BEYOND THE PALE fantasy anthology now available in audiobook!

I am SUPER excited to announce that the audiobook version of the dark fantasy anthology, BEYOND THE PALE, is now available. The voice actor did a phenomenal job bringing to life short stories from NY Times bestsellers.

>>> Best of all, I have some FREE promo codes for fantasy readers willing to give an honest review. Contact me if interested. Must live in the US or UK. Please indicate which applies.<<<

• “Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela” by Saladin Ahmed
• “The Children of the Shark God” by Peter S. Beagle
• “Misery” and “Shadow Children” by Heather (Zac) Brewer
• “Even Hand” by Jim Butcher
• “Death Warmed Over” by Rachel Caine
• “Red Run” by Kami Garcia
• “Pale Rider” and “The Adventures of Lightning Merriemouse-Jones” by Nancy Holder
• “Frost Child” and “South” by Gillian Philip
• “A Knot of Toads” by Jane Yolen

https://tinyurl.com/BeyondThePaleAntho

But don’t just take my word for it!

“Beyond the Pale features a stellar, diverse line-up, brimming with talent and imagination.”
-NY Times bestseller Jason Hough, author of The Darwin Elevator series

“Beyond the edge of fear and dread, shadows tell each other beautiful and frightening stories. Crack open this book and listen to the voices.”
-NY Times bestseller Richard Kadrey, author of Sandman Slim series

“Magic truly exists in Beyond the Pale. These tales are at times elegant, witty, romantic, frightening, exciting and always entertaining. Highly recommended.”
-NY Times bestseller Jonathan Maberry, author of Joe Ledger series and V-Wars

“Light a black candle and crack open this collection of short stories from writers who are more than mere wordsmiths. A thrill runs up my spine as I wonder, could these scribes be messengers from in-between worlds sent here to prepare us for our own crossings? The veil thins and the candle flickers. Fiction? I’m not so sure.”
-NY Times bestseller Frank Beddor, author of The Looking Glass Wars

Interview with NY Times bestselling BEAUTIFUL CREATURES co-author Kami Garcia

Kami Garcia is the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of the BEAUTIFUL CREATURES & DANGEROUS CREATURES novels & the author of the instant New York Times bestseller and Bram Stoker Award nominated novel UNBREAKABLE, and the sequel UNMARKED, in the Legion Series. BEAUTIFUL CREATURES has been published in 50 countries and translated in 39 languages. The film adaptation of BEAUTIFUL CREATURES released in theaters in 2013, from Warner Brothers.

Kami is fascinated by the paranormal, and she’s very superstitious. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found watching disaster movies or Supernatural, listening to Soundgarden, or drinking Diet Coke. She lives in Maryland with her family, and their dogs Spike and Oz (named after characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

For what age audience do you write?

Both the BEAUTIFUL CREATURES novels I co-author, and the Legion series I write solo, are categorized as Young Adult, but my novels are equally popular with adults. YA is just a shelf in the bookstore. As far as I’m concerned, a good story is a good story, whether it’s categorized as Middle Grade, YA, or Adult. My novels also cross genres. The Beautiful Creatures and Dangerous Creatures series are paranormal romance/urban fantasy, and the Legion Series has been categorized as everything from horror to urban fantasy and paranormal romance. The only thing I’ve ever written specifically for adult readers is a short story called “Soul Collector” in the anthology RAGS & BONES, edited by Melissa Marr and Tim Pratt.

Tell us about your latest book.

UNMARKED is the second book in the Legion series, so it’s difficult to talk about the plot without spoilers. UNBREAKABLE, the first book in the series is a YA dark urban fantasy/horror novel about a girl who discovers that she is destined to be part of a secret society after her mother dies mysteriously. That secret society—the Legion of the Black Dove—is responsible for protecting humanity from a vengeful demon. Even though the story is told from Kennedy’s POV, the Legion also includes four other teens. Each teen has a specific skill that has been handed down for generations (for example, Priest, the youngest member of the Legion, designs and fabricates the weapons the team uses). When readers ask what the Legion is about, my short answer is always the same: secret societies, demons, romance, real and fictional haunted places, voodoo, the Illuminati, Freemasons, and a serial killer.

Henry:  Secret societies, demons, romance, real and fictional haunted places… So, it’s about Washington, D.C. politics?

What aspect of writing do you find most challenging?

