Authorsday - Michael Ventrella

Author Michael Ventrella makes a return visit to my blog today.

Michael A. Ventrella is an attorney who writes fantasy – but then, don’t they all? His second novel THE AXES OF EVIL has just recently been published.

What drew you to the subject of THE AXES OF EVIL?
THE AXES OF EVIL is the sequel to ARCH ENEMIES, which I discussed in my last interview with you. I had so much fun with ARCH ENEMIES and wanted to do more with that world. I had ended ARCH ENEMIES with a preview, and when readers said “What happens next?” I knew I had to tell more…

Describe your book.
THE AXES OF EVIL is a fun fantasy romp, with numerous plot twists and turns, cliffhanger surprises, and humor.

One barbarian prophecy says the legendary hero Bishortu will unite the three warring tribes. Another tribe has a prophecy that directly contradicts this, and they want Bishortu dead. And a third tribe, which may or may not be comprised of werewolves, refuses to let anyone know what their prophecy says. Meanwhile, the Duke on whose land the barbarians sit wants them all gone.

In the middle of all of this is squire Terin Ostler, who has been mistakenly identified as the great Bishortu. Under the Duke’s orders to get rid of the barbarians, he heads to their lands without the slightest idea of what to do.

Along the way, he has to avoid crazed assassins, possessed werewolves, lovesick barbarian princesses, and confused goblins while attempting to figure out the meaning of the magical and mysterious Wretched Axes.

Nobody said being a hero would be easy.

Fantasy author Gregory Frost says “Michael A. Ventrella takes up the mantle of Christopher Stasheff. Terin’s exploits are as entertaining as those of Rod Gallowglass, and fans of THE WARLOCK IN SPITE OF HIMSELF will hugely enjoy THE AXES OF EVIL.”


What do you do to avoid the clichés so common in this kind of literature?
It is a problem, admittedly – you want to use some of the standard basics which are part of fantasy literature (magic, elves, knights, and so on) without having readers go “Oh, not this again.”

I think it’s important that a valid magic system be explained and that it not just look like everyone else’s magic system. At the same time, it’s difficult if not impossible to come up with something completely original; instead, you have to take ideas from here and there and make them your own.

And it’s also good to have new creatures and races that you don’t see anywhere else – in my case, it’s the biata race, which played a large role in ARCH ENEMIES and to which one reviewer on Mania.com made the following comment: “What does work is Ventrella’s conception of an entirely new race. Yes the old fantasy stereotypes are all still here (goblins, elves, dwarves, etc.) but with the addition of the biata, a feathered people who refreshingly aren’t just a recycling of the aforementioned genre archetypes. This is good because in many ways the biata need to work, since the plot is based so heavily on their history.”

But mostly it’s just plotlines and characterizations in general. I try my best to have my characters act as real people would. They argue and make bad decisions and react to the wild things that happen to them like I believe real people would do so.

One thing that seems to set my books apart from a lot (but not all) fantasy literature is that the main character is not “the chosen one” – everyone just thinks he is. He has no special powers, and unlike books where the hero is ordained by the gods or otherwise is the only one who can use the Force or a special weapon, Terin Ostler is just this kid who gets mistaken for one these heroes. He’s in way over his head and has to use his wits to get out of the situation.

What’s the most satisfying part of writing?
For me, it’s making everything come together in the end. My novels are almost like mysteries – Terin has a prophecy he has to complete but he has no idea how to do so. In AXES, he has three of them and an order from his liege which all contradict each other. There are also three magic axes with mysterious writing that has to be deciphered, goblins that are convinced Terin is their leader, and political issues that must be resolved.

In the end, it all falls into place, but it won’t work if all the clues aren’t spread out through the book in just the right way to not be obvious until the final result.

And planning all that out is a lot of fun!

There is no way anyone reading my books will ever think that I am making it up as I go along, because I certainly am not. Everything is meticulously planned.

Is it true that your books are based on a game?

Well, yes and no.

Years ago, I founded a live action fantasy roleplaying game, now called “The Alliance” (http://allianceLARP.com) which has chapters all over the United States and Canada. This game has a well developed world, culture, and magic system.

So when I decided to write a fantasy novel, I used this world that I had already developed. (Since I have the copyright on it, I knew I wouldn’t sue myself.)

Other than that, no, the books are not based on a game in the strictest sense. I ignored the game rules pretty much completely, because what works in a game does not in fiction, and vice versa.

