tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968532329918887372024-02-21T00:06:45.079-05:00Leonard D. Hilley II Author [Deimosweb Publishing]Leonard D. Hilley II, AuthorLeonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-305399433760647022017-05-12T15:24:00.001-04:002017-05-12T15:24:18.715-04:00Moved to New Website!No new posts will be added to this site. My new author website: <a href="http://www.leonarddhilleyii.com/">www.leonarddhilleyii.com</a> <br />
Subscribe to my mailing list there and download a FREE copy of Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter. Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-7238347022783183652016-06-03T10:13:00.000-04:002016-06-03T10:13:46.621-04:00The Deimos Virus: Target EarthThe Deimos Virus: Target Earth is now available on Kindle. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHq5dVO_8Phmpfk781qq9GylBfCrIRdB_1xNAowixUVRz2Oxs7vvVU4AOZTl-T871U9007ctz_szLSHLIXXL2dVmEYMJgZ9N9CMW4u1Bqfn7lRj-Y8e-EW_I4-WwmSvtqgwTczF6GKvk7/s1600/DeimosViruseBookFinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHq5dVO_8Phmpfk781qq9GylBfCrIRdB_1xNAowixUVRz2Oxs7vvVU4AOZTl-T871U9007ctz_szLSHLIXXL2dVmEYMJgZ9N9CMW4u1Bqfn7lRj-Y8e-EW_I4-WwmSvtqgwTczF6GKvk7/s320/DeimosViruseBookFinal.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sometimes Vengeance is More Blind Than Love:
<br />
<br />
A devastating virus spreads through the Deimos Moon Station killing
fifty-six people. Dr. Carter is somehow immune and the sole survivor.
Vowing to avenge the lives of his colleagues and his lover, Carter takes
two vials of the contagious lethal virus to Earth with the intention to
infect and kill Boyd Grayson, the owner of Grayson Enterprises. He
holds Grayson responsible for their deaths. His blind vengeance
dismisses the fact that there is no cure, placing the entire world
population at risk.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Deimos-Virus-Target-Predator-Darkness-ebook/dp/B01GG507K0" target="_blank">The Deimos Virus: Target Earth</a> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Publisher: DeimosWeb Publishing</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Genre: Science Fiction, Sci-fi Thriller, Suspense</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
524 pages </div>
Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-46028669707236810472016-05-18T08:31:00.000-04:002016-05-18T08:33:30.914-04:00Succubus: Shadows of the Beast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimwKFhBtWFWTU8Xbln8w_n3LsYejGTnCAfhsxkBgmYREeHM2VpMD8p_1roM7qG3AUo3IR6SogVH0oXaBGDCSE88sLJep92CTdtPJwUqKZxSoirfzeD7HHwQOY2KuS1xS89WpI4_09zPMN/s1600/LDHilleySuccubus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimwKFhBtWFWTU8Xbln8w_n3LsYejGTnCAfhsxkBgmYREeHM2VpMD8p_1roM7qG3AUo3IR6SogVH0oXaBGDCSE88sLJep92CTdtPJwUqKZxSoirfzeD7HHwQOY2KuS1xS89WpI4_09zPMN/s320/LDHilleySuccubus.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
NOTE: Formerly published under pen name T.W. Mordrake.
<br />
<br />
Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance:
<br />
<br />
Entering the real world after college often educates one to the true
horrors of the harsh obstacles life has to offer. For Kailey Yates the
discoveries are far more terrifying and dangerous. Two days before she
graduated with a degree in investigative journalism, her brother
Vincent is found dead in his swimming pool with a syringe stuck in his
arm. His death is ruled as a suicide, but Kailey doesn't buy it.
<br />
<br />
She suspects Vincent's new wife Cassie is the one who actually
killed him. Her suspicions are drawn from his rapid health
deterioration during his short six month marriage. During one of her
last Skype conversations she had with Vincent, Kailey's roommate Raven
witnesses their conversation and immediately senses that Vincent is
being soul-drained by a succubus. Since Raven is a witch, Kailey has no
doubt about her friend's perception and concludes that Cassie must be
the demon responsible.
<br />
<br />
Kailey leaves Boston and flies to Seattle for her brother's funeral.
While there she investigates the circumstance surrounding his death.
She uncovers dark information that leads her to Nocturnal Trinity, a
nightclub in the heart of Seattle. And worse, the underground club is
run by a powerful alliance of vampires, demons, and witches that wish to
protect Cassie at all costs, which includes killing Kailey or anyone
else if necessary.<br />
<br />
Publisher: Nocturnal Trinity Press <br />
Genre: PR/UF<br />
Pages: 481<br />
Formats: Paperback, Kindle, Kindle Unlimited<br />
Price: $2.99<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Succubus-Shadows-Beast-Nocturnal-Trinity-ebook/dp/B00WV6L28A" target="_blank">Succubus: Shadows of the Beast</a>Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-36950904392979535982016-05-03T04:07:00.001-04:002016-05-03T04:07:35.162-04:00Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter [Vol. 2] Blood Mists of LondonFor Forrest Wollinsky fans, Book 2 will release on Friday 13th. Here's the cover and blurb:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kpYdBsPcjnqHcO4wvdlWY5d4FFHPuHlGeQw8QgjldvGlx8MYsE89IOB7mgp_4g178Q4nqM7dNccVksloX7X8MSzTvLKCakjVyot-8uBU9h5X1xk5I1fXPyAFMHqZbhabzX_P8xik8anf/s1600/ForrestWollinskyBMoL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kpYdBsPcjnqHcO4wvdlWY5d4FFHPuHlGeQw8QgjldvGlx8MYsE89IOB7mgp_4g178Q4nqM7dNccVksloX7X8MSzTvLKCakjVyot-8uBU9h5X1xk5I1fXPyAFMHqZbhabzX_P8xik8anf/s320/ForrestWollinskyBMoL.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-size:10.0pt;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter [Vol. 2] Blood Mists of
London</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whitechapel, London: 1888</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A ravenous madman stalks the foggy streets of Whitechapel, savagely
butchering women during the dead of night and mysteriously disappearing without
a trace or even an eyewitness, which leaves detectives at wit’s end to find the
murderer. The newspapers call this serial killer Jack the Ripper, but Forrest
Wollinsky believes this sinister phantom is a master vampire who has ventured
far from his homeland for one reason: unrelenting vengeance.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, stopping this vampire won’t be easy. He’s the most
powerful vampire Forrest has encountered to date, and even his werewolf cousin
discovers he’s no match against him alone. Slaying this vampire will require Forrest
to align himself with some unusual creatures he never knew existed, but even then
they have no guarantee of success.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
290 pages. Ages 14+. Paranormal/UF. Mystery. Formats: Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, PB, Audio [later in the year]</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-57264662692706352012016-04-29T06:21:00.000-04:002016-04-29T06:21:13.276-04:00A Typical Day in a Writer's LifeGood morning, all!<br />
<br />
This is Day 5 in Bewitching Book Blog Tour for Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter. My guest blog "A Typical Day in Writer's Life" is at: <a href="http://www.ismellsheep.com/" target="_blank">I Smell Sheep</a><span id="goog_1574558284">. So stop by and check it out. This blog gives some insight to how I start my day and my writing process. Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway at the end of the month for a chance to win 1 of 10 FREE copies of Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="goog_1574558284">More news is on the way. I've almost completed the first draft of the second book in the Vampire Hunter series: Forrest Wollinsky: Blood Mists of London. I will have a cover reveal soon.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="goog_1574558284">Thank you for stopping by and for your support!</span><br />
<br />
<span id="goog_1574558284">All my best,</span><br />
<br />
<span id="goog_1574558284">Leonard </span><span id="goog_1574558285"></span>Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-76491064255424894992016-04-28T08:37:00.001-04:002016-04-28T08:37:31.393-04:00Day Three of Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter Blog TourPlease check out Day 3 of the Bewitching Book Blog Tour for Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter at the <a href="http://cbybookclub.blogspot.com/2016/04/blog-tour-spotlight-giveaway-forrest.html?showComment=1461843511214#c3217427913505028380" target="_blank">CBY Book Club Blog</a>. If you haven't already, sign up for the giveaway. 10 digital copies of Forrest Wollinsky will be given away at the end of the tour.Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-56112597448779425252016-04-28T08:17:00.001-04:002016-04-28T08:17:55.725-04:0023 Years of MarriageMy wife and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary yesterday. In so many ways, it doesn't seem that long, but I've treasured every day we've been together.<br />
<br />
We met at Berea College in 1993, fell head over heels for one another, and married within a few months. Yes, most marriages don't last when the couple hasn't known one another very long. But, I knew from the moment she and I took a walk along the trails on Berea College's campus that she was the woman I wanted to spend my life with. We had so many common interests.<br />
<br />
At the time our paths crossed both of us were at very low points in our lives. What we discovered wasn't a rebound, but we found the part that completed us. We're soulmates destined to walk the journey of life together.<br />
<br />
Before I met Christal, I had stopped writing for nearly ten years. I had tried a couple of times to put words on the page but without success. After we started dating, she and I went to a bookstore on campus. We were looking at discount books, and she showed me a 3-in-1 set of Dean Koontz's books. She expressed how much she loved his books. So, later in the day, I returned to the store and bought the set to surprise her. Only, the surprise was on me.<br />
<br />
When I got back to the dorm room, I started reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Servants-Twilight-Dean-Koontz/dp/0425242633/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461845059&sr=8-1&keywords=servants+of+twilight+koontz" target="_blank">The Servants of Twilight</a>. I loved the way Koontz wrote the different chapters from the POV of each character. By chapter four, I was hooked. I had to confess to her that I had bought the book for her, BUT I needed to finish reading the first book first. She laughed. Reading his work refueled my desire to write, which is why the dedication of my first book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Predators-Darkness-Aftermath-Leonard-Hilley-ebook/dp/B0052MFTRK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1461845159&sr=1-1&keywords=predators+of+darkness+aftermath" target="_blank">Predators of Darkness: Aftermath</a> states: "For my wife, Christal, who reignited my desire to write. Without her this book would not have been written. And you? You would not be reading this."<br />
