Dirty Shots is free today!

Get in quick, because for only today and tomorrow, my full length, stand alone, erotic romance novel, Dirty Shots, is free over on Amazon! This is the first time the book has ever been free, so don't miss out! #FREE today and tomorrow only!  Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Amazon.ca Amazon.au As always, I also like to bring you some fantastic deals from my author friends as well, so keep scrolling if you love great book bargains! The small town of Slate Springs is hiding a wild and lawless secret... At the center of its quiet society is a ruthless motorcycle club, The Forsaken Riders. They are everything the straight laced town is not…wild, dangerous, full of themselves … and sexy as hell. Ax - A Forsaken Riders MC Romance by Samantha Leal only $0.99! Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Amazon. ca Amazon. au Warning! This is a HOT and STEAMY romance with a way too sexy billionaire and a sprinkling of our heroine being willingly tied up and/or blindfolded. This is a stand alone steamy romance with a HEA, NO CLIFFHANGER and NO CHEATING. Silver and Bold by Amber Burns is only $0.99 or free to read with KU! Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Amazon.ca Amazon.au When adventurous and sexy becomes the most thrilling dare of all... Sex is the Best Medicine: A Contemporary Medical Romance by Kathleeen Grieve only $2.99! Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Amazon.ca Amazon.au That's all for now, folks! Thanks for reading!

Being Featured on Pixel of Ink: What that Really Means for Sales.

As many of you probably already know, in order to create interest and gain readers for my vampire 'Serenity Series', I give away the first book as permanently free on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. I also have a short story prequel, 'The Vengeful Vampire' which is also free.

Giving the books away for free has been a great marketing strategy for me. However, recently both sales and free downloads have slowed down. I'd still been doing pretty well and while more sales are always appreciated, I was earning enough to live on, so I couldn't complain.

Then last night I discovered 'Alone', together with the rest of the series, had been featured on Pixel of Ink. We all know how important it is to get onto sites like Pixel of Ink when we've got freebies out, but I was still shocked when I got up this morning. As expected, free downloads for both 'Alone' and 'The Vengeful Vampire' increased, and I gained over 5000 downloads overnight. 'Alone' is now #2 in Contemporary Fantasy and #111 in the whole of the kindle free store.

What I didn't expect was the huge jump in sales for the other books in the series.

Over the past month I'd plateaued to around 10-15 sales each night on Amazon for each book, which isn't bad, but could be better. But this morning I discovered sales had shot up, with 'Buried', the second book in the series selling over 80 copies overnight and 'Captured' selling 70! Both books are back in the top 100 for Contemporary Fantasy on Amazon!

These results have proven how important it is to get your free books onto sites such as Pixel of Ink, not just for your free downloads, but for the rest of your books as well, especially if you write a series. It also proves that 'free' is still a great marketing strategy, despite the downturn in results people are seeing from KDP Select.

I don't know how long it will last, but for the moment I'm thrilled.

'Captured', Book 3 in the 'Serenity' Series is Now Available to Buy!

Wow! What an exciting 24 hours it has been! Yesterday saw the release of the third novel in my dark vampire 'Serenity' series and within the day the book hit the top 100 for fantasy on Amazon in both the States and the UK.

On top of that, the first book in the series, 'Alone', is currently offered for free and is sitting firmly in the number one spot on Amazon for free contemporary fantasy!

This whole thing has just been such an adventure and I can hardly believe that this is just the start. Though I was first published in 2009, it was only when I began releasing books myself that anything started happening. I'm currently only a year into this 'indie author' course of my career and I can't wait to discover what the next year will bring. I'm literally hearing from readers every day now, telling me how much they love my books. Nothing feels better than that.

'Captured' is my fourth published novel, but I still have plenty more to come! I have three completed manuscripts waiting patiently in my laptop. One of which, 'Underlife' is my personal favourite and I hope to have out in August. I could get the book out sooner, but I want to take a break from the editing for a while. I'm planning on writing my Young Adult spin-off over the summer and then I'll start editing again!

