Cajun Nights and the Characters Within: The Many Lives of a TV Series that Never Was

D.J. Donaldson, author of Cajun Nights

LIFE #1

Cajun Nights was my first novel featuring New Orleans medical examiner, Andy Broussard, and his suicide/death investigator, Kit Franklyn. A few weeks after the book was published, I got a call from my agent with the surprising news that, “There’s been a flurry of movie and TV interest in your book.” I'd never considered that such a thing was possible. So that was one of the best phone calls I ever had.

Subsequently, a production company headed by the former director of programming at CBS took an option on the series, planning to shape it into a TV show. As perhaps some of you know, this phase of things is known as “development hell”, because it takes a very long time to make anything happen. So a year went by with no news. I figure, okay, the thing is dead. But, the producers renewed their option for another year, which meant I got paid again. It wasn't a lot of money, but with that check, I’d made more money from the two option years than the advance I was given on the book by the publisher.

So more time goes by with no news. Now, I’m not even thinking about it anymore. Then, while I was attending a scientific meeting in Dallas, I got a call from the agent in Hollywood who was handling the dramatic rights. CBS had agreed to pay for a pilot screenplay. I wasn't sure what that meant, but if this guy had tracked me down in Dallas just to tell me that, it must be a big deal. And guess what… I got another check as an advance on the screenplay even though I wasn't gonna write it. I was beginning to love the agent who created that contract.

They chose as a writer someone who'd had several movies produced. That may seem like something not worth mentioning, but I'd read an article once that said it was possible to have a career as a screenwriter and never have anything produced. (Yeah, I don't quite get that either, but it sure seemed like the writer we had, was the better kind.) With her experience and success, I was sure we'd get a great screenplay.

A few months later, a package arrives in the mail. IT’S THE SCREENPLAY. I'm so excited, I quickly skim the enclosed letter from the producers: “Read this over and tell us three things you don't like about it.” That’s ridiculous, I’m gonna love it. After all, it was written by a pro.

Well, I hated all of it. The writer didn't seem to “get” the relationship between Andy and Kit. I couldn't believe it. The books show that non-romantic love is possible between an unrelated man and woman of greatly differing ages. Though he can't admit it, Broussard loves Kit like the daughter he never had. Kit loves Broussard like a father, even though she has a father. How do I boil all the things I hate down to just three items? Somehow I manage and send my reply back.

As it turned out, the producers didn't really care about any of my thoughts. Was I upset? Not really, because I figured they know TV, I don’t. And… surprise, when they gave the script to CBS, I got another check. Now I definitely love my agent.

The producers are sure the script will be approved and we’ll soon be shooting a pilot. They invite me to watch them film in New Orleans. They say they’ll even find a bit part for me. They predict that the series will run for ten years. And they should know. Their show, Cagney and Lacey, ran for seven seasons. Now I’m excited.

But… later, I get another call. CBS didn't like the script. And they didn't want to see a rewrite with the same story. The producers asked me if I had any ideas. The screenplay was based on the second book in the series. When I got this call I was sitting at my desk looking at the rough draft of book number three. I pitched them the story and they said, “Send us a copy by overnight mail.” This was back before manuscripts could be sent by e-mail. (I know, I can hardly remember those days myself.)

So another screenplay was written, which didn't fare any better than the first. Thus life #1 of my hoped-for TV series went to a quiet demise.

LIFE #2

A few years later, while I was at the Kentucky book fair promoting book number five in the series, a young blonde fellow bought a book. We spoke for a few minutes and he moved on. Later, back in Memphis, I get a call from this guy. He wants to option the series for TV. I tell him about my earlier experience with the other producers, who failed, but he’s unfazed. We strike a deal. There’s talk about John Goodman playing Broussard. John Goodman… he lives in New Orleans and he’d be a great fit. I love it.

Within a few weeks the producer calls to say he’s on his way to Memphis and could I meet him and John Goodman’s “best friend,” at the Peabody Hotel. (The Peabody lobby is where William Faulkner and his mistress used to have drinks.) The meeting takes place and I give the best friend a copy of the latest book, which he assures us, will be in John Goodman’s hands within twenty-four hours. That was the last time I ever heard from him or the producer. So I guess the deal is off.