I hate writing the first few chapters of a new novel. Even though I know what’s going to happen, I have trouble finding the sweet spot between jumping into the story too quickly and throwing in too much backstory. Without fail, I end up rewriting the beginning after I finish writing the novel.

Henry: I’ve heard it said that revisions are the difference between writing as a hobby and writing as a professional.

What has been a memorable experience that you never would have had if you had not been a writer?

Before I became a writer accidentally, I was a teacher for seventeen years and a serious book-pusher, so seeing BEAUTIFUL CREATURES in print and holding the physical book in my hands was an unforgettable experience. In 2014, my solo novel UNBREAKABLE was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award, which was also completely surreal.

Henry: You didn’t mention appearing on a fantasy literature panel with me at San Diego Comic-Con. That must have come in a close third…

Do you have any strange rituals that you observe when you write?

I write in my office, which some people think is a pretty strange place. One wall is covered with photos, lyrics, quotes, and ephemera, and serves as an inspiration board. I have an extensive collection of replica weapons from the Legion series and TV shows like Supernatural and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Oh, and of course, what every office needs—a replica of Magneto’s helmet that fits me perfectly, so no one can hack my thoughts. Aside from my weird office, my routine is pretty straightforward; I need a laptop, my noise-cancelling headphones, Diet Coke, and junk food.

Henry: Special bonus: See a tour of Kami’s office here.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

My favorite superhero is Magneto from the X-Men because I like the helmet, and being able to control metal would be useful. Invisibility is a close second, because I could make myself invisible whenever I don’t want to socialize.

Henry: Being a superhero (or villain) is, above all else, a fashion statement. The ability to control metal would also help you avoid undesired social situations – can you say “flying forks”?

What is your favorite creature that exists only in literature?

If we’re talking strictly mythological, that rules out demons and the Loch Ness Monster (I’m still holding out for proof of Nessie’s existence). It’s a tie between fairies (the dark variety) and dragons (the angry, fire-breathing type, as long as they aren’t breathing fire on me).

Henry: I checked with our panel of judges, and both demons and the Loch Ness Monster are both acceptable responses.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Aside from spending time with my family, I love to read. I also watch an insane amount of television, and I don’t discriminate between new shows and old ones. From Orphan Black, The Following, and The Blacklist to Supernatural, Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns, and Arrow to Penny Dreadful, American Horror Story, and Hannibal—I’m a multi-genre viewer. I also love to cook, bake, shop online, and add to my boards on Pinterest.

Learn more about Kami and her books at http://www.KamiGarcia.com & http://www.TheLegionSeries.com and follow her on Twitter: @kamigarcia.

This interview is also posted on the San Diego Children’s Books Examiner.

 

5 Powerful Writing Techniques That Bring Stories to Life

Excerpt  from my article on The Write Life

Take a moment, close your eyes, and recall a story that truly engaged you as a reader — one whose world and characters became completely real for you. Got one?

Now, take off your reader hat and don your analytical writer hat to think about what makes that story so captivating. What writing techniques did the author use to bring the story to life? Was it the wrenching appeal to your emotions, the vivid and brutal action scenes, or the high stakes facing a character? Mastering these and other storytelling methods is the key to writing your own engaging tale.

Just as a lion is the product of all the zebras it has eaten, a writer is the product of all the books he or she has read. Reading the works of skilled writers is a fabulous way to hone your craft and learn how to effectively employ the writing tactics that help you create your own captivating story.

Here are five great examples of writing techniques that bring the story to life for readers, as demonstrated by five accomplished writers.

1. Invoke multiple senses

When you experience a situation, you pick up more than just its sights. By describing sounds, scents, tastes and sensations, you’ll immerse readers in your story’s world.

The following scene from Saladin Ahmed’s “Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela” does a wonderful job of pulling the reader into the story by using senses other than sight.

Her voice is more beautiful than any woman’s. And there is the powerful smell of jasmine and clove. A nightingale sings perfumed words at me while my mind’s eye burns with horrors that would make the Almighty turn away.

If fear did not hold your tongue, you would ask what I am. Men have called my people by many names—ghoul, demon. Does a word matter so very much? What I am, learned one, is Abdel Jameela’s wife.

For long moments I don’t speak. If I don’t speak, this nightmare will end. I will wake in Baghdad, or Beit Zujaaj. But I don’t wake.

She speaks again, and I cover my ears, though the sound is beauty itself.