For instance, in our game, if your character dies, you can be resurrected, because it’s no fun to show up and die and then you can’t play any more. Resurrections would be terrible in fiction. Death has to be a real threat for the story to be dramatic and scary. In my books, when people die, they die.

I have read some novels based on games, and you can always tell. You can almost feel that the characters have gone up a level and have learned new skills or that the “author” has just rolled the die to see what wandering monsters will come by.

I did none of that. It’s a stand-alone story and people who have read it have no idea it was based on a game, and that’s exactly what I want.

THE AXES OF EVIL is much shorter than ARCH ENEMIES. Was this by design?
Absolutely. ARCH ENEMIES is around 120,000 words. This can be daunting to many readers coming across a new author they have never heard of, especially young adult readers who should enjoy this kind of fantasy. I decided to trim the sequel down quite a bit. AXES is about 70,000 words.
Mind you, it’s easier to do with a sequel because in the original, Terin is a teenager who has run away from home and gets caught up in this adventure he never wanted. Along the way, he has to learn about how the world works, and some of the book gives that background as the reader learns the same time Terin does.

That is not as necessary in a sequel, so that helped me move the action along faster. Readers have commented that while ARCH ENEMIES was a real page-turner, AXES is like a roller coaster ride with a lot happening very quickly.
It also helped that my publisher gave me an excellent editor this time around who made sure the story moved well.

Is a good editor that important?

Absolutely. For one thing, a professional editor (as opposed to a friend who reads your work and gives comments) knows what to look for. It’s not just the phrasing of sentences that is important, it’s the overall story sense and pacing.
What I found was that scenes that seemed so clear to me needed rewriting. Just because I can visualize what happens in my head doesn’t mean I have explained it clearly enough to my readers.
And let’s face it, an author who thinks that they are perfect and can never improve with reasonable constructive criticism has a problem – you can always get better!

You are published by Double Dragon Press. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a small press?
Well, Double Dragon is the largest fantasy and science fiction e-book publisher in the world, so they’re not that small.
The advantage of a small press is that they are more willing to take chances. The big publishers are sometimes like the big record companies; they’re just looking for the next top 40 hit and things that don’t fit in their selling strategy will be rejected, no matter how good it is. And with a small press I can be a big fish in a small pond.
Of course, the disadvantage is that I don’t get distributed well. It will be unusual for you to find my books at your local Barnes & Nobles.

Would I rather be with a large publisher? Of course; just for the increase in income, if nothing else. But I am not unhappy where I am – and it’s a good way to get attention, reviews, and experience in the system.

My problem was that when I originally wrote ARCH ENEMIES, I sent it off to the big publishers who rejected it. I then took a look at it and realized that it deserved to be rejected. I was so thrilled at having written a book that I had basically sent off my first draft. I then worked to rewrite it and hone it down and when I had completed that, I figured I had already burned my bridges, so I sent it off to Double Dragon who snapped it up right away. Maybe if I hadn’t been so anxious, I would have done better…

How about self-publishing?
That’s the kiss of death in the publishing industry. Even if you have written the greatest novel ever, if you self publish it, the image will be that it wasn’t good enough to be accepted by a real publisher.

What are you working on now?
Well, I had a short story published a while ago in a book called RUM AND RUNESTONES and they’ve just asked for another for their sequel. This is a new series of stories about pirates and magic, and I had a great time with my story “X Spots the Mark.”
And then I’m working on my next novel about a vampire who runs for President. It’s the West Wing meets the bat wing!
And I also keep my blog updated where I interview famous authors and sometimes offer my own comments about the publishing world.
And of course I maintain my web page where there are links to buying all my books in either paperback, e-book, ipad, or kindle formats.

Thank you for interviewing me again, Chris!


AXES OF EVIL Book reviews/quotes:
“The Axes of Evil is a taut nail-biter of a thriller. Edgy, funny and dark.” – Jonathan Maberry, multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Dragon Factory and Rot & Ruin

“Humor, danger and a twisted tangle of unlikely prophecies make for a page-turning adventure.” - Gail Z. Martin, author of The Chronicles of the Necromancer series

“A witty and original fantasy. Grips you from the start and never lets go.” - Patrick Von Raven, author of The Bride of Annwn

“Michael Ventrella weaves another of his perplexing tales where it seems his protagonist, the squire but would-be bard Terin Ostler, cannot succeed in solving one problem without betraying another … Four stars!” - Christopher Hoare, author of Arrival and The Wildcat's Victory



Links:

Mike’s web page: http://michaelaventrella.com

Mike’s blog: http://michaelaventrella.wordpress.com/

Mike’s Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-A-Ventrella/456487130415

Recipe Wednesday - Karen Syed

Perky Pizza is on the menu today courtesy of Karen Syed, author and publisher.

