Of Demonology by Kirsten Weiss

Do you spend much time thinking about demons? No? Well neither did I, until I tried to write about them in The Alchemical Detective. 

You’d think writing a demonic character would be simple. Demons are bad. End of story. But when I started researching demonology, I ran into some very different ways of looking at demons, and the obvious interpretation grew less and less appealing.

In modern Goetia, a branch of magic that evokes angels and demons, demons are projections of our own dark sides. Demons can be either positive or negative forces, depending on your degree of control, and how you choose to apply it. If you can master your personal demons, then you can make magic happen. Since I wanted to show some psychological growth in my metaphysical detective, Riga Hayworth, this seemed like a neat plot device to me.

But an acquaintance who’s a demon hunter strongly disagrees with this interpretation. In her experience, demons are tangible entities, capable of real violence. She doesn’t think they came from hell any more than from inner worlds – she believes they might originate in another dimension. Does that make these entities demonic, or something else? Writing about this sort of demon would certainly raise the drama (and carnage) in The Alchemical Detective, but it didn’t really fit the Renaissance magic that flows through the Riga Hayworth series.

So in the end, I split the difference. Riga has to master certain inner issues in order to control the demons she encounters, but these demons are of the more violent, tooth and claw variety. I’m not sure if that will please everyone or no one (or if anyone will care), but it combines the psychological aspect of demonology with its creepy factor. And if you’re going to read about demons, you want to be at least a little creeped out? Don’t you?

About the Author:

Kirsten Weiss is the author of two paranormal mysteries available on the Kindle: the urban fantasy, The Metaphysical Detective, and The Alchemical Detective. She is hard at work on the sequel, The Shamanic Detective.

Kirsten worked overseas for nearly fourteen years, in the fringes of the former USSR and deep in the Afghan war zone. Her experiences abroad not only gave her glimpses into the darker side of human nature, but also sparked an interest in the effects of mysticism and mythology, and how both are woven into our daily lives.

Now based in San Mateo, CA, she writes paranormal mysteries, blending her experiences and imagination to create a vivid world of magic and mayhem.

Kirsten has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching Ghost Whisperer reruns and drinking good wine.

Read a sample chapter or check out her blog at http://kirstenweiss.com. You can follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RigaHayworth, and view her world boards on Pinterest http://pinterest.com/kirstenweiss/

Interview with P.M. Terrell, Author of Vicki's Key

1.       Good grief, girl child! You are freaking AMAZING!! Readers, if you have a chance, stop by her site and just putz around. It’s a lot of fun! What was it like growing up with an FBI agent as a father?

Well, it’s just a hoot to be here, Frankie! Growing up in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement in the 60’s (yep, I’m old) and being the daughter of an FBI Agent to boot was quite an amazing experience. He frequently worked all night on rounding up Viet Nam War deserters and working on infiltrating and breaking up the Ku Klux Klan, and I am sure watching these events unfold shaped my interest in history, people and – crime.

2.       *rubs elbows* Now I can honestly say I’ve rubbed elbows with a computer high and mighty! Wow you really caught that wave and just rode it! And you have SO. Much. ENERGY!! LOL! How do  you do it?

You know, I always wanted to be a writer and just fell into computers. I look back now and realize how fortunate I was to be in the right place (Washington, DC) at the right time (when the Apple computer was invented, spawning the personal computer industry). I don’t know if I have any more energy than anyone else. I think it’s entirely a matter of priorities. I gave up a lot along the way (not to mention, A LIFE) to start a couple of computer companies and later, to become an author of suspense.

It doesn’t seem like they would go together, does it? A logical computer programmer and a creative suspense author? But I don’t know if I could have been one without the other. My specialty was computer intelligence and white collar computer crime (working with the good guys, of course) and that led to many of the plots in my books.

3.       Okay, well, we’re to talk about your book, Vicki’s Key. What inspired this story?

They say truth is stranger than fiction so stick with me here! One of the reviewers who consistently reviews my books is Donna Coomer. And she’s always off in a different part of the world when each book comes out. So I asked her why all the travel, and she told me she goes to a website and finds jobs where she gets free room and board in exchange for working. She’s traveled to Europe and all over this country doing jobs that last anywhere from a couple of months to a half a year. I made the comment that I could never do that because it would be just my luck the first job I’d respond to would actually be an axe murderer looking for the next victim.

