Blog Archives
From the Casebook of Robert Lee Dean
A Paranormal Casebook tells a supernatural tale from the perspective of a pragmatic cop that gets into some eerie situations. What were some driving ideals behind the development of your story?
The primary driving force was simply that I wanted people to see and understand that “Cops”, due to the very nature of their jobs seldom, if ever, get to express the true feelings of supernatural events.
I enjoyed the consistent ‘seasoned officer’ tone of Bob’s character throughout the story. Was this intentional or something that developed organically while writing?
Seasoned Officer implying was very much intentional. It’s what I am. Forty years of LE.
What inspired the different paranormal occurrences throughout the story?
Inspiration was 90% of what really happened. Very little “fiction” was intoned.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Next book will depend a lot on my readers response to my current book, which has been good. I still have “events” that I can write about.
Author Links: Website | Facebook
Take someone who has seen and heard ghosts and add to it a lifetime career in Law Enforcement you get some interesting tales with an otherworldly twist. Get ready for a roller-coaster ride of ghosts, werewolves, and banshee, to voodoo dolls and Indian death horses, all told from the perspective of a West Texas cop “lucky enough” to have gotten the call.
Bob’s ability to relay his experiences with the skill of a seasoned author gives us a chance to tag along on his cases into paranormal gold. From start to finish it’s a non-stop exhilaration told from the front seat of a patrol car and over a campfire leaving you wanting more.
What Power Does to Them
The Destroyer of Worlds is a thrilling fantasy novel that pits gods, aliens, and dragons against each other in an epic war. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
I’ve had the core of this story in my heart since I was little, and I even have very old and embarrassing storyboards of the characters and plot. I really wanted to write a story that seemed huge, grand, and important. I was an English major in college (about a decade ago now) and was forced to read a lot of books that were considered “good” or even “great.” However, what I found was that I kept asking, “Why should I care?” or “Why are we even reading this?” It’s an experience common to many students. I wanted to write something different–something significant. I wanted to write something with tremendously high stakes and incredibly powerful, over-the-top characters. I was a voracious reader of mythology growing up. I also loved sci-fi and fantasy media (books, movies, TV shows, and video games). I noticed that no one could get mythology right. They had to “wussify” or soften the mythology to make it accessible to kids and people with weak stomachs. Well, mythology just isn’t like that, sorry. A lot of very messed up stuff happens in mythology and it’s not fully authentic to present it the way that most do. I wanted to do it right and be authentic to the source material. I wanted to do that with a believable and fitting twist. Around 2011 or 12, I came across a TV series called “Once Upon a Time” which featured characters from fairy-tales that most of us are at least somewhat familiar with (like Snow White & Cinderella), however it gave each character a twist. It was fun to see them all interact together. I think that really made me feel that it’d be interesting to go the route that I did by mixing and mending a variety of mythologies into one cohesive story.
I enjoyed how your characters were all varied but equally intriguing and well developed. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
MOTIVATION. Every single character is driven and motivated by something, and each one has their own goals and desires. That’s key. Some are simpler, like just surviving or finding someone to love. Others are more complex, like the desire to restore one’s civilization, have absolute power, or save as many lives as possible. As your review stated, even minor characters seem to have a want, and even they seem to have a personality of their own.
I have storyboards and diagrams in composition books with all the characters listed with their individual wants, needs, loves, hates, perks, powers, and inclinations. We even know the kinds of foods that some of them like to eat! It takes thought and care. I care about my characters. They’re like real people to me. It’s that conviction that helps to make these characters seem real and interesting to others.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Compassion (or cruelty .vs. compassion) is a theme that I really wanted to explore in my novel. People in our world can be so cruel to each other and other living things. I once received a two-star review (which the user later retracted) which stated that my story was fascinating, the pacing was great, and the characters were interesting, but the violence made them so sick that they had to stop reading. There’s a point to that. When people are impaled, mutilated, flayed, or put on hooks, it’s not a glorious thing. It’s disgusting and sad. It should be. This is how animals, for example, are treated every day in slaughterhouses and labs around the world. It’s also how people throughout history have hurt each other. It teaches some of the characters what pain & suffering really are, and they’re able to use that to grow and learn to be more compassionate, conscientious, and kind.
Another major theme in the book is power–especially the quest for absolute power and the corruptible nature of power. From the very beginning, the characters are after it, leading to rebellions and wars. Satan & the Demons launch a rebellion. Hades & the Titans launch a rebellion. Loki & his forces launch a rebellion. They do this all for power and the belief that the characters have that they can wield absolute power more effectively and “better” than the powers-that-be. We see some of the most powerful characters ever put to paper in this novel. We see what power does to them.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
This novel took 20 years to write. I poured my heart, mind, and soul into making this the best that it can be, and even now I still find ways to improve it. I want to focus on this novel for now, and eventually expand this story to focus on some of the fan-favorite characters who didn’t get as much screen time (like Athena, Loki, or Diamond).
