Sneak Peek of Tribulation-Just For You!!

A brief excerpt from Daughters of Night: Tribulation. Just a teaser, and in very raw form, but it's a sneak peek into the world of DON!

Damien

December 28, 2012

            No more. Goddess, please, make the pain stop. I can’t take any more.

            I knew she couldn’t hear my pleas. Nobody could. So I suffered alone, constant pain ravaging my body and punishing my mind. In the moments such as these, I doubted my resolve, wondering why the Goddess Hecate would allow such a nightmare to continue. I nearly lost my faith in myself and in Her more times than I would ever care to admit.

            Words strong enough to describe the hell I was going through don’t exist.

            As the fire burned and the sharp blades pierced my skin, I heard the taunts through my hazy semi-conscious state.

            “Come on, half-breed! Beg for mercy!”

            “Your pathetic Goddess doesn’t love you! Someone who loves you would stop your pain!”

            “Nobody is coming for you, nobody cares enough to save you!”

            “Accept Lilith, and perhaps she will take pity on you!”

            The taunts were never-ending, testing my faith and my mortality. Not to mention my will and defiance.

            I bit back my screams, which still did little to deafen them as they escaped my clenched teeth.

            “ENOUGH!”

            Suddenly, the pain evaporated, and I slumped forward as much as my chains would allow.

            Oh, Goddess, no. Not her. Not again.

            Wrong again.

            I listened as she approached. My arms were restrained with iron shackles to either side, exposing my chest for her torment. My legs were shackled to the floor, forcing me to remain in a kneeling position until they decided to throw me back into my prison. I was at her mercy.

            She stopped inches from me. I kept my head down, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of willingly looking her in the face.

            I watched through swollen eyes as she slowly lowered herself to a crouch in front of me. Cold fingers grasped my face hard, and she lifted my head to meet her gaze. Fear froze my soul as I saw the twinkle in her purple eyes.

            “Where is your mother, Damien?” she asked, her voice tinkling hideously.

            I gathered my wits, and braced myself for unnerving pain as I pursed my lips and spat in her face.

            She wiped it away, her smile growing.

            “I was hoping you’d say that.”

            I squeezed my eyes as I felt that familiar electricity start at where her fingers touched my skin, then explode through the rest of my body. All the while her eyes glowed with excitement and fury.

Well, that's it for now, folks. Intrigued? Hope so! Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a chance to win all 3 DON books and a wicked prize pack, not to mention a handful of really awesome books by other indie authors and a bracelet handmade by one author. Lots of goodies, and only one day left. Go ahead. You know you wanna enter...

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Busy as HELL on Judgement Day!!

You think those pearly gates are gonna be packed on Judgement Day? Please. Most of the population is gonna go straight to Hell. I have the VIP Penthouse Suite on reserve, so come early, stay late, and know that the best party in Hell is hosted by yours truly.

Okay, all joking aside, I've been SWAMPED!!! I'm starting a new job writing for a guy who's paying me to do something I love (omigosh...DREAM JOB!!!) and I'm writing a book that I'm selling for extra income (more dream job, just less me!!) and I'm writing the third book in my series (DREAM, but not working so well as a job). Plus, I have a group on Goodreads that I've done a fine job of neglecting, and still trying to run this blog, getting everything in order for the giveaway-which is STILL GOING ON!!!-plus I'm revamping the covers of the first two DON books when the third gets released so I'm working on getting those done up nicely, and finding time to be both a wife and a housekeeper, not to mention remember to feed the cats. Which reminds me...I need to feed the cats soon. Gosh, I JUST fed them, like, two days ago....lol!

Kidding, I don't neglect and abuse my animals. I do tend to feed them every other day, but that's because I fill their bowl with three days worth of food. Could be why my cats are fat...

So anyway, yes, I'm a busy busy bee, and if I'm a little more absent than usual, that's why. I promise to deliver more wonderful great cool awesometasticalishious stuff just as often as I can, so please bear with me and good stuff will come. :)

In other news, there's only a couple of days left in the Rafflecopter giveaway, so make sure you get entered and spread the word!!

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**Oh, and as an update, turns out that dream job...yeah. No. No, no, no. I've been duped. Oh well, lesson learned!!

