mind. Like Andre Nightingale, he was dangerous when crossed. And Nightingale also enjoyed toying with those around him.

I wanted to connect this particular magicman to French history. So I did some research into French serial killers and came across Gilles de Rais. The fact that he served in the 100 Years’ War with the founder of the Chevaliers de Rouen only cemented my choice. Gilles is not the magicman, but one of his servants who helped with everything and was also executed serves as the base for my monster. I hope he creeps you out as much as he does me.

As a little Easter Egg if you notice when Michel-Leon reaches out to his colleague in Prussia regarding a magicman who had been hunting in Hamelin, that is absolutely a reference to the pied piper.

 

The quote I use above probably sums up Nightingale. He’s arrogant. He’s cruel. And he has zero remorse. The full dialogue for that little bit is here:

“I can crush Constantin’s mind anytime I wish to.” Nightingale’s finger stabbed the air, and then it straightened with a sly smile. “It amuses me to make him suffer. He deserves to suffer after what he has stolen from me.”

“An interesting conceit, considering you stole from him first.” Michel-Leon braced himself on the railing and opened his mind further to the ancestors and their unceasing whispers. Those who had fought such monsters in the past vied for his attention.

“Do you apologize to the lamb when it graces your table?” Nightingale sneered. “The children are prey. Those who should shelter them cast them out, and I take them in. They are unwanted, unloved. If you valued them so much, you’d ensure their care. So spare me the lecture.”

Michel-Leon couldn’t deny the partial truths the magicman threw at him. If it hadn’t been for Constantin, no one would’ve ever noticed the children’s sufferings. There were too many in need of shelter, food, and love. They had to do better.

Origin of The Monster Within

 I am sitting here on a mountaintop in northeastern Pennsylvania at my last writer’s retreat of 2024. I’m so excited to announce the release date for The Monster Within and to reveal the cover art. (Those of you who follow me on Facebook have seen both, so I have a little extra fun for you here.) Some exclusive content that never made it into the book.

On October 15, 2024, The Monster Within will finally (and I mean finally) be released from NineStar Press. https://ninestarpress.com/product/the-monster-within/

Isn’t the cover gorgeous? Wow, they took my suggestions and exceeded my expectations. I love that the various elements could represent so much, that dark cloud hovering could be the mists or it could be the swarm coming down. The figure in the forefront could be our hero, Michel-Leon, the last Chevalier de Rouen, but it could also represent our villain who roams the mists hunting for children. The shadowy figures could be the people who disappear into the mists or the shades of Michel-Leon’s ancestors that he meets on the astral plane. And I think the image of the Arc d’Triomphe gives it a certain amount of hope because for as dark as the story can be it is at it’s heart a story of love not just for our heroes, but also for people, for a nation, even love of the strange and wondrous.

The Monster Within has taken over a decade to come from concept to this date. One very foggy morning on Veteran’s Day in 2012, when the streets were weirdly deserted because most everyone in the city had the day off because of the Federal holiday. I remember exactly where I was when the idea hit me - as I navigated the ramp from 295 to 395.

Its original working title was Dark Things from a line my husband gave me for Janvier. “I never involved myself in your father’s affairs out of fear. Your grandpère told me more than I wished to know, even more so after he saw I took on the responsibility of tending to you. They sought dark things and those things ate your father’s soul raw. I watched him die two deaths and could do nothing to stop either.” Originally, the book was supposed to be set in London because where else would I set a novel that has a city beset by fogs and mists? However, the story stalled. London just wasn’t working for me.

It wasn’t until I moved the story to Paris and renamed it Mists on the Seine that I got a better idea of what the story would entail. Below is an excerpt from Michel-Leon’s journal. As much as I wanted this journal entry into the novel it never did make it. The voice didn’t really work for Michel-Leon who can be quite humorous for a man who lives with what he does.

The mist rose from the Seine, smothered Pont Neuf and then spread to ooze through the streets of Paris. It crept down the broad boulevards, wreathed the gaslights and rendered them all but useless in the consuming nothingness. Tendrils of gray, sleepy, sentience surrounded both palace and hovel. It reared up to clamber over the Notre-Dame de Paris, slithering around the buttresses, swallowing the gargoyles, until it only a faint outline remained in the shadows. It seeped under doors and sought the cracks in the window shutters. The fog hunted day or night and struck when hungry.