<br />
While Koontz's works influenced my early writing, Christal was the one who had introduced me to this books. I had never heard of him, and quite possibly I would never have sought the books out. When it comes to writing, she's been a great inspiration and early on, an excellent critic of how I was writing. If she read my work and thought it wasn't good, she told me, not in an impolite manner. As most early novelists do, we tell and don't show, and since she had read hundreds of books she really knew what worked. So I work feverishly on my craft, doing everything I could to learn how to improve my stories to draw in the readers.<br />
<br />
I could write books on the things we've seen and shared during our twenty-three years together. The biggest blessings we've had together are our two children and our grandson. I love her for who she is, and I could never have made it this far in life without her. She's the best friend I have, and I hope we share our journey ahead for many more decades to come.Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-31832768866065699052016-04-26T04:15:00.003-04:002016-04-26T04:16:21.358-04:00Interview with Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter Day TWO of the Bewitching Book Blog Tour for Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire
Hunter. To read an interview with Forrest, please check out the blog
post: <a href="http://dianes-book.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://dianes-book.blogspot.com/</a> Also, ten digital copies of Forrest Wollinsky will be given away at the end of the book blog tour.Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-44944898164017275712016-04-25T04:43:00.003-04:002016-04-25T04:44:31.918-04:00Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter [Bewitching Book Blog Tour]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2FXTboqcMjI7B7JnqH1j73Wxog74nlWtdwFPz55QMa6RJfnFqzIyIlUwNjynN-7FHG0RfB6Moz09GbkWLwdgj_bglYLaaX67YW8opSS-92Gpt5xTGZ83Wi8wlkymuwvoGaxSYfk8DciP4/s1600/Forrest+Wollinsky+Vampire+Hunter+Button+300+x+225.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2FXTboqcMjI7B7JnqH1j73Wxog74nlWtdwFPz55QMa6RJfnFqzIyIlUwNjynN-7FHG0RfB6Moz09GbkWLwdgj_bglYLaaX67YW8opSS-92Gpt5xTGZ83Wi8wlkymuwvoGaxSYfk8DciP4/s1600/Forrest+Wollinsky+Vampire+Hunter+Button+300+x+225.png" /></a></div>
Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter Volume One is currently on a Bewitching Book Blog Tour starting today.<br />
<br />
Here's the schedule for the month ahead:<br />
<br />
<div>
Schedule Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter Vol. One </div>
<div>
by Leonard D. Hilley II</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
April 25 Spotlight</div>
<div>
aobibliosphere™</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://aobibliosphere.blogspot.com&source=gmail&ust=1461655014808000&usg=AFQjCNE9w0CYQnLQtbtdKo6Id8MDV2H_IA" href="http://aobibliosphere.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://aobibliosphere.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904601" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">April 26</span></span> Character Interview</div>
<div>
Diane’s Book Blog </div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://dianes-book.blogspot.com&source=gmail&ust=1461655014808000&usg=AFQjCNHMDUruYs-qy9tvK4hNqzOMunTI6w" href="http://dianes-book.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://dianes-book.blogspot.<wbr></wbr>com</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904602" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">April 27</span></span> Spotlight</div>
<div>
CBY Book Club</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://cbybookclub.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1461655014808000&usg=AFQjCNE1v_0XtvNehkyzVWhg9KiY1g0bfg" href="http://cbybookclub.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://cbybookclub.blogspot.<wbr></wbr>com/</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904603" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">April 27</span></span> Review</div>
<div>
Romance Authors That Rock</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://pratr.wordpress.com/&source=gmail&ust=1461655014808000&usg=AFQjCNEq2yGPkBVeLDbkTRSV_TgR0s2RNA" href="https://pratr.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">https://pratr.wordpress.com/</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904604" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">April 28</span></span> Spotlight</div>
<div>
BookwormBridgette's World</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://bookwormbridgette.blogspot.com&source=gmail&ust=1461655014808000&usg=AFQjCNHIl-7CSU5xC4kaOwyx3dUmOmku9Q" href="http://bookwormbridgette.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://bookwormbridgette.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904605" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">April 29</span></span> Guest blog</div>
<div>
I Smell Sheep</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.ismellsheep.com/&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNGnZmROrK6fHTfgFBSLDT52Gut2Ng" href="http://www.ismellsheep.com/" target="_blank">http://www.ismellsheep.com/</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904606" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 2</span></span> Spotlight</div>
<div>
Sapphyria's Book Reviews</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNEbzugDZ5ivo0G8_5ccmeWNlhm0Cw" href="http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.<wbr></wbr>com/</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904607" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 3</span></span> Spotlight</div>
<div>
Share My Destiny</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://sharemydestiny.blogspot.com&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNFfIKEv2riZPjb1dFQGNla_7Dpcdg" href="http://sharemydestiny.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://sharemydestiny.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904608" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 4</span></span> Guest blog and review</div>
<div>
happy tails and tales </div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://happytailsandtales.blogspot.com&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNGWd0x8Zc5R1bXx6gS3Q9Ey7H9wkw" href="http://happytailsandtales.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://happytailsandtales.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904609" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 5</span></span> Spotlight and Review</div>
<div>
The Recipe Fairy </div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://recipe-fairy.weebly.com/&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNG8h3vIH-R1tMWwcG8vaOQgv5jj1g" href="http://recipe-fairy.weebly.com/" target="_blank">http://recipe-fairy.weebly.<wbr></wbr>com/</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904610" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 6</span></span> Spotlight</div>
<div>
Apocalipstick</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://apocalipstickthebook.wordpress.com/&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNF3vM4J9wmARgLfz1fuicEspg0-gw" href="https://apocalipstickthebook.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">https://apocalipstickthebook.<wbr></wbr>wordpress.com/</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904611" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 9</span></span> Spotlight </div>
<div>
Paranormal Tendencies Book Reviews</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.paranormaltendencies.blogspot.com&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNGcMwoBlK_7FZpssIe1YySdE3sGwQ" href="http://www.paranormaltendencies.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://www.<wbr></wbr>paranormaltendencies.blogspot.<wbr></wbr>com</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904612" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 10</span></span> Spotlight</div>
<div>
Lisa’s World of Books</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.lisasworldofbooks.net&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNFpf90MICUQFrup-k55SVunsGtvfQ" href="http://www.lisasworldofbooks.net/" target="_blank">www.lisasworldofbooks.net</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904613" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 11</span></span> Guest blog</div>
<div>
Fang-tastic Books</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNHlJUcEE24xH7D3NaE6nVIZf7e49w" href="http://www.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">www.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.<wbr></wbr>com</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904614" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 12</span></span> Interview</div>
<div>
Deal Sharing Aunt</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNFosioNw0Sxq2gyo_91rukJ7wL9jQ" href="http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.<wbr></wbr>com</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904615" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 13</span></span> Guest Blog</div>
<div>
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.creativelygreen.blogspot.com&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNFs2XIRmWcNF7YucT2cTazzVtOoXA" href="http://www.creativelygreen.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">www.creativelygreen.blogspot.<wbr></wbr>com</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904616" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 14</span></span> Review</div>
<div>
aobibliosphere™</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://aobibliosphere.blogspot.com&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNHjTwMkjlvpy1oMVG4hcTnyzQI6Ow" href="http://aobibliosphere.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://aobibliosphere.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904617" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 16</span></span> Guest blog</div>
<div>
Roxanne’s Realm</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.roxannerhoads.com&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNGLCTrvbcog3MLU2MDzElb8LmljsA" href="http://www.roxannerhoads.com/" target="_blank">www.roxannerhoads.com</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904618" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 17</span></span> Spotlight</div>
