Science Fiction at its best: Karen A Wyle author of Twin-Bred

Author Karen A Wyle

      I met Karen Wyle on line at my favorite women's writer's site:  She Writes.  Karen is a member of one of the groups I'm involved with there, and shared a little about her new science fiction novel, which was published in October of 2011. Despite the fact that I am a memoir and non-fiction writer,  I was intrigued by the subject matter and asked her if I could post a little about her and her book on my blog. The rest is history, so to speak.

 Bio: Karen was born a Connecticut Yankee, but eventually settled in Bloomington, Indiana, home of Indiana University. She now considers herself a Hoosier. Wyle's childhood ambition was to be the youngest ever published novelist. While writing her first novel at age 10, she was mortified to learn that some British upstart had beaten her to the goal at age 9. 

Wyle is an appellate attorney, photographer, political junkie, and mother of two daughters. Her voice is the product of almost five decades of reading both literary and genre fiction. It is no doubt also influenced, although she hopes not fatally tainted, by her years of law practice. Her personal history has led her to focus on often-intertwined themes of family, communication, the impossibility of controlling events, and the persistence of unfinished business.

    
      Of course, after reading her bio, I was even more intrigued by her and wanted to know why she decided to write the book she did. With as little research, I found that according to Karen,  

"The origin of Twin-Bred was an article I read about interactions between twins in utero -- synchronized movement, touching, even kissing. Either this article or a comment on the article mentioned the long term effect of losing a twin in utero. As an avid science fiction reader, I tend to see the sci-fi potential in any event or discovery. I imagined a scientist seeking to overcome the comprehension gap between two intelligent species by way of the bond between twins. It would be natural for the scientist who conceived this idea to be a twin; it would be intriguing if she were a twin survivor, and if she had somehow kept her lost twin alive as a companion, who could be a character in the story."

Synopsis of Twin-Bred

Can inter-species diplomacy begin in the womb? After seventy years on Tofarn, the human colonists and the native Tofa still know very little about each other.  Misunderstanding breed conflict, and the conflicts are escalating. Scientist Mara Cadell's radical proposal: that host mothers of either species carry fraternal twins, human and Tofa, in the hope that the bond between twins can bridge the gap between species. Mara lost her own twin, Levi, in utero, but she has secretly kept him alive in her mind as companion and collaborator.

Mara succeeds in obtaining governmental backing for her project - but both the human and Tofa establishments have their own agendas. Mara must shepherd the Twin-Bred through dangers she anticipated and others that even the canny Levi could not foresee. Will the Twin-Bred bring peace, war, or something else entirely?...

    
Karen's book can be purchased at Amazon (Paperback)  (Kindle). Or at  Barnes & Noble.  

And you can find Carol at her website or on face Book

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Book Release: No Remorse, by MaryLynn Bast

Now available at Amazon in paperback or kindle format, No Remorse was released on March 17, 2012. It is Ms Bast's first novel and is slated to be part of the paranormal  fantasy series titled "Heart of A Wolf".

 

Synopsis

     Due to her unusual birth, Amber has abilities no other werewolf has ever possessed. On the run since childhood, the lone wolf avoids contact with other werewolves at all cost, continually moving, constantly looking over her shoulder and always alone. Everything changes when Amber saves a werewolf from the mere brink of death, Blake, the only werewolf to ever protect her. 
     Love blossoms, but not without tribulations when Amber realizes she must help her new pack rescue a member who is being held hostage by a rival pack. Warring with emotions of going from lone wolf to the pack leader’s mate, Amber must decide if she is willing to risk Blake’s life to know true family and friendship despite the fact that the Council is hell bent on locating her and will stop at nothing until she is found. Will Amber’s special abilities be enough to keep everyone safe?