And when the sunlight broke through, driving back the fog in shredded tatters, it revealed the damage left behind. Individuals, families, sometimes whole streets of people… gone. Doors and windows flung open, evidence of tasks or play interrupted, and no trace of violence. The people had disappeared and were never seen again.

It was never spoken of. Not by the denizens of the slums, huddled in their pleasure houses or taverns, fodder for the dark rites practiced by those whose greed for power and knowledge had enslaved them. By the factory owners and the bourgeois, those who forced toil and rent out of their workers and tenants, ignoring the screams that pierced the dark and the diminished numbers in the morning. It was never spoken of by the lingering nobility who clung to their crumbling titles as if they still had meaning and dreamed of a return to relevance.

Throughout all the madness, those who considered themselves the elite, the ones who held the reins of power continued to meet in secret with their circles and salons, thinking they were orchestrating events when in fact, they were the ones being manipulated like so many puppets on a string. They could not see the trap closing in about them.

Something was coming. The taste of it hung heavy in the air. It coated the throat until it had become so thick it could be choked upon. And that omen too was ignored. Only now, even as I write this, I’m not sure if the portents I sense are true ones or merely the effects of the slow, eroding insanity that had consumed my father and his father before him.

Over the next couple of years, it stayed on my radar, but I didn’t do much with it as I worked on other projects. I was having a hard time conceptualizing the lifecycle of my swarm and the science behind everything. The magicman wasn’t a problem. I’ve been wrestling with magicmen since I was 14, but the crux of the story was the swarm and I needed to get that handled. In 2018, my sweet husband ended up in ICU for months. He had multiple surgeries, was in and out of consciousness, and I spent countless hours at his bedside. It was that nightmarish spring that I finally figured it out and work began on Monster in earnest.

I originally had the idea of writing an epic poem to go with it and putting a couplet at the start of each chapter, but the epic nature of it never arose. It ended up being quite short so I never used it, but I quite like it so I’ve included it here.

Grave symbols etched in strange motif,

Warning of perils yet unborn.

And break of dawn brings no relief,

To those who ever mourn.

Do not heed the alluring cries,

When the mists on the river rise. 

In 2019, I finished the rough draft and my husband passed away. Writing used to always be an escape, but suddenly I couldn’t write anymore. All my words left me. It hurt, but I set writing aside until I could focus and free that part of myself again. When I did start writing it was poetry which was what I started with way back when in elementary school. Eventually, in September 2020, almost a year later, I picked it up. I focused mostly on fun writing. A fantasy around a couple of D&D characters my husband and I had that I didn’t expect to go anywhere. That fun writing brought me back to the joy and discipline of writing again and I began to think of my abandoned project. I wanted it out there. I needed it out there. It carried so much of my husband and I within it.

It was slow going, but I edited it and eventually got it off to betas. I took their suggestions worked on the third draft and more betas before I finally, finally had it where I thought it was good enough to submit. I’m so glad I stuck with it. I hope you enjoy this tale of monsters and love as much as I did.

A Beautiful Disaster Blog Tour

Blog Tour

Hello everyone, just wanted to give an update on where I’m going to be at the end of the month for A Beautiful Disaster’s blog tour. There will be interviews with Brenden and Dakota, a talk on vacations, some conventions stories, and a little more so please stop on by! There is also going to be a few release day reviews coming up!

July 30 – Love Bytes https://lovebytesreviews.com/

July 31 – My Fiction Nook http://www.myfictionnook.com/

August 1 – Two Chicks Obsessed http://twochicksobsessed.com/

August 2 – Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words https://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords.com/

August 6 – Dreamspinner Press Blog https://dreamspinnerpressblog.wordpress.com/

A Whole Latte Sass Blog Tour!

Hello everyone. I'm announcing my blog tour for A Whole Latte Sass. There may be some additions or date changes and if that happens I'll update, but for now, here's where all the fun begins!

January 1 - Two Chicks Obsessed 

January 1 - Long and Short Reviews 

January 2 - Boy Meets Boy 

January 3 - Love Bytes 

January 4 - My Fiction Nook 

January 7 - Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 

January 8 - Dreamspinner Press Blog 

Nano - Day 1 - The Monster Within

Constantin

Since I'm wrapping up A Beautiful Disaster I decided to dive into National Novel Writer's Month this year with a brand new project. This year I'm also trying to plot things out more and I'm attempting the snowflake method. It's going much better this time than the first time I tried it. I think the trick for me is not to start cold. I need to let an idea percolate for a while and I've been percolating on The Monster Within for many years. It used to be called Mists on the Seine, but that title never worked for me.