<div>
Hart's Romance Pulse</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.HartsRomancePulse.weebly.com&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNEDKBQqOuDYqrZbzavz5LpkqhDiIw" href="http://www.hartsromancepulse.weebly.com/" target="_blank">www.HartsRomancePulse.weebly.<wbr></wbr>com</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904619" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 18</span></span> Guest blog</div>
<div>
Zenny's Awesome Book Reviews</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://zennysawesomebookreviews.wordpress.com/&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNFaIMnS7GFL_FKJIXjBqikbe4lQFQ" href="https://zennysawesomebookreviews.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">https://<wbr></wbr>zennysawesomebookreviews.<wbr></wbr>wordpress.com/</a></div>
<div>
playlist, recipe, top 5 or 10 list</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904620" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 19</span></span> Spotlight</div>
<div>
T's Stuff </div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://teresanoel.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNHOGj7J33SKR2gCMvmbVMYhglxobw" href="http://teresanoel.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://teresanoel.blogspot.<wbr></wbr>com/</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904621" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 20</span></span> Spotlight</div>
<div>
3 Partners in Shopping , Nana, Mommy, and Sissy, Too!</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://3partnersinshopping.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNEw4Y-3l69-c4cfFOz7_Ivhu0ggkA" href="http://3partnersinshopping.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://3partnersinshopping.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_431904622" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 23</span></span> Spotlight</div>
<div>
Ramblings of a Book Nerd</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://booknerdramblings.com&source=gmail&ust=1461655014809000&usg=AFQjCNFOh9ZcE_CD5Tj5UzBDS2Y-jGSsCg" href="http://booknerdramblings.com/" target="_blank">http://booknerdramblings.com</a></div>
<br />Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-55119323677888630882016-03-28T06:50:00.000-04:002016-03-28T06:50:00.057-04:00<div data-contents="true">
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="78jg3" data-offset-key="d1gum-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="d1gum-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="d1gum-0-0"><span data-text="true">Like Vampire Hunter novels? Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter is now LIVE at Amazon. Read for FREE if you're enrolled in Kindle Unlimited. YA friendly. </span></span><span class="_5u8n" data-offset-key="d1gum-1-0" spellcheck="false"><span data-offset-key="d1gum-1-0"><span data-text="true">#YA</span></span></span><span data-offset-key="d1gum-2-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span><span class="_5u8n" data-offset-key="d1gum-3-0" spellcheck="false"><span data-offset-key="d1gum-3-0"><span data-text="true">#Kindle</span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="78jg3" data-offset-key="1ofnp-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1ofnp-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="1ofnp-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="78jg3" data-offset-key="40k9s-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="40k9s-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="40k9s-0-0"><span data-text="true">"Killing Vampires Since 1888."</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="78jg3" data-offset-key="5vvnq-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5vvnq-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="5vvnq-0-0"><span data-text="true">I was born in Bucharest in 1880 in the heart of the vampire population. At eight years old, I was considered a freak of nature since I was already the size of an adult male. Other children my age, and some of my teachers, shunned me. Being rejected by one’s peers cuts deeply. Then I met my first werewolf and discovered a master vampire was plotting to kill me because of what I am. From that moment, my destiny stole my future aspirations all men grow up wanting. This is how my destiny begins.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="78jg3" data-offset-key="ad1bv-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ad1bv-0-0">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forrest-Wollinsky-Leonard-D-Hilley-ebook/dp/B01CZ4LKBQ" target="_blank">Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter</a></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ad1bv-0-0">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFItlCIfZey5MVy-uyfGgdOJj9xMp_IbWJexv-VuvYPv9zgU___beUnWDKenesxkHXgQfd8Y3xsA3RwctYNAChMALKy-IfiYV1CwtI3fFcjH1Cj-DVw7HGHASy9XWlYO_xgGPAiVTuPh7v/s1600/LeonardDHilleyII-300dpi-3125x4167%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFItlCIfZey5MVy-uyfGgdOJj9xMp_IbWJexv-VuvYPv9zgU___beUnWDKenesxkHXgQfd8Y3xsA3RwctYNAChMALKy-IfiYV1CwtI3fFcjH1Cj-DVw7HGHASy9XWlYO_xgGPAiVTuPh7v/s320/LeonardDHilleyII-300dpi-3125x4167%25289%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
"A new vampire hunter."<br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ad1bv-0-0">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="78jg3" data-offset-key="5t57s-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5t57s-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="5t57s-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-42692330259882438282016-02-07T04:03:00.000-05:002016-02-07T04:11:56.626-05:00Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter (In Kindle Scout)<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
</style>
-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="a-section a-spacing-medium">
<h2 class="project-title">
Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter
</h2>
by
<span class="author-name">
<a class="smooth-scroll-anchor dark-gray" href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/1Z29TY753FBMW#authorBio">
Leonard D. Hilley II
</a>
</span>
<br />
<div class="project-tag project-tag-recent">
<div class="project-tag-inner">
<span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">
New </span></div>
<div class="project-tag-inner">
<span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic"> </span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="a-section one-liner">
Killing vampires since 1888. </div>
<div class="a-section one-liner">
Synopsis:<br />
<br />
</div>
<div class="a-section one-liner">
"I was born in Bucharest in 1880 in the heart of the
vampire population. At eight years old, I was considered a freak of
nature since I was already the size of an adult male. Other children my
age, and some of my teachers, shunned me. Being rejected by one’s peers
cuts deeply.
Then I met my first werewolf and discovered a master vampire was
plotting to kill me because of what I am. From that moment, my destiny
stole my future aspirations all men grow up wanting. This is how my
destiny begins."<br />
<br />
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My newest novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Forrest
Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter,</i> has been submitted to Amazon Kindle Scout program in hopes that they
will accept the novel to be published by Amazon Press.<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why? For one, should they accept a novel for publication, the
press pays a $1500.00 advance, and ebook royalties are 50% on all sales. If
they choose, they can translate the book into other languages around the world,
which is something I’ve wanted with my other books.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Early downloads & reviews:</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
One week prior to release date, everyone who nominated a book that is published
by Kindle Press will receive a free copy and be invited to leave reviews.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another advantage, even if Amazon Press does not choose it,
is the publicity generated by those who have voted for the book. When a lot of
votes are generated, the book rises into the Hot & Trending category, which
means more potential readers see the book.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fingers
are crossed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
28 Days Left! Here's more information:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
mso-themecolor:hyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
</style>
</div>
-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Are you a fan of vampire novels? How about Vampire Hunters?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you own a Kindle or have an Amazon account, you can read
the first 2 chapters. If this is something you’d like to see in print, please nominate
Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter. Here’s the link: <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/1Z29TY753FBMW">https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/1Z29TY753FBMW</a>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If Amazon Press chooses the book for publication everyone
who nominated the book will receive an advanced Kindle copy approximately two
weeks before the book is released.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Please check it out and tell your friends. Thanks! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-87429484820471296522015-10-19T05:06:00.004-04:002015-10-19T05:07:22.078-04:00Writing Week in Review 10/12--10/17 2015Writing Week in Review:<br />
<br />
<br />
This week started off rough. On
Monday, the words just didn't want to emerge. Writing was brutal; the
mental equivalent of scratching fingernails on a chalkboard, with BOTH
hands. I barely got 4 pages in eight hours of writing ("trying" to
write).<br />
<br />
Tuesday and Wednesday moved along better with 8 pages each day. Good but not what I was hoping to achieve.<br />
<br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
Thursday, mental gears rolled along much better. 11 pages.<br />
<br />
Friday was glorious. I wish every day came this easily. For some reason
I was in that writing zone. I was inside the novel and trying to keep
up with everything that was going on. 20.8 pages!!!<br />
<br />
I mentioned
some days back that I "hoped" to be finished yesterday with Lady Squire.
