#guestpost - May 10 - #SupernaturalCreatures in Literature - L Diane Wolfe

Welcome!

Those of you who know me know I love my supernatural creatures, especially vampires. Today, L Diane Wolfe is going to educate us on supernatural creatures. People in times past and in the modern age, really do believe in these supernatural creatures and love to read about them. Exotic creatures such as the leviathan/behemoth, cockatrice, dragons, unicorns, satyrs, demons and others appear in the Bible, in books written by Job (the oldest in Scripture), Moses, King David, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and even the apostle John mention them! 

Supernatural Creatures in Literature

 Denise asked me to cover supernatural creatures. You would be really surprised how many are out there. If you’re writing a supernatural tale, the sky really is the limit.

 

If you go to the Mythical Creatures Guide (http://mythicalcreaturesguide.com/list-of-mythical-creatures) you will be stunned. I had no idea there were so many! Everything from mermaids to dragons. Many of the Greek monsters were on the list, too.

 

According to Collins Dictionary (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/supernatural-creature) :

Supernatural creatures, forces, and events are believed by some people to exist or happen, although they are impossible according to scientific laws.

 

So, they can’t be proven, but people still believe. Or want to believe.

 

Technically, only two of my supernatural creatures are on any of those lists. But I can explain why the other two qualify.

 

The first book in the In Darkness series was The Vampire. Now, vampires are certainly a supernatural creature. The idea of vampirism has existed for centuries. The word itself first appeared in Europe around 1732. An eternal creature that feeds on blood has since cemented its place in our folklore.

 

The third book is The Werewolf, another supernatural being. Werewolves can be traced back almost 2000 years ago.  Those inflicted with lycanthropy can shapeshift into a wolf. Lycanthrope is an ancient Greek term, and it’s amazing how many words in various languages are related to werewolf.

 

Now, the second book, which was just released, is The Shark. There is no shark listed as a mythical or supernatural being. The closest is the Kraken. However, I made my shark a bit supernatural by giving him the gift of speech. Yes, Clarence the great white shark  from Australia can talk! There aren’t too many talking fish unless you count The Incredible Mr. Limpet or Jabberjaw.

 

The fourth book will be The Alien. While they can’t be proved, they don’t exactly fall under supernatural or paranormal. More science fiction. However, I came up with a way to make my alien more paranormal. A unique ability that can’t be proven by science. Which makes it paranormal.

 

I hope I’ve given you some ideas for other supernatural creatures and the resources to build them. And remember—any creature can be supernatural with the right touches.

A professional speaker and author, L. Diane Wolfe conducts seminars, offers book formatting, and author consultation. She’s the senior editor at Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. and contributes to the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

http://www.spunkonastick.net/ - Spunk On A Stick
http://www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com - Spunk On A Stick’s Tips
http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/ - Insecure Writer’s Support Group

 

 

In Darkness: The Shark

By L. Diane Wolfe

Souls shrouded in darkness…

Focused on her studies and duties at the aquarium, Jewels prefers her solitary life. Burned many times and short on trust, she has more in common with her aquatic friends than the people around her. But she never imagined coming face to face with a shark named Clarence…a shark who talks!

As their friendship grows, Jewels must overcome her deep set mistrust. There are dangers, both in the Australian ocean and on dry land. Can Jewels depend on the great white or will his animal nature betray her?

Romance/Paranormal - Fantasy/Paranormal - Fantasy/Romance
eBook ISBN 9781939844910 $3.99

Buy Links:
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKTLKMG4
iTunes - https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6444053123
Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940165956393
Kobo - https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9781939844910
Scribed - https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9781939844910&language=0
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63208820-in-darkness

 

BLOG TOUR STOPS

May 3

Lynda Young

https://lyndaryoung.blogspot.com/

IWSG Anthologies

http://iwsganthologies.blogspot.com/2023/05/rapid-release-of-series.html

May 5

Australian Romance Readers

http://www.australianromancereaders.com.au/

 

May 7

I Smell Sheep

http://www.ismellsheep.com/search/label/Policies

 

May 8

Alex J. Cavanaugh

https://www.alexjcavanaugh.com/

 

May 9

Tyrean Martinson

http://tyreanswritingspot.blogspot.com/

 

May 10

Denise Covey

https://dencovey.blogspot.com/

May 12

Elizabeth Seckman

http://eseckman.blogspot.com/

 

May 15

Jemi Fraser

https://jemifraser.blogspot.com/

#IWSG post. Guest Post - Yolanda Renee - Birthing doesn't have to be murder. Writing real-life experiences in your novel.