LIFE #3

In my primary occupation, I taught medical and dental students microscopic anatomy. One day I get a call from a former dental student. He’s now a part-time actor who’s been in a couple of notable films. He says that he and a long-time Hollywood promoter have formed a production company and are looking for material. He remembers that I wrote a few novels and wonders what I’ve been doing since he last saw me. I talk about my work and send him some books.

Very soon thereafter he calls me again and says he and his partner “are on fire over these forensic books.” They believe the series would make a great TV SERIES. He asks me who I’d like to play Broussard. I tell him I've always believed Wilford Brimley would be perfect. Incredibly, my former student says that his partner had lunch with Wilford just last week. He’s sure they can get him to sign on. With an actor of Wilford’s stature attached to the project, we’ll surely get a deal.

Was all this talk about Brimley just smoke? No. Because they actually got him on board. And what’s even better, my former student and his partner were working with another producer who had a development deal with the Sci-Fi network. They planned to present my series to the network three weeks hence, focusing on the real and apparent paranormal aspects of the first two books.

On presentation day at the Sci-Fi Network my student calls me just before they go in. I wait anxiously the rest of the day to hear how it went. Years later, I’m still waiting. The only contact I’ve had since presentation day is a big envelope from the producer who had the development deal. In the envelope is a bunch of stuff I wrote for the presentation along with a note from the producer that says, “Sorry we couldn't have worked longer on this together.”

LESSON LEARNED

Early in the machinations of the first development deal, I used to caution myself not to spend any time thinking about how great it would be if every week I could watch my characters living and breathing on a TV show. My thinking was that if I kept a tight rein on my expectations, it’d be much easier on my psyche if things didn't work out.

But then I realized I was missing out on the excitement of the possibility. Why not let my mind run with it? Then, even if none of the deals came to fruition I would still have the pleasure of being part of a great endeavor. So that’s what I did. And now, even though I never played that bit part in a pilot and I've never seen John Goodman or Wilford Brimley bring Broussard to life, I sure had a lot of fun along the way.

(By the way, if you're a TV/film producer, the rights are available.)

Young and vibrant New Orleans criminal psychologist Kit Franklyn has just been assigned her most challenging case yet—a collection of victims with type O blood who drove an antiquated car, humming a nursery rhyme right before committing murder and then suicide. Welcoming the help of her jovial boss, chief medical examiner Andy Broussard, the two set out to solve the case devising strictly scientific possibilities. Not once do they consider the involvement of black magic until an ancient Cajun sorcerer’s curse surfaces—“Beware the songs you loved in youth.”

Written in his unique style, Donaldson’s Cajun Nights combines hard-hitting, action-packed prose with brilliant first-hand knowledge of forensics and the sultry flavor of New Orleans. The result is a gripping mystery involving murder and some occult flare in the creole heartland.

Buy Cajun Nights on

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About D.J. Donaldson

D.J. Donaldson is a retired professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology. His entire academic career was spent at the University of Tennessee, Health Science Center, where he published dozens of papers on wound-healing and where he taught microscopic anatomy to thousands of medical and dental students.

He is also the author of seven published forensic mysteries and five medical thrillers. He lives in Memphis, Tennessee with his wife and two West Highland terriers. In the spring of most years he simply cannot stop buying new flowers and other plants for the couple’s prized backyard garden.

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A Forensic/Medical Author’s Take on Ebola and the CDC

Outbreak… Breakdown A Forensic/Medical Author’s Take on Ebola and the CDC

D.J. Donaldson is a retired professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Tennessee, Health Science Center—where he taught and published dozens of papers on wound-healing and other health issues. He is the author of Louisiana Fever, one of the seven in the Andy Broussard/Kit Franklyn series of forensic mystery thrillers.
My book, Louisiana Fever, involves the spread of a bleeding disease known as Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever. This is a real disease that, like its close relative, Ebola, is caused by an infectious virus. And having researched this thoroughly (and having come from a forensic/health background) I feel compelled to weigh in on the Ebola outbreak.

When I was plotting Louisiana Fever, I figured I ought to have a character in the book that was once an infectious disease specialist at the CDC. It seemed like a logical idea because the CDC is this country’s unquestioned champion against virulent organisms, an organization staffed with experts that know every nuance of tropical viruses and how they can be controlled.