Well, later that day I got sick with the flu and my doctor prescribed cough syrup (you know the kind that has narcotics in it!) And I got a teaspoon mixed up with a tablespoon. (You know where this is going, don’t you?) I laid on the couch for a day and a half, totally zonked out, and dreamed this book from beginning to end. When I came out of my stupor, I knew Vicki’s Key was a book I had to write. Apparently, the whole concept of going to a strange place and working for someone you’d never met, living in their house, got stuck in my psyche.

4.       This book is getting some pretty rave reviews! First, how do you get reviews from some of these sources? (How do you get them to take you seriously?) One of the reviews is Suspense Magazine says p.m.terrell "is getting better with each and every book she writes”! So that means they’re reading several of them!

I have been so fortunate and so blessed that several reviewers—those with Suspense Magazine, Midwest Book Reviews, Bengal Book Reviews, Between the Lines, Fresh Fiction and others—enjoy my work. Early in my career, I advertised in publications like the one Dan Poynter publishes for reviewers of suspense. Now I just build on that list from one book to the next.  I also enjoy networking with other authors and we often swap information on good reviewers and sites.

One way I get reviewers to take me seriously is through my website. You have to have a professional website if you want a professional career. And there’s something to simply hanging in there! I’ve seen a lot of authors come and go, many of them discouraged their first book didn’t catapult them to stardom, and if you’re willing to hang in there and keep writing, you get extra brownie points for that.

5.       What inspired these characters?

I’ll tell you, the book came to life when I introduced an Irish character, Dylan Maguire.  Vicki Boyd takes a job working for an elderly woman over the summer. But when she arrives, she finds Laurel Maguire has suffered a stroke and her nephew has arrived from Ireland to care for her. It was important to the storyline that Vicki think Dylan is the perfect man, so I did some in-depth research into what women think IS the perfect man. (Which was the most fun researching I’ve ever experienced!) Turns out, women love Scottish accents followed by Irish accents and then Australian accents. They also love five o’clock shadows, a man with muscle but who is oh-so-gentle with a woman… A man with boyish charm but who comes through like a man when he’s needed. Dylan is also just plain funny without intending to be, which is part of his charm.

Vicki is a “good girl” always living her life inside the box so Dylan is completely her opposite.

6.       What was your favorite part of the research to create this book?

I had some amazing experiences. Aunt Laurel’s house is a rambling historic home that lends itself well to ghosts. It was patterned after a real house in Lumberton, North Carolina, where the series is set.  Pictures are on my website at www.pmterrell.com. I took a tour of the house and heard the ghost tales that have been told of this once-abandoned property for decades.

I also toured the Carolina Civic Center’s Historic Theatre, which also has several ghosts. Vicki and Dylan are watching a play at this theatre when she sees a ghost, so being in the balcony and hearing of the ghosts who have actually pushed people down the steps was amazing.

7.       What are you writing now? Is there anything you can tell us without giving away the plot?

The next book in this series will be released in September 2012. It’s called Secrets of a Dangerous Woman. In Vicki’s Key, it’s mentioned that Vicki got separated from her sister after their parents died and they were adopted by different families.  The dangerous woman in the next book is Vicki’s sister, Brenda Carnegie, who first made her appearance in my book, Exit 22. She is everything that Vicki is not: she is a computer hacker, prefers to live on the wrong side of the law, lives outside every box, is a vixen, conniving, fearless…

And in Secrets of a Dangerous Woman, Dylan begins working for the CIA. His first assignment is to interrogate recently captured Brenda Carnegie. And he has definitely met his match. And when he discovers Brenda is actually Vicki’s sister, his first assignment just got very personal.

8.       Where can readers purchase your book? (I may have already done that, but share with the class.)

Well, every book store worth their bookmarks carries it. It’s also available at www.amazon.com and other online book stores. Right now on my website at www.pmterrell.com, we’re offering free shipping.

9.       May we read an excerpt from the book and can you provide it here? 

Here’s an excerpt for the reader who likes things that go bump in the night:
  

Vicki continued into the bathroom and groggily brushed her teeth. Grabbing a washcloth and splashing water over her face, she leaned into the sink to soak up the cool water.

She turned off the tap and tried to fully awaken as the water dripped off her face. Rising, she reached for the hand towel along the wall, catching a glimpse of her profile in the bathroom mirror.