The words you hear come not from my mouth, and you do not hear them with your ears. I ask you to listen with your mind and your heart. We will die, my husband and I, if you will not lend us your skill. Have you, learned one, never needed to be something other that what you are?

Cinnamon scent and the sound of an oasis wind come to me.

Read the rest of this post at  The Write Life

If you enjoyed these excerpts, find the full stories in the new dark fantasy anthology Beyond the Pale.

Click to Tweet: 5 Powerful Writing Techniques That Bring Stories to Life at http://wp.me/p31Xf4-Fu via @Nimpentoad

Celebrity praise for “Beyond the Pale”

Beyond the Pale contains eleven fantasy/urban fantasy/paranormal short stories by award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors Saladin Ahmed (Throne of the Crescent Moon), Peter S. Beagle (The Last Unicorn), Heather Brewer (Vladimir Tod), Jim Butcher (Dresden Files), Kami Garcia (Beautiful Creatures), Nancy Holder (Wicked), Gillian Philip (Rebel Angels), and Jane Yolen (Owl Moon). Here are celebrity quotes about Beyond the Pale that have never been uttered.

J. K. Rowling – Jane Yolen’s delightfully scary A Knot of Toads takes place in Scotland. I could probably buy Scotland…

Karl Urban – I enjoyed the creativity and violence of Even Hand. Let me know if you need a lead for a movie adaptation of a Jim Butcher book!

Kim Jong-un – This book is so good, it should only be for the ruling elite. I forbid all imperialists from reading it!

Oprah Winfrey – Loved it! Loved it! Loved it! Have your people call my people. Come do my show.

Orlando Bloom – Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful. Hate me because I have a copy of Beyond the Pale, and you do not.

Salman Rushdie – Sure, put a fatwa on MY head. There’s more devilish goings-on in Beyond the Pale than in Satanic Verses. Christ!

Stephen Colbert – The only way Beyond the Pale, could be improved is if I had been asked to contribute a story. Just saying.

Tina Fey – I loved the humor in Nancy & Belle Holder’s The Adventures of Lightning Merriemouse-Jones. I may use some of that material…

Order your copy of Beyond the Pale on Amazon.

Click to Tweet: Celebrity praise for “Beyond the Pale” at http://wp.me/p31Xf4-Fi via @Nimpentoad

Meet the Authors of “Beyond the Pale”

Beyond the Pale is an anthology of 11 fantasy, urban fantasy, and paranormal short stories. Below are short bios of the award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors of Beyond the Pale.

Cover art by Abigail Larson

Saladin Ahmed
Saladin Ahmed’s poetry has earned fellowships from several universities, and has appeared in over a dozen journals and anthologies. His short stories have been nominated for the Nebula and Campbell awards, have appeared in numerous magazines and podcasts, and have been translated into five foreign languages. He has also written nonfiction for The Escapist, Fantasy Magazine, and Tor.com. Throne of the Crescent Moon is his first novel.

Peter S. Beagle
Peter S. Beagle is the Hugo, Nebula, Inkpot Award for Outstanding Achievement in Science Fiction and Fantasy, and World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement winning author of The Last Unicorn and Two Hearts. The Last Unicorn ranked #5 on Locus subscribers’ All-Time Best Fantasy Novel list. The Last Unicorn was adapted to an animated movie. Peter also wrote the screenplay for the 1978 movie version of The Lord of the Rings.

Heather Brewer
Heather Brewer is the NY Times bestselling author of the Vladimir Tod series. She grew up on a diet of Twilight Zone and books by Stephen King. She chased them down with every drop of horror she could find—in books, movie theaters, on television. The most delicious parts of her banquet, however, she found lurking in the shadowed corners of her dark imagination. When she’s not writing books, she’s skittering down your wall and lurking underneath your bed.

Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher is the NY Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files series, the Codex Alera series, and a new steampunk series, the Cinder Spires. His resume includes a laundry list of skills which were useful a couple of centuries ago, and he plays guitar quite badly. An avid gamer, he plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games on PC and console, and LARPs whenever he can make time for it. Jim currently resides mostly inside his own head, but his head can generally be found in his home town of Independence, Missouri.

Kami Garcia
Kami Garcia is the NY Times bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures novels and the Bram Stoker Award nominated novel Unbreakable, and the sequel Unmarked, in the Legion series. Kami is fascinated by the paranormal, and she’s very superstitious. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found watching disaster movies, listening to Soundgarden, or drinking Diet Coke. She lives in Maryland with her family, and their dogs Spike and Oz.