To make sure my writing about the CDC would have an authentic ring to it, I asked the public relations office of the CDC if I might be given a tour of the place. “Sorry,” I was told. “We don’t give tours.” Considering how many dangerous viruses are stored in the various labs there, that seemed like a good policy, even to me. So there would be no tour. But then I heard from someone in my department at the U. of Tennessee Medical Center that one of our former graduate students now worked at the CDC. I began to wonder if this connection might work to my advantage.

And it certainly did. The former student was now a virology section chief. A SECTION CHIEF…. Holy cow! This could be my way in. But would the man be generous by nature and sympathetic to writers? He proved to be both of those.

On the day of my visit, I reported to the security office as instructed. There, I had to wait until my host came to escort me into the bowels of the place… no wandering around on my own with a visitor’s badge. That day I saw the hot zone in action and spoke with experts in many fields of virology, even spent some time with the world expert on porcine retroviruses. At the end of my visit—including all the cumbersome clinical protocols I had to engage in both before and during said visit—I not only left feeling more educated, but actually more safe and secure that no tropical virus would ever be a threat to this country… not with the meticulous, detail-oriented, security conscious, microbe fighters at the CDC watching out for us.

So, it’s with much regret and… yes, even a little fear, that I witnessed the head of the CDC recently assuring us that the Ebola virus is very difficult to transmit and that we know exactly how to control it. Instead of (what looked like) his clumsy attempts to soothe an ignorant and paranoid public, the CDC head should have given a blunt assessment, educated everyone like adults, and encouraged them to exercise precaution. Then, seemingly in answer, two nurses who cared for the index patient from Liberia become Ebola positive. And the CDC clears one of those nurses to take a commercial airline flight, even though she was in the early stages of Ebola infection…depressing. From a medical professional standpoint, this was practically criminal negligence. At present, the disease is not transmitted by air ("airborne"), but any scientist worth his/her salt cannot account for mutations the virus may undergo. This is why the job of the CDC is to contain harmful microbes, issue protocols to protect the public against them and ultimately eradicate them... period. It is not to be PR professionals for television cameras and fostering carelessness.

I’m still convinced that the combined knowledge and brainpower of the CDC staff will be a major impediment to any virus taking over this country. But Ebola probably has some tricks we haven’t seen yet. That means we may lose a few more battles before we can declare that this particular threat is behind us.

Meanwhile, how is development of that Ebola vaccine coming?

About Louisiana Fever:

Andy Broussard, the plump and proud New Orleans medical examiner, obviously loves food. Less apparent to the casual observer is his hatred of murderers. Together with his gorgeous sidekick, psychologist Kit Franklyn, the two make a powerful, although improbable, mystery solving duo. When the beautiful Kit goes to meet an anonymous stranger—who’s been sending her roses—the man drops dead at her feet before she even could even get his name. Game on.

Andy Broussard soon learns that the man carried a lethal pathogen similar to the deadly Ebola virus. Soon, another body turns up with the same bug. Panic is imminent as the threat of pandemic is more real than ever before. The danger is even more acute, because the carrier is mobile, his identity is an absolute shocker, he knows he’s a walking weapon and… he’s on a quest to find Broussard. And Kit isn’t safe either. When she investigates her mystery suitor further, she runs afoul of a cold blooded killer, every bit as deadly as the man searching for Broussard. Louisiana Fever is written in Donaldson’s unique style: A hard-hitting, punchy, action-packed prose that’s dripping with a folksy, decidedly southern, sense of irony. Add in Donaldson’s brilliant first hand knowledge of forensics and the sultry flavor of New Orleans, and the result is first class forensic procedural within an irresistibly delectable mystery.

Buy Louisiana Fever on

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Available Now: Anabel Divided by Amanda Romine Lynch

To celebrate the highly anticipated release of Anabel Divided, the sequel to Anabel Unraveled, Amanda Romine Lynch is sharing a scene that was left on the cutting room floor.

I was devastated to hear that Stephen Colbert is moving on, because I've always been a huge fan of The Colbert Report. In case there is any doubt, check out this photo of me with Stephen’s portrait at the National Portrait Gallery. It’s hard to say which one of us looks more fierce, but he probably wins because I have bangs in this picture and he does not.

When I started work on the sequel to Anabel Unraveled, I played around with the opening for a long time before I found one that I felt really worked for me. But in the initial draft, I had Anabel make a guest appearance on The Colbert Report. It seemed perfect for her—offbeat, snarky, and less high-profile than an interview with one of the bigger names. Plus, as she remarks to Jared, she doesn’t want to put herself in a situation where she gets, er, “Sarah Palin-ed.”