Her eyes caught a shadow rippling in the mirror and she froze, her arm suspended in mid-air as she watched the shadowy figure undulating against the shower curtain just behind her. It was thin—far thinner than a human being; perhaps only four feet tall and just inches wide. Yet, two arms extended past the body, moving jerkily like a creature walking and yet it remained fixed in the center of the tub. The torso parted into two legs that were stick-like and lurching.

Then the shadow stopped and turned toward her, as though just realizing she was watching. The head emerged from the body like a person jutting his neck forward, growing as it neared the shower curtain. It swelled in a black intensity while two pits where eyes should have been grew more prominent.

She whipped around to face the shower curtain, her heart pounding, and her breath shallow.

There was nothing there.

She swung back toward the mirror. Her own face stared back at her, her eyes wide and chest heaving. The curtain hung behind her, motionless.

10.   Where can your readers connect with you on the web?

I love to hear from readers! My website is www.pmterrell.com . I am on Twitter @pmterrell and on Facebook under Patricia M. Terrell, Author. I also have an historical site, www.maryneely.com, for my true books about my ancestor Mary Neely who was captured by Shawnee warriors. Please drop by and chat with me!

Thank you so much, Frankie, for allowing me to chat with your followers about my books!

   About P.M. Terrell

P.M.Terrell is the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 13 books. Her newest series, Black Swamp Mysteries, involves a CIA psychic spy (based on the real project) and includes Exit 22 and Vicki's Key. Prior to becoming a full-time writer in 2000, she founded and operated two computer companies in the Washington, DC area. Her clients included the CIA, Secret Service and Department of Defense as well as local law enforcement agencies. She now lives in North Carolina with her family and plenty of ghosts. For more information about her, visit www.pmterrell.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @pmterrell and Facebook under Patricia M. Terrell, Author.

Interview with PJ Dean, Author of Something Else Wicked

Thank you for stopping by! This week, we're interviewing author P.J. Dean as she tells us about her book, Something Else Wicked, a paranormal romantic suspense. Join us on Wednesday, April 11th at 3:30 PM PST as we chat with her on Blog Talk Radio. 

1. Hi PJ! Thanks for joining us at ParaYourNormal today. What can you tell us about you that we wouldn’t already know from your other interviews?

I am the product of an only child upbringing by a single mom when it just was not done! I was raised in the embrace of her colorful family. A jazz drummer. A trucker. Two WWII vets. A numbers’ runner. An aspiring opera singer. A few gay uncles. All mixed in with staunchly independent women and men who took no stuff from anyone. We had neighbors who people nowadays would label as people of “questionable repute.” I loved every minute of it. My eyes and ears soaked it up. They all forged me in the fire of their many-faceted hearts. Watch the HBO film Lackawanna Blues. It’s the closest you’ll come to my life. I hope I’m doing them proud.

2. Speed Answer Challenge:

Chocolate or Vanilla: Rocky Road

Favorite color: Deep rose

Favorite foreign language: French

Favorite season: Fall

Sports car or All-terrain vehicle: Sports car

Watch TV or Go for a hike: Go for a hike

Favorite animal: Cat

3. Give us the juicy details about your book

Something Else Wicked from Extasy Books, continues Nate and Tina’s love story (begun in The Felig Chronicles) as they still combat the Felig and now have to contend with some nutty humans who’ve made a deal with the aliens to survive at the expense of the rest of mankind. In this volume, a way is discovered to kill the Felig. A character goes insane; another dies. It still has a happy finish.

4. What inspired this story?

I like combining different aspects of a genre to build my own. I combine the love story, the monster story, and the mystery with a sort of reluctantly sleuthing interracial couple. As I’ve mentioned before, I really liked the premises of the films 28 Days Later and Strange Days, and the fact that the director chose a hero and heroine who are not what audiences are used to. I really adored how being of different ethnicities was not the central issue of those films and it is not in Nate and Tina’s story. They have bigger things to worry about.

5. Do you have any fun writing habits or rituals to keep your creativity flowing?

I have to have a beverage (hot chocolate, tea, water or coffee) nearby and gummy bears. As for keeping the creativity flowing, I start chapters from the end sometimes. I will know what I want to reveal in certain chapters but I don’t always know how I’m going to get there. This technique helps me get the chapter going.