About the Author

MaryLynn Bast is from Texas, currently living in Las Vegas and writes paranormal fantasy romance-mystery-adventure books about werewolves and other were-creatures.  Her writing is influenced by Christine Feehan, Sherilynn Kenyon, and Laurell K. Hamilton.  Bast writes fantasy romance because ..." it allows my imagination to run rampant, permitting the characters of my stories to obtain abilities not possible in the real world."  

Bast is a member of the Las Vegas Romance Writers (a division of Romance Writers of America), the Mainstream, Paranormal, and Erotic Romance Writers of Atlanta and SheWrites – Blooming Late. She is a wife, mother of three, step-mother of three, who loves reading and traveling the world. You can find her mateials on her blog at http://www.marylynnbast.com/

Face Book: Heart of a Wolf
Face Book: Author page

Twitter

Purchase Kindle or Paperback at Amazon

Watch Trailer of No Remorse

 

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Interesting Interview with Joe Hill, the writer: son of Steven King the writer

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New book release: Ultimate Justice by Ryder Islington

purchase here

Ultimate Justice, a Trey Fontaine Mystery, is receiving rave reviews from readers.

The small town of Raven Bayou, Louisiana explodes as old money meets racial tension, and tortured children turn the table on abusive men. FBI Special Agent Trey Fontaine returns home to find the town turned upside down with mutilated bodies. Working with local homicide detectives, Trey is determined to get to the truth. A believer in empirical evidence, Trey ignores his instincts until he stares into the face of the impossible, and has to choose between what he wants to believe and the ugly truth.

Author Ryder Islington

A graduate of the University of California and former officer for a large sheriff’s department, RYDER ISLINGTON is now retired and doing what she loves: reading, writing, and gardening. She lives in Louisiana with her family, including a very large English Chocolate Lab, a very small Chinese pug, and a houseful of demanding cats. She can be contacted at RyderIslington@yahoo.com or visit her blog.

Ms Islington discusses the question: What Is Psychological Drama?

I wish there was a section at the book store just for psychological drama. Unfortunately, there is no such place because there is no such genre. Almost every genre can have psychological drama in it, though I like it in mysteries, thrillers and suspense.

Psychological drama is all about what is going on inside the head that induces, or forces, a person to take certain actions. What goes on inside the head of a girl who watches her dad beat her mom for years, and then finds herself in the same kind of relationship? Why does that happen? What goes through the mind of a man who is attracted to five year old girls? Why does he feel this need? What makes a person feel the need to set fires and watch them as if they are lovers?

One of the first things I learned as a writer was that characters must act out of motivation. The reader has to see why the character is taking each action. But I couldn’t stop with a simple answer. Women are attracted to men like their dads. We live lives that are modeled for us by the adults in our lives. That might satisfy the reader. It doesn’t satisfy me.

I want to know how that woman feels, what makes her feel it, and what it takes to get her to feel differently and thereby act differently. I want to put the reader in the place of the character and have them feel what the character feels. I like to go for that deep emotional motivation that forces the character to act.

In my debut novel, Ultimate Justice, A Trey Fontaine Mystery, I made sure each character had motivation and tried to bring the reader right into the middle of the psychological drama occurring inside those characters. This story is about serial killers, a drug addicted FBI agent, and two homicide cops, one Black and one female, in the Deep South. And it’s not all about the action. Yes, there are fights, and deaths, and fights to the death. But every action is backed by the deep seated pain, anger, or need, of the characters.

I watched dozens of movies, read dozens of books and did research online, in an effort to really get down to the real reason people who seem perfectly ‘normal’ can do things so completely out of character—at least it looks that way from the outside. And sometimes it’s true. Sometimes people just snap. Sometimes we make bad decisions that no one could see coming. Sometimes we just don’t think. But deep down inside, something lurks.

Often, in thriller or suspense movies or books, there’s something in the basement. Everyone knows it. But the character just has to go down there and see. And it always ends badly. Sometimes, that’s the way the mind is. In the basement of the mind, locked away where no one can see, is a scary, ugly, dangerous creature, just waiting for the perfect set of circumstances to set it free.