Author Links: Facebook | Twitter | Amazon
Mythological gods, goddesses, angels, and demons take sides in a war between ALIEN DINOSAURS and COSMIC DRAGONS!
You’ll love this book because of its powerful and complex characters, multi-layered drama, action-packed battles, and high-stakes story!
* 10% of profits go toward the World Literacy Foundation, cancer research, and supporting victims of abuse
The Reasons I Enjoy Writing Romance
Numbers Game follows a football coach who’s relationship with a reporter turns into something deep and changes the direction of both their lives. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
I love stories about athletes, having raised one of them and seen first hand how hard it is to truly achieve those sorts of goals. In fact, all three of my kids played sports of some kind or another in high school and I was always involved somehow — running the concession stand at football and soccer games, helping raise money as a booster, and of course driving to endless practices and attending games all over the U.S. that were necessary to get my youngest to her spot on a Division 1 Big Ten women’s soccer team. We lived in Ann Arbor at the time, and my kids’ school was located directly across the street from The Big House, where Michigan plays football. The town was utterly consumed by football on Saturdays in the fall and that sort of atmosphere was exhilarating to those of use who are sports fans (even if we weren’t Michigan fans per se, we did love living there on football weekends.) I got to meet both Harbaugh brothers (Jim is the Michigan coach) in 2016 when I helped run a fundraising auction and dinner for the high school’s athletic program that we invited them both to attend. It was a rush and meeting one of my favorite pro coaches (John, coach of the Ravens) was a highlight for me.
Desiree is an alum of the University of Michigan and we always made a point to meet up when she’d come to town from Florida to attend a game. I made sure to get her a signed commemorative football from our event and she keeps it on her inspiration shelf in her office. We’re both football fans, and we concocted our fictional Michigan football town with Ann Arbor in mind, without a doubt (even though I cheered for Michigan State …women’s soccer, anyway)!
Hatch and Olivia were intriguing and well developed characters. What were some driving ideals behind the development of their relationship?
We divided up the tasks of writing in their POVs. I wrote Hatch’s and Desiree wrote Olivia’s. It took us almost 2 years to complete this book since we started it as a romantic suspense but it kept turning in a more contemporary, second chances style story the more we wrote. We wanted our characters to both be older than the usual romance standards, both divorced, and having seen the puppet strings behind a marriage, somewhat disinclined to repeat that process. They are laser focused on the goals they’ve set for themselves: Hatch bringing his alma mater’s program back to prominence while leaving his gambling issues behind him. Olivia emerging from a bad marriage and re-capturing her mojo as a sports journalist. But one of the reasons I enjoy writing romance novels is the creation of characters on seemingly separate trajectories that end up colliding, and then what? It’s the “then what” that allows me to show them as people with real emotions, making mistakes, and ultimately recovering and finding happiness.
What was the writing collaboration like with author Desiree Holt?
It was a fun and learning experience. We’ve been published about the same amount of years, but Desires has a lot more books out than I do, as I’ve been working around days jobs while writing. What was amazing and satisfying to me was how well we meshed–keeping egos and pre-conceived notions about how the book should flow out of our equation.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am working on several things at the moment, but the next book I’m releasing is the final book in a best selling series (Stewart Realty) also set in Michigan. It’s the second generation’s turn to have their happily ever after, and so BACKUP OFFER is a book that is a “ten years later” look at a relationship that fell apart in book 8 — for good, self-care sorts of reasons — and how everything comes back full circle in a mature, gratifying way for the couple in question, as well as for their friend and family. I think “second chance” stories are among my favorite to read and write. My characters are (sometimes too) fallible. They make mistakes, do dumb, human things. But I always redeem them.
Author Links: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | BookBub | Amazon | GoodReads | Website
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Olivia Grant’s ex-husband almost wrecked her journalism career while he definitely did a number on her self-esteem. The documentary on Duncan Hatcher is the perfect way to rebuild both. As a freshman in college, she’d had a crush on the senior football hero, but he hadn’t known she existed. She never expects the sparks that fly between them as they work on the project nor the struggles they must face if they both want to win.
Lived and Breathed the Game
The Mosquito Fleet takes readers through the golden years of the Carlton Football Club. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Football in the late seventies and early eighties was incredibly tribal. The game was yet to go national, so there were terrific suburban rivalries. In Melbourne, Victoria people lived and breathed the game, it was a religion. Matches were exclusively played on Saturday afternoons. The players were semi-professional, they all worked a normal 9-5 job and were able to relate and connect with the general public. I wanted to reconstruct those magical times again.