I've also made the decision of employing the services of the lovely Danielle at Philia Book Tours to help me do the one thing I'm terrible at in this business - scheduling guest blogs! She is going to be setting up blog posts for me each month so I hope she'll keep me in line. If I've got a deadline for anything, I'll always get it done, but if it's a case of 'I can do some writing or I can start contacting people to see if they'll have me on their blog' you can bet I'll chose the writing every time! Danielle is an absolute necessity for me if I'm going to start having a presence in the blogging world.

So don't forget, if you have not tried the series yet, you can read book one, 'Alone', for free at many different book sites, including Amazon. And, for the first week only, 'Captured' will be offered at only $0.99, so if you're thinking of working your way through the books, now is a good time to buy. Just click here to go through to Amazon!

Catch you all later. I'm off to plan book four!

Read an eBook Week! Get Your Free Copy of 'Alone'!

I'm going to keep this one brief as I'm both swamped and exhausted after my weekend away at a writer's conference (not a good combination!).

This week is 'read an ebook week' over at Smashwords. If you head on over to the site, you'll find a  whole heap of ebooks either with discount codes or that are being offered for free!

My own novel, Alone, is currently FREE so click on the link here and grab it while you can. This offer will only continue for another week!

Epic Kindle Giveaway!

Some mornings you wake up with no idea of exciting things the day may hold.

Today has been one of those days for me as I've had the invitation to join the Epic Kindle Giveaway team with Scott Nicholson. I'm thrilled (and a little in awe that I'm being allowed to paddle in the pool with the big boys!) to be part of any team with these authors involved (click on their names to find out more about each of them):

Scott Nicholson, Russell Blake, Claude Bouchard, Jeff Bennington, Ian Woodhead, John O'Dowd, and John Hartness.

So what's the epic kindle giveaway all about? Well, it's all about giving away great thriller, horror, mystery and suspense titles for the kindle. So, if you enjoy any of those genres (and by the fact you're on my page, I'm going to guess that you do!) make sure you follow the blogsite or head on over to the facebook page where you can stay informed about all the brand new titles that are popping up for FREE every day!

And if you don't have a kindle yet, you can download the 'kindle for pc.' app which is also free. That way, you can still make the most of all these free ebooks and when you get a kindle (notice I said, 'when' rather than 'if') your brand new, shiny kindle will automatically update with all the books you've been collecting.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Day Five of Creepfest! I'm giving away 100 copies of Alone!

Yes, you did read right! I'm giving away 100 copies of Alone over on my facebook page!

Here are the rules:

‎>>100 eBook Christmas Giveaway<<

To receive a FREE ecopy of my debut novel, ALONE, all you need to do is:

1) “Like” the Marissa Farrar Author's FB page
2) Enter your email addy *and* type of ereader in a comment on this status update
3) Click the “Share” option on this update and post it on your profile or FB business page ("share" is located next to the "like" and "comment" links under every FB update)
4) If you are worried about spam, please enter your address like this: marissafarrar at hotmail dot com.

To read a product description of the novel, please go to Amazon and search for the title, Alone by Marissa Farrar. 

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Free Read Published and an Anthology Acceptance!

I just found out my short story, Adeline, has been accepted by Angelic Knight Press for their latest anthology, Satan's Toybox: Demonic Dolls.

I've always found those old porcelain dolls to be super freaky. As a child, I crept downstairs and read one of my mother's horror books by the light of the fish tank (this was a regular occurrence for me and I wondered why I suffered from night terrors) and one of the books I found had a story about a whole heap of puppets who stuck needles into people until they became a puppet as well. I've no idea what this story was called or who wrote it, but it left a lasting impression. When I had the opportunity to write a doll story myself, I couldn't resist. I'll keep you up-to-date about the publication.

My other piece of news is that my prequel to Alone, The Vengeful Vampire, is now free to download from Smashwords. If you'd like to know how Sebastian was turned, this is the read for you!

Something for the Weekend - Win a copy of my vampire novel, 'Alone'!

After a long week, I'm feeling thankful that the weekend is here so I have decided to celebrate by giving away three e-copies of my novel, 'Alone'. Yep, that's right, THREE!