6. If you weren’t writing, what could readers find you doing instead?

I’d probably be one of those eternal students or a teacher. I love learning and reading books and sharing information.

7. What can you tell us about the rest of the series?

Book one introduces Nate and Tina, their budding love story and why the aliens are here. Book two takes them on a caper involving some humans who want to conquer the world as much as the aliens. Book three is really character driven. It concerns mostly Nate wanting Tina to commit to him and Tina needing to decide if all they have in common is monster fighting and great sex before she does. Book four involves a rescue mission. Book five will be a prequel.

8. Where can readers purchase your books?

Readers can get my e-books at www.extasybooks.com, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Fictionwise, Bookstrand, etc.

9. May we read an excerpt from the book and can you provide it here?

CHAPTER THREE

Nate trod across the bedroom floor, a towel wrapped around his hips. He caught his image in the dresser mirror and thought that he didn’t look too bad for all that he had endured lately. He had never been the hulking, bruiser type. He had always been lanky muscle. He did his guy thing and flexed his pecs and biceps in the glass. So the lovely lady in the kitchen fancied this with all its secrets and problems. He fancied her with all her secrets and problems too. “It’s good.” He bent closer to the mirror. More sleep, less stress would help the dark circles under his eyes. But who could sleep soundly with the madness at his front door? Someone knocked at the bedroom door.

“Yes?”

“It’s Paul, sir. I have some news about Jerry.”

“Good. Good. I was just about to call his kin. Avner let you up here?” Nate opened the door and let Paul in. As he closed the door, in a flash, the newbie attacked him, knocking him around the room. The kid was so forceful and swift that he caught Nate off guard. In the tussle, Paul slammed him into the dresser. Trying to get his balance, Nate dragged the cloth off the dresser and everything with it. Two lamps went crashing to the floor. Nate got a few good punches and kicks to the kid’s face and middle before the attacker pulled a blackjack from a jacket pocket and popped him a few times on the head. Nate felt himself blacking out. With great effort he yelled, “Help! Help!”

“Quiet, fraud!” Paul struck him once more to subdue him. Paul tossed the blackjack to the floor. Grinning like a wet dream had come true, Paul reached into his waistband and pulled out a hunting knife. “Tina!” Nate mouthed before the world went dark and he felt the knife edge pierce his neck.

* * * *

Avner, his wife Iris and baby Akivah dropped by the main house to thank their employer for the terrific outing last night. Tina opened the front door.

“Hey! Come on in.”

“Where’s the main man, T? I got some news he’d want to hear. Pronto.”

Tina buzzed Iris and the baby. “Upstairs dressing. Go on up.” She took Akivah in her arms and he gurgled with glee. “This kid’s gonna ask me for a date soon. He’s so big for a baby his age.” She looked to Iris. “A side effect, you think?” The pert redhead shrugged her shoulders and replied, “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Loud thumping and yells emanated from upstairs. “Nate!” Avner cried, pulling out his Jericho, racing for the stairs. Tina handed Akivah back to Iris. “What’s going on?” both women screamed. “Stay here, Iris, out of sight.” Tina followed Avner. They reached the bedroom door at the same time Evie and Moz did. Avner kicked it in. A naked Nate lay motionless on the floor in a pool of blood. “Oh God, no!” Tina screeched, rushing past Avner. She knelt and cradled Nate in her arms. She used a stray towel to apply pressure to a wound in his neck. Avner did a sweep of the room by checking closets and under the bed.

“Towels! Get towels from the bathroom, somebody!” Tina pleaded. Evie headed for the bathroom, but Moz went instead with his trusty baseball bat. He hurried back with a stack while Tina and his wife worked on Nate.

Nate’s eyes flickered open. “Tina.”

“Who did this, baby?” Tina asked through a flood of tears. There was so much blood. Tina didn’t know if she’d puke, pass out or do both. She had no idea how many punctures riddled him only that blood was streaming out of a lot of places.

“It’s got to be the new guy. Paul. I was coming to tell Nate that the kid’s background check didn’t pass muster,”Avner said.

“Excuse me, but this looks sorta serious. Shouldn’t somebody call 911?” Moz asked.

“No, Moz. We can handle this,” Avner said.

“What do you mean?” Tina asked. “Handle it how? We need to get him to a freakin’ ER. Stat! Oh God. Nate? Nate?” He did not answer and closed his eyes. Tina sobbed loudly as she shook him. “I’m so sorry about the stuff I said to you in the kitchen. Don’t you die.”

