Watch out! It's those Blackbrooke critters...and Emma Silver

Today I'm welcoming a return guest - the lovely Emma Silver - who is one of my fellow Crooked Cat authors.

I really enjoyed reading Emma's debut novel - Blackbrooke  - Book 1 of her trilogy of Young Adult Horrors which surprised me since I'm generally a scaredy cat!

I confess, though, that the second book is still on my TBR kindle pile. I must sort that out soon because Emma is here to tell us about Book 3 which launches next week on the 14th October!  

Emma's got some information to share with us about how her novels came to be written. So, over to you, Emma...

Building Blackbrooke          

I get asked a lot about the location of Blackbrooke.

The truth is, I’ve no idea.

It’s set in the north of England, but that’s as near to an answer anyone gets. 

I’m currently working on a new novel set in a very specific place and it requires a lot of research, along with maps and pinned locations. 

Nancy says: I know how that works, Emma and it takes time and patience to get it right.

Blackbrooke was different. I wrote it for myself but it just so happened other people liked it too. As the trilogy progressed, I did toy with the idea of going into specifics about the location and dialect of the characters. 

It’s the north after all, surely they have an accent? 

In the end, I decided it wasn’t important. Not to me anyway.

It’s partly because I want the focus to be on the story. This is a town humans share with creatures, so to drill down on accurate locations seemed a tad pointless. Plus, I like the idea of readers imagining a place they know. Perhaps there’s a quirky little town nearby that reminds them of Blackbrooke.

It’s anywhere you want it to be. The north of England is a pretty big place! If you’re really curious, I didn’t imagine the characters with accents. The only time a northern accent crept in was when I thought of Denzil or Noah, but everyone else was a blank canvas. 

My inspiration came from growing up in a suburban town with some surrounding woodland. Near to my house was a bizarre area we dubbed Dead Dog Woods. It apparently got the name because a disease killed all of the trees and, although they still stood, no leaves ever grew. It drew us in as young teenagers and someone in our group would always run out screaming and claiming to have spotted some kind of creature, or that they were chased by the ‘dead dogs’. 

After the first book was released, my mum moved to a gated community in America called Seabrook Island. No one is allowed into Seabrook unless they’ve been cleared beforehand and get halted at the gates if they try. The idea for Blackbrooke was already formed and published by then, but visiting Seabrook really helped me with communicating the feeling of seclusion. 

It’s been fun to create something completely fictional. For three glorious books, I’ve been able to do what I want and I’ll certainly miss that. 

I especially miss it now that a full wall in my bedroom is taken up with the map of a very famous city…

Blackbrooke III: King of Queens is released 14^th October, courtesy of Crooked Cat Publishing.

Thank you for visiting today, Emma, it's a pleasure to have you visit anytime. 

Check out  Emma's Amazon page for Buying books 1 and 2. 

 

You can follow Emma on Twitter @emma_silver 

or head to her blog http://emmasilverauthor.blogspot.co.uk.

Emma was born and raised in Manchester, England.

Blackbrooke is her debut young adult horror novel after spending many years honing her skills drafting short stories and devouring horror through the ages from R.L. Stine's Goosebumps collection through to Stephen King. It forms part one of the explosive Blackbrooke Trilogy.

She gets most of her ideas and is inspired by music and also the fighting spirit of young people who aren't afraid to challenge the norm and stand up for what they believe in. This fleeting 'moment' in life is what she tries to capture in her writing.

Emma has sent along these fabulous promotional images for Blackbrooke III. I thought it would be a pity for you to miss any of them so I've included them all! 

I wonder which one you like best? I know my favourite. 

Please pop an answer in the comments box and tell Emma which you like best! 

 

Have a lovely Thursday.

Slainthe!

Laying paving

Monday Moments

Happy Monday to you!

So, it looks very much like my laying of paving slabs is rained off today. Yesterday I managed outside for a couple of hours and laid the grand total of 6 …almost 7. It’s almost 7 because I got a seventh laid perfectly level but discovered that the size of the square just didn’t quite match the others. I know laying slabs isn’t an exact science but I felt the gap was maybe just a bit too large. It was almost dinner time so I gave up, deciding that today I’d try another slab and see if it fit better.