VERY close now. In the home stretch! Here's where it stands: On
Chapter 79. By the standard 250 words per page, it is 709 pages long.
You heard it, too? Trees in the forests are groaning! Good thing
Kindle sales are much higher than PB.<br />
<br />
Thanks, guys, for your patience! I plan to write more today (7 pages in 4 hours) and back into the grind on Monday. I will keep you posted.</div>
Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-8052058345123479202015-09-25T08:10:00.004-04:002015-09-25T08:12:47.141-04:00Keep the Reader GuessingYears ago, when I first decided to write "seriously," I submitted a
lot of short stories to science fiction/fantasy magazines. Sadly, a lot
of those publications are now defunct. But, I learned a lot from
various editors during that time.<br />
<br />
Some editors were gracious
enough to enclose pointers with their rejection forms. However, a few
went a bit further and actually wrote comments on their forms (ALWAYS a
good sign). One piece of advice was to avoid using too much exposition.<span class="text_exposed_show">
Basically, get to the point and don't bog down the reader with
nonessential background information. Marion Zimmer Bradley put it
another way, as she had been told by an editor, "Johnny gets his butt
caught in a bear trap and spends the rest of the story trying to get out
of it." Dean Koontz suggests start with the action.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
I've learned that adding the urgency and dilemmas early on--like the
opening--really pulls the reader in. After all, if readers aren't
interested in what you're writing, they won't finish the work. No
audience? What's the point in writing other than for one's
self-amusement?<br />
<br />
I took creative writing courses during my senior
year of college. The professor kept insisting that I show the monsters
of Predators of Darkness on page one. His advice was to put it all on
page one, but page one is only so long, right?<br />
<br />
I argued that I don't need to put a description of the monster on page
one. When he asked, "Why?" I explained. If I show the monster on page
one, I just killed the suspense and mystery that attracts the readers to
the main character's problem. You're more afraid of what you don't see
hiding in the shadows than when you find out exactly what it is. Ask
anyone that's terrified of spiders or snakes that steps into a room
where a spider or snake is hidden what level his/her fear is. If you
know where it is, you can avoid finding it. Not knowing where it is . . .
means you might accidentally walk into its path. Sometimes not seeing
is MORE frightening. The possible element of surprise, so to speak.<br />
<br />
This is why I try to start with the action first and keep the reader guessing until the end.</div>
Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-27985269162647355552015-09-24T09:52:00.003-04:002015-09-25T08:11:34.669-04:00Getting into the Flow of Writing<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="js_5">
The
hardest part about writing is getting into the flow. For the past two
days, I've added 8 pages per day to Lady Squire, but it took a few hours
of staring at the computer before the words dislodged. Once the dam
breaks, the words seem to spill out faster than I can write them. That's
a wonderful sensation once it occurs, but it's hell before that.<br />
<br />
<br />
I love being in the writing zone when the story unfolds right before
me. One of the best compliments readers have given me is that they feel
like they are there in the story, too. But, as the writer, I am there. I
am in the characters' world, seeing and hearing everything around them.
Maybe that's why others feel that way too?<br />
<br />
Time to venture back into Aetheaon! Here's hoping it doesn't take long to step through the portal.</div>
Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-69100699225020381242014-10-29T10:49:00.003-04:002014-10-29T10:49:33.824-04:00Dee's Mystery Solvers: The Beating Heart Beneath Hollow Hill CemeteryWhen I was young living in rural Alabama, my sister and our friends made a club to investigate mysteries in the pastures and woods behind our house. So, it comes as no major surprise that I'd eventually begin writing about a club of teenagers (Dee's Mystery Solvers) who seek to solve mysteries.<br />
<br />
Behind our house, an old dirt road divided the dense woods and a large pasture, but the owners finally blocked the old dirt road when I became a teenager. Along the old road were places where people had dumped garbage long before I was even a thought. We found old bottles, shoes, discarded clothes, and other odds and ends that made for interesting "loot." But also, in the center of the pasture, within sight of our yard, was an old house the pasture owner used for a barn to store hay. Unpainted, and missing parts of the walls and tin roof, this house certainly looked haunted.<br />
<br />
My older brother and I had once gone into the old house to investigate. I was only about five years old, so the experience was frightening and exciting at the same time. He had me stand on the ground floor beside the old brick fireplace while he walked up the short spiral wooden staircase to the top floor. He wanted to knock on the fireplace to see if I could hear him from down below, but I never heard the knock.<br />
<br />
Later, I went upstairs to find him. About one fourth of an upstairs wall was missing. Outside this open space was a panoramic view of the pasture, trees, and the pond on the next hill. An old iron bed frame stood against the other wall. Rusted hangers hung on an old metal wire with tattered clothes dancing in the breeze. The inside of the house wasn't as frightening as I had imagined it would be, which is also how most unknown situations can be when one explores. Our minds often paint darker images of the unknown. Of course, my brother and I also read all kinds of scary comics, so in my mind I feared what might actually be hiding in that old house. To my satisfaction and partial disappointment, none of the things I pictured were there. It was rather tame.<br />
<br />
Other mysteries abounded during our younger years. Some we never found explanations for why they occurred. One unknown occurrence was what we called the "ghost dog" because this dog barked and howled but we never <i>ever </i>saw it. We learned to accept that he was there, even though we never found him.<br />
<br />
My oldest brother lived a while in the old one room shed behind our house during his mid-teens. Even to this day, he talks about the strange things that happened at night in the woods behind that shed. Things that frightened him, and he was never one to show fear.<br />
<br />
So many elements during our youth shape us. Our earliest fears, curiosities, and obstacles get stored inside our minds. For writers, this is a wealth of information that later comes out in our stories.<br />
<br />
And along comes Dee's Mystery Solvers. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dees-Mystery-Solvers-Beating-Cemetery-ebook/dp/B00NZFXU8G/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top" target="_blank">The Beating Heart Beneath Hollow Hill Cemetery</a> is based on an account told to me from a friend years ago. The overall premise is based upon this legend, and the outcome is nothing less than what others discovered about the strange mysteriously beating heart near Chattanooga, Tennessee.<br />
<br />
More stories are to follow with Dee's Mystery Solvers. I enjoy the freshness of how teenagers attempt to discover the truth through adventure and investigation. Writing these accounts brings me back to a younger time when there was so much to learn and new places to explore. Of course now, most of my explorations occur on the page, leading me to places I'll never find in this world.<br />
<br />
<br />Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-25461383291905279832014-09-02T16:32:00.000-04:002014-09-02T16:32:37.175-04:00Shawndirea: The Magic of a FaeryWhen I started writing <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shawndirea-Chronicles-Aetheaon-Book-One-ebook/dp/B00KYTQWUY" target="_blank">Shawndirea</a>, I anticipated that the story would be a novella (40-50,000 words), as a back story for the characters in Devils Den, which is a novel set twenty years after <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shawndirea-Chronicles-Aetheaon-Book-One-ebook/dp/B00KYTQWUY" target="_blank">Shawndirea </a>takes place. This didn't happen, and for whatever reason, the book took to life on its own.<br />
<br />
I suppose this <i>shouldn</i>'t be a shock to me. Most of the characters were from a novel I had started in 1993. The novel was bad, so I scrapped it. However, the characters remained inside my mind for nearly twenty years. During this time, they matured without my knowledge, and once they were placed onto the pages, they came alive and took the reins. They had things they needed to do and voices that needed to be heard. I let them take over so I could see where they were going.<br />
<br />
Truth be known, I don't consider myself a writer. I'm a note-taker. I write down the scenes as they appear vividly, and stand idly by, taking careful notes while eavesdropping on my characters. This has never failed me. The next thing I know, there's a completed novel.<br />
<br />
But still <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shawndirea-Chronicles-Aetheaon-Book-One-ebook/dp/B00KYTQWUY" target="_blank">Shawndirea </a>was different. This wasn't an ordinary novel for me. Amassing 528 pages, this proved to be the longest of my projects, but it has also opened many doors in the realm of Aetheaon. Already, I have tentative ideas for three novel plots in this series, but as the second book is coming along (at 200 pages currently), I realize there may be many more.<br />
<br />
What I love about this journey is meeting new characters within different races that I never expected to meet. Some of the strongest characters are the ones that show up unannounced and introduce themselves. This happens far more than you might expect. But these are the things I enjoy about being a note-taker in a new world. And for those of you who are following this journey, there aren't enough words to express my thanks and gratitude. The feedback has been overwhelming and knowing that others love these characters and novels as much as I enjoy putting them on the page, is one of the greatest rewards this author could ever have.<br />
<br />
My thanks to each of you!Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-86521288197745874142014-06-07T13:32:00.001-04:002014-06-07T13:32:06.065-04:00FREE: Predators of Darkness: Aftermath (June 7th, 8th, & 9th)!For the next few days, the first book in my Darkness Series is absolutely free on Amazon Kindle!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdEWQxd_QjPXkNGS3YHgWUhyphenhyphenEHmnZhAw0J5No3XF_2AL8ZjhUPDXS9oty_6Eb9-Cktdg0yQUof9Y5i05GsGw6nPCmhxiTGMqsGrrxEhRvTInHe5_I8eepTp3efg2qE38NG4Uws8iPzfUkS/s1600/PODprintcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdEWQxd_QjPXkNGS3YHgWUhyphenhyphenEHmnZhAw0J5No3XF_2AL8ZjhUPDXS9oty_6Eb9-Cktdg0yQUof9Y5i05GsGw6nPCmhxiTGMqsGrrxEhRvTInHe5_I8eepTp3efg2qE38NG4Uws8iPzfUkS/s1600/PODprintcover.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Predators-Darkness-Aftermath-Leonard-Hilley-ebook/dp/B0052MFTRK" target="_blank">Predators of Darkness: Aftermath</a><br />
<br />
Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-43833560579396399482014-06-02T20:23:00.001-04:002014-06-02T20:23:36.293-04:00Using Sensory Impressions to Bring Your Scenes to LifeUsing sensory impressions in your creative writing helps draw a reader into your story. Certain sounds, sights, smells, tastes, and textures produce pictures in readers' mind that are connected to emotions in their pasts. A writer doesn't have to be flamboyant with the descriptions. Sometimes subtle depictions do more than over-description.<br />
<br />
If you've ever walked through a forest after a heavy rain and kicked up wet leaves, your mind picks up that scent and visual while you're reading the setting right now. Does the thought of a freshly plowed field in early spring trigger anything in your mind? It might, if you grew up in an area where farmers planted their crops. What about walking along a pier as the misty breeze off the ocean flows past you? Moth balls in your grandmother's closet. Honeysuckle on a late summer afternoon. Freshly picked tomatoes. Dill pickles. Grandpa's pipe. These images remind me of times in my youth and as I grew up. They might mean something totally different for someone else, or others might visualize similar things.<br />
<br />
The point is words produce images in our minds, and sometimes those images are linked to our emotions. Exact sensory words connect with readers, but they won't if the writer doesn't get out of the way. "Show, don't tell" is an adage that is more valuable than most writers understand.<br />
<br />
A simple example is:<br />
<br />
I saw a big tree and heard a bird singing on a branch. (Telling)<br />
<br />
A red robin sang on the leafy branch of the massive oak tree. (Showing)<br />
<br />
