My Latest Guest Is John W. Bradley III - My son! @Xaion64

Since it is a holiday weekend I don't normally have a guest on my blog but I do want to share something with everyone. My son has become a writer and asked me to edit a short he wrote. I'll warn you it's pretty raw but I loved his imagination.

Enjoy!

Let me Me Tell you a Story...

In the far future, a great cataclysm occurs, that asunders the world anew. This is one of many stories in the world after, where hundreds of legends appears. This is X Legacy The Beginning.

A man sits in a chair, with a card floating around him. He wears a black trench coat, and a black pair of eye shields that comes to a point on his cheeks. He notices your prescience.

"What are you doing here?" He thinks for a moment. "You should be in the new world, not here with me." He chuckles. "Worried about me? Sorry sweetheart, I like my solitary." He pushes up the shield with two fingers, allowing it to rest on his forehead. "The deal was I stay here and protect that little world you worked so hard to make. No worries, you’re free now go live a happy life."

The man scratches his forehead, annoyed. "Seriously I don't deserve the forgiveness you gave me... this is the least I could do." He stands up with the card still floating around him. He stretches out a hand and a portal opens up, he walks towards it. picking up a spear,

"Honestly. That war we fought... it should be forgotten. all the hell we went through, no one should remember it. only I will remember it. you don't deserve this burden." He scratches his head and walks through the portal.

The portal disappears after he and his floating card walks through. what can be seen around him is a world crumbling apart, the very fabric of space and time breaking down.

"This is my tomb. and I will watch your new world from here." Around him monsters start to appear out of the darkness. "Tch, I'm like you monsters... we die here!" Holding his spear, he charges forward to the monsters. He flips over one and stabs another with his spear, then  he turns and slashes the one he flipped over. He jumps into the air and tosses his spear into another beast. Landing on the ground, he punches two beasts in the face and kicks one across the head. Black dust swirls around him, the remains of the monsters he just killed.

"Pathetic! This world is truly dead, isn't it! Then I will wipe you ALL OUT!" He grabs the card and his spear, "UNISON! REVERSE TIGER!" He leaps into the air as a black light surrounds his body. As the light disperses, his new form can be seen. Black armaments with white stripes cover his body, His chest plate protects his chest and shoulders, with the same patterns on the sides of it. Attached to the lower part of the chest plate is a tail with the same white stripes, but at the end of it is a blade with the same design. The gauntlets around his arms are thick and strong with the black color and white stripes, With his hands in the form of black claws. His lower legs are completely covered by the armor, with claws jutting out the bottom. and underneath the armor is another layer of black protective material.

He slashes down several monsters and stabs one behind him with his tail, and he howls like a beast. "COME AT ME!  It’s only you and me in this end of the world and I’ll assure you it will take a lot more to kill me!" He pulls the tail off of his armor and it becomes a staff with a blade on each end. Using it like his spear he stabs it into One of the monsters,

“REVERSE CATASTROPHE!” He pulls a trigger and out of the end of the staff currently plunged into the chest of the monster and lets out a huge black blast that breaks the monster appart. He spins the staff around his hand, as more and more monsters start to appear. The seemingly endless horde stood up from the surroundings. He continues to fight, slamming his fists and his staff into several monsters that surround him.

The sun above him starts to fade, light begins to die from this world. And as the sun dies stars can be seen in the sky, and they to start to fade and disappear. “The end is near for you all! Your hatred… Your anger, Your fear...” the man’s eyes are filled with anger.

“IT ALL ENDS HERE! I WON’T LET YOU GET TO THE NEW WORLD!”He takes his staff and spins, blasting the monsters with the energy blaster. In his eye shield it says his ‘Sync Rate’ was falling.

“Reverse… it looks like we have to use that. Last chance… do you want to die here with me?”

A  voice comes from his helmet. “We were born in the darkness… and we shall die in the darkness…”

The man nods as all light dies. “It’s over for us partner… But… for them? For her? Nah… they are going to live in that bright new world...” He clenches his fist. “I .... We will protect them. Final Move… ADVENT UNISON!!! REVERSE APOCALYPSE.” The white stripes on his armor glows black, and a dark aura surrounds him. Cracks appear all over his armor and body. “I AM THE ECHO! The last remnant of a dead and forgotten universe… So in this instant! I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!!!! THAT EVIL WON'T LIVE EVER AGAIN!” and the man explodes, destroying the planet he was on. As the explosion expands it destroys a fleet of dark ships in orbit and even more. He wakes up in the chair he had been sitting in. His hand on his forehead, “One Down… heh… I can’t even die right.” He takes a deep breath. His head rests on the back of the chair “I hope you guys live happy… ”

John Bradley

Writing Down the Bones: Ten things You need to Know About Editors (Whether You're Published or Not) part 1

Now we're going to work on the 10 Things You Should Know About Editors (Whether You're Published or Not) written by Paula Eykelhof (editor)

I'm one of those rarely spotted editors so this is going to be fun...I think. Also remember that this is from the 80's so this was before e-pubs became the norm. It was written for the brick and mortar and works for both.

