Friday, November 25, 2011

The Ripper's Daughter and an Update

First, I'm excited to announce I won NaNoWriMo with my short novel, The Ripper's Daughter.

"Nathaniel James, former DI with Scotland Yard, is now a vampire and owner of the saloon, The Cloak and Dagger, in Louisville, Kentucky. But he can't seem to let go of his inspector past. When the mauled bodies of  prostitutes start showing up, Nathan believes the Ripper has come to the River City. But why? And who is the mysterious young woman who now accompanies the Ripper?

Nathan knows one thing. The police won't be able to catch the Ripper using conventional methods. Not when their killer isn't human."

(Note: That's a working blurb, nothing official.)

This story is my first mystery. It's a cross-genre paranormal erotic romance/mystery. For those of you who don't know, I love reading whodunits, from cozies to hard-boiled. I'm currently reading Fadeout by Joseph Hansen and wondering why it took me so long to find the David Brandstetter mysteries.   

The other news is a bit more complicated. I've discovered I may be an Empath. Earlier this month, on the 14th and 15th, I suffered from a near-suicidal depression. It was so bad, I also nearly deleted my works-in-progress, including my NaNo project. I had no idea why I felt this way. Life up to then had been fine. Wednesday came and the miasma of pain disappeared, as if it had never been there. Strange, I thought. But then I learned that on that same Monday, someone I knew had killed himself.

This is something I've been struggling with. Have some of my other "depressions" merely been psychic reactions to other people's deaths? People I didn't know? People who died by their own hand, consumed with a grief so strong they projected it onto me?

If this is true, it's something I need to deal with. Like someone said, we all have an empathic ability to some extent. I guess I'd kept mine shut off for so long I'd no idea.

I attended his memorial service. Even though I'd only met him a few times, I wanted that chance to say goodbye. 

Suffice it to say, I didn't destroy any stories. (The thought of retyping doesn't appeal to me.) I've gone back to Serpent Fire, the second book in my Angels of Death series. I know it needs work but I think I'm ready to tackle it. Same with my other angel urban fantasy. But I plan to write more stories involving other preternatural beings, including some not common to Western readers, such as the alp.

Because you know what? I don't plan to give up on my writing. I'm just not wired that way. 

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Tuesday Guest Blog: The Lure of the Dark Side

Into the Darkness

by Kerri Nelson

In the battle between good and evil there is always a dark side and a light side.  In my recent release, Courting Demons, I’ve appropriately named mine “The Dark Order” and the “High Order”.  I chose “High Order” because I wanted to have the angelic feel as in “Angels We Have Heard on High”.  And although I don’t give too much detail on the High Order in this story it is sort of a given that it is run by angels or Guardians and that they have a plan that has yet to be revealed.

I can’t share that plan with you now but I can tell you that the High Order will be heavily featured in the sequel to Courting Demons…coming soon!

In the meantime, we get to visit the Dark Order several times during this story.  First, Paisley goes on trial there for her vengeance spell gone awry.  Later, we get to experience that world through the eyes of a demon character as well.

So, what is it about the dark side that so interests us?  I doubt that most of us really wish we were on the side of darkness.  But yet, we cannot deny that it has an allure to it that draws us back time and time again.

Is it the feeling of the forbidden?  The taboo taunting us?  Maybe we are just intrigued with knowing how the other half lives.

Whatever the reason, those who are fans of paranormal and fantasy cannot deny our desire to take a journey into the darkness.  In my dark world, I’ve inserted both humor and a bit of scariness but Paisley must walk a fine line between the light and dark if she is to get her life back in order.

The question remains, if given the chance, would you be willing to take a walk on the dark side?  Or, would you rather bask in the safe glow of the light?

Thanks for hosting today, Pamela.  And to everyone who drops by, don’t forget to enter my Kindle contest no later than November 7th!  The grand prize winner will be announced at my Twitter Party on November 8th.



Book Title:  Courting Demons
Blurb:
Paisley Barton was already having a bad day before she turned her husband into a rat.

First, she was fired by her boss and then came home to find hubby in the shower with a naked blonde chick. They say that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned but this break-up may just unleash hell on Earth when Paisley casts a spell of vengeance against her philandering husband.

After her spell casting inadvertently opens a portal between dimensions, Paisley finds her family home transformed into a nightly courtroom for settling disputes between demons of the underworld and she’s the judge! If that’s not enough, she’s got to deal with a charming, ancient demon named Camden who wants to be her personal bodyguard while trying to explain her husband’s sudden, mysterious disappearance to sexy police Detective Dalton Briggs.

But Paisley will show them all that an everyday working mom is better equipped than most to deal with the mystical mayhem…and with a tempting demon hottie and a flirtatious young detective vying for her affection, she soon learns that being single again isn’t so bad after all.

“When a wronged wife turns her cheating husband into a rat, you know you have to keep reading! Kerri Nelson offers up a lot of fun and wild magic in Courting Demons!” --Bestselling author, Linda Wisdom, Demons are a Girl’s Best Friend

Author Bio:
Kerri Nelson discovered her love of writing at an early age and soon became a columnist for her local newspaper winning the Outstanding Young Journalist of the Year Award for her efforts.

After a fifteen year career in the legal field, Kerri fulfilled her lifelong dream of publication and is now an award winning multi-published author of nearly every genre under the sun (and moon) and also writes young adult fiction under the penname K.G. Summers. 

A true southern belle, she comes complete with a dashing southern gentleman and three adorable children for whom she often bakes many homemade treats. 

Kerri is an active member of Sisters in Crime and Romance Writers of America as well as numerous chapters including Futuristic Fantasy & Paranormal Writers and her Presidency of Celtic Hearts Romance Writers.


Read more about Kerri’s books at her website:  www.kerrinelson.com
Follow her on Twitter here:  www.twitter.com/kerribookwriter
Visit her industry blog here:  www.thebookboost.blogspot.com


Buy Links (print and e-book versions available 9/15 wherever books are sold but here’s the publisher link—free gift available with purchase of print copy—while supplies last):
or
Amazon.com

Giveaway for the day:
Leave a question or comment to be entered to win today’s prize: A choice of e-books from my back list!

Details on how to enter to win the GRAND PRIZE Kindle at the end of my “Dark Days of Demons Tour” located here:


Excerpt link for Courting Demons: http://www.jupitergardens.com/excerpts/kn_cd.html


©  Kerri Nelson 2011