Even in the modest example, showing is more beneficial for the reader. You get specifics, which are details that paint a picture with words. So, if you're writing about a man driving a car, don't be vague. What kind of car? What color? Rental or does he own it? How old is the man? Does he have a beard? Is he bald? Tall and skinny or short and chubby? The possibilities are endless, but all these details give the reader insight into his personality, his tastes, etc.<br />
<br />
However, don't be too overly descriptive, either. Too much detail will cause a reader to skim ahead or skip entire passages because it bogs down the plot and eliminates the urgency. Have you ever read a novel where the entire room or house is thoroughly described to the point where you flip ahead? Yeah, me too. Overdoing description is almost as bad as not enough details.<br />
<br />
Take a notebook and go for a walk sometime. Find a place to sit and describe all the sounds, smells, and sights. Bring your surroundings to life on the page. It might take a few attempts, but the effort is well worth it.Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-11407167284678318172014-06-01T08:37:00.001-04:002014-06-23T18:06:35.754-04:00Shawndirea (Chronicles of Aetheaon: Book I) Release Date: June 12thI am proud to announce my newest novel, Shawndirea, will be released on June 12, 2014. Here's the book blurb:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
"
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-size:10.0pt;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--</style>Often the smallest unexpected surprises garner the most demanding
dilemmas, which proves to be the ordeal that entomologist Ben Whytten faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While netting butterflies to add to his vast
collection, he mistakenly sweeps what he thinks is the most spectacular
butterfly he has ever seen into his net.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Upon examining his catch, Ben is horrified to discover he has captured a
faery and shredded her delicate wings into useless ribbons.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Devastated, Ben vows to take Shawndirea back to her realm,
Aetheaon; but he discovers that doing so places their lives into immediate
danger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To get to Aetheaon, they must
pass through a portal rift deep inside the haunted cavern, Devils Den.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once they cross the rift, Ben enters a world where
mysteries, magic, betrayal, and power struggles await. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He must adapt quickly or die because Aetheaon
is filled with enchanted creatures and numerous races where chaos often
dominates order. And since Shawndirea’s destined for the throne of
Elvendale, opposing dark forces plot to prevent her from ever reaching her
kingdom again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The faery's magic isn't
enough to fully protect them, so he must trust other adventurers to aid them during
their journey."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ro7RIJZH8uOmabreR8zf6alFs05_QW-po6-68susZvwgVJyqBg3E0CmVHODbe_DTbF7dTS8c4h4jGK8NHSW8VevaLM4DUguOQRsyvPpSTybSVtFlUP1_bIwggkqSX00JGYbMDKgYheok/s1600/Shawndirea+ebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ro7RIJZH8uOmabreR8zf6alFs05_QW-po6-68susZvwgVJyqBg3E0CmVHODbe_DTbF7dTS8c4h4jGK8NHSW8VevaLM4DUguOQRsyvPpSTybSVtFlUP1_bIwggkqSX00JGYbMDKgYheok/s1600/Shawndirea+ebook.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Book contains a great map drawn by Millard Pollitt.<br />
Book Length: 148,000 words or 536 printed pages (It's a LONG book).<br />
Genre: Fantasy, Fae/Faeries, Sword &Sorcery, Action/Adventure, Magical Realm, Dragons, Wizards, Dwarves, Elves, etc.<br />
<br />
Pre-orders at Barnes & Noble later this week! $5.99</div>
Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-12633608823018211132014-05-30T13:35:00.000-04:002014-05-30T13:35:33.604-04:00Indies, Why the Rush to Publish?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why the rush to publish?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Never upload an unpolished novel to Kindle or Smashwords
without hiring an editor to proofread and make corrections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finishing the first draft of your manuscript
is a remarkable accomplishment, but the novel isn’t ready to enter the world of
readers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your reputation is on the
line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First impressions do mean
everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A book filled with excessive
grammatical errors, improper punctuation, and plot holes will only reveal the
author’s lack of writing qualifications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Think about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The better your
book is, the more readers will anticipate your next one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the best part is word of mouth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If readers are telling other readers how
great your books are, your audience is going to grow.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trust me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I speak
from my own experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2007, I published
my first novel through a Print-on-Demand publisher, and it was riddled with
numerous flaws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The publisher, which I shall
leave nameless, did not make corrected edits that I had paid for, and the
“package” I bought was hefty in price.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At first I was so ecstatic to see my book in print that I
didn’t notice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, as time went by,
readers would message me via Myspace and let me know where they had found some
errors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The more I looked, the more I
realized the publisher had taken my money but didn’t do the work they were
hired to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And worse, this knowledge
came to me <i>after </i>having a third novel published through them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The final straw was with my third book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Game-Pawns-Darkness-Series-ebook/dp/B0052MUBW8" target="_blank"><u>The Game of Pawns</u></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I handed one of my sisters-in-law a copy
because she loved the series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A week
later she said, “Did you know at the end of the thirteenth chapter that it
stops midsentence?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was horrified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
know I <i>enjoy </i>writing suspense, and an incomplete sentence does leave a reader
wondering what happened, but this wasn’t a good thing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For one, the book had been completely edited
by an editor with over twenty years experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Secondly, I had gone through the first digital galley they emailed me
and found only <b>six </b>errors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I marked
those and sent it back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the second
galley came, I checked for the corrections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All six had been fixed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I okayed
the novel to go to print.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once my sister-in-law pointed out the error, I went back to
the galleys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow between galley one
and galley two, two and half paragraphs had <i>vanished</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was not on my end, so I called
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They wanted to charge me another
$149.00 to “fix” their error.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I
told them that I kept copies of the digital galleys and could prove the error
was on their end, they were taken back but insisted that I needed to pay for
the correction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My reply was that <i>short
of legal action, I don’t know what else to do</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They fixed their error for free.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another problem with the third book was the royalty rate I
was receiving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Darkness-Book-Two-Series-ebook/dp/B0052MGLH2" target="_blank"><u>Beyond the Darkness</u></a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Game-Pawns-Darkness-Series-ebook/dp/B0052MUBW8" target="_blank"><u>The Game of Pawns</u></a> are ~80,000 words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Game-Pawns-Darkness-Series-ebook/dp/B0052MUBW8" target="_blank"><u>The Game of Pawns</u></a> was almost seventy pages longer than <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Darkness-Book-Two-Series-ebook/dp/B0052MGLH2" target="_blank"><u>Beyond the Darkness</u></a>, which not only increased the price of the book, it lowered my
royalty per book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to CreateSpace
and learning how to format paperbacks, I figured out what they had done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of 1.15 space between the lines, they
used 1.5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sheesh . . . </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In my situation with that publisher, and since their imprint
was on my books, most readers faulted the publisher, not me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was before the Indie craze took flight
and sales of Kindles and Nooks dramatically increased.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now the majority of readers <i>do </i>fault the
authors because we’re the ones that push the “Publish” button.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not other publishers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I learned about KDP in 2011.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I wish I had known sooner.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since I retained the rights to all of my books, I pulled
them from the POD publisher and decided to upload them after thoroughly editing
them once again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve learned a lot in
three years, and during that time, I also finished my MFA in creative writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe the more I write the more patient I
have become as to when to release a book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have also grown pickier about the quality of my writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With most of my books, I try to read each
page at least fifty times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Excessive?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are there still errors?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No one catches all of them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let me give you an example.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Darkness-Book-Two-Series-ebook/dp/B0052MGLH2" target="_blank"><u>Beyond the Darkness</u></a>, I know I read the first page at least 100
times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No exaggeration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I handed the finished draft to my wife to
read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the first page she caught a
mistake that I hadn’t seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of “reclining”
chair, I had typed “recycling” chair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After nearly a hundred times of reading that page, I had missed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s why it is crucial to have Beta
readers, proofreaders, and editors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
mind kept correcting the word to what I thought I had written, but we all do
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another set of eyes is essential
to catch the mistakes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Periodically, I have an author send me a request to read a
novel and write a blurb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One author
requested friendship on Facebook and <i>after </i>I accepted, she asked me to write a blurb for her
novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told her that I couldn’t
because I had not read the book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
sent me a PDF of the novel, and I read a few chapters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I politely mentioned that she needed to have
it edited, which infuriated her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
explained that I was only speaking from my own experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly she “unfriended” me on Facebook.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am thankful for what Amazon and Smashwords have done for