What was one of the fondest memories of that time?
Carlton had a team lacking height, just four players over 190cm. The Mosquito Fleet had the most gifted and talented group of small players in the competition that captured the football publics imagination with their breathtaking play. On Sunday nights the ABC had a weekly show The Winners that was must-see TV around Australia. It had the weekly results of matches; The goal of the day, Mark of the day, and Play of the Day, and Carlton seemed to feature nearly every week.
What were some of the ideas that were important to explore in this book?
Issues such as addiction to painkillers, depression and mental health were all important to uncover and explore. In the early eighties no one had the knowledge of stress and depression and ‘having a jab’ in an ankle or knee was commonplace. Mental health is a much stronger focus with professional sporting bodies today, but back then they just didn’t have the resources.
Concussion is another one. Several sportspeople have suffered post career with the affects of injuries to the brain.
When and where will you book be available?
The Mosquito Fleet is expected to be released in October this year and should be available in most bookstores and through Shawline Publishing. www.shawlinepublishing.com.au.
Author Link: Facebook
The Mosquito Fleet Book Review
The Most Magical Place
Andar follows a family of wolves who face a harsh world and the dangers within. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
Location wise, a trip I took to the English moors years ago. They can either be the most magical place if you don’t know, or the most horrifying if you do. Concept wise, 2020 was a challenging year and Andar was initially a vent project. When it was all over I had a rough draft I had no idea what to do with. So I got it cleaned up and took it to a publisher.
Your characters were intriguing and well developed. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I wanted to make them interesting.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I’m not a smart enough man for themes, I just wanted to make it good.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Uncertain, a sequel, same universe different characters, or something brand new.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
No Hiding or Judgement
Divide & Conquer follows a young woman who’s forced to stay at an academy for delinquents and meets someone that will change her life forever. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
My inspiration to write this story was strongly built on a number of different reasons. I, myself, am a part of the LGBTQ+ community and the idea to showcase a story that both dives into the world that I feel is not talked about nearly enough, while obtaining and showing challenges that any ordinary person could experience was something I strongly believed in creating.
Your characters were intriguing and well developed. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I found that in developing my characters motivations and ideals, that I connected with some part of myself in a way. I wanted to take Freya’s grief and show that sometimes even in your darkest moments, there is always something that can pull you from the realm that lies between grief and recovery. That is where Lexa comes into play. She may have been the hot new roommate, but it’s her straightforwardness and own experience from her past that helped lead Freya back into the light. Of course the rest of the delinquents were a huge impact as well. Sometimes all you need in the world is for someone to take your hand and say, “Everything’s going to be okay,” and so long as they were together, everything was.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
One of the main themes is that the story resolve around the LGBTQ + community, and being able to explore apart of myself in such a fun and creative way was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. There was no hiding or judgement, but for that of my characters who welcomed each other with open hands.
Another important theme would be guilt and grief, both in which played a huge role in this story, as those two emotions shaped Freya into the woman she later became.
And lastly, the thing that transpired between the pages and flowed from the words whole writing this story was forgiveness. I wanted to show that everyone is worth being forgiven and that everyone is capable of giving forgiveness because it’s not who you use to be, or what you’ve done in the past that defines you. It’s what you do with the experiences you’ve been dealt with that truly shape you as a person.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I just released a new LGBTQ+ novel, titled “Untangled Devotion”, this novel revolved around a woman who ran away from her entire life because of reasons I will leave unsaid as to not spoil it; but, having returned to face those issues head on, including a lost love she left behind. It’s full of unbreakable bonds, comedy, friendship, love, and a twist that will leave you hanging onto your seats.
But that’s not all! I have another LGBTQ + novel that I am hoping to release sometime the beginning of next year. That’s going without saying that I have multiple none LGBTQ + novels planned to release this year, some of which consist of Vikings, vampires, or even demonic beings.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
At just 18, Freya Sawyer’s life was anything but perfect, with the weight of the world on her shoulders, she ran with the wrong crowd and got pulled into a vicious cycle. That all changed when one night forced her into a court ordered stay at Arkadia Academy for troubled delinquents.
Lexa Forester just so happens to be her new brooding and sexy roommate. Together they dance around their attraction for each other until there is nothing else standing in their way of falling heart first into what could either be the best or the worst thing for them.
Each other.
Together they can conquer the world and change the unraveling past that they both desperately latch onto to survive. Can true love prevail or will they scare away from the only thing that’s ever made them feel alive?