It's my Lovecraft meets Hugo meets Verne story. The last Chevalier de Rouen and a vagabond must discover the secrets to the mists before the swarm hatches and devours Paris.

Michel-Leon

It's going to be a wild ride. Today I fleshed out our two antagonists and expanded my synopsis. I'm discovering more about this world every day. As much as I wanted to do it sooner, plot elements wouldn't gel, and I couldn't figure out how the mists led to the missing people. Sitting in ICU with my husband this summer gave me a lot of time to think about it and I worked out a lot of what was blocking me. But I had the geeks to finish.

Now it's time to dive into a darker world. Today I'd like you to meet my two heroes. Michel-Leon Parisee, the Baron de Dagonville and the last Chevalier de Rouen. And Constantin Severin, a wandering man of mystery who holds many dangerous secrets.

A Beautiful Disaster - Book 3 Geek Life

I'm wrapping up edits on Brenden and Dakota's story. I love these two. I say that every book I know, but I love these two.

Brenden Wade has made a name for himself promoting events and has turned his micromanaging, organizational skills toward his second love comic book conventions. He has worked toward making Chessie Con the biggest name in the Chesapeake Bay area all with the help of his best friend Dakota Nye. Only now, the weight of the secrets he’s been carrying since they were teenagers threatens their friendship.

Dakota wants to enjoy life by the moment, run his podcast, and annoy his plus one as they run their conventions. He has never believed himself capable of settling down. But Brenden makes Dakota dream of possibilities. He sees no problem testing the heat between them. After all what happens between friends is no one’s business. He never expected to discover that Brenden is in love with him.

One night of passion changes both men’s preconceptions. Brenden is faced with everything he’s ever wanted but he risks having another family turn their back on him when they discover his broken promise. The last thing Dakota wants to do is hurt Brenden, but he doesn’t trust himself to stay even if Brenden has him longing for a future. Both of them are scarred by their past, but they know that no matter what they always figure out where to go together, especially when their hearts are on the line.

A Whole Latte Sass - Coming January 1, 2019

Preorder at Dreamspinner Press

Check out this beautiful cover by Kanaxa. She is doing an amazing job with these. I can't wait to work with her for the third book. Let me tell you, that smile is pure Felipe. I'm delighted by it and the warm, happy colors suit him.

I love the characters in this book. Sass touches on many themes that are personal to my life. I'll be announcing a blog tour probably sometime in December and I'm sure I'll be talking about those themes.

But I really hope you enjoy Trask and Felipe's story. They are just so sweet. All of the couples for the Geek Life series have been such a joy to write. I'm excited!

A Little Side of Geek Blog Tour

Come check out these upcoming blogs for snippets and sneak backroom peeks into the series.

May 15 – MM Good Book Reviews http://mmgoodbookreviews.com/

May 21 – My Fiction Nook http://www.myfictionnook.com/  

May 22 – Love Bytes http://lovebytesreviews.com/

May 22 – Happily Ever Chapter http://happilyeverchapter.blogspot.com/

May 23 – Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words https://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords.com/

May 24 – The Novel Approach http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/

May 25 – Long and Short Reviews http://www.longandshortreviews.com/

May 29 – Kimi-chan Experience http://kimichanexperience.com/

May 30 – Dreamspinner Press Blog http://blog.dreamspinnerpress.com/

January 11th Daily Deal

Dreamspinner Press has Make Me Whole for their Daily Deal. In celebration, I posted one of my favorite excerpts. One of the first scenes that started the whole story.

$1.11 Deal Link

Shadows blanketed the hallway, but he had grown accustomed to making his way through the museum with just the security lights for illumination. The museum wasn’t that big, and it didn’t take him long to get to the new exhibit. Galen paused in the doorway, stunned by the sight before him. The security lights hadn’t been set up here yet, but the row of skylights stretching across the roof faced the rising full moon, and the room was awash with a pale-blue glow. In the shadows and light, the statue facing him looked almost alive, ready to move at any moment and finish the action he’d started.