“Believe me, T. Just let me alert the crew.” Avner took out his walkie-talkie. “All teams! All teams! Be on the lookout for Paul Justus. He is armed and dangerous. Apprehend if you can. If you cannot apprehend, shoot to kill. Repeat. Try to apprehend. If you cannot apprehend, shoot to kill.” He turned to Moz. “Please go downstairs and assure my wife that we’ve got everything under control. Stay with her, please. We’ll yell if we need ya. Thanks so much. Be careful.”

“You’re welcome.” Moz scratched his head. “I guess you know what you’re doin’. Tina, we ain’t leavin’ this house ’til we hear from you. Come on Evie.” Moz collected his wife and bat and went downstairs.

10. Where can your readers connect with you on the web? 

Readers can drop a comment at http://www.pjdeanwriter.com

http://www.twitter.com/#!/pjdeanwriter

http://www.facebook.com/PJ-Deans-Fan-Page

Book Review: Ghost of a Threat by Beth Dolgner

Ghost of a Threat 

Reviewed by Amanda James

5 out of 5 stars

This is the first book in a series about a paranormal investigator. Betty Boorman or 'Betty Boo' has been investigating paranormal cases in Savannah Georgia for three years when she comes across a case like she has never seen before. This forces her to partner with her nemesis, Carter Lansford, who runs a much-publicized paranormal investigation company. Carter thrives by promoting his self-proclaimed expertise in the supernatural.

When Betty is faced with a violent presence, neither she nor Carter know quite where to go next. Help arrives in the form of a GQ model. But looks can be deceiving; the handsome stranger named Maxwell turns out to be a demon. Maxwell involves himself in the investigation, and everything comes with a price. 

Author  Beth Dolgner pulls you in from the start with twists and turns that continue throughout the book. She combines the world of the paranormal with intriguing descriptions of historic Savannah. She paints a picture that will stick in your mind.

Interview with Kevin Paul Shaw Broden, Author of Clockwork Genie

 Hi everyone! 

Today we are chatting with Kevin Paul, author of the contemporary fantasy/paranormal murder mystery novel Clockwork Genie.  Kevin Paul will be joining us for a live interview on Blog Talk Radio, Wednesday, March 21st, at 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time. We hope you'll stop by and listen in.

Be sure to leave a comment at the end of this interview for your chance to win a copy of Clockwork Genie. Don't forget to leave your email address in the following format: parayournormalteam(at)gmail(dot)com. Now for the interview!

Hey, Kevin! And welcome! Why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?

Thank you and all of ParaYourNormal for sitting down with my genie friend and I.

As a child I discovered comic books and soon knew I wanted to create comics and super heroes of my own. They would eventually become FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY.

While taking art courses to learn how to draw muscular heroes as realistically as possible, I discovered what I was really doing, no matter the medium, was story telling.

This turned into short stories, the first appearing in my college newspaper, and on to scripts for comic
books and for television animation such as for the Japanese series MIDNIGHT HORROR SCHOOL (a series that has as of yet not appeared in America.)

I continue to have a passion for comic books and for animation, but a few years ago I took a serious dive into writing novels. As part of Nanowrimo I wrote a science fiction tale, but about half way through it, a complete different story idea came to me. I paused long enough to write down a page of notes and then finished the story I had committed myself to doing. Once November was over I jumped right into the new idea, a fantasy tale that eventually became my first published novel CLOCKWORK GENIE.

How do you carve out time to write?

I wish I knew. It was easier to find the time to write until about a year ago when I picked up a 'day job' with the scholarship foundation of my local community college. Truthfully, having a restricted amount of time has forced me to dedicate more of it to serious writing. When I have all the free time in the world, nothing gets done. Deadlines are good. No, really, they are.

What’s the biggest creative difference between writing a novel and writing/illustrating a comic?

Comic books are a visual medium and 90 % of the story is told in the pictures. If I'm writing for another artist, the description of the scene has to be made clear enough for the artist to understand, but not overly detailed that it takes away his/her own creativity when drawing it. When I am writer/artist on the comic I don't have to be as detailed as I already have a clear idea of what I want to draw and most of the story comes together as I start sketching the art. The story then has to be told in a 22 to 36 pages comic, usually with 6 to 8 panels per page, sometimes less. When Shannon and I write our webcomic FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY, which is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary online, Each page has to tell its own story because people reading may not have seen the pages before it, and hope it will entice them to stick around for the next page a week later.

