Friday, October 05, 2007

COMMENT on this post for a chance to win an e-copy of The Bloodmoon Curse by Karen Wiesner.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Karen Wiesner is an accomplished author with 42 books published in the past 9 years, which have been nominated/won 55 awards, and 20 more titles contracted for. Karen’s books cover such genres as romance and women’s fiction, mystery/police procedural, suspense, paranormal, inspirational, action/adventure,
futuristic, gothic, thriller and horror. Additionally, she writes award-winning writing reference titles, children’s books and poetry. Karen is also the founder of Jewels of the Quill, a group of women authors banded together to promote. The group also does anthologies together, which have won numerous awards. For more information about Karen and her work, visit her websites at www.karenwiesner.com, www.falconsbend.com,
www.firstdraftin30days.com, and www.JewelsoftheQuill.com.


INTERVIEW:

Why did you become a writer? Was it a dream of yours since you were younger or did the desire to write happen later in your life?
I've always been a dreamer—had my head in the clouds. So wanting to be a writer was natural for me. I wrote my first book when I was 10 years old. A few years later, I started brainstorming thrillers and mysteries in my head. By the time I was 16, I’d written almost a dozen books, short stories, and countless poems. Unofficially, I had my own fan club in high school and had a dozen publishing credits to my name (all poems). Eventually, I moved into contemporary romance novels—my first eight published novels were romances, with LEATHER & LACE, Book 1 of the Gypsy Road Series published in June 1998. I never dreamed I'd be writing in so many different genres, but I love the fact that I can be writing inspirational, horror, suspense, paranormal, police procedural, romance, writing reference...all in one year! I'm always working on something different, and it keeps me completely fresh.

What do you love about being an author? Is there anything you dislike?
I miss brainstorming constantly. Since I became published, I have less and less time to do that because I've always got several deadlines facing me. Brainstorming is like the fuel that injects a writer's muse. While it's more than possible to write a quality story without that fuel, it makes the process a lot harder. What I least like about being an author and about the profession are one and the same: I'm a reclusive, curmudgeonly writer—I don't like to leave my office for things like booksignings and promoting my releases, giving workshops. I just want to be left alone to write. But promotion is important, and publishers are becoming more and more strict about contracting only authors who are willing to actively promote their releases. Jewels of the Quill, the promotional group I created, is my most frequent and best means of promoting. And it allows me to stay cloistered in my office.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
Generally, characters come to me first, but sometimes the plot comes first. For my novels, once a story has been brewing for a considerable amount of time and I’ve amassed the necessary research (which is done between books and well in advance of a project), I start with an extremely detailed outline, which is, in essence, the first draft of the book. The outline can take anywhere from a day to a couple weeks to work out, depending on the complexity of the book. My outlines are as complete as first drafts. I revise the outline—not the book—until all the kinks are worked out the plot. Once I go to write the actual first draft of the book, in general it’s so easy it’s like I’m writing something that’s already been written at least once. My method of writing is contained in my bestseller, FIRST DRAFT IN 30 DAYS.

What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
Women's fiction, romance, mystery/police procedural/cozy, suspense, paranormal, futuristic, gothic, inspirational, thriller, horror and action/adventure. I also write children's books (fiction and nonfiction), poetry, and writing reference titles such as my bestseller, FIRST DRAFT IN 30 DAYS, available from Writer's Digest Books. When it comes to genre, I have no strong preference for what I write, just as I have no strong preference for what genre I prefer to read. I love to read horror/thriller, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance, gothic, paranormal, children's books/YA, action/adventure/suspense, classic literature...I read in pretty much every genre. Right now, I can't choose my favorite writing genre because I'm enjoying myself so much with each one. Bottom line, there are worlds to discover everywhere, both in reading and writing.

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
A little of both. It’s the only way to make realistic characters.

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
Impossible to choose just one, so I won't (grin). Some of characters I 've created that I consider favorites (not necessarily main characters) are: Rori Mason in FALLING STAR, Brett Foxx from FOREVER MAN, Steve Thomas in WAITING FOR AN ECLIPSE, Blackie Scarpacchio from VOWS & THE VAGABOND, Justin Pascal in RESTLESS IN RAIN, Ash Barnett from UNTIL DEATH DO US PART, the main characters in DEAD DROP, Roan Emory and Perry L'Engle, and Devlin Mason and Jeb Duncan from my ADVENTURES IN AMEHTYST SERIES.

What would you want readers to take away from your books?
Naturally that depends on the book and the genre, but overall I want my readers to learn something about life or themselves from reading my books. Most of all, I want them to feel everything as though they’ve wholly immersed themselves in the characters from the inside out for the time it takes to read the book. I also want to convey the message that we can triumph over anything, especially over the talons of the past. I have a penchant for tackling a lot of heavy topics. Self worth in FALLING STAR and RELUCTANT HEARTS. A spouse's drug addiction in WAITING FOR AN ECLIPSE. Redemption and bipolar disorder in WAYWARD ANGELS. Forgiving yourself in FLESH & BLOOD and the upcoming WHITE RAINBOW. In another upcoming book, UNTIL IT’S GONE, the theme is infidelity and forgiveness in a relationship. “Papa” is a story that turns the consequences of getting involved with a married man into utter horror.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
You don't have to write what’s popular or what’s selling. I wasted a lot of time trying to follow trends and never got anywhere. So my advice to aspiring writers is to free yourself from conformity and boundaries, and write your book the way it needs to be written. Worry about who will buy it or read it later. Doing this is the only way you can love your book and feel good about the labor you put into it—and isn’t that more important than just giving a publisher what they want without having a heart for it yourself? This is not to say that you shouldn’t work with your editor on specific revisions. A good editor can make a book stronger, but, if an editor is trying to re-write your book the way she would have written it, you’ll know it and then you have a hard decision to make. But the most important part of being a writer is being true to yourself and your fans with each book you produce.