Indie authors, but the ease at which people can publish is like a two-edged
sword.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s too easy to rush to
publish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, here’s a formula to
consider: Rush 2 Publish = Readers’ Rush 2 Judgment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quality should always outweigh the quantity.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-26031693961120384882014-05-29T13:27:00.000-04:002016-04-25T03:48:21.036-04:00Following Your Muse<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometimes a writer’s muse will do unexpected things with a
character or a storyline, but that’s a good thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t ignore the gentle prodding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I give you two examples of how this has worked well for me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>First:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve been asked if I use an outline when I write.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer is: “No.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t know why, but I’ve never been able to outline events
well before they occur in my fiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When a great idea pops into my head, I immediately write it down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s my writer instinct.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I may not know where the idea will lead, but
I’m willing to follow.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s how the Darkness Series began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In January 1996, when I laid down to go to sleep,
the opening sentence came to me:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Dropping
a cat from the top of a ten story office building was not the best way to
remain hidden, but it was necessary.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was intrigued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
didn’t know where the story would go or why someone dropped the cat off the
building, but I got up and wrote it down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A few minutes later when I was trying to go to sleep, the next two
paragraphs came to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, again, I got
up and wrote down the words.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day I sat at my computer and hammered out twenty
pages in a few hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of
those pages, I found myself in a new dilemma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I couldn’t add anything else to the storyline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anything I attempted to add didn’t fit,
sounded too corny, or took away from the characters and the building plot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was stuck, and I didn’t know why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I printed it out and set it in a box to work
on later.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Two years later, during my final year at Morehead State
University, I registered to take two creative writing classes in the coming fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the summer I took out the twenty pages
and thought I would see if any new ideas stirred to breathe life into this
story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rereading the piece I realized
something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t have twenty pages of
the novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I had was the skeleton
of a novel that needed depth, description, and more urgency to push the plot
forward.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I took a yellow notepad and made a lot of notes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I was content with how I would flesh the
book out, I sat at the computer and spent a week working and revising with the
new ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last sentence of the
original twenty pages now ended on page 100; but still, I couldn’t add anything
else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frustrated, I set it aside.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once the fall semester started, we met the new creative
writing professor, Dr. Chris Offutt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
stated that his class would be treated like a writer’s workshop, and on our
designated days, we could bring in a short story or the chapter of a book we
were working on to have the class evaluate it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When my day came, I brought the first chapter (~32 pages) of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Predators-Darkness-Aftermath-Leonard-Hilley-ebook/dp/B0052MFTRK" target="_blank"><b>Predators of Darkness: Aftermath</b></a> in and gave each student a copy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The next week they came back to critique and offer suggestions about
what did/didn’t work.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After everyone in the class made their suggestions, the
professor walked to the chalkboard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
drew out a diagram on the board and said, “Leonard, you don’t have one chapter
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What you have is five or six
chapters.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a matter of minutes he
mapped out five chapters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feverishly
wrote down his suggestions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best
part is that something clicked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fog
lifted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I suddenly visualized my
characters, their uniqueness, and their voices were audible in my head.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Eventually, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Predators-Darkness-Aftermath-Leonard-Hilley-ebook/dp/B0052MFTRK" target="_blank"><b>Predators of Darkness: Aftermath</b></a> grew into 340
pages, and there are four complete novels in the series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had I not written that sentence down, I do
wonder if the series would have occurred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After all, I didn’t have a plot or any characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All I had was the one sentence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never imagined the opening sentence would
spawn four more novels afterwards (Yes, I’m working on the fifth book), which is
why I suggest that writers follow their muse, carry notebooks, and don’t get
chained to an outline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a character
takes an unexpected turn into a dark alley, don’t stop him/her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Follow.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Second:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A couple of years ago I published <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Devils-Den-Justin-McKnight-Adventures-ebook/dp/B005UCWEY8" target="_blank"><b>Devils Den</b></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due to the characters in the fantasy realm of
the novel, I thought that writing a novella backstory would be a good
idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, my muse had a much
different idea.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The fantasy characters in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Devils-Den-Justin-McKnight-Adventures-ebook/dp/B005UCWEY8" target="_blank"><b>Devils Den</b></a> I’ve known—in my mind,
at least—for more than twenty years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
first novel I attempted was based on these characters, but the plot was too
weak to develop, so I killed the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But the characters never died.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They didn’t speak a lot, but they were there in the back of my mind,
maturing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I started the “Prequel” for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Devils-Den-Justin-McKnight-Adventures-ebook/dp/B005UCWEY8" target="_blank"><b>Devils Den</b></a>, something strange
occurred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The characters wanted their
voices to be heard, and they weren’t shy about letting me know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I thought would be 40-50,000 words, came
to life on a much larger scale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Twenty
years of maturing in my mind, the characters suddenly brought their world to
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And thanks to Millard Pollitt, who
drew an outstanding map of the realm, so many places can be explored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plotlines are endless.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The new novel is a 148,000 word epic fantasy novel (Name and
cover soon to be announced). Since the events in this novel are twenty years
prior to<b> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Devils-Den-Justin-McKnight-Adventures-ebook/dp/B005UCWEY8" target="_blank">Devils Den</a></b>, and so much occurs between the two, the new book has
become the first book in its own series.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, you see, my muse took me in a different direction and
definitely farther than the novella I had planned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most often my muse knows more than I do, so I
follow, take notes, and I write down what I hear and see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there’s a better formula than that, I don’t
know it.</div>
Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-21392358610373866012014-03-26T20:00:00.002-04:002014-05-22T11:48:30.606-04:00Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014It's late March once more. In two days, my brother would have been thirty-one years old. I think of him often, but more so around this time of the year.<br />
<br />
TMNT always brings back fond memories of my little brother. When he was about seven years old, he'd tie a cloth belt around his forehead and run through the house yelling, "I love being a turtle!"<br />
<br />
His favorite was Raphael. He watched the TMNT movie on VHS and practically wore the tape out. At times, he wanted to wrestle and be Raphael while I, being the older brother, was the evil Shredder. He loved that he always got to win, but that was just part of the fun. He was so excited when he got the Raphael action figure, and he played with it all the time.<br />
<br />
I remember when the second TMNT movie (The Secret of the Ooze) came out just days before his eighth birthday in 1991. Each time he saw the movie preview on television, he was so excited that he raced through the house with his bandana tied around his head, shouting, "I love being a turtle!"<br />
<br />
Sadly, he never got to watch the movie as he died on July 8th, 1991, almost three months after the movie's release. Forever eight years old. I have his Raphael action figure. I would never part with it. In my brother's memory, my computer background is a picture of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I cannot turn on my computer without being reminded of him. I truly miss him and wonder what he would have become had his life not been cut so tragically short.<br />
<br />
A new TMNT movie is set for release in August 2014. Will I be there? Yes, and I hope that my brother is too, in spirit. Cowabunga, little bro! RIP Bubba. I miss you.Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-17672792114166677222014-03-20T06:35:00.000-04:002014-05-29T15:47:11.798-04:00Introducing Fellow Kentuckian Author: Mara A. Miller<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:8.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
mso-themecolor:hyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
p.MsoNoSpacing, li.MsoNoSpacing, div.MsoNoSpacing
{mso-style-priority:1;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoPapDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-bottom:8.0pt;
line-height:107%;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
</style>
-->
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50wb_41ZHJODL73iZLFKdpHxDESiv0Zz4gf9oUunNOqo01N6Ax2cthOkcxIW0GjF6tU55erMUCJnAzggFPVc6T_kh2IGdplihC4aoWQVagfHI9t86Ge6FQlf3jwmE9QJkspcnpfvyliKn/s1600/Cheap+Guitars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50wb_41ZHJODL73iZLFKdpHxDESiv0Zz4gf9oUunNOqo01N6Ax2cthOkcxIW0GjF6tU55erMUCJnAzggFPVc6T_kh2IGdplihC4aoWQVagfHI9t86Ge6FQlf3jwmE9QJkspcnpfvyliKn/s1600/Cheap+Guitars.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white;">Hi all,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white;">I'd like to introduce you to a new prolific (daily word counts are AMAZING) author, Mara A. Miller. I've asked her to guest blog today and tell us more about her and how she writes. Here's Mara:</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white;">"I’m weird about blogging.