About Karen:


Karen L. Syed is the president and COO of Echelon Press, LLC. Every day is a new success story for her as she continues to grow herself and her business. She has seen eight of her own novels published (writing as Alexis Hart), along with numerous articles and short stories. As a former bookstore owner, she garnered a nomination from Publishers Weekly for their Bookseller of the Year award. She is committed to helping and encouraging everyone she comes in contact with to seek a healthier and more positive quality of life by reaching for their dreams. You can learn more about Karen Syed at http://klsyed.com/.

Book Description:

Darkness surrounds Patric LeClerc. Blinded in a tragic accident years before, he does nothing but drive everyone away with his anger and resentment over the life he's been cursed with.

Everyone, that is, except Callie Carpenter. Desperate for a home and a job after the break-up of her dreadful marriage to a wealthy but abusive man, she tries to restore Dark Gardens Plantation to its former glory.

Patric lets his guard down and shows her that deep within, a spark of warmth and humanity still glows. Soon she finds herself more interested in him as a man than a patient. When her ex threatens to take away her son, Callie and Patric join forces to try to save the boy.

But can Patric's dark past ever allow him to see Callie's love for him, or will he drive her away as well, for having come too close to the true, if vulnerable, Patric LeClerc?



Review Quotes:

"A moving novel...the love scenes are marvelous. This is an enjoyable story that will make you laugh, cry, and be glad you read it." –Romantic Times Magazine

Buy Links:

Paperback: http://tinyurl.com/ah-dsml-amazon
eBook: http://tinyurl.com/ah-dsml-ebook



Personal Links:

http://www.klsyed.com/
http://www.echelonpress.com

Recipe:

PERKY PIZZA


16 oz Perdue, Lean Ground Turkey

1 Box Jiffy Pizza Crust Mix, (184 grams)

1 Large Yellow Peppers (bell peppers)

1 Large Green Peppers (bell peppers)

1 Medium Red Peppers (bell peppers)

1 Small Can Great Value Tomato Sauce (no salt added)

1 Regular Can Great Value Diced Tomatoes (no salt added)

1 Medium Onions, raw, sliced thin

1/4 tsp Weber Kick’n Chicken Seasoning

1 tsp Ground Tumeric,

1 tbsp Ground Cumin

1 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1 cup Kraft Mozzarella Shredded Cheese (Fat Free)

1/2 cup Great Value Fiesta Blend Cheese Reduced Fat

2 tbsp Italian Seasoning



Preheat oven to 425.



Mix Jiffy Pizza Dough as instructed and set on stove to rise.



Brown ground Turkey in frying pan.



Add all powdered seasonings to meat.



Drain canned tomatoes and add to meat. Cook until mixture is dry.



When meat is fully cooked add all vegetables. Cook until slightly tender.



Spread pizza dough on cookie sheet.



Spread tomato sauce on dough.



Sprinkle Fiesta Blend cheese on sauce.



Spread meat and vegetables on sauce.



Sprinkle Mozzarella Cheese on meat and vegetables.



Cook in oven for 12-15 minutes.



Serve hot.

ExcerpTuesday - Phil Giunta

Today I welcome Phil Giunta who will share an excerpt from his latest  Testing the Prisoner.

Daniel Masenda thought he had made peace with his dark past when he left his home for a better life fourteen years ago. As the mayor of a small, tranquil town along Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Daniel has everything he ever wanted - until a series of haunting visions, coupled with the death of his estranged mother, pits him against two ghostly entities at war with one another. Each has its own agenda as they force Daniel to relive moments from his violent youth and push him to the edge of insanity. As his idyllic life begins to unravel, will he be able to decipher the message behind the hauntings before they destroy, not only him, but the soul of someone he left behind?

Excerpt from Testing the Prisoner
Daniel managed to collect himself enough to gaze beyond the apparition in the mirror ―for what else could it possibly be? In the background, a dingy white door and cracked blue plaster walls seemed oddly familiar yet too surreal to recall distinctively. He looked frantically around his own bedroom to reassure himself that reality hadn’t completely abandoned him. The laundry basket was tipped over but still very much there; the dresser was firmly at his back and the bed to his right. Bright sunlight illuminated the room from the bay window. Daniel drew some small comfort from the latter. Everything was as it should be, except for the nightmare playing out in the mirror.