Nancy Holder
Nancy Holder is a Bram Stoker Award winning and NY Times bestselling author (the Wicked Saga) also known for her novels and episode guides based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Teen Wolf, Beauty and the Beast, and other TV shows. She also writes and edits comic books. She lives in San Diego with her daughter Belle.

Gillian Philip
Gillian Philip’s books include Crossing the Line, Bad Faith, The Opposite of Amber and the Rebel Angels series – Firebrand, Bloodstone, Wolfsbane and Icefall. She has been nominated and shortlisted for awards including the Carnegie Medal, the Scottish Children’s Book Award and the David Gemmell Legend Award. Her home is in the north-east Highlands of Scotland with her husband, twins, three dogs, two cats, a fluctuating population of chickens and many nervous fish.

Jane Yolen
Jane Yolen, often called “the Hans Christian Andersen of America,” is the author of over 300 books, including Owl Moon, The Devil’s Arithmetic and How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? The books range from rhymed picture books up through novels. Her books and stories have won two Nebulas, a World Fantasy Award, a Caldecott, the Golden Kite Award, three Mythopoeic awards, two Christopher Medals, a nomination for the National Book Award, and the Jewish Book Award, among others. She is also the winner of the Kerlan Award and the Catholic Library’s Regina Medal, and named a Grand Master for both the Science Fiction Poetry Assoc., and the World Fantasy Assoc. Six colleges have given her honorary doctorates.

Henry Herz (editor)
Henry writes fantasy and science fiction books for young readers, including Nimpentoad and Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes. He enjoys moderating sci-fi/fantasy convention panels and eating Boston Crème Pie. He lives in San Diego with his wife and two co-author sons Josh & Harrison.

Get your copy of Beyond the Pale.

Click to Tweet: Meet the Authors of Beyond the Pale at http://wp.me/p31Xf4-Fz via @Nimpentoad

BEYOND THE PALE giveaway on Goodreads

Beyond the Pale  is a dark fantasy anthology featuring eleven short stories by award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors Saladin Ahmed, Peter S. Beagle, Heather Brewer, Jim Butcher, Kami Garcia, Nancy Holder, Gillian Philip & Jane Yolen!

 

There is currently a free Goodreads Giveaway you can enter. SPECIAL BONUS: The copies being given away are signed by Peter S. Beagle, Jim Butcher, Kami Garcia, and Nancy Holder!

Praise for Beyond the Pale:

“Beyond the Pale features a stellar, diverse line-up, brimming with talent and imagination.”
–   New York Times bestseller Jason Hough, author of The Darwin Elevator

“From the hovel of a Middle Eastern hermit, to remote islands of Scotland, to a moss-dripping bayou road of the American South, and into lands uncharted, there is a singular truth: no matter where you go, you’re never far from the darkness, the unknown … the Pale. Beyond the Pale is a rich, diverse collection of tales that will haunt and inspire in equal measure.”
–   New York Times bestseller Rachel Caine, author of The Weather Watchers

“Beyond the edge of fear and dread, shadows tell each other beautiful and frightening stories. Crack open this book and listen to the voices.”
–   New York Times bestseller Richard Kadrey, author of Sandman Slim

“Beyond the Pale is the kind of thing to keep loaded on your reader in case you need a quick fix of fine fantasy by one of the field’s finest fantasy writers.”
–   Nebula Award-nominated Greg van Eekhout, author of California Bones

“Light a black candle and crack open this collection of short stories from writers who are more than mere wordsmiths. A thrill runs up my spine as I wonder, could these scribes be messengers from in-between worlds sent here to prepare us for our own crossings? The veil thins and the candle flickers. Fiction? I’m not so sure.”
–   New York Times bestseller Frank Beddor, author of The Looking Glass Wars

Interview with NY Times bestselling “Vladimir Tod” author Heather Brewer

Heather Brewer is the New York Times bestselling author of the “Chronicles of Vladimir Tod” series and supreme ruler of her fans – aka, the Minion Horde. She doesn’t believe in happy endings, unless they involve blood. Ms. Brewer lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband, two children, and three very spoiled cats.

For what age audience do you write?
I write for outcasts, for kids on the fringe, for people who have ever felt like they don’t fit in – no matter their age. Some classify my books as horror, some as paranormal, some as humor. I’m still not certain what label to put on them. Besides, I hate labels.