Hi all!

For April's IWSG, I've invited my good buddy and WEP co-host Yolanda Renee, to tell us something we didn't know about her and her writing. We've been communicating much more during this time of Coronavirus, keeping each other's spirits up. How are you doing? Australia has stringent social distancing laws, (only 2 people allowed to meet now), so it's great we're all so digitally connected. Something came up in one of Yolanda and my conversations, and it just happened to coincide with the first day of her blog tour. As the IWSG is about our insecurities/securities, I'll let you make up your mind where Yolanda falls.

After her post, you'll find her tour schedule and buy links and a Rafflecopter Giveaway. I hope you'll support Yolanda on her tour through MC Book Tours.

Alex's awesome co-hosts for the April 1 posting of the IWSG are Diane Burton, JH Moncrieff, Anna @ Emaginette, Karen @ Reprobate Typewriter, Erika Beebe, and Lisa Buie-Collard!

Please visit if you are able!

Writing Your Real-life Experiences Into Your Novel

In Murder, Just Because there's a birth scene. I won't give away the details, but I will admit to writing the scene based on personal experience. I thought I'd take a moment to explain that here, and no, I won't be going into the gory details. I did that in the book. 😊

When I first learned I was pregnant, I was determined to give birth at home. No doctor needed to be involved. I mean, really, women have been giving birth as long as wo/man has walked the earth, but with all their intellect and mechanical gadgets, doctors figured they had a better way. Nope, I didn't buy it. I was very secure in my decision and took steps to make my vision reality.

I found a licensed midwife, but her caveat, she only delivered in the hospital. Damn, foiled again. But at least I'd be in a birthing room with a midwife. I capitulated, much to my husband's delight. He, of course, thought I'd gone off my rocker. Sometimes the decisions we make, we have to push forward in our self belief, even if distracted by those who don't 'see' it.

The big day came, or should I say night. Midnight. No sleep for us. My water broke. Off to the hospital. I'd been on my feet walking in circles around the apartment for hours. I knew it was time, I'd been having contractions all day.

We arrived at the hospital after one am. Straight to the birthing room. The contractions became stronger and stronger as they do. The midwife was dealing with another patient, someone who'd already given birth five times, and since this was my first, she was sure I'd take all night. She left us alone to get on with it, which was fine with me. I was full of self belief. I could do this alone if need be. 

The midwife thought I was just overreacting to the pain and offered 'drugs' as help. NO! I insisted. I need to push. She just threw her hands up and walked out of the room. The rigid tilt of her back said: Stupid primigravida! What would she know? First baby! Pfft.

I did what my body told me to do, and before anyone knew what was happening, I was cradling my son. Pushed him out and pulled him up into my arms. The rest of them, husband included, crowded around, just stood and stared. They hadn't even prepared the bed for delivery. 

But, hey, I wanted to do it my way, and I did. Jason, my son, got an APGAR point total of 10. An Apgar score is a 1 to 10 rating the summarizes the health of a newborn.

We were home by noon that day. 

The stereotypical births portrayed on television are done for the laugh track, but most women think only of the child and act only for the child. Suppression of pain, control of breathing, and only thoughts of having a healthy birth is how it's truly done, and that's how I did it and wrote it in my latest novel.

DISCLAIMER: I know that isn't always the case, and that delivery can go all wrong with no fault on anyone. I was clearly blessed. My go-it-alone decision was validated. And I pray for the same for every pregnancy.

Thank you Yolanda. I'm not sure if I was supposed to be, but I was highly entertained. Go girl!