Gift Card Up For Grabs!!!!! Gotta Play to Win!

Have you ever been so busy you'd rather gnaw your own arm off rather than go back to all the crap you gotta take care of? Yeah, me too. There's a lot of crap I've got going on, and dangit, I need stress relief. So...let's play a game!!

I've got a $50 AMC Movie Theater gift card up for grabs. But if you wanna win it, I'm not gonna make it easy for you. 

First off, I'm a horror movie JUNKIE. I love to be scared. My favorite movie of all time is one of the Nightmare on Elm St. movies. Freddy Kruger is my hero-probably why I'm as demented now as I am. Here is my all-time favorite scene from my all-time favorite movie:

Dude, I could watch that scene a million times in a row and not get sick of it. Why? I don't know. But I freaking love it. 

Here's your challenge. First, give me the official name of that particular movie (not the nickname, or the "otherwise known as" or aka name, the title that's on the front cover of the VHS tape as released in the US!), the year it came out (US), the names of all three actors in this scene, and how many total movies are in the franchise (including remakes). The first person to comment on this post with all the correct information wins! Ready? Set? GO!!

**I should note that this is open to US and UK residents only-I'm sorry, I don't even know if you HAVE any AMC theaters in the UK or other countries!! But please be aware, there are no replacement prizes, if you win and there's not an AMC near you, I don't have something to swap it out for at this time. 

Check Out This Author's Giveaway!!!

Hi again, folks! The Penguin has some pretty cool news to share. Author Amy Evans has a Rafflecopter giveaway going on right now on her website, so we recommend waddling over to her site to check out what the fuss is all about. :) YAY Kitteh is certainly excited!!

Follow the link to the Rafflecopter giveaway for Amy:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/9172c128/

And here's a bit more about Amy!

Amy Evans is a storyteller, wife, mother with a life-long obsession with the ocean. In addition to writing books, she loves developing story worlds for all kinds of technology.

She loves dolphins, aliens and pugs, and sometimes writes for so long they all look like the same thing.

Clicks is her debut novel about instincts, a Surf Carnival, and the hottest beach patrol on the California coast. Clicks are the sounds that the universe makes when it warns you that your world is about to change forever. If you listen to them, you get on the wave before it crests; control your path, surf into your destiny. If you ignore them, the wave crashes around you, and you try desperately not to drown.

Her book, Clicks, is available on Amazon, and here's a little about the book!

Born and bred to win, Cami’s family expects her to join a secret society called The Guard, marry one of the two identical twin boys next door, and stay on Pinhold Island for the rest of her life. But she has other plans: work beach patrol, win the Surf Carnival and get a sponsor so that she can leave Pinhold to compete in international surf rescue competitions and see the world.    

Home to epic waves, black sand beaches, and the world-famous Surf Carnival, Pinhold Island is regularly voted the top surf spot in the country. People come from all over the world to ride the waves or just relax in the natural beauty and rejuvenating water.    While visitors are jealous of the few hundred people who get to live there, sixteen year old Cami feels stifled and trapped by her small community and her family's expectations.  Thanks to the intense link she shares with her twin brother Mica, she can't even be alone with her thoughts. As decedents of the ten families who originally settled on Pinhold, Cami and Mica are part of a new generation of extreme surf lifeguards who are expected to earn invitations into The Guard.   

But a seemingly small injury  knocks her out of the first event and turns her summer upside down.  It's suddenly impossible for Cami to resist the magnetic attraction to Blake, one of the twins next door; the one she's never been interested in. Just as the Surf Carnival competition starts to heat up, the best swimmers start to drown. Pulled  to the ocean floor, they're found barely  alive , stuck in unexplainable comas. When Mica goes down too, Cami can no longer wait for those in charge to figure out how to help him.  To save the lives of her brother and their friends, Cami must ignore what she sees and what she's told, and instead must learn to trust the clicks, her instincts, that help her find the truth in heart even when it goes against everything her brain thinks it knows.

Pretty fly, right? Yeah, we thought so too. So head on over to Amy's site, enter the giveaway, and make sure you check out more on this exciting new author!!

New Author in the Giveaway = More Entries and More Prizes!