The boy was speaking now. His lips were moving but he uttered no sound. Daniel couldn’t help but compare this vision to some silent horror movie. Nervously, the boy looked over his shoulder to the door behind him just as it was thrown open with a force that made Daniel’s heart skip.

The silhouette of a tall, thin figure stood in the doorway. Somehow, Daniel sensed that it was evil though no features were discernible. A sickly yellow glow from somewhere behind it cast its long shadow over the boy. The child writhed as if suddenly wracked with pain. He extended a pleading hand toward Daniel who pressed himself back against his dresser as the boy’s arm reached through the mirror to within inches of his legs.

While the silhouette remained still, its shadow began to twist and contort around the boy, pressing his arms to his sides, wrapping around his throat until it yanked him violently backward toward the doorway.

“No!” Daniel had seen enough. He didn’t know what was happening but instinct told him that the child was in danger. A swell of rage stirred within him. He leapt to his feet and dashed toward the mirror.

“Leave him alone!” he roared, slamming his fist into the glass. It shattered instantly, black shards exploding all around him releasing a sound like the scream of a tormented soul.

Phil Giunta is currently a network administrator and has worked in the IS field for seventeen years at several major corporations. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA. His industry certifications include Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and Cisco Certified Network Associate. He is an avid freshwater fisherman, science fiction fan, and is deeply interested in the paranormal.
Testing the Prisoner


A Paranormal Mystery novel

by Phil Giunta



Published by:
Firebringer Press
6101 Hunt Club Road
Elkridge, MD 21075
410-579-1127

Distributed by:
Lightning Source Inc. (US)
1246 Heil Quaker Blvd.
La Vergne, TN USA 37086

Lightning Source UK Ltd.
6 Precedent Drive
Rooksley
Milton Keynes

MK13 8PR, UK

Release Date: March 12, 2010

192 Pages, Trade Paperback



ISBN 10: 0977385116
ISBN 13: 978-0977385119
Audience: Adults and late teens.

Guest Blog with Carl Brookins on Internet Marketing

I have the honor of being the first person to ask Carl Brookins to guest blog. When you see what he has to say you will wonder why no one has picked his brain before this.

This document is a deliberate exercise in individual marketing considerations. It is for authors who want to consider Internet marketing in this world. I deliberately did no research, relying on my memory of what’s available. I found it instructive. What I looked up are the references to links so you aren’t sent on a weird journey. I have no particular axe to grind.

As an aside, it occurs to me that weird journeys are sometimes useful. Porn for example. If you believe what you read on the Internet, nobody in the crime fiction writing community ever wants to be exposed to porn sites. Ewewew! Disgusting! Demeaning! Awful, etc etc. Well, a man I know spends a good deal of his time cruising porn sites looking for illegal stuff. Exploited children for example. He’s a cop. If he spends every waking hour he will never visit all the porn sites (use your definition of porn) that exist. Pornography, as defined by federal statutes and testimony as a multi-billion dollar business. Annually. Who’s buying? Nobody I know. Uh huh. Why is this stuff so successful? Why don’t customers buy my novels instead? And yours?

Nobody really knows what works in comparison to other techniques of marketing. That’s been true since marketing was invented and nobody I know is willing to try restricting themselves to a single method and then later changing to another method for long enough to really know what doesn’t work. Anybody who tells you they have the answer(s) is prepared to take your money. Branding, marketing yourself, selling yourself and/or your book; it called exposure, or branding if you like that label better. It’s all good. If you do it the right way. And I have the Right Way. Pardon me, I have to wipe away my tears of laughter.

For one thing, Internet marketing and advertising is new and constantly changing. The business models that worked yesterday are dysfunctional today. There’s a new cyber network popping up every time you turn around. What will tomorrow bring? Do you know about these sites?


http://www.authorbuzz.com/; http://www.librarything.com/; http://www.mysterywriters.org/; http://www.shelf-awareness.com/index.html; http://www.sistersincrime.org/; http://www.goodreads.com/; http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Working_Writers/; http://www.murdermustadvertise.com/; http://www.shortmystery.net/markets.html; http://brennalyonsden.blogspot.com; http://www.jeffreymarks.com/; http://www.ascamacho.com/; http://www.dorothyl.com/; http://www.facebook.com/; http://www.myspace.com/; http://www.jakonrath.com/freebies.htm; http://www.authorsden.com/;


That’s just a sampling of web sites with information and services that may be useful. Some of them offer specific books on modern marketing. I neither endorse nor disparage any of the above and you’ll find my books and stories at several of them. You’ll also find more sources if you visit my website, www.carlbrookins.com or http://www.minnesotacrimewave.org/.