With comic books as my background, my novel writing carries some of the same style. I don't always
fully describe the details of a scene other than what is absolutely necessary for the story or to se the mood, and let the reader fill in the gaps with their own imagination as if they were the artists of our shared comic book. Am certain I have a lot to improve upon, and am still learning with each new story I write.

Which book are we talking about today and what is it about?

CLOCKWORK GENIE is my first published novel and is both a Contemporary Fantasy and a Murder Mystery, and in some ways it is also a Paranormal Romance. There may be no ghosts, vampires, or werewolves, but there is a very powerful magical genie that just learned her master has been murdered.

The story is about Cecilia Orchard who has been struggling on her own since graduating from college to earn enough money to pay the rent of her apartment. Her data entry job isn't great and she's always on the verge of being fired by a very nasty boss.

If that's not bad enough, Cecilia has just been informed she's the prime suspect in the murder of
a grandfather she never knew existed. Why did the cop that wants to arrest her have to be so darn
handsome?

Cecilia discovers she's the heir to a vast fortune, and then is given a golden pocket watch. She finds
herself the new master of a very powerful magical genie. The entire world could be hers at the mention of
a wish, but what does Cecilia really want?

You may also be interested to know that I painted the cover of the novel.

What inspired this book?

The original kernel of an idea has been sitting in the back of my head for quite a while, maybe back to childhood. Like many of my stories it grew out of a question: "If a genie is so powerful, why is it trapped in the lamp?" The idea morphed through the years, until it took the form of the golden pocket watch. Along with the relationship with its new master and the people around her, I explore that question and give one plausible answer.

From there the story grew pretty quickly, and I dumped the first drafted on to the keyboard very quickly. It would take several more drafts and rewrites, and introduction of other characters along the way until it became the book that now sits on virtual bookshelves.

Tell us something about your characters that we wouldn’t be able to figure out by reading the book.

I suppose what no one knows is that Cecilia is, minus the magic and millions of dollars, is me. As a writer with a pretty vast imagination, that if I was ever confronted by the supernatural or aliens, I would take it fairly calmly and matter-of-factly. So I took that idea and transferred it to Cecilia. She writes fantasy and mysteries like me, and so when she confronted by it. She's surprised by it but takes it coolly, or at least tries to.

Are there other books in the works? Can you tell us a bit about it?

Last month I released my second novel, entitled: REVENGE OF THE MASKED GHOST. This story
takes me back to my first love of the masked heroes. Going back to the 1930s' Pulps the heroes grew out of and became the super heroes of the comics.

I am currently working on a sequel to CLOCKWORK GENIE. Without going into a lot of detail, our
heroine and her friends must deal with the consequence of the genie's existence. Wishes out of the past come back to haunt them.

Where can readers purchase your book?

Currently my books are only available online as ebooks.

CLOCKWORK GENIE can be found at most major ebook distributors, and some, to my excitement, not so major. Best to start off at Amazon.
Kindle: http://bit.ly/v5f7v2
Nook: http://bit.ly/smHLZX
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/trpoJd

REVENGE OF THE MASKED GHOST is also available on Amazon and soon at other locations.
Kindle: http://bit.ly/zg3PcN
Nook: http://bit.ly/xCaYri
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/xDv5pX

FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY - The webcomic that Shannon Muir and I have
been producing for the last ten years can be found at it's own website: http://www.flying-glory.com

May we read an excerpt from the book?

Certainly, here is an important scene from Chapter 4 of CLOCKWORK GENIE, after this everything goes crazy:

“Tastes like a tin can.” Cecilia said after the third bite of the microwave dinner.

As Cecilia ate, she kept reading each entry on the man who was supposed to be her grandfather. He owned a multinational corporation, which included many subsidiary companies in Los Angeles as well as New York. It went on and on. It was all just crazy.

“There is no way in the world that all this could be possible,” she said as she dropped the dinner
tray into the already overflowing trashcan beneath the kitchen sink. Cecilia felt confused and didn’t know what to do next. She picked up her purse from where she had dropped it on the couch and pulled out the cell phone. She scrolled through the contact list until she reached the right number and pressed Talk.