So, how do you win? Just leave me a comment below telling me who your favourite vamp is (from the movies or books) and I'll randomly choose three winners!

I'm looking forward to reading your comments and maybe even discovering a couple of vamps I haven't heard of! Remember to leave me your blog link or email address so I can contact you to let you know if you won and how to collect your prize!

Good luck everyone!

SFTW! Interview with Erotic Fantasy Author, Danielle Gavan and Win ALL of Her Books!

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all had a good week and I'm sure, like me, you're all pleased the weekend is here. Before I introduce my next guest, I just wanted to apologise for my lack of commenting on either this blog or anyone elses. For some reason Blogger is no longer recognising my login details and won't let me leave comments. So, I'm not ignoring you, promise! I'm also aware of a few other people who've been unable to leave comments. If you've had this problem while trying to enter one of the giveaways, please email me your entry at marissafarrar@hotmail.co.uk and I'll be sure to include you!

Now, for my guest for this week, Danielle Gavan. I met Danielle over at the Write in the Shadows blog, where we co-blogged, (and which is now being relaunched as Digital Digest, but I will share more on this venture another time). Not only is she a gifted author, she is also a talented cover designer and a total expert on all things formatting. Seriously, this lady knows it all and she is a great person to get to know!

So, Danielle, thanks for stopping by my blog and sharing a little about yourself and your work.


Let’s start with the most important thing: your books. Give us a brief description of the novel you want to talk about today.

D.G.  The novel I’d like to tell you about today is UnWrapped. It’s a novella about four supernatural siblings who discover just how fun getting older can be for a Satyr, Incubus, Dhampire and Fae. Readers who follow Everything Erotic will have seen some of the chapters on the blog.


M.F.  So what are you working on at the moment? Have you got any new projects in the pipeline?

D.G.  I’m currently working on a few projects. The Lists is a novella about the Elves who supervise the Naughty and Nice lists. Some of the things they get up to in the office, and out, are downright naughty and a whole lot of nice. Untouchable is another novella I’m working on about the children of angels and demons and their fight to save themselves from extermination. Lastly, I have a series in the works called Finders Keepers with fellow author Jennifer Feuerstein. The five books we have planned focus on a group of supersoldiers who must find the one woman meant for them in order to free themselves from the clutches of The Council.

M.F.  Lol. So not much then.. ;-) Is writing something you’ve recently got into, or have you been writing for ages?

D.G.   I’ve been writing for ages. I can remember sitting in grade school with a friend while we passed notes back and forth. We’d end up with page after page of stories about the rock/pop stars we fantasized about. My pages are no longer filled with rock stars. Instead, they contain werewolves, demons, angels and other supernatural beings.

M.F.  What do you make of the changes in the industry, with so many more people going ‘indie’?

D.G.   Honestly? I think it’s about time people took back control of what they’ve worked so hard for. We, the authors, spend weeks/months/years creating and yet those who go the traditional publishing route end up with the smallest share of the profit from their blood, sweat and tears. That doesn’t make sense to me. Sure, I understand the publishing houses need to recoup their costs for editing, cover design and all the other minutiae that goes along with putting out a book but when you see an author making $0.48 off a $6.99 book…that’s just wrong, in my opinion.

M.F. I hear you sista!  Who is your greatest influence when it comes to your writing?

D.G.  Hmm.. I can’t say there’s just one person that has influenced me more than the other. I’ve read so many great authors, it’s hard to pin point just one. I’d have to say it’s a tie between Laurell K. Hamilton, Diana Gabaldon and Gena Showalter. All three are wonderful writers whom I greatly admire.

M.F.  Stephen King says when he writes, it is for his wife Tabitha. When you write, is there anyone you are writing for?

D.G.  My family. My husband and our two boys. I think, in some way, I’m also writing for my mom. She’s always been an avid reader and if it weren’t for her love of books, I’d never have become the book worm I am. I don’t think she’s read any of my work yet but, I hope when she does it’ll make her proud.

M.F.  What sort of books do you read yourself?