1.) Please be professional. This goes without saying. That first impression via e-mail or in person is very important. This includes being reliable and courteous. When you submit make sure your manuscript is as clean as possible, use standard font like times new roman. Understand that your editor is there to help you. Don't take criticism personally. That's their job.

2.) Editors want to be treated professionally. Paula says that their not your career councilor, psychologist or parent.

3.)  Editors are extremely busy, normally doing lots of books simultaneously. Please respect their time. Understand that they will respond as quickly as they can.

4.) The next one shows its age to me. I conduct all my business as an editor and an author via e-mail. Anyway, everyone likes to be appreciated. If you get a personal letter of encouragement or one with constructive criticism and you want to thank them please do so. You can send a thank you note either through the mail or e-mail. I'd sent it via same way you had corresponded when you submitted.

5.) Editors should be treated with respect. You shouldn't gossip or say any negative things about any editor. Especially if you've never worked with them.

I hope to post the second half next week.

Welcome my Latest Guest Michele Zurlo! @MZurloAuthor

I want to welcome Michele Zurlo. First I’d love you to introduce yourself.

I’m Michele Zurlo, author of over 20 romance novels. During the day, I teach English, and in the evenings, romantic tales flow from my fingertips.

I’m not half as interesting as my characters. My childhood dreams tended to stretch no further than the next book in my to-be-read pile, and I aspired to be a librarian so I could read all day. I’m pretty impulsive when it comes to big decisions, especially when it’s something I’ve never done before. Writing is just one in a long line of impulsive decisions that turned out to showcase my great instincts. Find out more at www.michelezurloauthor.com or @MZurloAuthor

Tell us about your latest release.

Re/Defined (Doms of the FBI 4) is the latest installment in my Amazon best-selling BDSM romantic suspense series. Here’s the blurb:

Amy Markevich nurses fantasies about dominant agent Jordan Monaghan, but she knows they’ll never come true. He’s younger, to-die-for handsome, and so very different from her. She settles for friendship and dreaming from afar, even when he agrees to show her the platonic side of submission.

Jordan has always known what he wanted, and as he gets to know Amy, he’s convinced that she’s the complete package. Her sexy curves and passionate nature contrast sharply with her childlike innocence and exuberant joie de vivre. She calls to him—body and soul.

Just as he’s about to reveal that he’s a Daddy Dom and that he suspects Amy harbors an inner “little” and a submissive side, Amy witnesses a gruesome murder, and a terrorist organization puts her on top of their most-wanted list.

As they are forced to run for their lives from this unexpected enemy, Jordan helps Amy to accept her true nature—as a little—and to redefine everything she thought she knew about belonging to him.

Warnings: anal play, mini-golf, bondage, sensory play, suction cups, and laser tag.

Now I have a few questions for you – I have found readers do like to know fun things about us writers.

1.) Who is your favorite villain – it can be from a book (even one of yours), movie or TV show. And why?

I have to go to Doctor Who and pick River Song. She’s a villain because she kills the Doctor, but she’s also an antihero because she was mostly on the side of good. I don’t think you can like a true villain the way you can like an antihero. I like her because she’s smart, sassy, and sexy. She doesn’t care how she prevails, just that she does. She bends rules and keep secrets, and I like a woman with depth.

2.) Who is your favorite character out of your books? Why?

Choose a favorite? That’s so cruel! I love all my characters equally. As I write the stories, I fall in love with both of them. I watch them grow and become stronger, better people, and I love that about them. They make it possible for me to continue to have faith in humanity. I write strong, sassy heroines who push their Doms to be the best men they can be. Darcy Markevich Legato has been with me the longest. She’s had to overcome a lot of grief and hardship to find happiness, but luckily she had Malcolm to help her through it. Keith and Katrina, Dustin and Layla, Jordan and Amy, David and Autumn—they’re all my favorites. Right now I’m working with Tru, Jed, and Liam. She and I are at odds because she threw a huge wrench into my storyline by insisting on having two Doms instead of one. I haven’t written ménage in a long, long time.

3.) What do genre do you write? What made you pick that one?

MZ: I mostly write BDSM Romantic Suspense. That’s the genre where I’ve found the most success. I have a great series—Doms of the FBI—and I’ll be launching a spinoff series early in 2017.