Galen walked over to him, his heart thudding, and laid his hand on the man’s forearm. How surreal. For a moment it almost seemed like heated flesh beneath his fingers and not cooler bronze. “Who are you, Dexios? And why do you seem so familiar to me?”

Silence answered him, and Galen had the insane urge to slip under those embracing arms to press himself up against the man. He stepped back with a short, uneasy laugh and stuck his hand into his pocket. With his luck he’d get stuck. He didn’t want to hear Suzane’s laughter the next morning when she found him entangled with a statue. He’d never live it down.

This obsession, this inability to get these statues out of his mind, was unhealthy. He needed to go home and relax, as Suzane had suggested. Go home and find some way to get Nick out of his thoughts.

“Shouldn’t you prefer flesh and bone to metal? You never were one to put your faith in the mystical.”

Galen stiffened and spun around to face the man in the wide arched doorway. Adrenaline raced through him and his breath quickened. At first all he could see were shadows, and then the man stepped into the moonlight. He wore no undershirt beneath his breastplate and the studded leather fringe that hung from his waist did nothing to hide his muscular thighs. A teasing smile played on his lips and his eyes held mysteries in the shadows and light. Galen couldn’t tell what color they were or what the man intended. “Would you kiss these lips now that I stand before you?”

Galen’s breath caught on a wave of recognition. “Nick?” Wait, no. Not quite, but similar. This man’s hair came to his shoulders in thick waves, unlike Nick’s short, rumpled style groomed to look careless. Old scars ridged his arms and legs. And though Nick worked out, this man had hard muscles all over as if he drove himself all the time. In fact, now that he looked at him closer, Galen was uncomfortably reminded of his sexy statue. They even had scars in the same places.

The back of his neck prickled with uneasy awareness. If he turned around, would he still see it standing in its place behind him? He wavered between looking over his shoulder and keeping his eyes on the strange man before him. It was a ridiculous thought—statues didn’t wake up and move around. He really needed to get away from this place and take a break if he was having thoughts like that.

“Nick? That is an interesting pet name, not one you have used before. What does it mean?”

Galen stumbled back, almost falling as the man moved closer. His hands caught a hold of metal and he clung to the reassurance that he hadn’t lost his entire grip on reality. This man wasn’t the statue come to life. “Who the hell are you?”

The coaxing smile died and his eyes widened. “You don’t remember? A part of you always does. Could it have been so long this time?” He tapped Galen’s chest just over his heart. The physical contact was another small comfort. The strange man wasn’t a figment of his imagination, though Galen supposed an intruder wasn’t a better option. “How can you not remember me, remember us?”

Galen looked over his shoulder at the control panel on the wall. He needed a better nighttime security system, maybe even a guard. “I don’t know how you got in here or what possessed you to dress like that, but I suggest you leave before my security comes.” The man did not react the way Galen expected him to with that desperate gamble. Instead, a puzzled look crossed his face as strong hands settled on Galen’s hips.

“I do not understand the words you say. You look different, yet I know it is you born again to bring me to life.” Those hands on his hips tugged, and Galen gasped as groin met groin with a hot tingle of awareness. Oh yes, hard all over. Damn, it had been so long since he had another man against him. And the resemblance to Nick made it even more disorienting. “Kiss me, Lykon. Make me whole again.”

Happy 2018

Well, it's the start of another year and once again I'm getting over an illness. Last year it was the stomach flu, this year some kind of sinus thing but that's what you get when you have 19 people under one roof for an extended holiday with 7 of them kiddies of various ages. The germs were strong with them this year. But I think we're kicking the bug in time to drive back home tomorrow.

As much as I may worry about a year ahead. (2017 was a banner for anxieties.) It's impossible to start out the year on a sour note. Fifteen years ago, in the middle of a Southern Maryland ice storm my son was born three weeks early, after scaring us into thinking he was going to come a couple months early. This kid clearly had a mind of his own and we headed to the hospital right after the ball dropped. Since then we've had the tradition of singing Happy Birthday to him as it comes down.

So happy birthday my sweet Moose the Meme Lord. I love you and I cannot wait to see what you will accomplish in 2018 or see you in your flight suit for Space Camp. If it still actually fits you when the time arrives. Last year brought you your Confirmation, graduation from middle school and the start of high school, your first girlfriend and your first heartbreak. 2018 will be just as action-packed and awesome. Just you wait and see.