D.G.  I like paranormal romance/urban fantasy mostly. I do read some YA, but again, it’s mostly the paranormal stuff. The last two books I read were Hit List by Laurell K. Hamilton and City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. Both were fabulous reads.

.M.F.  Now for some more abstract questions: If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?

D.G.  Ooh, good one. Hmm… I think it’s a toss-up between Anita Blake and Meredith Gentry from Laurell’s two series.

M.F.  If aliens landed in front of you and offered you anything you wanted, what would it be?

D.G.   LOL I’d have to unfurl the extremely long scroll of things I want and play eenie-meenie to answer that one.

M.F.  Tell us something quirky/interesting that people probably don’t know about you.

D.G.   I can wiggle my nose like a bunny, and I’ve got an extreme paranoia when it comes to bugs.

Thanks so much for taking part Danielle!

***COMPETITION TIME***

Danielle would like to give away a copy of each of her titles to ONE lucky winner. So that's FOUR books in total! Just leave her a comment below or email me at the address above if you're unable to comment!

Author Bio:

Danielle Gavan lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband of eight years, and their two sons. Danielle has been writing in her spare time since she was in middle school. She is currently writing, editing and doing cover design full time.
You can find out more about Danielle at her Facebook Page, by following her on Twitter!

Her erotic short stories also appear on the blogs site and ebooks, Everything Erotic

Something for the Weekend! Paranormal Romance author Shannan Albright and a Giveaway!

M.F.  Welcome Shannan Albright! Thanks for stopping by my blog and sharing a little about yourself and your work. Let’s start with the most important thing: your books. Give us a brief description of the novel you want to talk about today.

S.A   Dark Passion Rising is a paranormal romance/ urban fantasy set in Las Vegas. Here is a quick blurb:


Tambra Ellis has just had her world turned upside down! Surviving a bite from a Lycan, attracted to one hot vampire guy and now she has to look forward to turning into something from some bad werewolf movie.


Marcus Valerian has enough on his plate without the added complication of Tambra Ellis. Fiery and independent? Sure. Beautiful with a body made for sin? Oh Yeh. And a human cop. Tambra is everything he needs to stay away from.


As leader of the Tribunal’s enforcers it’s up to him to find out why the Dark Breeds are going feral and killing humans in ever increasing numbers. Tambra’s life is in the balance as the secrets of her past place her in the middle of old deceits and a betrayal that will change the world forever.


Will Marcus and Tambra’s love survive or will it be too late.

M.F.  Sounds great! So what are you working on at the moment? Have you got any new projects in the pipeline?

S.A.   I am putting on the finishing touches to a novella called Beloved Wizard and will soon be submitting it. It’s about King Arthur’s return with all of his round table. The first book is about Merlin reincarnated as Drake and sets the stage for future books.


I also am working on the second Dark Breed novel and hope to have it to my publisher in about a month. It’s called Passions Flight.

M.F.   Is writing something you’ve recently got into, or have you been writing for ages?

S.A   I have been writing for many years, but thanks to eBooks and epublishers I have finally gotten my foot in the door and can say I’m published.

M.F.  What do you make of the changes in the industry, with so many more people going ‘indie’?

S.A.   I love the changes it opens up so much for a new author and I love that there is now the opportunity available to publish your own work. This is an exciting time in the publishing industry and I can’t wait to see how this all shakes out in the end.

M.F.   Who is your greatest influence when it comes to your writing?

S.A.   Wow I want to say I’ve been influenced by everyone I read, but if I had to narrow it down it would be Sherrilyn Kenyon, J. R. Ward , Erin Quinn (whom I had the pleasure of meeting and found her to be an absolute delight.)All three struck a chord with me because of their unique blend of characterization, layering of the plot and description.

M.F.  Stephen King says when he writes, it is for his wife Tabitha. When you write, is there anyone you are writing for?

S.A.  I write for the readers out there who love good stories as much as I do.

M.F.  Good answer! What sort of books do you read yourself?

S.A.  I love Paranormal Romance, Paranormal Historical Romance, Urban Fantasy and Steampunk.