So from Jared’s perspective, here is Anabel’s national television debut:

The crowd was laughing, like they always did at Stephen Colbert’s jokes. “Nation, I just don’t think…” he began, but I was distracted.
Meghan sat down next to me, patting my arm reassuringly. “She’ll be fine.” But even her tone was doubtful.
I nodded, and glanced at the sleeping baby in the travel bassinet. She was still oblivious. Good.
“Jared,” Meghan said gently. “She knows what she’s doing.”
“Does she?” I murmured, bemused. She was a force to be reckoned with, sure. But Stephen Colbert?
“My guest tonight,” he was saying, as we watched him onscreen from the couch in the green room, “has been a social recluse for months, but has agreed to come on my show and give her own version of how she single-handedly brought down her brother’s presidency. Ladies and gentlemen, Anabel Martin!”
Colbert did his usual routine of sprinting over to the interview area, where Anabel was waiting for him. She shook his hand and smiled brightly at him, running a hand through the glossy waves that the stylist had created for her. If she was nervous, she didn’t give anything away.
He sat across the table from her. “Anabel Martin,” he began.
“Stephen Colbert,” she returned, cocking her head to one side. There were a few laughs from the crowd.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said with a smile.
“Likewise,” she said. “But Stephen, let’s clear the air here. I didn’t single-handedly bring down my brother’s presidency; I had a great deal of help in that department.”
More laughter.
She held her own well enough as he asked her questions about Sam. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, we were thrilled when the White House switched hands.”
“Yes, I figured that’s why the head of the RNC sent me that fruit basket,” she said drily.
More laughter.
“Now, Anabel, tell me,” he said. “You have shied away from interviews with all the major news outlets, with some very heavy hitters. Why did you take me up on my offer?”
She tossed her hair coquettishly. “Why, because you’re cute, Colbert!” she replied with a saucy grin.
I laughed out loud at the look on his face. Meghan grinned. “She’s perfect,” my sister said softly. “I wish I had that much poise.”
“But seriously, Anabel,” he said, recovering his composure.
Anabel grinned at him. “Not taking me at my word?” She sighed dramatically. “Well, when you have spent the bulk of your time Stateside worrying about every little word you say, you don’t want to do an interview with someone who you know has the power to verbally eviscerate you.”
“Oh, come now,” he said, adjusting his glasses. “I could do that to you.”
Wide-eyed, Anabel leaned forward and rested her head on her hands. “Oh, I know you could, Stephen.” She paused, and tilted her head again. “But you wouldn’t,” she said in a low voice.
“And why’s that?”
She grinned. “Because you think I’m cute.”
More laughter.
“Good girl,” whispered Meghan. “She has them eating right out of her hands, Jared. She did make the right choice.”
“She’s got to be careful,” I replied softly, watching Emma stir. “It’s not over yet.”
“How is your brother?” he was asking her.
Anabel’s smile faded. “All things considered,” she said ruefully, “he’s doing rather well. I mean, when you factor in the psycho ex-wife and the sister who ruined his political career. He’s a good man, my brother. Doesn’t blame me.” She looked down again. “He treats me like I’m his kid rather than his sister, which sometimes causes strife between us, but as far as I’m concerned, there’s no finer man than him.”
There was applause, and then Colbert said slyly, “Except maybe Jared Sorensen.”
My sister gasped, but Anabel met his gaze with a challenging one of her own. “Oh, do you want me to put in a good word for you? I am more than happy to, but I have to be honest, Stephen, I hardly think you’re his type.”
The audience laughed, and Stephen said, “Do you see him often?”
“Oh, yes,” she said blithely. “You can’t possibly think that I’d do solo diaper duty. Those things are disgusting.”
“Now what about your bodyguard?”
“The one sitting in the audience over there?” She gestured at Matt, and the camera panned to him. He definitely lacked Anabel’s ease, and he gave a quick wave. “Yeah, he’s still in the picture,” she said, as she came back on the screen. “He’s a keeper.”
I rolled my eyes, and Meg put her hand on my arm. “Don’t,” I said to her. She let go.
“Now what are you future plans?”
“Oh, I figured I’d pop over to the Middle East and see if there are any regimes over there that need toppling,” she said amiably. “But I’m actually leaving the DC area…”

You can find out where Anabel and Jared wind up outside of DC in Anabel Divided.