What are you reading right now?
I just finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (my second time reading it since it came out) and The Complete Short Stories (Miss Marple) by Agatha Christie. I also just finished A Time to Mend by Angela Hunt. I’m now reading a collection of short stories written by Bram Stoker written posthumously, plus Everything’s Eventual, a collection of Stephen King’s shorts.
I’m always reading more than one book at a time. I suppose, like I do in writing, it keeps things fresh.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

An unsuspecting nurse is lured to an ancient family mansion—said to hold both ghosts and horrifying secrets—in order to care for three recently orphaned children.

Amberlyn Lyons has recently suffered a devastating miscarriage that has torn her marriage apart and shaken her faith. She quietly takes a nanny position at an isolated mansion without electricity, telephone, or ease of passage. The moment she walks into Bloodmoon Manor, Amberlyn deduces that all things aren’t as they seem. The eerily similar owners distrust doctors who, in thirty years, have been unable to cure their severely deformed daughter Katerina. Katerina both idolizes and despises Amberlyn for her beauty. Childishly cruel, Katerina enjoys tormenting the orphans by telling them tales of the malicious ghost that haunts the decaying mansion.

Amberlyn discounts the paranormal legends as made-up stories until she hears the shuffling of footsteps in the cold, dark halls and feels that she’s being watched at every turn. She knows the ghost is real and she must protect the children. But when she discovers a graveyard behind the mansion filled with babies who died at birth or shortly thereafter, she realizes the ghost of Bloodmoon Manor is really a family curse and she was brought there to uphold the family legacy of that curse. Either she finds a way to escape with the children…or she becomes the next Bloodmoon bride.


EXCERPT:

February 18

Dear Cain,

Two weeks ago, I couldn’t have imagined myself where I am now. I couldn’t have imagined I’d ever leave you. Even now, I know it was only the thought of escaping my pain and helping these orphaned children that made me leave. I couldn’t even say goodbye to you. I wasn’t strong enough to explain why I couldn’t live the way we’d been living…not since I lost the baby. I couldn’t take the implication that you blame me for the accident, just like your parents do. I didn’t want to hear that your love for me is over. Or maybe I didn’t want to face that I blame myself for everything that’s happened, too.

Only now am I realizing what a great mistake it was to leave without a word. You know how hard it is for me to reach out for help, even when I need it desperately. I think about you constantly here, where there’s no light, no hope. I’m a prisoner, along with these frightened children who only turned to me because they have no one else. In some ways, though, I think I was meant to come here. That the Lord led me here to help them. They’ve lost everything, just as I have. Here I’m not a burden or a failure. I’ve helped them. Simon would have died; Jack and Lydia would have been pale and lifeless eventually, just like Hannah, the strange maid who seems afraid of her own shadow.

These children have eased my losses in ways that I don’t want to dwell on right now. What if I can’t get them out of this place? What if —

Shuffling footsteps outside the nursery door caught Amberlyn’s attention. She lifted her head from the letter she wrote by lantern light. In the cradle beside her, the baby stirred in his sleep. Amberlyn soothingly touched him, and he quieted. She turned toward the door once more. The uneasy sensation remained. She wasn’t alone. Someone was just beyond, waiting. Watching her.

Unwilling to put stock in Katerina’s ridiculous claims about a ghost who haunted Bloodmoon Manor, Amberlyn rose to her feet. Grabbing the lantern, she walked toward the door.

“Katerina?” she called, disliking the tremor in her voice.

As she expected, no reply came. Still, she couldn’t convince herself she was alone. Katerina’s words, filled with cruelty and relish, from earlier that day came back to her: “He wants you, my lovely. He’s haunting you. Have you felt him? He watches you. Do you sense his excitement in the dark? He’ll come for you. You’ll be his precious to do with as he wishes…until he destroys you. The first time he touches you, your skin will crawl. You’ll never be clean again. He is evil. He puts evil inside you.”

A scream rose in Amberlyn’s throat as the shuffling footsteps in the hall came again, and the doorknob began to turn. The ghost! He was coming for her.

~~~~~
Read another excerpt from THE BLOODMOON CURSE:
http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/kswiesner/fictionexcerpts.html#bloodmoon


REVIEWS:

4 stars! “One cannot help but become emotionally invested in Wiesner's broken characters. This gripping romantic drama…will pull at your heartstrings while scaring you to pieces.”
-~ Romantic Times BOOKreviews

5 flags! "THE BLOODMOON CURSE is a horror story that really gives a new meaning to the word horror. Once you start reading this book, it’s impossible to put it beside you. You can’t stop yourself from finishing it. I’m really very excited about this book, and especially about the so-unexpected end. In my opinion, Karen Wiesner has written a page turner, and those of you who like horror will agree with me. Believe me, you don’t want to miss out on this story. If possible, I would give this book 6 flags!"
-~ EuroReviews

5 stars! "Karen Wiesner delivers one of her best stories. I was enticed from the first paragraph and didn’t want the story to end. This is an author who has a seemingly unlimited imagination for character and plot, and I plan to read everything she writes. THE BLOODMOON CURSE is a fascinating read, worthy of a reread. This is an author I can consistently recommend, and I rate THE BLOODMOON CURSE one of Ms. Wiesner’s exciting best."
~ eCataromance


The Bloodmoon Curse by Karen Wiesner
ISBN-10: 1-59998-250-1
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Publication Date: June 19, 2007
Genre: Contemporary Gothic Romantic Suspense
with an Inspirational Twist
$5.50 (ebook) from Mybookstoreandmore.com
$13.50 (paperback) from Amazon.com



Purchase The Bloodmoon Curse by Karen Wiesner HERE!!!