Hey there, lovely readers!! Just an update to the giveaway, the fabulous author Amy Evans is joining us! YAY!! We love indie authors-well, all authors, really!-and we love sharing them with you, the readers. You're the reason we do what we do anyway. So make sure you submit the new entries and increase your odds of winning. Good luck to you all!

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Stave Off Insanity with a Writing Break

Sometimes, the stresses of real life mix with the stresses of being a writer, and things just SUCK.

It's times like this when you need some kind of stress relief. Take a break. Go catch a movie. Spend a couple of days watching bad horror movies. Catch up with a friend. If you have pets, spend some time cuddling or go for a walk. Reinvent your sex life. Whatever it takes, do it. Just don't forget to return to writing.

I had an amazing day just chilling with my girl Michala. We talked about writing, whined our sob stories, bounced ideas off one another, ate some yummy Chinese food, and spent a good chunk of our time just talking bullshit and having a good time. It was invigorating. Actually, it was relaxing and invigorating. Relaxing because we could just forget the real world for a bit and goof off. Invigorating because we're both writers and you simply can't expect to put two writers in the same room and not have them talk through sticky plots and other writing roadblocks. I'm left feeling inspired to write, and write I shall!

You know, it's really amazing how much can be accomplished when you just let yourself take a breather. Sometimes, it takes more than just a day spent with a friend to make it all better, but if you don't step away from the situation every so often, you end up becoming a crabby recluse with no friends and enough mental issues to keep Freud busy for sixteen lifetimes. While I'm sure Freud would have a field day with that, I'd rather have friends and a life. :)

So, to all the writers out there, write write write, but don't forget to nurse your insanity lest it consumes you.

Thoughts on Dreaming...

            If you asked a hundred different people what dreams are and what causes them, you’d get two hundred different theories. It’s a timeless question, and one that has far less answers than questions.

Scientists may say that dreams are a chemical reaction in the brain, neurons firing at a particular pace caused by the release of a chemical into the body when it enters stasis, or sleep. This would cause the mind to replay events and scenes which it observed during waking life, only distorting them and rearranging facts to trick you into thinking you’re viewing the images for the first time.

            Psychologists may differ, claiming that dreams are the result of the human subconscious-and possibly the unconscious-working out the things we see and deal with in our waking life. The belief is that we have denied or repressed emotions, feelings, memories, and other influences in our lives. Our brains will translate these denied and repressed senses into images and scenes that play out in our minds like an interactive movie while we sleep.

            Still another theory held by another group of folks is that our dreams are messages. These messages are either warning us of things going on around us, similar to the psychological theory, or warning of things to come.

            So then, what happens one one has dreams of pure insanity? What happens when the dreams are of death, pain, despair, agony, horrors the mind can't even comprehend? Does the person who dreams of murdering someone or who dreams of the ghoulish figure peeling the flesh from someone's body suffer from horrific mental illness? Or is it a warning from another realm of things that are to come, either figuratively or literally in the form of a terrifying monster? How about the chemical interpretation of that one? It's impossible to know.

            We may never fully understand dreams-the why, the what, the how-and there are more theories than you can shake a stick at, but here’s my theory:

            Each theory is right, and each theory is wrong, in its own way. I believe our dreams are the way we work through our everyday waking life as well as how we process the repressed and denied emotions, while at times delivering messages-or warnings-of things to come.

            Consider this: you have a dream that you’re falling, and just before you hit the ground, you wake up. We’ve all had falling dreams, it’s one of the most common dream themes in existence. The question that remains is why you had that particular dream. The interpretation will vary from person to person, but one such interpretation is that a falling dream indicates a sense of being out of control, feeling a sense of failure, and highlighting your insecurities. Others may say it’s a warning that you’re going to fall from whatever position of authority you may hold. Or it could even just be your brain interpreting the reason your muscles start to spasm as you fall asleep.

            So which one is right? The one that you believe. The one that has the most meaning and most relevance in your life. For me, I’d go with the insecurities and the feeling of being out of control, because that would be relevant for me. I may be feeling insecure about my writing, or just be an emotional wreck that's out of control. Sure, it could be a warning telling me, "Girl, you better get it together and quick, or else you're gonna find out what hitting that bottom really feels like!" But in either scenario, it's my own interpretation that's right. 