M.F.  I'm still at a bit of a loss about what Steampunk actually is! If anyone can give me a brief run down, it would be appreciated! Lol. Now for some more abstract questions: If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?

S.A.  Maggie the cat from Tennessee Williams Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. I find her a compelling blend of strength and desperation.

M.F.  If aliens landed in front of you and offered you anything you wanted, what would it be?

S.A.  More time to write. Perhaps they could give me a clone? Humm...scary thought having more than one of me in the world.

M.F. I hear you there! I think all writers want more time to write. Tell us something quirky/interesting that people probably don’t know about you.

S.A.  I read Tarot cards and give regular readings to friends. I learned them as a small child from my great grandmother.
M.F.  Oooh! I love stuff like that. Maybe virtual readings are possible??? Thanks so much for stopping by Shannan. It's beeen great learning a bit more about you and your books.

S.A.  Thanks for this opportunity!

***COMPETITION TIME***

Shannan would love to giveaway one e-copy of her book Dark Passion Rising to one of our readers. All you need to do is leave her a comment together with your own email address or blog address so we can contact you if you win!

Author Bio

Lynnet Shannan using the pen name Shannan Albright writes Paranormal Romance primarily. She got serious about writing as a business in 2008 when she became a member of Romance Writers of America. She uses oil painting as a way to work through her books and relaxes with a good book. She lives in Las Vegas with her husband, step-daughter, two cats and two dogs.

You can find out more about Shannan on facebook, twitter, her blog, or at her website!

Her novel, Dark Passion Rising is available to buy from Amazon.

Help Needed! Win $25 Amazon Voucher.

On June 1st, my next novel, The Followers, will be released. I'm looking to create as much noise as possible about the release of my new book, and I'm looking for help from each and everyone of you guys.

Here is my proposal. Each person who is willing to blog/facebook/or tweet about The Followers on June 1st will be given two copies of the ebook: one for themselves, and another to giveaway as they see fit. Each person who blogs/facebooks/or tweets about the book (including people who RT on twitter) will then be in to win a $25 Amazon gift voucher. Let me know what you've done by commenting on my post on June 1st or emailing me marissafarrar@yahoo.co.uk. Each blog/fb/tweet will count as an extra entry to win the $25 voucher!

Now, I know June 1st is still quite a long way off, but if you're interested in getting involved, make sure you contact me, but either emailing me or leaving me a comment. I'm happy to email out a synopsis/cover/etc to be included in blog posts.

Hoping to hear from you all! Marissa.

Something for the Weekend: Love Horror? Free eBook for every reader! Meet author Alan Spencer...

M.F.   Today I would love to welcome Alan Spencer, author of the brilliantly named, 'Zombies and Power Tools! Lets talk about the most important thing: your books. Give us a brief description of the novel you want to talk about today.

A.S.   My latest book is called "Zombies and Power Tools" from Living Dead Press. I'd like to separate it from the rest of the zombie books out there, simply because there's elements of mystery and suspense as much as there is horror. This isn't a post-apocalyptic book either. What really distinguishes this book is why the dead are able to come back to life. There isn't a chemical spill or virus. What impels the dead to live is as horrible as what the walking corpses are doing to their victims with power tools. And the reason the dead are using power tools on people also ties in with their ability to be alive. I don't want to give too much away on the matter, but rest assured, I think red-blooded horror fans would very much enjoy this book, whether they're fans of zombies or not.

M.F.   Sounds great. I love anything Zombie-fied! So what are you working on at the moment? Have you got any new projects in the pipeline?

A.S.    As of now, I'm working on putting out a book on my own. It'll be called "Cider Mill Vampires." Just imagine a friendly cider mill in Kansas hijacked by vampires who use the apple presses to press people of blood. This one's very brutal, sexual, and there's humor in it as well. There's something for everyone!

M.F.  Is writing something you've recently got into, or have you been writing for ages?

A.S   I've been writing since I was a freshman in high school, but it seems ever since my first novel, "The Body Cartel" (Damnation Books), was published, things have picked up a bit. I'm still not a "name" per se or a force on the market, but I've met a lot of cool people who've given me great tips on how to better my writing.

