The ultimate step father...

While St. Joseph is known to be the patron saint of the universal Church, fathers, carpenters, and social justice. He is also known as the patron saint of the dying, because it is assumed he died before Jesus' public life, and that Jesus and Mary were with him at the time of his death. 


Everyone have a blessed Holy Week and Easter!

Cover Reveal ~

Charlotte Volnek did a beautiful job of capturing the essence of my first short story ever to be published! Thank you Charlotte!

A contemporary short story ~ coming February 2013

                                         Stella ~ 

When Trina Needham, a socially out of control starlet, finds herself incarcerated in L.A.'s Century Correctional Facility, an unexpected friendship blooms between the young woman, and an older inmate. Trina is intrigued by the older woman's stories of Hollywood past, and her own tortuous career as a actress. 

I'm thoughtful this morning as I dive into the third installment of The Wild Magick Series. For me, that scene in The Wolf Man, where Lon Chaney Jr. offers up such a tortured expression, conveys such anguish across the movie screen, as the authorities are about to descend on him and kill him, has stuck with me for many years. So much so, the depth of Chaney's character influenced the writing of The Lycan Moon, Book One of The Wild Magick Series, and Calen Meer himself.

                                 * * * *

He watched from the dark as the whistling bastard exited the brothel. The smell of filthy sweat and semen rose off the man like an invisible mist. The smell of blood; some was the man’s own from an earlier altercation, but he also recognized Mary’s blood on the man’s knuckles and shirt. The bastard had struck her and bloodied her nose most likely. His keen ears heard her screams after all and the mewling sobs that followed. He seethed now as he imagined the f*** taking poor helpless Mary against her will.

The man stopped whistling and smiled at himself, revealing wretched teeth as he moved along the cobbles in a drunken saunter.

“Putrid swine,” Konrad hissed under his breath as he silently prowled after the man. The blood scent quietly drawing the beast within him to the surface. The lust filled every cell of his body; white hot rage coalesced inside of him, and the hunger for flesh burned brightly in his belly. He imagined tasting the man’s flesh and then...ripping that flesh to shreds. The hunger built as the doomed man approached the outskirts of town.

Konrad barely heard his own low growl as he leapt, so great was his temporary madness. The cry that would have escaped the drunkard’s mouth was muted as strong white teeth crushed his trachea and ripped out his throat.

An anguished howl tore through the night...

Calen bolted upright in bed. His body sweat slicked. Heart thudding in his chest, he lurched out of bed on legs feeling like rubber. He staggered a few steps and opened the back door to his deck.

The ocean’s distant but reliable roar offered him a sense of steadiness as he looked out over the inky bay. Dreams—dreams of past horrors. It can’t be happening again, he thought as an icy dread tickled his spine and told him otherwise.

“Not again...”  

                Happy 2013 Everyone!

To celebrate the new year, and the recent release of Book Two in The Wild Magick Series, I will be over at Coffee Time for Romance's January Book Brew with the crew next Monday, January 7th, from noon to 8pm (eastern).

Come over and give a shout for a chance to win an e-copy of The Jaguar Sun!

http://coffeetimeromance.com/CoffeeThoughts

The Mayan Long Calendar ~ End of days?

Many of you know (if you haven’t been living in a cave somewhere over the last century) that the 21st of December, 2012 is the last day of The Mayan Long Calendar, which was created some 3114 years before Christ, and was designed to last 13 b’ak’tuns, between 3114 BCE and 2012 AD. 

Now while many end of days theories abound, whether it be an astroid or a planet colliding with the earth, a massive earthquake causing cataclysmic destruction, the earth being sucked into a black hole, or a monster sun flare torching our beloved terra, it turns out, as luck would have it...there is good news.

The Mayan Elder tribal council disabuses any and all end of world speculations by simply explaining that the panels found in El Tortuguero, (an archeological site in southern Tabasco, Mexico) with their complex Mayan glyphs and astrological numbers, do in fact represent an extended timeline, or a calendar of cycles or eras, and when this calendar ends, it will signify the beginning of a new era, much like the odometer turning over in a car. In other words a new cycle will occur, not the destruction of our planet. 

The Maya call it ‘the great change of Suns’. The coming out of a dark period of their current fourth world, into a new world. The calling forth of a transformation of world cultures, both by humane and spiritual means.
     
Certainly a spiritual rebirth is a far cry from the catastrophic dooms day prophesied by so many over the years, and I must admit, is a huge relief. After all I’ve got things to do, family to tend to, books to write:)

All kidding aside, and in light of recent events, I tend to embrace a spiritual renewal of our world, and all who reside therein. So whether you will celebrate the Winter Solstice, the birth of Christ, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or choose not to celebrate any deity or sacred day at all, I at least wish you all~ either a subtle, not so subtle, or perhaps even epic, spiritual transformation this coming December 21st! 