            I'd love to hear other theories and ideas. Tell me what you think about dreams in the comments!

**Photo of girl above is courtesy of ReihaRin on DeviantArt.com

Glimpse at the DON bracelets

So, I thought the nice thing to do would be to give you a glimpse of the bracelets included in the DON prize pack. Check them out!

Yeah, so my coffee table looks dirty and crap, but it's stained. Don't ask how. I need to find a way to fix that...lol! But the fabric one is crocheted with all three DON colors and a neutral black, and the beaded one is pretty. DON fans will see why this is important in Tribulation. ;)

Don't forget to enter to win this and many more prizes in the Insanity Giveaway-just hop over to the "Giveaways" tab and start entering!! Good luck, everyone!

Two Weeks of Insanity Giveaway-Enter NOW!!

Woo-hoo!! Check out the fabulicious giveaway going on right now! Enter below or on the giveaway tab for a chance to win one of a handful of wicked prizes! Up for grabs: 

• 1 eBook copy of The Haunting Season, by Michelle Muto
• 5 eBook copies of Pursuit, by Jim Murdoch
• 1 Autographed paperback of Pursuit, by Jim Murdoch
• 2 Gorgeous bookmarks from Fae Books
• 1 eBook copy of Confessions from an Unstable Mind
• 1 eBook copy of Daughters of Night: Sanctuary
• 1 eBook copy of Daughters of Night: Possession
• 1 ARC copy (PDF, mobi, or epub format) of Daughters of Night: Tribulation (release date not set)
• 1 Daughters of Night Prize Pack, including 1 eBook copy each of the two published DON books, 1 ARC copy of DON Tribulation, 1 bookmark from Fae Books, 1 autographed DON bookmark, a signed letter from the main DON characters*, and a hand-crafted bracelet with a DON theme.

Whew! That's a lot of stuff to win, and we have two weeks of insanity to get it done. Make sure you get entered, because you'll be kicking yourself if you don't. 

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And now, for absolutely no reason whatsoever...

"Party on, Wayne.

Party on, Garth."

-Wayne's World, 1992

Last Chance to Participate in 2-Week Giveaway!!

AUTHORS!!! BLOGGERS!!! 

Want some exposure to your books and/or blog? How about some new Twitter followers and Facebook likes? Well, good news, there's still time to get in on the excitement! 

Starting tonight at midnight-yes, that's less than FIVE HOURS from right now!-DSP is hosting a 2-week Rafflecopter giveaway featuring several authors and bloggers, with great prizes. Not only can you enter the giveaway, you can drive traffic to your sites and books by donating to the giveaway!

Most authors are giving away a book (or multiple books, or prize packs, or bookmarks, or whatever swag you have to offer up), and in exchange, entrants can like your Facebook page, follow you on twitter, add you to their circles on G+, comment on your blog, and I'm opening up a new option of "Liking" author pages on Amazon (since they've done away with liking books-darn!).

So, as you can see, lots of ways to enter, lots of ways to direct traffic, and great publicity. But only a precious little time to get on board, so either click "Contact Me" in the tabs above, or shoot me an email at ash.torbeck@gmail.com with your Facebook page link, Twitter handle, G+ link, and blog link (whatever is available) along with what prize you'd like to offer and what format it'll be in. For those who are Bloggers only, if you don't have swag to offer that's okay, all I ask is to promote the heck out of the giveaway, and I'll include your links!

What are you waiting for? I'm waiting to hear from you..........

Get Ready for a Giveaway!!

Tomorrow is the big day! Starting at midnight EST, and running through midnight of July 1st, DSP is hosting a big ol' giveaway, featuring prizes from a handful of awesome authors. There's lots of ways to enter, so head to the Giveaways tab and get entered to win some seriously cool prizes!

By the way, authors, I'm always available for promotions, so if you have a book you wanna promote, click the Contact Me tab and let me know what I can do for you!

Two Weeks of Insanity Giveaway!!