I do remember dabbling with writing as a kid, writing in Steno notebooks. I remember one story involving a fast food joint and a manager who was a serial killer. I think I wrote it in the fourth grade. It's probably a good thing it didn't see the light of day, or else I would've been sent to the principal's office. It was harmless fun for me, though others may not see it that way.

M.F.  What do you make of the changes in the industry, with so many people going "indie"?

A.S.   I can't blame a writer for seriously considering putting their own work out there. I've had a few close calls with bigger publishers, and I end up feeling jerked around. I'd wait 6-8 months to hear back from sending only three chapters, then be asked to send the entire manuscript, and wait about a year, and finally hear back, and they say no. That's a year and a half of my life gone. Sure, it's the business when you're a small fry. I understand that. But lately, it feels the industry is at a halt. Books aren't selling the way they used to sell, so publishers aren't taking on as many newer writers as they might've in the past. Kindle is becoming a competitor for readers' attention, though results vary from author to author what kind of turnaround they get.


My opinion is if you put out something independent, it's up to the author to create the best product they can. Don't use self-publishing as an excuse for half-assed editing and covers that look like a child created them. Self-publishing could use a dose of quality control, so it's up to the author to set themselves a part from the crop of other independents. As I'm working on "Cider Mill Vampires," I have to put myself in the readers' shoes and ask myself "Would I buy that?"


M.F.  Great answer, Alan. I totally agree with you. So who is your greatest influence when it comes to writing?

A.S.   From a genre standpoint, I really enjoy Joe R. Lansdale, Edward Lee, Tom Piccirilli, Jack Ketchum, T.M. Wright, and Gord Rollo. They're all great suspense and horror writers. But I also really enjoy Joyce Carol Oates. She's a mix of dark fiction and literary. I feel her writing bleeds into mine, and I'm bettered for it.

M.F.   When you write, is there anyone you're writing for?

A.S.   I started writing books because of my love for everything horror, especially books and movies. I emulate what I enjoy, so I write for the people who'll read it.

M.F.    Lol. That makes sense! What sort of books do you read yourself?

A.S.   I mentioned the authors I really enjoy above, but I don't limit myself to horror fiction. You'd be surprised how much darkness there is in literary fiction. I enjoy anything that's psychological, that pits their characters in situations they don't normally confront in life. I think the perfect book is a mix of literary fiction and horror.

M.F.    Brilliant. Now for some more abstract questions! If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?

A.S.     I've really enjoyed the Hap and Leonard books by Joe R. Lansdale, so I'd be Hap. I could be solving a mystery or getting caught in a gunfight or picking up women. Hap's a fun bad ass. I guess I'd like to be a fun bad ass too.

M.F.   If aliens landed in front of you and offered you anything you wanted, what would it be?

A.S.    I'd want them to create some device that allows people to get over themselves. What I mean is for people to be polite, patient, and consider each other as important as the next person. Perhaps that's the lame answer. Here's a different answer. I'd ask the aliens to give me every horror movie ever made in the history of horror movies. And a cool place to watch them all in, like a little home movie theatre that would put Charlie Sheen's to shame. I'd add a great concession stand with popcorn and a soda fountain, and I've invite all kind of people to see movies like "Pieces" and "Killer Clowns from Outer Space." That'd be great fun.

M.F.  That sounds like fun! Tell us something quirky/interesting that people probably don't know about you.

A.S.   I'm an operations manager at a doggy day care. I was a zombie extra in "Zombie Bloodbath 3." I really enjoy reading in the bath tub. Every Wednesday night is horror movie night. Have I said enough weird things yet? That's probably enough for now.

Before I sign off, thanks so much for the interview. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask them.

And for those reading this, please visit http://horroralan.blogspot.com/ and check out the latest updates on my writing. If you want to drop a line, email me at alanspencer26@hotmail.com. Who knows, if you ask me nice enough, I like to give things away. I've got free e-copies of "Ashes in Her Eyes" and "The Body Cartel" that are itching to be read.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by Alan. And you heard him right, everyone. If you just email Alan and let him know which ebook you would like, he will email you a FREE copy of one of his books. This offer is only open for the next week, so get emailing! Thanks Alan and have a great weekend everyone!