Murder, Just Because

Short Blurb:

The Snowman is back, and as his bloody rampage continues, terrified Alaskans increasingly doubt Quaid’s abilities. In a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, Jenkins starts picking off the people in Quaid’s life… and drawing closer to the most important person in Quaid’s life...his wife. The Snowman’s cruelty knows no bounds,  but the object of his hate knows no fear!

Tagline:

The Snowman’s cruelty knows no bounds, but the object of his hate knows no fear.

Bio:

Looking for a new adventure, Renee recently moved to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A storyteller from a very early age, an avid reader, and with an education and background in business and accounting, becoming a writer only made sense. And writing mysteries pure logic.

More titles from Yolanda:

MURDER, JUST BECAUSE

LINKS

Buy Link Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081XHNX69/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Buy Link Smashwords

          https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1008496

Author Links:

          Blog: Defending the Pen

          http://yolandarenee.blogspot.com/

AmazonPage:

https://www.amazon.com/YolandaRenée/e/B008HPQ5PO/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

 Twitter:

https://twitter.com/yolandarenee

 Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Murder-Madness-Love-202510393095051/?ref=hl

 Email: yolandarenee@hotmail.com
If you want to follow Yolanda's tour, here is her schedule:

Murder, Just Because Tour Schedule

April 1            Denise Covey – Guest Post - Writing Your Real-Life                                  Experience Into Your Novel

                        Mythical Books – Q & A & Excerpt List

April 2            Constantine – Guest Post - Creating a Serial Killer

April 6            Mystery Writing is Murder – Guest Post How I Wrote My                          Mystery

                        Spunk on A Stick – Feature

April 7            Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews – Q & A

April 8            The Warrior Muse – Top Ten List of Literary Detectives

                        Random Thoughts – Excerpt & Feature

April 10          Ellen Jacobson Author – Q & A

April 13          Christine Rains – Writer – Review & Excerpt

                         Alex J. Cavanaugh – Guest Post -Top Ten Murder Movie 

April 15          Elizabeth Seckman, Author Guest Post - Heaven on Earth

April 17          Writer’s Gambit – Q & A & Excerpt

April 20          Tara Tyler Talks – Interview

                        H.R. Sinclair – Guest Post - How to Write a Thriller 

                        Rockin’ Book Reviews – Review & Top Ten  Highlights of                         My Life

April 24          Write with Fey – Guest Post - Evil Exists

April 27          Just Jemi – Q & A

April 29          Thoughts in Progress – Review

May 1             Celticlady’s Reviews – Feature

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

This tour-wide giveaway is for a complete set of the Detective Quaid Mystery series books for one winner, paperback copies of MURDER, JUST BECAUSE for five winners, and a Kindle copy of MURDER, JUST BECAUSE for 10 winners.

To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. If the widget doesn’t show up, just click HERE and you’ll be directed to the widget.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to follow Yolanda on her week-long tour HERE. You never know what you might find out. Do you enjoy watching a character grow from one story to the next?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yolanda is the host for the April WEP challenge. She has written a preliminary post today about the new challenge. Check it our HERE. Get ready to post on April 19. Hopefully, if you're doing the A-Z, you can fit your flash or poem into the letter of the day.

If you enjoyed Yolanda' post, please tweet!

@YolandaRenee #booktour #guestpost  #WritingReal-lifeExperiencesinyournovel https://dencovey.blogspot.com/2020/03/iwsg-post-guest-post-yolanda-renee.html

@DeniseCCovey @MasonCanyon

Release day -- Time and Circumstance by Theresa Milstein -- guest post.

Hi all!

This year I've made a commitment to read and review more blogger books and do the occasional host post on bloggers whose books I've read.

Today I'm hosting a blogger I've known for years, fellow teacher Theresa Milstein. She was kind enough to send me a copy of her book, Time & Circumstance for review, which I devoured very quickly, being a huge fan of flash fiction and poetry. And, great news, it's released TODAY!