4.) What are you working on now?

MZ: I’m working on edits for Re/Leased (Doms of the FBI 5) and the draft for Re/Viewed (DFBI 6). While that’s going on, I’m brainstorming the first book in the new series, tentatively titles SAFE Security. I’ll feature characters introduced in Re/Leased.

5.) What got you to start writing?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but I put that dream on a shelf and became a teacher. I’m a kickass teacher because one of my students won a national essay contest sponsored by Major League Baseball. His prize package brought Sharon Robinson, daughter of the incredible Jackie Robinson, to my classroom. During our talk, I told her that I’d always wanted to be a writer, and she told me that it was never too late to follow my dreams. MLB helped out with a laptop for the teacher (I love contests where teachers get stuff too!) and I was off. I worked hard and learned a lot, and two years later, my first novel was published.

6.) Where do you get your ideas from?

Everywhere. I’m a sponge. I see, read, pay attention to everything. The information bounces around in my head and mingles with characters and scenarios. Out of that, I weave stories.

7.) What would people who read your work be surprised to find out about you?

People are often surprised by things I think are inconsequential, like the fact that I teach or coach Science Olympiad teams, or that I talk baby talk to my dog but not my kids.

8.) Do you have any special talents?

I’m not sure I believe in talent. I believe in hard work, dedication, and following through on a commitment. I believe that anyone can learn or accomplish anything they want, myself included.

9.) What was the one piece of advice you received when you were an aspiring author that has stuck with you? Why?

Never give up; never surrender.

10.) If you could talk to any famous figure (present, past or fictional) who would it be and what would you talk about?

I wouldn’t talk to a famous figure. If I could, I would talk to my aunt Laurie who passed away several years ago after a long battle with recurring cancer. She was a dynamic woman who made a huge difference in my life.

11.) What song would you say describes your life?

It depends on my mood. Right now I’m mourning Prince, so I have Starfish and Coffee stuck in my head. It’s about opening your mind to possibilities you wouldn’t normally consider, and I feel like when I’ve done that, I’ve become a better person.

12.) If you could come back as any animal – what would it be?

A cat. I want to be pampered, petted, and treated like royalty.

a quick note - the cool thing? I'm on her blog today as well - https://michelezurloauthor.wordpress.com/

Link to the Wonderful World of Michele:

Website: http://www.michelezurloauthor.com/

Blog: https://michelezurloauthor.wordpress.com/

Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/authormichelezurlo/

Twitter: @MZurloAuthor

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/kCtqn

Amazon Follow: amazon.com/author/michelezurlo

Exquisite Quills: https://exquisitequills.blogspot.com

Private FB Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/499290280156304/

Re/Defined: http://www.amazon.com/Re-Defined-Doms-FBI-Book-ebook/dp/B019X8ZPHW

Welcome my Latest Guest Kim McMahill returns! @KimMcMahill

I want to welcome Kim McMahill.  First I’d love you to introduce yourself.

Thank you for having me on your blog.

I grew up in Wyoming, which is probably where I developed my sense of adventure and love of the outdoors. I started out writing non-fiction, but my love for exotic world travel, outrageous adventures, stories of survival, and happily-ever-after endings soon drew me into a world of romantic suspense. Along with writing adventure novels I’ve also published over eighty travel and geographic articles, and contributed to a travel anthology and cookbook. I’ve recently relocated to Colorado, which I’m very excited about. Not only am I right next door to my home state and much of my family, I’m back in my beloved Rocky Mountains. When I’m not writing, I enjoy gardening, traveling, hiking, and cheering on the Wyoming Cowboys and Denver Broncos.

Tell us about your latest release.

A Taste of Tragedy is the second novel in the Risky Research Series. In the first novel, A Dose of Danger, a researcher and her team believe they had discovered a miracle weight loss pill, which makes them the targets of a deadly group intent on controlling the multi-billion dollar-a-year diet product industry. In A Taste of Tragedy, a company uses and promotes a potentially deadly sweetener in its Healthy and Delicious Foods line. The product turns the company into a global powerhouse, but when their newest vice president uncovers evidence that the healthy foods she’s been hired to promote may be dangerous, she is forced to reevaluate her priorities. As questions mount and the body count rises, she finds herself caught in the crosshairs of an organization that will stop at nothing to hide its secrets and protect its profits.

Now I have a few questions for you – I have found readers do like to know fun things about us writers.

1.) Who is your favorite author? Do you feel you write like them?

Clive Cussler is my favorite author and the king of adventure novels. I would love to write like him, but our different life experiences and my female perspective on the adventure novel will always provide a unique spin on any story.