Now of course if you are still not convinced the world isn’t coming to end next Friday, then you might be interested in the ‘Apocalypse kit’ they are selling in the Russian city of Tomsk. The kit not only contains food and medicine, but has a bottle of vodka ~ or tequila, your choice:)

And finally...

Interestingly enough while writing my 3rd novel, The Jaguar Sun, I discovered another sacred date in the Mayan calendar ~ December 23rd. According to The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel (Chilam Balam: Spokesman of the Jaguar), Cheen or December 23rd is listed as a sacred day. So what with the cessation of the Mayan calendar occurring in December 2012, it was only natural to align the climatic ending of The Jaguar Sun, around this day of all days...

 ******Contest*****
    
To celebrate the release of my e-book, The Jaguar Sun, Wild Magick Series, Book Two, this coming Wednesday, December 19th, and the happy fact that the world is not coming to an end, I am running a contest on my blog starting today, Monday, December 17th, to run through midnight of Sunday December 23rd. 

*Simply leave a comment about what the new (Mayan) era means to you. 

**Post your comment either here, or on my Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/pages/SDurham-Pacific-Northwest-Author-of-The-Lycan-Moon/127273387315797#   by midnight December 23rd, 2012 (with your name and email where I can find you) for a chance to win the choice of a $50.00 Barnes and Noble gift card, or a $50.00 Amazon Gift card, and off course a gift certificate to Muse It Up publishing!

Let the celebration begin!

For more on The Mayan Calendar and the Shift of ages ~

Interview with Heather Haven, Mystery Author

How lucky I am to have coaxed Heather Haven, author of the Alvarez Family Murder Mystery Series and two time finalist for EPIC's best e-book mystery of the year, over to RTF for an interview!

Heather: 
Sara, this is MY pleasure. I’ve been a long-time fan of yours and know from spending time with you in person at the Muse Retreat in 2011, you’re a caring and fun person. So is your darling daughter, Michelle, if I may add that. The time spent with both of you was terrific.


RTF: 
Oh the feeling is mutual Heather. Both Michelle and I agree, getting to know you and your cousin, YA author, Grace DeLuca was one of the absolute best highlights of our trip to Montreal!



Now let us jump in...

RTF:
Heather, as you know, I am particularly interested in the research that goes into a story. In Murder Is a Family Business, you, with your clever mind, have not only created quirky, fascinating characters, but you've managed to invent an interesting investigative agency as well, where your heroine, Lee Alvarez, works as a private investigator. NOT your everyday private investigation firm, Discretionary Inquiries, investigates something far less tangible: Corporate Software Theft. And I have to admit that before I read this first installment of your popular mystery series, I wasn’t savvy to the fact that corporate/computer theft was a reality.

Please tell us a little more about this type of investigation. How you came to choose it as the Alvarez’ family livelihood, and maybe any inspiring moments that lightening bolted the idea into your writing mind?


Heather:
I live and work in Silicon Valley. Thievery of computer software, hardware, and intellectual property runs rampant around here. Well, maybe not rampant, but it’s a lot more common than people who don’t live in the Bay Area or aren’t in the game realize. There can be big bucks in trafficking stolen goods, games, and ideas. Nearly everyone I know is into the computer biz one way or another, whether they work in IT, graphics design, computer research, program design, etc. Either that or we use the ruddy stuff so often and so long in a given day, our eyes nearly fall out of our heads. In any event, it’s a rare meeting or get-together where you don’t discuss something like “I just read an article in the paper” or “I’ve got an idea for…” In my latest book, Death Runs in the Family, I wrote about 3-D software, thinking I’d come up with the idea, only to find out a program was being developed (now out) by one of the Big Guys in computing programming.


RTF: What preparation did you do to get yourself in Lee’ Alvarez’s head? You know: Study how to use surveillance equipment, go fashion shopping, buy high heels, etc.:)



Heather:
I have but to open the newspaper or watch Entertainment Tonight and wham! There you are. Fashion is everywhere. Also, I did get through college on a costume scholarship and when I went to New York to pursue acting, discovered I really like playing around with clothes more. I wound up working backstage on Broadway for 10-years doing costumes for a lot of Broadway plays. It was fun.



RTF: Any other research you’ve done for the series that you’d like to share?



Heather:
Our next Alvarez adventure takes place in New Orleans. Yes, that fabulous town with history galore, jazz, voodoo, and, of course, murder! In all my Alvarez books, I like to start out in the home town, Palo Alto, then visit at least one more place. In Murder is a Family Business, we went from Palo Alto to San Francisco and Princeton-by-the-Bay. In A Wedding to Die For, we went from PA to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. In the 3rd novel of the series, Death Runs in the Family, we went from PA to Las Vegas and on to Ipanema. All great places to visit. Murder is everywhere.