Henry: So, pretty much every person that has ever lived. Well played, sir.

Tell us about your latest book.
My latest book in the second installment in my “Slayer Chronicles” series (a spin-off from “The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod”), called “Second Chance”. This time around, Joss is sent to Manhattan for the summer, to hunt down a serial killer who the Slayer Society believes may be a vampire. But oh…the surprises that await him!

The follow-up to “Second Chance” (and also the third and final Slayer Chronicles book, wrapping up my ties to Elysia) is “Third Strike”, which will be in stores February 20, 2014.

What do you hope readers will get from reading that book?
I hope that readers will get some answers to some of the questions they’ve been asking throughout “The Slayer Chronicle”s and “The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod”. I also hope they come to understand Joss’s motives for (SPOILER ALERT!) attempting to take Vlad’s life. But mostly, I hope they enjoy the ride.

Henry: My co-author son is a big fan, and definitely enjoyed reading your books.

What aspect of writing do you find most challenging?
Focus, I think, is the biggest challenge for any writer. It can be so difficult to simply sit down and get words on the screen. Life gets in the way, and there are so many shiny things all around us, just waiting to distract us from writing. The key is to block out the world when you can, and just lose yourself in the make-believe.

Henry: Note to self: invent writer’s blinders to improve literary focus.

What is a powerful lesson you’ve learned from being a writer?
I’ve learned that no matter who you are, there are other people like you out in the world – and that books can do amazing things: create connections, broaden views, save lives.

Henry: Indeed, you never know what impact your books will have. My book Nimpentoad got at least one young reader to try eating mushrooms. One small step for man…

What has been a memorable experience that you never would have had if you had not been a writer?
The opportunity to meet and interact with so many amazing teens and tweens. They are my favorite people on the planet, next to librarians.

Henry: Plus, librarians are so much better behaved than teens. 🙂

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Do something every day to move your story forward. A lot of the time, that’s getting words on the page (or screen). But sometimes, it’s playing scenes out in your head, or working out the kinks.

Do you have any favorite quotes?
My favorite quote is actually something that Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day fame said. “To do something that you feel in your heart that’s great, you need to make a lot of mistakes. Anything that’s successful is a series of mistakes.”

Henry: Well, then I’m well on my way to success…

Do you have any strange rituals that you observe when you write?
I must have iced tea (black, no sweetener, no lemon, extra ice, preferably from Starbucks), and I always write best in my office, with my kitties present and lounging on my coffin couch.

Henry: Ah, cat familiars. Per wikipedia: “In European folklore and folk-belief of the Medieval and Early Modern periods, familiars were supernatural entities believed to assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic. According to the records of the time, they would appear in numerous guises, often as an animal, but also at times as a human or humanoid figure, and were described as ‘clearly defined, three-dimensional… forms, vivid with colour and animated with movement and sound’”

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I wish I could become invisible at will. Not only would it give me the most honest view of the world that I could get…but just think of all of the awkward moments I could escape in a blink!

Henry: Think of all the trouble you could get into. Never pay a restaurant bill or traffic ticket again. You could be a poltergeist. A Brewergeist!

If you could have three authors over for dinner, who would it be?
I’d invite over the three authors that I admire most, for purely selfish reasons: Stephen King, JK Rowling, and Edgar Allen Poe.

What is your favorite creature that exists only in literature?
I know it seems obvious, but…vampires, absolutely. There are just so many different takes on vampires out there, and they act as an amazing avenue for explaining human issues. Plus, fangs are cool.

Henry: Plus immortality. It occurs to me that Hannibal Lector from “Silence of the Lambs” is a kind of vampire too – smart, strong, cannibalistic, and thoroughly evil.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I love spending time with my family (doing anything from cosplaying to hanging out), gardening, traveling, and of course, reading. I daydream a lot.

Henry: Do you ever garden in costume? Think of the possibilities!

What would you like it to say on your tombstone?
Here lies Heather Brewer (that’s a lie – she’s actually had her ashes spread in the Haunted Mansion at Disney World)

Henry: If James Doohan (of Star Trek fame) can have his ashes spread in space, I don’t see why you couldn’t have your ashes spread at the Haunted Mansion. Have your minions make inquiries…

Where can readers find your work?
My books are available in so many places: local indies, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Walmart, Target, grocery stores, and of course all over online. But my fave place readers can find my books? At the library! 

Henry: Thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview.

This interview is also posted to the San Diego Children’s Books Examiner.