2.) What was your favorite book growing up?

Charlotte’s Web

3.) Are you a plotter or a pantser and why did you choose that method?

I’m a little of both, and the degree of each depends on the story. Shrouded In Secrets had so many complex scenarios to keep track of that I had note cards and maps pinned to a cork board and a fairly detailed chapter-by-chapter outline. I always keep a running chapter-by-chapter cheat sheet at a minimum, but if the story is flowing, I just let it go and see where I end up.

4.) Do you consider writing a career or a hobby? Why?

Definitely a career. I put too much time and effort into my craft and into marketing to consider it anything less.

5.) What are you working on now?

I’ve got the basic plot fleshed out in my third novel in the Risky Research series, A Foundation of Fear. The fourth is still in my head. The series explores the lengths a deadly group of criminals will go to in order to control the 40 to 100 billion dollar-a-year diet product industry.

6.) What one piece of advice would you like to pass on to an up and coming author?

Keep your expectations realistic. No matter how good your work may be, the competition is tough and getting noticed takes as much work and skill as writing that great novel.

7.) If you had the ability to time travel and your first visit was to see a younger version of yourself what would you say to that younger self?

Don’t sweat the small stuff or worry about the future. You will be one of the fortunate few who find the love of your life and soulmate, and you’ll get to experience a magnificent journey together.

8.) You just got a million dollars, whether it’s from an inheritance, the lottery, or a sweet book deal doesn’t matter. What would be the first thing you would buy for yourself?

I would take my husband on a very long exotic cruise.

9.) If you could un-invent one thing in the world what would it be?

The smart phone has changed society in immeasurable ways, and I can’t say very many of them are good. The device has made certain things easier, but it seems almost like a drug and being addicted to anything is scary.

10.) What is your favorite movie/TV Show? Why?

One of my all-time favorite movies has to be Sahara. It is based on a Clive Cussler novel of the same name. It is an entertaining adventure where the characters are trying to stop an ecological disaster of epic proportions, yet somehow Cussler always weaves in a few things that make you laugh or at least smile. I’m also quite fond of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Everyone always dreams of a little adventure, but it takes strength to go outside your comfort zone and grab it.

Blurb:

Morgan Hunter sacrificed everything for her career. She had yet to encounter anything she wasn’t willing to do to succeed . . . until now. When she uncovers evidence that the healthy foods she’s been hired to promote may be dangerous, she must reevaluate her priorities. As questions mount and the body count rises, she finds herself caught in the crosshairs of an organization that will stop at nothing to hide its secrets and protect its profits. With no one else to trust, Morgan is forced to seek help from the man she drove away, but whom she never stopped loving.

Excerpt:

“Here, let me help you,” Morgan said as she draped Devyn’s arm around her shoulders.

Morgan tried to relieve as much weight as she could from Devyn as she helped her hobble to the waiting vehicle. Once Devyn was seated in the cramped back seat, Morgan dug out her emergency supply bag. She handed Devyn a blanket and a bottle of water. “I have a first aid kit, but I think you need something a little more than a bandage.”

“It’s just a few scratches. I’ll live.”

Morgan could see why Nick trusted Devyn with his back. As she looked at the battered and bruised woman, who had taken off into the desert in the middle of the night in bare feet to prevent a criminal from getting away, she had to admire her. Devyn had to be in extreme pain, yet not a complaint escaped her lips.

“Make room in the back,” Nick huffed.

Morgan looked up to see Nick trudging toward her with an inert Aaron slung over his shoulder. She raced to the tiny back cargo area and moved a few items around so Nick could squeeze the body in the vehicle.

“Is he dead?” Morgan whispered.

“Not quite, but we need to get him medical help A.S.A.P. The bullet didn’t hit any vital organs, but I’m not sure how much damage he suffered from the knock to the head”

Morgan watched as Nick set the man down in the vehicle, and then she joined Devyn in the back seat. Turning around and kneeling, she was able to lean over the seat and assess Aaron’s injuries. She folded up a handkerchief and placed it over Aaron’s gunshot wound and applied pressure. She wasn’t sure which was bleeding more, the bullet hole or the bump and cut to the head, but she had to try and slow the blood loss any way she could.

“That’s all we can do for now,” Nick said. “Just keep the pressure on the best you can.”

Morgan nodded as Nick secured the back and then got behind the wheel.

“You okay?” Nick asked as he turned to face Devyn.

“I’ve had better days, but sadly, I’ve had worse.”

Buy link:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DTE29U2/

Social Media Links:

Website: http://kimmcmahill.com

Blog:  http://kimmcmahill.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kimmcmahill.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/849945.Kim_McMahill