Do your research. And then, when you’re writing those scenes that need some punch, dig deep down and see if you can find that creature. You may find it in your character. Or you may find it in yourself.   (Ryder Islington, 2011)


*Note: For blog tour schedule, go to:  ll-publications or Ryder Islington's blog

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Review: Fearless Confessions

Sue William Silverman, a writer, teacher, and speaker has written a book that will appeal to both experienced and beginning writers. It offers a thorough and understandable explanation of how to write memoir and how it differs from other types of literary nonfiction. More creative nonfiction writing classes should use this as one of their textbooks.

Amazingly straight-forward and helpful in the quest for our authentic self, the book is an account of her journey as a writer interspersed with unique and thoughtful exercises that are clearly written with students in mind,  There are reading selections here and there, but the book manages to make these elements feel like seamless parts of a carefully considered whole. Silverman offers san excellent description of voice I've and explains the craft of writing, and elements such as “the voice of innocence” and “the voice of experience” She includes websites, books, marketing opportunities, and publishing options.

This is probably the most important memoir writing instruction and inspiration that I've ever read. Extremely powerful and transforming!  For anyone who has ever thought of writing a memoir, this is the first and last book you will ever need. I would recommend this to everyone, whether you are writing a memoir or not. Even journal writers will find ideas and suggestions in this short book that shed light on why we write.

Bio: Sue William Silverman won an Association of Writers and Writing Programs award for Because I Remember Terror, Father, I Remember You. A speaker on child abuse and addiction, she teaches at Vermont College of Fine Arts. As a professional speaker and writer, Sue has appeared on many nationally syndicated radio and TV programs including The View, Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN; a John Stossel Special on ABC-TV; CNN-Headline News; the Montel Williams Show; the Ricki Lake Show; the Morning Show with Mike and Juliet; and both the U. S. and Canadian Discovery Channels. She was also featured in an episode of "The Secret Lives of Women" on WE-TV.

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Merry Christmas

As a Christmas gift to my readers, I have posted a charming painting that a very talented on-line writer and artist friend of mine recently created. I love the simplicity of it. It sums up what Christmas is all about. Her name is Carol Apple.
Check out her website

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Cindy Vine's New Book

Purchase at Amazon

Writer Cindy Vine's newest book, How to Say No to Sex and other Survival Tips for the Suddenly Single, offers an easy-to-read practical approach to coping with a newly single life and getting back on track after that nasty break-up.

After the success of her first book,  Fear Phobias and Frozen Feet, which tackled how to break the cycle of bad relationships in your life, Cindy decided to stick to her light-hearted style and continues to cut out the psycho-babble.  In her new book, she gives many useful survival tips and strategies for even the most devastated..

Being single after an intense relationship is a daunting prospect for many. Cindy shows how to overcome the grief experienced when a relationship ends, how to get your life back in order again, and how to avoid making the same mistakes next time round. In addition, she has  included sections on how to sort out your finances, how to avoid common mistakes made during sex, ten uses for an old photo of your ex., and finally how to end up being really happy. You will find many other useful tips to get you on the road to healing.

The chapter How to say no to sex discusses how to avoid  jumping into bed with all and sundry to make yourself feel better. The title may be misleading, as some readers may think the whole book is about abstinence, but it is not. It's about getting your life back on track again when you feel low and devastated.  It's about how to become happy again and start focusing on the positive.


Biography

Cindy Vine was  born in Cape Town, South Africa but have lived in many different countries. She is  the author of the self-help book Fear, Phobias and Frozen Feet as well as the novel Stop the world, I need to pee! a fictional account of the life and crimes of Fenella Fisher. In January 2010 she published The Case of Billy B which is a story about a father and son who face some immense challenges in life, including a psychopathic stalker. In April of this year, she finished Fighting Fisi, a children's picture book about bullying which is in the process of being published.
Check out Cindy's blog.