Hey, folks! Been a little distracted with real life the last little bit, but I wanted to pop by and remind everyone about the upcoming giveaway. It's going to be two weeks of insanity, and it's going to be a ton of fun. Of course, we want a ton of people to enter, but we're definitely still looking for contributions and participants! If you have anything you'd like to donate to the giveaway in exchange for entries (and the publicity, of course!), make sure you shoot me a message on the Contact Me tab, and let's make it happen!! Remember, the planned start date is midnight on June 16th and will run through midnight July 1st (since I can't make it 11:59p on June 30th, lol!), so there will be lots of time for people to enter and lots of time for publicity. Don't miss out!!

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Flash Fiction Writing: Guest Post by Amber Satka!

Today we welcome Amber Satka, a financial guru blogger with a lot of great information. She's offering up some insight on writing flash fiction for us, so take a moment to check it out! Then hop on over to her website Car Loan Calculator for great financial advice.

How to Write Flash Fiction Successfully

Flash fiction is sometimes referred to as micro fiction. There is no defined length for the genre, but it is generally accepted that flash fiction is not longer than 1,000 words. However, most flash fiction is much shorter than that. Many examples come in at under 100 words.

Writing flash fiction is a great exercise for writers of all types. It forces you to be deliberate in your choices, which is a skill that can make any of you writing better. Here are a few tips for how you can write flash fiction successfully so that you can strengthen your writing skills:

Boil Your Story Down to Its Essence

Flash fiction does not have room for character development and complex plots. You need to boil your story idea down to its core. Instead of writing about the decades-long evolution of a mother-daughter relationship, you can write about a pivotal event between them. Instead of writing about a war, you can write about a single soldier enlisting or doing something valiant on the battlefield. The key is to keep the plot as simple as possible. You can focus on a moment or a single scene to achieve this.

Don't Forget Story Structure

Though it's short, flash fiction should still be a complete story. There should be a beginning, middle and end. There should be a protagonist, conflict and a resolution. In other words, something should happen beyond just a conversation. The action should cause something to change from the beginning to the end. You should keep it simple, but you shouldn't sacrifice story structure to achieve it.

Tell, Don't Show

The basic rule of fiction is that you should "show, not tell." Your action and  your characters should reveal the plot and the themes and the motivations for the characters. However, you don't have the word count to achieve this in flash fiction. Instead, you need to tell things. Instead of describing a woman so that the readers sees her beauty, you must simply say "She was beautiful." Make your choices wisely. There is room for some description, but you will end up doing a great deal more telling in flash fiction.

Focus on Dialogue

Instead of spending a lot of time describing the actions of the characters, you can move the story forward through their dialogue. By focusing on what your characters say, you can save a great deal of exposition for describing the setting and the action. Readers can quickly understand what is happening without you having to tell them. You'll also be able to establish characterization without any description.

Make Every Word Count

Some writers can't  get through a single scene in less than 1,000 words, let alone the whole story. When you are operating with such a limited word count, you have to make your choices very carefully. Every word counts. You must be precise and choose the exact right word every time. Cut out all unnecessary words and unnecessary exposition.

Flash fiction is a very niche market. However, learning how to write it and write it well can help you learn to be a better writer. Use these tips to help you learn how to write flash fiction successfully and transfer those skills to your other writing.

Do you write flash fiction? Share your thoughts on what it takes to write it successfully in the comments!

Bio:

Amber Satka primarily writes on financial topics, many of which can be found on her app site at http://www.carloancalculator.org/. She is a former office manager and current mother and writer. Her leisure activities include bike riding and spending way too much time on Pinterest. 

New Giveaway Coming Soon!!

Hey all!! DSP is hosting a giveaway that starts soon, and one of the prizes is a cool prize pack by yours truly. Still gathering prizes and such, so make sure you check the Giveaways tab and enter starting June 16th! The giveaway runs through the end of the month, so plenty of time to enter, but remember some entries can be repeated daily!

If you're an author or blogger wanting to participate, hit the Contact tab and fire me a message, or email me directly at ash.torbeck@gmail.com, and be sure to include your links as well as what you'd like to donate to the giveaway. If you're not familiar with Rafflecopter, check out the For Authors tab for more details on how it works!

Thanks everyone, and make sure you come back to see us on the 16th!!

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