A Prescription for Delirium Sneak Peek: Blurb and Cover Sketch

So, I got halfway through this round of revisions fro A Prescription for Delirium. Things are coming along so well. At least I keep telling myself that when I get late night bouts of insecurity. Anyway, I hope to have this published by January 1st at the latest.Today I'm going to give you a peek at the preliminary sketch for the cover and the blurb.

Gabby by JD Stockman. This is just the sketch, more is going to be added, like a background and a little color, but I'm mainly sticking with black, white, and red.

Blurb:

Ninety years ago, Gabriella di Luca promised to protect the family of her dying lover. She failed to keep that promise.  She was too far away to stop Ose, the devil that murdered the eldest Van Helsing son. Years later, Gabby learns Ose has resurfaced. She arrives in Hampton, TX, determined to stop the demon before it can lay a bloody hand on the remaining three brothers. 

However, madness is spreading through Hampton. She suspects Ose is using this madness to test a drug which has a side effect of demonic possession.  Gabby rushes to end the source of the madness only to fall victim to it. For a woman cursed with eternal life, dying is no threat. However, Gabby must stop the Ose’s plot or risk losing her most precious possession: her mind.

So, what do you guys think? I would love to hear your opinions on both.

Supernatural Warriors: Morgan Le Fay

Morgan Le Fay should be a name well known to anyone who likes Arthurian Legend. You know, King Arthur, Excalibur and the Knights of the Round Table. Morgan Le Fay was a sorceress noted in several versions of the legend.

In the early legends she did not have much of a story behind her. She was a sorceress, healer and sometimes fairy. Most of the time she is one of the maidens who takes a dying Arthur to the Isle of Avalon to be healed. According to the Vulgate Cycle, she is married to King Urien and is the handmaiden of  Queen Guinevere, King Arthur's wife.

It's not until Sir Thomas Mallory's Le Morte d'Arthur that Morgan is established as Arthur's half sister by his mother Igraine. Here she plays a small role as advarsary for Arthur and Guinevere as she conspires to become Queen. Some have depicted her as the mother of Mordred, who mortally wounded King Arthur. However, this is actually her sister Morgause. Despite having a small role in the legends, Morgan Le Fay has been depicted in hundreds of stories.

In Marion Zimmer Bradley's "The Mists of Avalon" Morgaine (Morgan Le Fay) is the main character of the story. She is the half sister of King Arthur and a priestess of the Goddess religion struggling to keep her worship alive in the midst of rising Christianity. Though, the book dragged for me, I loved the depiction of the Goddess worship in this story.

In Marvel Comics Morgan Le Fay is a half faeries sorceress who is the sometimes villain of the Avengers, Captain Britain, and Dr. Strange (among others).

In DC Comics she is a super-villain sorceress who practices the black arts. She has shown up in the comics as well as the Justice League cartoon.

Katie McGrath as Morgana

She is Morgana, an eventual villain, in the BBC television series Merlin. I have to give my cheesy BBC show some love and I really need to catch up on the seasons.

Even J.K. Rowling mentions her in Harry Potter.

"I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her."—Ron Weasley discussing Morgan le Fay's Chocolate Frog Card

What are your favorite references to Morgan Le Fay?

Review: THE SIN COLLECTOR: THOMAS

A while back, I posted a review of the first novel The Sin Collector as well as an interview with the author, the lovely @JessFortunato. She posted a vote on her website for which character we would want to see a short story of. Thomas won the hearts of many and here is his story. This is an ARC I received for a fair review.


Premise: Thomas is a short story based on one of the most beloved characters from Book One of The Sin Collector Series.
"Thomas has taken vows. As an immortal, he is impervious to harm on the battlefield. As a Collector, he alone can take away the sins of the fallen and allow them to move peacefully into the next life.
But valor never comes without sacrifice.

Far away from combat is his home, and her name is Lucy. Lucy is a human and frail from the explosion that nearly took her life, but Thomas’s duty pulls him from her before she can recover. His letters are his only connection to her, and to her caretaker, Thomas’s best friend Emmilina."

Every character is a person, and they have led entire lives before the main story even begins. This is the history of Thomas

The Good:

Characters: I loved Thomas from the first book, The Sin Collector. I was excited to see what history made Thomas into the man he was. I was not let down. We get to see Thomas struggle between love and duty. You got a real feeling for him and the other characters. I'm hoping to see more of Emmilina in later books.

Pacing: I love fast paced books and this one did not disappoint. Since it was a short story, I devoured it in one night but it still left me thinking about the story days later.

Story: Though this was really a character driven story, it moved me. It answered some questions from the first book, but new ones arose. I look forward to reading the next installment.

The Bad:

There were a couple of POV shifts and phrasing that could have been better, but over all I think I noticed them more because I am in the middle of editing my own story. 

Overall: 

This book is worth it. The Sin Collector: Thomas comes out on July, 20th. So if you haven't read the first book, why not pick it up in preparation? The Sin Collector can be found here.

Hunter Fighting Profiles: Gabriella Di Luca

Last week I finished the second draft of my novel A Prescription for Delirium. In celebration, I have decided to enlighten my dear readers a little about my main character Gabriella Di Luca. This will be about her preferred fighting style.

A picture of Gabby when I created her on The Secret World. 

Yes, this a shameless plug for the video game I love.

A little over 500 years ago, a demon cursed Gabby with immortality. I know, it's weird for most to even consider it a curse, but it's not all sunshine a roses. She can die, in fact she has died a lot, but she is ressurected. The only way she knows to end her curse is to kill the demon who cast it. So, she has spent her long life learning to hunt demons. Her preferred fighting style is

Eskrima.

Also called Kali or Arnis, Eskrima is a martial arts of the Philippine Islands. Most people relate it to stick fighting, but it includes a wide range of weapons including knives, swords and improvised weapons. Don't worry, it also teaches to fight hand to hand if you are caught without a weapon. 