I could go on for a very long time and build a very long list. You can do it yourself. My point is this: There are a variety of inexpensive and pricy tools available to market yourself and your writings on the Internet. There is one thing we know for sure. The easier you make for a reader of your marketing efforts to buy your product, the more sales you will have. From that it follows inevitably that Internet links to sales outlets are important. There are still a great variety of non-Internet tools which you should not eliminate from your marketing mix without careful consideration. The number of people in the nation with regular access to high speed Internet is less than 50% A lot of people use library computers for their on-line addresses. The mail is important! Do you want to ignore half the reading population?

In the end, it’s just like anything else you do, or it should be. Proceed cautiously, be disciplined, particularly when spending money. Keep track of what you doing and allot adequate but not endless time to blogging, texting, emailing and so on. Be active on the Internet, but not to the neglect of your serious writing. If becoming a successful well-paid author is your goal, you must continue to write seriously and thoughtfully. Dancing on the Internet or spending large sums on advertising and mailings unless you have the resources, can consume you. Don’t let it.

Authorsday - Linda J. Parisi

Today I welcome Wild Rose Press author Linda J Parisi. She graciously filled in at the last minute when the person I had scheduled went MIA.

1. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I don’t know that I consciously ever sat down and said I want to be a writer. But for some reason, I always had a pencil in my hand. And that’s how I write today. Pad and pencil. Then I copy and edit into a computer. Guess that makes me a dinosaur, huh?

2. How long have you been writing?

Since I was a kid. I started writing with the intent of being published in 1991.

3. How did you pick the genre you write in?

I fell in love with Romance when I picked up my first Harlequin Presents in college. Haven’t looked back since.

4. Do you plot or do you write by the seat of your pants?

Pantser. And sometimes without the knickers (wink, wink)

5. What was the name of the first novel you wrote?

Coming Out of the Dark

Did you try to publish it? Not after my first contest entry (LOL)

6. What do you know now that you are published that you didn’t know pre-published that you wish you knew?

Once you’re published, people expect you to know the business, be better at your craft, be able to write on demand—they expect you to be a writer. I wish I’d known how hard that would end up being. It wouldn’t have stopped me but forewarned is forearmed, as they say.

7. How many rejections have you received?

Too many. And yet, sometimes I believe not enough. Because I can always make my work better. And I won’t do that if everyone tells me it’s the best thing since chocolate.

8. What was the best writing advice someone gave you?

Never give up—Actually, I also recall someone telling me not to follow an editor into the ladies room and try to hand it to her under the stall door. That was pretty good advice too.

9. If you have a day job, what is it?

I work in Research and Development for a Clinical Chemistry System Manufacturer.

10. Describe your book.

Noble Heart is the second book of the Nobility Series. It begins with the Ancient One still trying to destroy the Nobility. Alexi Valentin gets caught between a promise and his duty as a Noble. Elena Kyrinova needs a child to continue her race. They need to stop the Ancient One and save both of their races.

Together, Elena and Alexi learn that even a playboy who plays at being a magician, and a healer who believes she's damaged, can learn to accept who they are. You see, love truly can overcome all obstacles

Linda J. Parisi found her calling when as a scientist, she discovered romance. Her idea of the perfect hero is a cross between Frank Langella’s Dracula and his Zorro; tall, dark, handsome, and untamable. Her heroines will never give up or give in, so the sparks continue to fly through her books until her characters reach their happy ending. The road might not be easy but the fun is in the travel. She’s been a member of New Jersey Romance Writers and Romance Writers of America since 1993 and is now a member of Liberty States Fiction Writers. During the day she’s a research scientist and project manager for a diagnostic technologies company. But at night? At night, she gets to play with vampires.

Recipe Wednesday - A R Grobbo

Everyone seems to be cheating on everyone else these days. Jesse James on Sandra Bullock. Tiger on his wife Elin. Wonder what they would have done if murder by poison was still in vogue. Can one taste arsenic if you put it in this recipe?
ONE WOMAN’S POISON is the fourth Gloria Trevisi Mystery published by Double Dragon Publishing; a friend’s high school diary contains a deadly secret, canned preserves are killing the locals, and Gloria is about to face the worst two weeks of her life. (Fortunately there is no peach preserve needed for the recipe.)