About Anabel Divided: Anabel Martin thought that the resolution of her father's murder would bring a resolution to her problems. After all, she was starting life over in a new place, with new friends, and new adventures, focusing on attending college and raising her daughter free from the distractions of Washington, DC. She was ready to move on.

But a trip back to the District for Meghan's wedding stirs up old feelings and brings new life to old relationships. Matt is cold and distant, while Jared is caring and attentive. A woman from Matt's past, a bold public flirtation, and Anabel's desire to be truly loved lead her to a crossroads...and her final decision leaves her with more questions than answers.

Anabel Divided is now available

but you want to read Anabel Unraveled first.

About the Author: Amanda Romine Lynch is a writer, editor, and blogger who grew up in Florida knowing she belonged somewhere else. She now lives in the DC Metro Area with her husband and three amazing little boys. She is the Eco-Friendly/Green Living Contributor over at the Prime Parents’ Club and strives to live earth friendly in a world of disposable diapers. When not writing about Anabel and Jared or chasing around a curly-haired boy, she cheers for the Gators (in all kinds of weather) and occasionally remembers to sleep.

Connect with Amanda on Facebook and Twitter

Discover more at AmandaRomineLynch.com

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The Dark Horse: Hazards of Being a Writer - Alison DeLuca

Books are vampires, some of them – they bite into you and don’t let go. Like a vampyr’s victim, the reader is changed forever.

It’s even worse when the urge to write takes hold. It is a fever that produces visions, ones that are so strong that at times they feel like reality. It can be a form of madness.

An author must be strong, must learn to live in two worlds at once. When the characters are talking and the scene plays out in the author’s head, as she listens to those voices and sees what happens to people who are, to her, completely real – when the real world intervenes, she must learn to silence the other, the unseen universe.

Of course the most important thing in the world is one’s family – children, husband, parents. Yet, when the writer is on a roll, riding that dark horse called fantasy as the movie plays out in her head, when the real world calls, she must rein in the steed and dismount.

In order to control those two warring, concurrent universes, the writer must have system – a plan. Writing needs to be in one room, real life in another. (Jane Austen was so conscious of this that she used to hide what she wrote under a piece of paper, kept on hand at all times, should anyone enter the room.)

The escape and the visions are scheduled for certain times – in the morning in my case, for others, at the dead of night. The visions themselves are outlined, or planned in careful notes, with painstaking research, all to create a map for the wild regions known as the Right Side of the Brain.

I don’t know why some people have that key to the stables, to ride the dark horse. In my case, perhaps it came from a childhood without much television, where my sister and I entertained ourselves with our own made up stories. As we sat in absolute silence in endless, formal teas, we formed the ability to see within, to watch an interior movie that no one else could see.

There are many hazards of being a writer – deadlines, editors, publishers, and social media. For me, however, the greatest pleasure in being an author is also my greatest hazard – that of harnessing the dark horse.

About the Author:  Alison DeLuca is the author of several steampunk and urban fantasy books. She was born in Arizona and has also lived in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Mexico, Ireland, and Spain.

Currently she wrestles words and laundry in New Jersey.

Connect with Alison DeLuca

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See all books by Alison DeLuca on Amazon

About The Crown Phoenix Series:  An underground factory, a terrifying laboratory, and an Edwardian hospital…

Miriam has only her guardians' son for company, and she and Simon dislike each other from the start. But they must find a way to trust each other, or they will end up on the sinister Night Watchman Express.

Target audience: Twelve and up.

Genres: Steampunk, Edwardian fiction, YA fantasy

Amazon Affiliate Links are used within this post. That means when you click through and purchase something (anything!) from Amazon I earn a *small* percentage of the sale. It never costs you any extra but it helps me keep this site running.

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RJ Sullivan: "Profound" language and the storyteller's quandary

Haunting Blue is the story of a 17 year old punk girl who attends a small town high school. Prior to that, "Blue" hung out with college-age students for several years. As a result of her upbringing, she expresses herself with blunt, direct language. Like any other high school rebel, Blue is an angry person. She feels justified in that anger, picked upon, and she responds to the world aggressively--in words and deeds.