That idea was scuppered when I woke up to a howling gale and heavy rain.

Guess the improvements at my door might have to wait till tomorrow.

Laying slabs is a bit like my writing, though. 

I put something down and assess it. It’s not quite balanced: doesn’t quite fit. The words need a little re-arranging, or some new ones instead. With the paving I might add some more sand to level a corner- in my writing I add and take away words and phrases.

When I have perfect balance in my slab laying I’ll be hoping for the same satisfaction in my writing. Nice and balanced and level throughout. That’s not meaning in any way boring- but just right!

The good thing about the rain and wind today means I don’t have to feel guilty about juggling too many different tasks over the day. My Celtic/Roman time travelling awaits.

I think you know how I’ll be spending my afternoon and evening. 

Slainthe! 

Meet The Art of Love and Murder and Brenda Whiteside

On my Welcome Wednesday slot I have a guest today.

Meet Brenda Whiteside, an author I've had the pleasure of knowing for a few years. Brenda's here to give us some news of her latest novel. As well as the blurb and a great little excerpt, she also has some lovely goodies on offer for us all to WIN in her Rafflecopter. Look out for those details down below!

Thanks so much for having me on your blog today, Nancy. I’m excited to have your readers learn about my latest release, The Art of Love and Murder, the first book in my Love and Murder series. I hope everyone enters the Rafflecopter drawing for a tote bag of items that relate to the book. The more you enter, the more chances you have to win. This link will direct you to all the blogs on my tour: http://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/p/contests-and-give-ways.html

Here's a bit about The Art of Love and Murder...

Lacy Dahl never questioned her past until the deaths of her adoptive parents and her husband.  A husband who wasn't what he seemed.  Her research uncovers secrets about the mother she never knew; secrets that dispute the identity of her father and threaten her life.   

Sheriff Chance Meadowlark is still haunted by the murder of his wife and the revenge he unleashed in the name of justice.  When he meets Lacy he is determined not to become involved, but their pasts may make that impossible.  As they move closer to the truth, saving Lacy may be his only salvation.

Lacy begins to think the present is more important than her past...until Chance's connection to her mother and a murder spin her deeper into danger and further from love.  Will the truth destroy Lacy and Chance or will it be the answer that frees them?

Excerpt:

Momentarily struck dumb by his eye color, she stared back. Why hadn’t she noticed until now? Although not as light as hers or her father’s, the professor’s eyes were a startling green shade.

His hand nudged her arm. “Lacy?”

She jumped. “Oh, yes.” She slipped the tissue from the half-carved wolf. Another glance at his eyes and goose bumps riddled her arms.

He lifted the wood close to his face, using both hands as if handling a delicate hummingbird. His thumb traced the neck of the creature to the juncture of where it emerged from the wood. When he brought the piece to his nose, closing his eyes and breathing deeply, Lacy wanted to turn away from the oddly erotic gesture.

He swallowed, opened his eyes and set the wolf back on the tissue. His attention shifted to the photograph of the chest. He touched the photo, a smile on his lips. “Where is the chest?”

The chest. Like he knew it, had seen it before. “I’m having it sent. You’ve seen it before?”

He didn’t move, stared out the window as if deep in thought. “I’d like to show you something, Lacy.”

“All right.” She waited, watching his profile.

He turned and stared into her face a moment. “You’re so very lovely. A creation full of life and passion, surpassing any art form.”

His hypnotic voice floated on the classical strains drifting from the living room. She couldn’t speak. Didn’t know what to say. She’d been lifted upon a pedestal of admiration. With any other man, she might consider his words a means to a sexual end. The professor’s intentions, however, were crystal. He admired her like a work of art. 
   

Here's your chance to ENTER to WIN Brenda's tote bag full of interesting goodies. Click below to enter and see what's on offer.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can also buy The Art of Love and Murder from:

The Wild Rose Press

Amazon

ARe

KOBO

Video trailer:

The Art of Love and Murder

Thank you for visiting today, Brenda. Best wishes for a super successful tour!

Slainthe!