I can’t format anything since I’m lame at it so I haven’t made my own blog yet,
but Leonard is a friend, so here we go. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white;">I was going to go into
this big long thing about how I got bullied and that drove me to reading more,
but I’ll keep it short: I started reading a ton when I was nine, got bullied
because I have dyslexia and was placed in “special education” classes. Mom handed
me my first romance novel when I was 11, and I was writing my first “novel” by
the time I was twelve. I also discovered </span><a href="http://www.fanfiction.net/"><span style="background: white;">www.fanfiction.net</span></a><span style="background: white;"> and fell in love with writing it so it kept me busy
until I started getting original ideas. I wrote and finished my first novel
when I was 19, something I named <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Ancients</i>, but I’m not sure I’ll ever publish it. I participate in NaNoWriMo
almost every year, and next month I’ll be working on my newest novel for Camp
NaNoWriMo.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white;">Having a bachelor’s degree
in Creative Writing helped me to start writing more original stuff. I read so
much I can’t remember everything but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Solace of Open Spaces </i>really struck me for some reason. I have an
anthropology degree too but quickly learned that as much as I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">love </i>archeology I didn’t want to be an
archeologist. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white;">P.N. Elrod and Nora Roberts
are some of my favorite authors. I read so often I couldn’t possibly name all
my favorite authors, though. Harry Potter is a favorite (J.K. Rowling is my idol),
but I also adore Colleen Hoover and Jasinda Wilder. Colleen Hoover’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Slammed </i>series is my favorite…those
books made me cry. Hard. Fiction doesn’t do that to me too often. I’m not a
crier (although my best friend might beg to differ). Jane Austen and Edgar
Allen Poe are favorites too…oh! And I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">love
</i>Frankenstein. Mary Shelley also wrote my favorite short story, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mortal Immortal. </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I don’t really have a writing schedule or anything. I
write when I feel like it but typically it’s early in the morning or late at
night. I work at home and live with my mom, and I’m also single because I
choose to be, so it frees up a lot of my time to focus on writing. I moved back
home so I could save money on rent and something about living in this mountain
in Estill has always driven my writing into overdrive. I schedule my work week
around certain days to have off so I can write more. I never outline. Well,
okay, I outline, but usually I end up not following it. I have a disorganized
notebook I jot ideas down in that I never look at unless it was something
really important.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Shortly before Maime, my dad’s mom, died she told me I
needed to write romance (she and mom eventually started talking again). I was eighteen.
Her reasoning behind it was that I was<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>a
good writer and sex always sells. I had my ups and downs with that woman, and
so did my mom because of the way Maime treated her after my Dad died, but she
couldn’t have given me better advice. And considering the fact I’ve read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">so </i>many romance novels? Kind of a sign I
should write it, don’t you think? I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">love </i>writing
romance since I finally decided to listen to myself and my grandmother. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I want to keep writing them. I want to touch people. An
evil part of me might want to make them cry, but if my love of romance (both
reading and writing it) moves someone, I feel like that is incredible. I’m moving
away from fanfiction—and keep getting reviews from my readers there where
they’re telling me to keep writing because they don’t care what I work on—and
it’s been a hard, but good, decision.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I write a crazy amount. I just finished a 93k novel that
I’m now going to soon rewrite in first person. I wrote 50,000 words this past
November during NaNoWrimo (I’ve been participating since 2007). I have some of
my fanfiction, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All This Time </i>(about
119k words) published along with my first novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheap Guitars</i> (a good 60k)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. </i>Typically
I like to write 4,000 words (if not more) a day. More if I write another
chapter to a different story (and usually I do). 20/25 pages between two
chapters for two different stories isn’t unusual for me. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The reason I was listing off my word counts from my work?
Let’s ignore the fact that I’m a word count whore-I’ve written about 322,000
words since I started <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All This Time </i>with
my friend in late 2012. I can’t even begin to imagine how many pages that is
(although <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheap Guitars </i>is 240 pages,
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Head Over Hoof, </i>the story I just
finished, will be about 490 pages). I was in a really bad writing rut before
that, part in due to a marriage ending and the other being that I was so busy
with school. I only had time to work on short stories. I truly believe that
after a certain point something just clicks in a writer’s brain and then it’s
hard to stop writing because it just comes so naturally (anyone who begs to
differ? Go write a novel during NaNoWriMo and don’t give me any bad excuses
about how you’re too busy because I managed my first one in the middle of
taking 15 credit hours at EKU, having a pretty solid social life, a part time
job, and the new freedom of being able to drink whenever I wanted wine since I
had just turned twenty-one—keep going ‘til you hit that 50k). I tend to work on
two stories at a time now and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sometimes </i>I’ll
pull out two chapters for two different stories. Right now I only have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Petrova Blood (All This Time </i>sequel…gotta
finish that one last one then that’s it for fanfiction)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>to worry about and it’s making me itchy. Since I wrote through
that rut and work on more than one story a day I’ve prevented myself from
having a really bad writer’s block by working on more than one project. It
hinders me now if I’m only working on one story at a time. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
You know, if I’m not procrastinating by knitting or
playing with my rabbits. Or writing guest blog posts (haha). </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And hey! </i>Knitting
isn’t just for little old ladies! I’ve knitted some beautiful stuff. And it
gives my characters a hobby since I understand how it works. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Self-publishing wasn’t an easy decision to make. For the
longest time I was under the impression I wanted to submit to Harlequin to get
a publishing deal but then I realized how much more rewarding it would be to
myself if I became my own publisher (not to mention you get far more in
royalties). I think it’s changing now but some of the creative writing
professors at Eastern Kentucky University frowned upon it (it doesn’t matter if
they don’t think it’s a good thing; they have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">amazing </i>writers teaching there nonetheless) so that was another
issue I had to struggle through in order to finally talk myself into
publishing.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Also sort of helps I have a fairy godmother whispering in
my ear to publish (she’s an old friend of my mother’s). It was nerve-wracking,
but so rewarding, and I getting ready to do it all over again. Mick (brother)
won’t read my stuff, but he still snarked at me that I needed to publish, too.