RTF: Your quick wit and humor are what make your stories unique, have you always had a tendency toward being a funny girl, or did you have to work at it?

Heather:
I began my writing career in conjunction with working in costumes in Manhattan. One job during the day (writing), the other at night. I worked for No Soap Radio, where we wrote humorous commercials for radio and TV. The business didn’t last long, but it was a revelation for me, this humorous writing stuff. After that, I started writing nightclub acts for singers and dancers. I loved it. I loved seeing my words coming out of someone else’s mouth and making an audience laugh! Then I wrote a couple of plays; one done at Playwright’s Horizon in NYC and the other off-off. I have a history of comedy in my work.


RTF: What draws you to a story to make you want to either: stay there and read it, or drive you on to write it?



Heather:
Good writing. Either the joy of reading or the joy (and frustration) of trying to create it. There is no substitute for good writing.



RTF: What was your first ever job?

Heather:
I wrote a weekly column for the Miami Beach Sun on the doings of the residents living in a large complex in South Miami Beach. Who got married, who returned from Europe, who had their debut, who had a baby, you know, light-weight tabloid stuff like that. I was 17.

RTF:  I love music, so I’m always interested in an author’s taste in music, do you have any favorites, artists, bands?

Heather:
I do. Put at the top of my list my husband, Norman Meister. He is an incredible singer (I don’t say that because I’m married to him. It’s merely one of the perks). He also plays the guitar, drums, and keyboard. He’s the ‘Clive’ part of ‘Nigel and Clive and the British Invasion’ performing here in the Bay Area. They do this spoof, and have for seven years, where they pretend they wrote all the hits coming out of Great Britain during the mid-sixties. Further, they claim their work was stolen by the Beatles, Kinks, Yardbirds, Dave Clark 5, etc. They have very funny skits that intersperse in between the big hits from that era. Not only is the group great in their musicianship, they’re fine actors, as well. Everyone loves their act! If you want to see more about them, zip on over to their website, http://www.nigelandclive.com. It’s a hoot!
After that, I just discovered Catherine Russell. What a songstress! If you like Ella Fitzgerald, you’ll love Catherine Russell. Then I’m really into opera. Going to see Tosca next week and can’t wait!!



RTF: Wow Heather, I think coming down to see Norman Meister, in the Nigel and Clive show, has just risen to the top of my traveling list! Thank you so much for coming over to my little blog and enlightening us on your research, and giving us a glimpse into your life experiences, which no doubt have shaped the fascinating and talented person you are!

-------------------------------------------------
About the author:
After studying drama at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida, Heather went to Manhattan to pursue a career. There she wrote short stories, novels, comedy acts, television treatments, ad copy, commercials, and two one-act plays, which were produced at Playwrights Horizon and well-received. Once she even ghostwrote a book on how to run an employment agency. She was unemployed at the time.
One of her first paying jobs was writing a love story for a book published by Bantam called Moments of Love. She had a deadline of one week but promptly came down with the flu. Heather wrote "The Sands of Time" with a raging temperature, and delivered some pretty hot stuff because of it. Her stint at New York City’s No Soap Radio - where she wrote comedic ad copy – helped develop her long-time love affair with comedy.

Her first novel of the Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries, Murder is a Family Business, is winner of the Single Titles Reviewers’ Choice Award 2011, and the second, A Wedding to Die For, received the 2012 finalist nods from both Global and EPIC’s Best eBook Mystery of the Year. The third of the series, Death Runs in the Family, recently debuted, has already received rave reviews and is a finalist in the EPIC Best eBook Mystery of 2013. All three books are published out of a Canadian publishing house, MuseItUp.

Heather’s most recent endeavor is a 1940s holiday vintage mystery series starring a five-foot eleven, full-figured gal named Persephone Cole. ‘Percy’ Cole has the same hard-boiled, take-no-prisoners attitude as Sam Spade, Lew Archer, and Phillip Marlow, but tops it off with a wicked sense of humor. The first of the series, Persephone Cole and the Halloween Curse, takes place on New York City’s Broadway stage during World War II, three thousand miles and sixty-odd years away from the California Alvarez Family Murder Mystery series.

Heather Haven, writer
San Jose, California 95135            
http://heatherhavenstories.com
http://www.heatherhavenstories.com/
 http://tinyurl.com/4nensnp
http://www.facebook.com
Twitter@HeatherHaven
Amazon Buy Page for all Heather’s books:

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004QL22UK

Cover Reveal~The Jaguar Sun

Once again I am thanking my lucky stars that Muse It Up has garnered the talent of so many wonderful cover artists!


Drum Roll please....

Marion Sipe did an outstanding job capturing all the main elements in The Jaguar Sun. Simply beautiful and I love it!

Thank you Marion!

To see all the other 'truly inspired' artists works from Muse It Up Publishing's Cover Art Team go here:

 http://museituppublishingcovers.blogspot.com/