Find out in this steamy and thrill filled lesbian friends to lovers romance.
The Social Implications
The Significant is a thrilling sci-fi romance novel with thoughtful commentary on society. Was this intentional or did this happen organically while writing?
Some of the social commentary was intentional, but with the setup of a society that no longer speaks face-to-face and interacts more with technology than people ended up having a lot more nuances that made for more organic social commentary as I was writing it and realized how deeply such a society would affect people.
The relationship between the characters in the novel felt organic and authentic. What were some ideas that guided the development of their relationship?
I wanted to be sure that all the characters had a strong interpersonal relationship with one another since it was so difficult in that society to have close friends, so the friendships or relationships that did occur between characters would be authentic within their setting and their world. I also wanted each relationship to be deep and profound, so I tried to make each relationship nuanced.
I enjoyed the world you’ve built in this story. What were some sources that informed the backstory of your book?
I really love books and movies and while the theme of computers taking over the world because they think humans are incapable of governing themselves is not a new theme, I tried to extrapolate how far technology could be taken on a brand new world built by automated machines and computers. And then I spent a lot of time people watching and going back through my psychology and sociology studies from university to determine how people would likely behave with technology so engrained in their lives. It was mostly a lot of thought exercises and trying to take a more realistic approach to the social implications that could come from such a world.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
The next new book I’m working on is the first in a series of science fiction/space opera novels. The first one will be available in Fall 2022.
Author Links: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website
A non-citizen fugitive…
And a secret love that could kill them both.
Kailynn Evada was born on the most powerful planet in the Altereye System, but was raised in the non-citizen district of Trid. She always dreamed of revolution and changing the injustices of the planet Tiao. But when her brother’s plot to destroy the A.I. that runs the planet falls apart, Kailynn finds herself struggling to save his life.
Armed with false citizenship and determination to save her brother from execution, Kailynn finds work in the capital city, Anon, as a Significant—a person paid to act as a friend to clients.
When a secret request for Significant companionship comes in, the pay drives Kailynn to accept the job. However, she soon discovers that her client is the most powerful person in the planetary system—Elite Isa, leader of the Elite Syndicate of Tiao who is genetically altered for perfection and forbidden from intimate relationships. The undeniable attraction between the two leads to a secret love that could kill them both.
The Power of Memories
Sin Eater follows a woman with an ability to make people forget and who must face her own demons when she returns to her hometown. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
Honestly, this story came from a lot of emotional pain I was in a few years ago. I had so many memories that I wished I could get rid of. I thought that if they were gone, I could function and move on with my life. That led to me wondering if anyone would actually do that: let someone erase their bad memories if they could choose. Jayde was already a character that I’d been drawing obsessively for years, so when I thought of that concept and needed a main character, I knew it had to be her. It finally all came together when I heard a song I loved and saw it in a new light. The song described writing down what hurts and then burning it, hence the finishing touch of Jayde erasing memories by letting her clients write them down and her setting them on fire (though I added that she can destroy them in other ways as well).
Jayde is an intriguing and well developed character. What were some driving ideals behind her character’s development?
A big goal for this book and all its characters was the idea of them having flaws and making mistakes, but it’s relatable or understandable. I wanted Jayde especially to not be the perfect protagonist, to show us that we all have the capacity to hurt the ones we love, no matter how close you may be with them. I’ve heard from close friends that Jayde seems to have some of my characteristics as well, though I didn’t necessarily mean for her to. I suppose I self-inserted in a way. Her character was meant to be somebody you’ve possibly met before, familiar and sympathetic, but you can also see why she regrets the things she’s done.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Forgiveness: of others, but most importantly for yourself. It’s strangely easier for some to forgive those who have hurt them, but they carry around the guilt of what they’ve done for way too long.
Friendship. I wanted Sin Eater to center around the idea of platonic love, to show how much it matters in our lives. While of course I cherish romantic love, I feel like my friendships will always be the reason I am who I am today.
The power of memories. Often I get lost in my own, almost like I go back in time in my mind. I wondered how much other people do that, so I thought I’d write about characters who let their memories control their decisions and feelings sometimes.
Letting go. It’s really hard to let the past go, fully and completely. That can be an ongoing battle everyday. Sin Eater was a way to vent that feeling into the world, to show the baby steps it takes to look forward to the future.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’m working on a book tentatively titled “Seven Feathers.” I’m not sure when it will be available yet, as I’m still working on the first draft and trying to decide how I’ll publish. I’d love to go through a traditional publisher again, but I’ve also seen the perks of self-publishing over the last few months. I’ll keep everyone updated on its progress!
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
LITERARY TITAN 