Here's my very short review, already posted on Goodreads:

Time and Circumstance is especially interesting, as we don't often see a compilation of both flash fiction and poetry. PART ONE - TEMPO ADAGIO is prose, cutting edge slices of life, beautifully written, at times humorous, at times poignant, at times sad. Theresa captured my attention right from the first story - RESOLUTION - told from the POV of an 18 year old college student. The protagonist is torn between the nostalgic TV shows she finds addictive such as Bewitched and her college attendance. I love the lines: 'Who wouldn't perform magic to make their lives better?' Who indeed?

PART TWO - TEMPO ALLEGRO, is the poetry selection. Theresa's love of poetry shines through. I was taken by her (I'm not sure what they're called in the US,) shape poems, especially the PERFECT STATE OF BEING where she writes about Spirit Mind Body. I love the poem and how it appears on the page.

I hope I've given you the tiniest taste of Theresa's excellent book. I hope you'll support her on her blog tour (go HERE for the times/dates/hosts) and be convinced to buy her book.

So, over to you, Theresa!

The ways these stories came about are as varied as the stories themselves. After writing full-length manuscripts for children and teens seriously for five or six years, I finally started writing short stories. I’d heard I would learn to make every word count. Also, I wanted to start being published, and Stephen King started by getting short stories published.

Around the same time I began writing short stories, I wrote some flash fiction based on some blog challenges and I took a poetry workshop series. Then Jessica Bell began Vine Leaves Literary Journal to promote the vignette. Realizing there could be pieces where the main goal wasn’t beginning-middle-end was freeing for me. I enjoyed taking a small space and expanding on mood, setting, character.

The first part of my book, Time and Circumstance, is dedicated to prose. I included “Daisy,” which is the first story I ever submitted and which got published. It was originally in an anthology 100 Stories for Queensland to raise money for flood victims. It was the first piece I’d ever written for adults, and it’s deliciously dark. The original inspiration is from a TV show called L.A. Law. I can’t say which episode, or it will give the ending away! The pieces included in that section were also inspired by picture prompts, blog challenges, and events in my own life.

The second part of the book is dedicated to poetry. There too is the first poem I ever got published, “Dark Days,” which appeared in Vine Leaves Literary Journal. That poem explores a broken family from the perspective of a teen. I often paired the poetry in this section with picture prompts from a now inactive blog called “Magpie Tales.” Sometimes I wrote the poem first, and when a photo or painting posted that seemed to fit, I connected them. Other times the paintings and photos inspired me to write a poem. But many poems are inspired by my own life.

When I began pulling pieces for the collection, written over five years, this theme of the unrelenting passage of time surfaced.  In these last couple of years as my children are growing, it’s been weighing on me what a short gift I had to have this family of four. People we love come into our lives just as easily as they leave it. No matter how much we want to hold onto time, every moment is just a phase. And we are a product of our time, our circumstance. So my favorite quote by James Baldwin became the title to bring these small pieces together.

Theresa Milstein writes middle grade and YA, but poetry is her secret passion. Her vignette collection, TIME and CIRCUMSTANCE, will be published by Vine Leaves Press on March 21, 2017. She lives near Boston Massachusetts with her husband, two children, a dog-like cat, and a cat-like dog. For her day job, she works as a special education teacher in a public school, which gives her ample opportunity to observe teens and tweens in their natural habitat. 

TIME and CIRCUMSTANCE 

$3.99 AUD (eBook)
Kindle AUS
Kindle US
Kindle UK
Kindle CA
iBooks | Kobo | Nook

$12.99 AUD (paperback)
Amazon US
Amazon UK
​Amazon CA
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository
Chapters Indigo

Leave a comment  and you’re eligible to win a prize during my blog tour!

1 $25 Amazon gift card

1 signed paperback copy

1 ebook

Answer the question:

“If you could relive any moment in time, what would it be?”

Extra entries if you share on Facebook or Twitter and link it to me.

@TheresaMilstein on Twitter.

@Theresa Milstein on Facebook

#ReliveMoment or #TimeandCircumstance

Winners will be announced on April 5, 2017

Thanks so much for dropping by and telling us more about yourself, your writing, and your book, Theresa. I wish you happy trails and happy sales! 

I'm especially interested in how many of your stories/poems were the product of participating in blog challenges etc. I can say the same thing happens with me.