Although it has been quite a few years since I've walked the halls of my high school with anyone I could call my peers, I still remember the constant ambiance of four-letter words. Even if you did not use such words yourself, you couldn't avoid hearing a variety of--to use Mr. Spock's vernacular--"colorful metaphors." As everything else in high school--from bullying to music to styles--has slanted toward the extreme, I've no doubt that this trend has gone the same direction.

So when drafting my novel, I let Blue to talk the way she would talk. This was not about shock value, or, as a common accusation goes, to try to be "cool" or trendy in order to sell books. This was about letting Blue behave as Blue, and saying exactly what's on her mind.

Still, there is another side, a certain reader who prefers not to read a book full of four-letter words, and to them, I always say, "this book is not for you." I hate having to say that, because any author who wants to have any hope of success does not turn down a sale on purpose if they can help it. But neither do I want to alienate a new reader by not disclosing this important part of the book.

And I get it. I'm a parent with children. My two oldest are not, in my own estimation..."quite" ... ready to read my books. But they will be, sooner than later. And that's okay. Yes, you are reading this right--my own children have not yet read my major novels. And if I were a potential customer on the other side of the booth, I would not buy the book for my kids. (Maybe for myself, but not my kids.)

Because I am a parent, I made a number of conscious choices in my marketing to make certain that anyone who considers buying Haunting Blue knows what they are getting. The first words on the back cover read "Punk, blue-haired 'Blue' Shaefer is at odds with her workahaulic mother." Immediately, the potential reader knows this isn't Snow White.

My novel, and my series, is filed under adult paranormal thrillers, and the front cover of Haunting Blue with the demonic blue eyes on the pirate is meant to give younger readers and their parents pause. As a product, my series is not filed under YA, even though the category is "hot" and the character is a high school girl.

The book trailer was created specially to drive this point home. I've been asked, frequently, why I have dialog in the trailer, and why do I have "bleeped out words" that censor the language. A book trailer is meant to give a potential buyer an idea about the book. Ideally, it draws the reader to want to find out what they can expect before they buy the book. Anyone who sees my trailer knows how Blue talks in that scene, and can presume (correctly) that the novel offers more of the same.

Still, all three of my novels get the occasional lower rated review by some reader who is put off by the language or the content.

To those readers, I offer three thoughts. First, the vulgarity and delinquent actions that Blue exhibits come from an honest place. Every word, every action, was a choice I made to be as true to the actions and words of the character as I believe she would behave. Rebecca Burton, my paranormal investigator professional, does not exhibit any of these traits. 2. I've come to accept that certain stories I write will not be for everyone. I have to target a specific demographic and seek out the reader of the stories that I want to tell. When the book ends up outside that demographic, that is my failure, not yours. To those put off by the content, I don't apologize for the content, but I do apologize that my marketing did not make the content clear. 3. That's not to say I don't have anything for a more general reader. My Red Lotus space opera ebooks are written with a more general audience in mind. Not because I was aiming for a different demographic, but because the truth of the story happens to make it more palatable to a wider audience.

Could I have rewritten my stories to lessen or eliminate the profanity? I suppose so. And many very good writers are able to do so. But I faced a choice many storytellers face, and I chose to hold a magnifying glass up to imperfect people and show them, warts and all. I think they're still likeable in spite of their flaws.

I understand the dilemma of a sensitive genre reader trying to make wise choices and find fiction that appeals to them. I don/'t hold those choices against them. Just consider that the storyteller faced their own dilemma, and simply made a choice that doesn't appeal to you. And that's okay.

Haunting Blue Book Synopsis: Punk, blue-haired “Blue” Shaefer, is at odds with her workaholic single mother. Raised as a city girl in a suburb of Indianapolis, Blue must abandon the life she knows when her unfeeling mother moves them to a dreadful small town. Blue befriends the only student willing to talk to her: computer nerd “Chip” Farren.

Chip knows the connection between the rickety pirate boat ride at the local amusement park and the missing money from an infamous bank heist the townspeople still talk about. When Blue helps him recover the treasure, they awaken a vengeful ghost who’ll stop at nothing--not even murder--to prevent them from exposing the truth behind his evil deeds.