A pair of rattan sticks.

It is hard to say what the early history of Eskrima was since most was handed down via oral tradition. The Visaysas (Central Philippines) were considered the cradle of Eskrima. The first recorded reference to the art of Eskrima was on Mactan Island in 1521. The chieftain Lapu Lapu and his men defeated a group of Spanish conquistadors. Ferdinand Magellan, who lead the expedition, lost his life in the battle.

Eventually, the Spanish did conquer the Philippines and outlawed the fighting style and the carrying of bladed weapons. The Eskrima Maestros (Masters) took their fighting styles underground and trained with rattan sticks instead of swords.

Gabby sought out a master during the late 1500's to teach her espada y daga (sword and dagger). The Filipinos modified the Spanish fencing style to create an effective close range fighting. The Spanish kept a dagger at their hip to use as a back up weapon. They preferred to keep the fight at long range with a fencing sword and use the dagger for blocking or parrying. Espada y daga Eskrima changed this to hold the dagger behind the sword. This allowed more maneuverability and deceptiveness.

A Sundang.

There are many types of weapons used in Eskrima. The swords alone has a wide range. Gabby's demon slaying sword is a Sundang. This is a type of Kris blade. Hers was created by a family of demon slayers gifted by Hindu goddess Durga. The family died out long ago but their legacy was left behind for Gabby to search out.

If you are a writer, do you add any certain fighting styles of weapons? As a reader, do you have any fighting styles or weapons you'd like to see in novels?

The Liebster Blog Award

First off I wanted to let you guys know I will be late with my post this week. I have two scenes left to finish on this rewrite. As a reward I will write a post about the main character: Gabby.

Now, I have received the Liebster Blog Award by Kayla Curry on her blog. She's the awesome author who's organizing the Book Blogger Fair. Thanks Kayla for choosing me! Now for the rules:

The rules for the award:

Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.
Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you.
Copy and paste the blog award on your blog.
Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs with 200 followers or less.
Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment at their blog.

And the award goes to:

J. Scott Sharp

Author Alden

Rob Zimmerman

C.J. Listro

T.L. Tyson

Review: A PORTRAIT OF ALATIEL SALAZAR

Premise (Taken from Goodreads): When Gabriel Holland’s beloved Helena vanishes from his life, he journeys to the home of disgraced artist Cristian Salazar, the man he holds responsible for her disappearance and the death of several friends. Once in the town of Carliton, Gabriel finds only malice and mystery in the tales told by the few brave enough to speak ill of Salazar and the sinister Cousin Beatriz. And within shadows, in the guise of night, walks Alatiel, the creature Helena has become. . . .

Disclaimer: A Portrait of Alatiel Salazar is a Gothic Horror novella. It is for a niche audience and not what I am used to reading. So, if you read more of this than i do you may have a differing opinion. This was given to me for a fair review by Steven's publisher Immortal Ink.

The Good:

Writing Style: Mr. Katriel's choice of wording and voice give a very creepy overall feel throughout the book. He sets the horrific ambiance well. The novella is written in a Victorian style which is around the time the story is set in. I would have to say this is my favorite part about the story.

Characters: Even in the beginning which focuses on series of journal entries you can still get a feel for even the tertiary characters. My heart aches for Gabriel and what he has to endure throughout the novel. Alatiel is intriguing and horrifying all at once.

The Bad:

Confusion: This may be because I am used to reading more fantasy, but I never really understood what Alatiel or a few of the other characters were. The is a point in the story where another character tells Gabriel what he knows of them, but this still only gives me a very vague sense. Also there were a couple of times that I got confused at what was going on in the story. Still this may be because I don't read a lot of this type of story. The ones I have to compare to are Dracula and a Picture of Dorian Gray. Those two stories I knew before I read the books, so it may just be me.

Overall: I would definitely recommend this book, especially is you want something to run chills down your spine in cerebral way. There or no cheap thrills in this book.

Be sure to check out Steven Katriel's webpage for a few previews as well as other goodies.

Supernatural Hunting Armory: Compound Bow VS Crossbow

Welcome, fellow hunters. We will be discussing types of weapons used on supernatural beings. Today's topic will be:

Compound Bow vs. Crossbow

Creature Type: Vampire

Arrow: Wooden of course

So, you're out hunting that vampire because you have no chance to wait for it to sleep during the day (if it does). You don't want to get close, all that biting and loss of blood, you know. Your armory is open. Choose your weapon.

Compound Bow:

A compound bow is a modern bow that uses a systems of pulleys and cables to bend the limbs.

Advantages: First off, the bow is easier to draw. It doesn't have a crank or lock to worry about. All you need is your arm. The form is simple and light which makes the bow less cumbersome to carry on your hunts. Compound bows have less recoil than that of other bows. The accuracy is good due to a consistent archer point and a string loop system. The arrow sits on a string loop and it is the same point every time. The maximum range is longer for a compound bow. 

Disadvantages: The compound bow takes longer to master. This can be months, even years.

Crossbow

A crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts or quarrels.

Advantages: The crossbow is relatively quick to learn, you could master it in under an hour. The most difficult aspect is to make sure the bow is cocked perfectly strait so the arrow does not stray. The weight of a crossbow is distributed evenly so you can hold it at your shoulder for a longer period of time. The quarrel can be locked and loaded ahead of time in preparation for your shot.

Disadvantages: Compared to the bow, a crossbow is heavier overall and clumsier to carry around. This can impede you when your on the move after that vampire. The rate of fire is slower and you have to reload and lock the cross bow, unless you have a repeating crossbow.

What weapon will you choose?

Want to read about supernatural hunters? Check out A Prescription for Delirium available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.