 

And the winners are...

The winners of the free copies of Carole Gill's novel, The House on Blackstone Moor, are Lorelei, Kalex, and Rob Miller.

Congrats guys. Email me at marissafarrar@yahoo.co.uk so I can give you instructions about how to claim your free ebook!

Thanks to everyone for taking part. This Friday we have another horror author, Alan Spencer, stopping by and he is going to be giving out a free ebook of your choice to every reader. So don't miss it!

Something for the Weekend! Gothic eBook Giveaway with author Carole Gill.

Welcome to my second, 'Something for the Weekend'! This week I have fellow Vamplit and horror author, Carole Gill here to talk a little about herself and her work. She is also giving away THREE copies of her Gothic novel, The House on Blackstone Moor.

M.F.    Hi Carole, thanks for stopping by my blog and sharing a little about yourself and your work. Let’s start with the most important thing: your books. Give us a brief description of the novel you want to talk about today.

C.G.   I write horror and sci fi and am widely published in horror and sci fi anthologies. My first love is horror though, reading it and writing it. My first novel, The House on Blackstone Moor, is a very dark novel indeed. It's been called intense and has been compared to Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. The reviews are so terrific. I remember how the idea for it came about. I happened to read the gothic romance novel was dead. I didn't like that one bit. I started to think about it. I think actually if Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre or Rebecca were written today, for today's reader, they'd be far darker. I also think they'd have storylines that would have ensured that they never would have been published.


The world has changed a lot and fiction must change with it, at least this sort of fiction. I have had men telling me they enjoyed the book, adding how they wouldn't have ever thought they'd enjoy a book like that.


The novel's themes are vampirism, madness, obsession and devil worship. Both human and supernatural evil are closely examined. I always thought human evil could easily give supernatural evil a run for its money.


Rose Baines comes home to find her mad, incestuous father has killed himself and her family. She survives a madhouse to become governess at a remote home. The house and the family that dwell within are not what they seem. There is unimaginable horror and suffering but there is love too, not merely the promise of it. Sadly, it comes at a great price.


The idea for the story came to me in this way: i envisioned a grand looking house on barren moorland. Then I began to picture the people who dwelt in that house. In truth, the characters wrote the story for me! I am a seat of the pantser (I don't write with an outline) I've tried and can't do it!


I re-read all of my favourite novels: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel (to name a few) and the narrative came to me quickly. I think I became Rose Baines as in I AM Heathcliffe!


M.F.   So what are you working on at the moment? Have you got any new projects in the pipeline?


C.G.  The sequel, Unholy Testament will not disappoint the fans of the book! There is plenty of darkness and romance too, but the much hated and adored (he's so campy and outrageous), Eco the demon spawn is featured in the sequel. The story involves a journal covering many epochs as well as an odd bunch of passengers travelling on a transatlantic steamer. There are a lot of surprises and shocking horror along the way!

M.F.  When did you first start writing?

C.G.  I wrote my very first story at age 8. It was science fiction--something about Martians coming to earth to take the children back. My parents were both sci fi fanatics and I suppose it was natural for me to write this! I followed it with a second sci fi story and then some years went by and by the age of 11, I was completely besotted with Poe. My father used to call me Edgarina Allan Poe.


My writing by that time was starting to worry my parents as everything was so heavy and bleak. They asked my teacher if she thought I was 'okay.' She told them she did and she said in her opinion it had to come out. She told them to just let me write and things would get less scary!


That was true but up to a point because I do write pretty dark stuff.

M.F. I take it things didn't get less scary then? Your childhood sounds a lot like mine -- I was forever writing scary stuff. So what type of writing style do you adopt? Are you a pantser or a plotter?