Haunting Blue is Book One of the Adventures of Blue Shaefer

Purchase Haunting Blue from Amazon for Kindle or Paperback

About RJ Sullivan: Haunting Blue is the first book of the adventures of punk girl Fiona “Blue” Shaefer. This is the 2014 revised edition by Seventh Star Press. Seventh Star also released Haunting Obsession, a Rebecca Burton Novella, and Virtual Blue, the second book in Fiona’s tale. R.J.’s short stories have been featured in such acclaimed collections as Dark Faith: Invocations by Apex Books and Vampires Don’t Sparkle. His newest project is the Red Lotus series of science fiction novelettes.

R.J. resides in Heartland Crossing, Indiana. He drinks coffee from a Little Mermaid mug and is man enough to admit it. www.rjsullivanfiction.com

Connect with RJ: Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads

Find more books on the Amazon author page for RJ Sullivan

Amazon Affiliate Links are used within this post. That means when you click through and purchase something (anything!) from Amazon I earn a *small* percentage of the sale. It never costs you any extra but it helps me keep this site running.

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Writers have Voices Too (Even If We Don’t Sing) - Ciara Ballintyne

Writers have Voices Too (Even If We Don’t Sing)

I confess – I’m a lawyer. A financial services lawyer. Sounds boring, huh? Don’t hold it against me!

The vast majority of my writing is technical legal writing. That’s what I do, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and it’s hard for the few hours of creative writing a day to compete.

Technical legal writing is, by its very nature, formal. Even in a plain English format, it’s still formal and often passive, the very antithesis of what a well-written story should be. I have the dreadful bad habit of writing drafts in very formal language, and all my characters sound stilted, pompous and overly formal.

This is something I strive to change during revisions, but inevitably my editor asks for more changes. But some of it will always remain – and why?

Authorial voice.

Voice is a hard thing to describe. It’s often defined as the combination of style, word choices, sentence structure and so forth that an author makes, which combine to create the author’s ‘sound’. Acquiring editors are often heard to say voice is what makes a manuscript stand out for them, and make it compelling, and while that is true, that’s not a definition of voice. Also, voice is subjective – what one person likes, another will not.

This is reflected in the reviews of Confronting the Demon. One says the book is ‘worth it for the prose’. Quite a few others praise how the prose immerses them in Alloran’s world, to the point they can smell the rotten garbage and see the stairway of starlight. On the other hand, a couple chide me for trying too hard to use words that sound too ‘high fantasy’. The fact that I don’t try hard, that this is just naturally the way I speak and write, is irrelevant. What we can really take away from these conflicting reviews is that some people love my voice, and others don’t. That’s natural, and there’s no point in me trying to convert the ones who don’t – they simply aren’t my audience.

Authorial voice can be distinguished from character voice. When we submerge ourselves deeply in a character and write from their POV then, if the character has a distinct voice, it will at least partially eclipse the authorial voice. Then it is important to use words that character would choose.

What should be noted from this is that voice can be changed – but many writers find it difficult to write contrary to their natural authorial voice, and it’s even harder to do without a clear character’s personality dictating the new voice. How can one write differently to oneself? If not like ourselves, then like whom should we write? You could, of course, mimic another author’s voice, but that’s undesirable. How does one strive to make one’s own voice different yet not something else specifically?

So to some degree, my formality and word choice is part of my voice. We tone it down to make the story work, but it can’t be completely erased. My editor chides me for formal or archaic word choice, but I am clueless unless she tells me which words, because to me this is natural. It’s not only how I write, but partly how I speak. These are words and language and formality that I would use in my verbal language, not just at work, but casually, to the right audience.

Being a lawyer presents challenges to my creative writing, but it has also subtly, and indelibly, influenced my voice, and voice isn’t something that should be edited out.

Can you think of authors whose ‘voice’ you love? These will be the books that really sweep you away, take you to another place and time, and find truly compelling. Part of it will be story and character, but part of it will be the way the story speaks to you and stands out from other books you’ve read - that will be voice.

Confronting the Demon

The gates to hell are thrown wide when Alloran is betrayed by his best friend, Ladanyon, and framed for forbidden magic. He is hunted by the guards and the wizards both, tormented by the gruesome murder of his friends and loved ones, and crippled by fear for the living. Now Alloran must face his demons, or damn the woman he loves.

Includes the short story A Magical Melody

When a lethal spell is stolen from a locked and warded room, Avram must hunt down the thief before the song of power buries a city of innocents beneath a thousand tons of ice.