BEER BARBECUE SAUCE



Barbecue season begins in southwestern Ontario, and Gloria Trevisi is cooking outdoors.



1 bottle of beer (any brand)

3 cups ketchup

3 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp horseradish

3 tsp Worstershire Sauce

1-1/2 tsp Garlic salt

1-1/2 cups brown sugar



Boil gently, uncovered, until thick enough to coat a spoon. Stir often. This mild barbecue sauce is great with chicken and pork, wonderful on hot dogs and hamburgers and sensational with ribs. Store it in a glass jar in the fridge.

A.R. Grobbo spent 20 years working for suburban newspapers and marketing for an international corporation before retiring to the country. She lives in southwestern Ontario where she keeps bees, teaches music and dreams up mystery plots for her cozy series.



To Quote award-winning author Dee Lloyd: “… crisply written, tightly plotted and filled with characters who walk right off the page.”

Check out the author and her books at www.angrobo.com.

ExcerpTuesday - MC Halliday

Lady Gaga didn't show, but I have MC Halliday sharing a scene from her book.


ExcerpTuesday: I Came Up Stairs: A Victorian Courtesan’s Memoirs, 1867 to 1871 by MC Halliday.

Led from filth and poverty by a gentleman in the hopes of gaining coin for his purse, Mae is shaped into a lady and tutored in the arts of pleasure. With raw sensuality, she creates a seductive dance that entices the peerage in puritanical England, and she quickly becomes favored courtesan to Prince of Wales. Her renown and riches ever rising, she continues to romp with gamely men and women of both the nobility and the lower classes. Eventually, Mae’s bohemian ways cause suffering for those she loves and her own heartbreak. Must she conform to Victorian mores, or can she remain true to her sensual desires?



These intimate memoirs reveal a young woman’s journey from the slums of Whitechapel to celebrated dancer of the Victorian music hall, and courtesan to the highest peers of the British realm. From the years 1867 to 1871, Mae recounts her varied lovers and false loves, and her heartbreaking losses in a quest for happiness.

Prologue Excerpt:

“I came up stairs into the world, for I was born in a cellar.”

Love for Love- William Congreve (1670–1729)



The squalid room where I was born was much less than a cellar, for the stairs led only downward to the stinking streets of Whitechapel, where misery draped over us as heavy as the coal soot-laden air. We were filthy and neglected as the derelict structures, and our subsistence was made worse by the urine and feces ever emptied from chamber pots onto the street cobbles. Splashes oft occurred from the higher windows, and once, a full pot was tipped upon my head. Without fancies such as bathing or washing clothes, I had to abide the dousing. Every drop of water hauled from the fetid river in a rusted bucket we set aside for a boiled dinner of potato and cabbage.

Seven of us lived in the small room above the butcher. We kept to the streets to escape the bickering and steady smell of rotting flesh and sour blood. The scurry of rats heard in the walls by day became a persistent scuttling over us at night. My brothers, sisters and I slept together on a heap of flea-infested straw with our boots on and one thin blanket wrapped tight against the damp.

Mam and Da would come in late of an evening, singing and falling over us until my da would curse and kick before falling onto his narrow bed. And my mam laughed and laughed in that shrill way she had until she dropped beside him. After, I would listen to the little ones crying and Da’s snoring as I pushed at the rats until sleep took me again.

I was Mabel Gray in those days, but I left that life and name behind the night I met Mr. Roger Vickers.

*******



MC Halliday ~ deep, sometimes dark, always delicious tales of women through the ages.



British born, I live at the edge of a forest, nestled in a cozy valley in the mountains, on an island. In peaceful surroundings with my dogs at my feet, I pen tales ranging from contemporary mystery to medieval Ireland. No matter the genre, vivid characterizations, surprising revelations and depth-charge plot twists are trademarks of my tales. My latest book is a Victorian novel of love and lovers, war and heartbreak woven into the erotic memoirs of a courtesan unashamed of her amorous adventures.





Website: http://www.members.shaw.ca/mchalliday/



Eternal Press Book link: http://www.eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781770650459



Book video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3wcmv6R8L0



Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/mc.halliday



Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1754593.M_C_Halliday



Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Came-Up-Stairs-Victorian-Courtesans/dp/1770650504/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268766690&sr=1-1



Fictionwise: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b107079/I-Came-Up-Stairs/MC-Halliday/?si=0



OmniLit: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-icameupstairsavictoriancourtesansmemoirs1867to1871-419055-144.html