Well, I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">listened</i>, and now I might
become addicted to seeing my books on my bookshelf. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I actually should get to writing and hush.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
No. Really. I’ve got Scrivener up and I’ve spent enough
time babbling to people who don’t know me at all. I want to work on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheap Tricks, </i>my next novel in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheap </i>series.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If you want to read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheap
Guitars </i>you can find me on Amazon published under “Mara A. Miller.” Here’s
the link: <a href="http://amzn.to/1gQn2OZ"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.0pt;">amzn.to/1gQn2OZ</span></a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheap Guitars </i>for Kindle is $2.99 and
the paperback is $8.99. I’m planning to release that novel I just finished, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Head Over Hoof, </i>sometime in September or
October (I have to rewrite some of it before it’ll be ready…and maybe find an
editor). </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Don’t make fun of the odd formatting if you get the
physical copy of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheap Guitars</i>. I
screwed up the page numbers on the physical copy (SO learned my lesson!)."</div>
Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-31376315243358217332014-01-02T18:36:00.001-05:002014-01-02T18:48:08.038-05:00Welcome to V.J. Chambers, Author of Rough Edges!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=596853232991888737" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img _blank="" border="0" href="http://www.vjchambers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/rough-edges-192x300.jpg" src="<a data-blogger-escaped-target=" style="cursor: move;" /></a><a href="http://www.vjchambers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/rough-edges-192x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.vjchambers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/rough-edges-192x300.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=596853232991888737" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img _blank="" border="0" href="http://www.vjchambers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/rough-edges-192x300.jpg" src="<a data-blogger-escaped-target=" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div>
Hi, I’m V. J. Chambers, and I’d like to share with you a
little about my new release <i>Rough Edges</i>. Inspired
by a real murder case in Medicine Hat, Alberta, <i> Rough
Edges</i> is a tale in the vein of <i>Basic
Instinct</i> but set against small town America. Here’s what it’s
all about.<br />
<b>Was a twelve-year-old girl victimized when her
parents were murdered? Or was she the co-conspirator and illicit lover
of the murderer?</b> <br />
<br />
When true crime writer Samson Black gets a call from Lola Ward
saying she wants him to write a book about her, he seizes the
opportunity. This is his chance to resurrect his career and discover
what really happened eleven years ago, when Nicholas Todd kicked off his
tri-state rampage by stabbing twelve-year-old Lola’s parents to death.
<br />
<br />
At the time, Lola claimed Todd was a stranger who’d broken into
her house and kidnapped her. Todd, however, insisted that he and Lola
had a forbidden love affair, and that Lola begged him to murder her
parents so they could be together.<br />
<br />
Now, Lola’s all grown up—brash, sure of herself, and
unsettlingly alluring. Though she says she wants to open up about her
past, she makes Sam work for every piece of information he gets. Nothing
makes sense. He doesn't know if she helped kill her parents. He doesn't
even understand why she wants him to write this book.<br />
<br />
But then Nicholas Todd escapes from jail and wants revenge
against Lola. Still unsure about her involvement in her parents'
murders, Sam must determine whether he faces a bigger threat from the
killer outside or the woman standing next to him.<br />
<br />
Buy it, $3.99<br />
<br />
<a _blank="" href="http://astore.amazon.com/vjchaaut-20/detail/B00HMTXS5Q">http://astore.amazon.<wbr></wbr>com/vjchaaut-20/detail/<wbr></wbr>B00HMTXS5Q</a>">Amazon<br />
<br />
<a _blank="" href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rough-edges-v-j-chambers/1117917693?ean=2940148942337">http://www.<wbr></wbr>barnesandnoble.com/w/rough-<wbr></wbr>edges-v-j-chambers/1117917693?<wbr></wbr>ean=2940148942337</a>">Barnes and Noble<br />
<br />
<a _blank="" href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/393036">https://www.smashwords.<wbr></wbr>com/books/view/393036</a>"><wbr></wbr>Smashwords<br />
<br />
<a _blank="" href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/V_J_Chambers_Rough_Edges?id=wWJ0AgAAQBAJ">https://play.google.com/<wbr></wbr>store/books/details/V_J_<wbr></wbr>Chambers_Rough_Edges?id=<wbr></wbr>wWJ0AgAAQBAJ</a>">Google PlayLeonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-596853232991888737.post-88124402135574228142013-08-13T09:41:00.002-04:002014-05-22T11:43:45.336-04:00The Darkness Series Omnibus NOW on Amazon $6.99Now, the entire Darkness Series is available on Amazon in ONE download (estimated 1157 pages). That's FOUR complete novels in one volume. Suspense/Thrillers. Science Fiction/Military Conspiracy. Intense nail-biting ride.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Darkness-Series-Omnibus-ebook/dp/B00EHIS4PE" target="_blank">The Darkness Series: Omnibus</a><br />
<br />
<b>Predators of Darkness: Aftermath (Book One of the Darkness Series)</b><br />
<br />
<b>Fear What Lurks In The Shadows</b>The desolate streets of downtown
Pittsburgh in 2073 are a reminder of the missile attack that forever
changed the lives of the surviving scientists and students hidden in the
fallout shelter of Helmsby's Genetic Research Center. Believing
themselves to be the only survivors, they station themselves inside the
center until food supplies near depletion. Thinking the fallout has
lessened, they emerge three years later to discover strange creatures
patrolling the streets in search of human flesh and blood. The creatures
possess the ability to shift their genomes and alter their appearances
by realigning their genetic sequences. Daniel Hutchinson, their leader,
teams with Lucas Ridale and together they set out to scavenge the area
for food and supplies with the hope to find other survivors. But
Daniel's most recent journey uncovers mysteries more frightening than
the shifters. He discovers the tip of Pittsburgh has been fenced off
from the rest of the area. Low-flying helicopters observe the streets,
making him ponder the question: Were the shifters released as simply
part of a military experiment with humans being their prey?<b> </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Beyond the Darkness: Book Two of the Darkness Series</b><br />
<br />
<b>The Darkness Continues . . .</b>Three years after Daniel and the
other survivors escaped the terrorizing, blood-thirsty shifters in
Pittsburgh, his friends have moved forward with their lives, but Daniel
cannot. He believes the conspiracies within TransGenCorp have not ended
and more shifters exist.<br />
<br />
Then Daniel receives a phone call from Lucas that bolsters his paranoia.<br />
<br />
Lucas is being charged with murders he insists his clone committed.<br />
<br />
Daniel
soon discovers darker atrocities are emerging, which not only place his
life in immense danger, but all his friends as well.<b> </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The Game of Pawns: Book Three of the Darkness Series</b><br />
<br />
<b>Pawns are Expendable . . .</b>Twelve execution-style murders have
occurred in Newark, New Jersey, in less than a week. Each murder has a
calling card - a red pawn on each corpse. Kat Gaddis and Lucian
investigate the homicides and discover the last four victims were
employed by GenTech, a company that recently merged with Mech
Cybernetics. After FBI director Mike Carpenter shares evidence with Kat,
they soon discover political ties and corruptions that place Kat's life
in direct danger. New players emerge and what seems like serial murders
suddenly becomes a struggle for biotech knowledge and power. Kat is
thrust into their game - The Game of Pawns.<b> </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Death's Valley: Book Four of the Darkness Series</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<b>THEIR DARKEST HOURS YET . . . </b><br />
<br />
<b>"Everyone dies . . . eventually," she said.</b> <br />
<br />
Mitch
Niles' first investigative assignment for the Kat Gaddis Agency lands
him in the dark city of Salem, Oregon. The two gruesome murders in Salem
point to the grim speculation that more shifters or genetic monsters
have emerged. But Niles' discoveries place his life in direct danger as
he uncovers more grave secrets in the dead of the night. <br />
<br />
The
shutdown of GenTech and Mech Cybernetics had left one miscreant
scientist still on the loose--Alpha. The hunt to find him continues so
they can shut down his operations before his genetic soldiers mature. <br />
<br />
After Matthews escapes from prison, Lydia goes rogue, accepting her life as the assassin General Idris created her to be. <br />
<br />
Lucian nears death, as the genetic enhancers that keep him alive are no longer working. <br />
<br />
Hired
assassins pursue Joe-Shadow-talker for the alien skull and are more
than willing to kill him or anyone else that gets in their way. <br />
<br />
<i>"Leonard
D. Hilley II writes with a dark veracity, giving real life to a world
slightly askew. There's always a sense that something is lurking in the
shadows, just beyond the 'normal' world."--Paul Counelis, writer for Rue
Morgue</i>Leonard D. Hilley IIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561431360237578683noreply@blogger.com0