C.G.  I didn't realize I was a pantser until finally after countless attempts at plotting failed, I admitted the truth to myself. We are what we are. I wish I could plot it out, but I can't. But I'll tell you something, I love the excitement of not knowing where exactly it's going or how it's going to get there! I love that actually! I mean these passengers on the ship in the sequel, they are so different, they just interact and I get my story!

M.F. Who is your greatest influence?

C.G.  The Brontes are without a doubt as well as Daphne DuMaurier. Their novels are unforgettable. They wrote strong stories with hugely interesting characters. The narrative in those books is like a great dark, sea that sweeps the reader along. We stay afloat, but it is a perilous voyage, which adds to our excitement.


There is darkness in their novels, horrid secrets yet love too. What else does a book need?!

M.F.   Stephen King says when he writes, it is for his wife Tabitha. When you write, is there anyone you are writing for?

C.G.   I write for those readers who wish to read strong stories with larger than life characters. I want to appeal to those lovers of gothic romance but at the same time to entice new readers into the genre!

M.F.  What is the last book you read?

C.G.   Great Lion of God by Taylor Caldwell. It is a novel about Saul of Tarsus who would go on to become St. Paul. It is a brilliant book.

M.F.  Wow, sounds good. I love recommendations. Now for some more abstract questions: If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?

C.G.   Jane Eyre. I think I always felt like her anyway! I could feel all that she felt. I certainly can picture her world. I have the greatest sense of her too. I always did for some reason.

M.F.   If aliens landed in front of you and offered you anything you wanted, what would it be?

C.G.   Hmm. This is almost biblical! The devil and Christ? But it's aliens! I better be careful here? No! Heck, I'll just be honest. I would love for my books to be read by lots of readers, I want to bring scores of readers into the gothic romance fold! That's what I'd want.

M.F.  Tell us something quirky/interesting that people probably don’t know about you.

C.G.  I went to acting school many years ago. Actually I use the skills I learned there. I method write! We were taught 'The Method,' which is to become the part. You are told to pull something out of yourself, your past and use that to feel or become this other person. I do that with my writing.


I WAS Rose Baines! I saw my family all dead in front of me, with their throats slashed! It was easy then knowing what would happen next. The story just evolved.


I don't start writing until I have a thorough sense of my characters. As soon as I do, I begin!


So acting school is something few know about! And Al Pacino went there, but I went much later, darn!

M.F.   You went to the same acting school as al Pacino. Now that is impressive! Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by. The House on Blackstone Moor sounds like a great read and I know it's been getting brilliant reviews.

So, would you like to read Carole Gill's novel? She has kindly offered up three eBook copies of her book, so just leave her a comment below, together with  you blog/web address or email addy so we can contact you if you win! I'll announce the winners on Monday. Good luck everyone, and have a great weekend.

In 2000 Carole was selected by North West Playwrights of England for further development. It was an invaluable experience but Carole found she prefers to write fiction.
She loves to scare herself and others with her horror fiction and is widely published in horror anthologies.
Her gothic horror novel, THE HOUSE ON BLACKSTONE MOOR, is on sale at Smashwords.
The paperback version will be out in May. Pre-orders are being taken at eBookundead.  The sequel, Unholy Testament will be published by Vamplit later this year.

She would love for you to stop by her Website, Blog, or Facebook Page. You can also follow her on Twitter!

Alone is now free—for three months only—and a new ebook!

After much market research, my publisher and I have decided to offer my vampire novel, Alone, as a free download over at Smashwords. The idea is to expose as a many people as possible to my work, and hopefully (she says, *fingers crossed*) gear people up for the sequel, Buried Alone, which will be released early 2011.

 

So, if you would like your free copy, just follow the links on the left to Smashwords, select which format you would like to read it in (I always find using the Kindle for PC app is the best) and get reading!

 

And, if anyone has already read, or plans to read Alone, please remember that reviews are always appreciated!

 

On other news, I have released a small (three) collection of short stories over on Amazon and Smashwords. They are three very different stories ranging from horror to fantasy, so I hope you will give them a look. The book is entitled, Where the Dead Live, and it’s available from Amazon by clicking here! It only costs a matter of pence, so why not give it a go!