Her uncle Phil had always been there for Cecilia when she needed the extra support as she
struggled through college. She could always call him when life got too much for her. This was one of
those times.

The phone rang three times and then went to voice mail.

“Darn! Hi, Uncle Phil, it’s me. Can we chat one of these days? No rush, I’ve just got a question
about my dad…” Her voice trailed off when her eye caught the glimmer and sparkle of the watch as it gently swayed in the glass case.

After a moment of silence she realized she was still on the phone, “I’ll try to call you tomorrow.
Night. Love ya.”

Cecilia put the phone down and sat at the table. She stared at the watch for several minutes, almost mesmerized by it. Finally, curiosity got a hold of her.

“I’m probably knocking a thousand dollars off the value just by opening the case,” Cecilia said as
she did just that, “and ten thousand by touching it.”

She unhooked the chain from its support and examined the watch. The outer case had fine ornate engravings all over it and as she turned it in the light the patterns seemed to change, to dance. Sometimes it looked like writing, other times decorative floral patterns, and then again like mechanical gears of what must be inside.

“Has to be a trick of the light,” she moved away from the desk lamp to look at it under the fluorescents of the kitchen and yet again the pattern was different. She saw brushes and quills.

“So exhausted I’m seeing things. Wake up already Cecilia,” she said to her herself.

She was returning to the table to put the watch away when her finger came across the little
clasp and the watch popped open.

“Oh, no. I’ve broken it!”

The crystal face of the watch was perfect like a diamond. The hands pointed exactly at the right
time but suddenly spun around the dial and stopped on twelve.

Light flared across the crystal startling Cecilia and she fell back on to the floor, tightly grasping
the watch so it didn’t break.

“Tommy? I’m sorry, Tommy? Really I am. Tommy? Hey, where am I?”

Cecilia’s vision was blurred from the flash, but she could make out a woman’s form standing in
front of her, “Who’s there?”

“Who the hell are you?” the woman shouted down at Cecilia on the floor.

“I…” her vision cleared. Standing before Cecilia was a young woman; her hair was red like flames
of a campfire. Though dressed in an emerald green evening gown, she wore a leather bomber jacket over it. She was quite beautiful.

“Now this confirms it, I’m dreaming. I’ve gone insane,” Cecilia said aloud, “That woman from
those photographs is standing in my apartment. That … that Genevieve woman.”

“Of course, I’m Genevieve, that’s Tommy’s watch,” the woman said with a childlike voice yet
scolded like a parent.

“The watch?” Cecilia looked from the woman to the watch and back again, “This is my
grandfather’s watch.”

Genevieve gasped, “Your grandfather? How long have I been in there?” She looked about and
began to panic.

Cecilia gathered herself and stood up, and noticed fear in the strange woman’s eyes.

“You have the watch.”

“Uh, ya.”

“You have Tommy’s watch!”

“Ya, this was Thomas Granger’s watch, what of it?”

“Where is Tommy? Where is he?” Genevieve demanded, tears filled her eyes.

“Oh, God, you don’t know. I thought maybe the police had finally contacted you, or that lawyer
Kramer sent you to talk to me.”

“Tell me where Thomas Granger is!” Genevieve was shaking now; tears flowed down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry to be the one that has to tell you this. Thomas Granger was killed yesterday.”

“Killed? No, no, no.”

“Ya, I’m sorry, but he was murdered. The police are still investigating. They’ll probably want to
talk with you. I should call Detective Lambert.”

“I don’t want to be alone,” Genevieve said through her tears.

“Why would you be alone?” Cecilia was doing her best not to freak out, yet she seemed to be the
calmer head here. It was this figment of her imagination that was going nuts. Certain this was all going on inside her head; the stress of work had finally gotten to her. If her imaginary friend had just cracked, didn’t that mean she had already lost it herself?

Genevieve looked at the watch again, and forced away her tears as she looked towards Cecilia.
Suddenly the woman dropped to her knees and bowed her head to the floor facing Cecilia.

“Mistress,” she said humbly.

“What--?”

“Your wish is my command.”

 

Where can your readers connect with you on the web?

The best place to find me online is my blog where I ramble on about writing, comic books, animation, and from time to time put up a book review: http://kevinpsbroden.blogspot.com/

You can follow me on Twitter: @Kevinpsb00

Thank you for this opportunity to explore what's Para in my Normal with you. Genevieve had a good time too.