Buy Confronting the Demon on Amazon

About the Author:

Ciara Ballintyne was born in 1981 in Sydney, Australia, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, one masochistic cat, and one cat with a god complex. She holds degrees in law and accounting, and has been a practising financial services lawyer since 2004. She is both an idealist and a cynic.

She started reading epic fantasy at the age of nine, when she kidnapped Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings from her father. Another two years passed before she began her first attempts at the craft of writing. Confronting the Demon is her debut book.

She enjoys horse-riding, and speculation about taking over the world. If she could choose to be anything it would be a dragon, but instead she shares more in common with Dr. Gregory House of House. M.D.

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Meet Rebecca Burton from Virtual Blue

Thanks to Library Girl Reads for hosting this entry in the Virtual Blue tour, a character interview with Paranormal Investigator Rebecca Burton. Burton plays a supporting role in both Haunting Obsession and Virtual Blue. Burton doesn't know she's about to fend off some tough questions by another character that has played, not only a big part in the RJ-Verse, but in Burton's past.

Agent Rebecca Burton of the Special Investigations Unit enters a small interrogation room. She finds only two chairs, and seats herself in the one closest to the door. She checks her cell phone.

Burton: Well, I'll give them a couple more minutes. I told them my time is precious and I can't wait on a no-show.

A voice speaks from the air.

"Oh, I'm here, you just can't see me."

A ghostly, shapely blonde phases in, dressed in a yellow sundress and seated in the chair across from her. Burton's eyes widen in recognition of the deceased sixties movie star bombshell.

Burton: Maxine Marie.

Maxine: Hello, Rebecca. Surprised to see me?

Burton: [Stands] Given what happened after our first encounter, yes.

Maxine: Relax, Rebecca. Our mutual creator made me promise I could interview you, but only if I remained seated. [Maxine raises her hand, flexing her fingers, curving sharp nails into a claw shape] Come closer, Dear. I'd like to tweak your makeup.

Burton: Wonderful. Another bit of RJ's whimsy, I suppose. [Releases a breath] He and I need to have a talk.

Maxine: But you and I are going to talk first, Rebecca!

Burton: [Reseats herself] Very well. I trust you'll ask me questions about Virtual Blue as agreed?

Maxine: [Holds up copy of Virtual Blue] All in due time. But first....[lowers Virtual Blue, raises Haunting Obsession] RJ let me read the whole story about you and me last year. Since I was there, I thought I knew everything that happened, but I didn't, did I? I thought I had weakened Daryl to the point that he could barely move, and that he found some inner strength at the last second. [Glares] But now I know where his strength really came from, don't I?

Burton: We're going to make this about you? You had to be dealt with. I make no apologies for doing what I had to do. Even you admit you'd gotten out of control.

Maxine: [Lifts Virtual Blue] That brings me to this book. Field agent Rebecca Burton, paranormal investigator. So you're just a humble government official, right?

Burton: My bureau, the Special Investigations Unit, follows up on all supernatural events throughout the country. My territory is Indiana--I grew up there and still live there--but I have no jurisdiction.

Maxine: And that's all you are? A government agent?

Burton: Yes.

Maxine: [scoffs] And I'm resuming my movie career and I'm going to appear in the next Star Wars movie.

Burton: As the ghost of Obi Wan Kenobi, no doubt. Wait a minute. How do you know about Star Wars?

Maxine: Never mind about that. [Giggles. Opens up a page in Virtual Blue] Tell me about the Kelranian Order.

Burton: [Fidgets] The Kelranian Order...they're a sort of...I guess you'd call them occult specialists, sort of intellectual hobbyists that sometimes conduct their own investigations into paranormal matters. They have a number of chapters all over the world, including an active one here in Indiana. I have several members as contacts. Their resources go back centuries, an incredible resource.

Maxine: They're a secret order of white-magic practicing druids and you're an active member.

Burton: Seriously? RJ should let you write the novels. That's quite a plot twist. The Kelranian Order is a close ally of my Unit, nothing more.

Maxine: You're a member of the Kelranian Order. As was your mother and her mother before her, and back who knows how far? You're one of its most powerful practitioners of white magic.

Burton: You exaggerate. They taught me a few parlor tricks through the years, some handy spells in case I get into trouble. Nothing more.

Maxine: Like healing spells and mind reading. Hardly useful in hand to hand combat.

Burton: Not everything I've learned is a weapon, but I'd be happy to demonstrate.

Maxine: [Considers] No, that's quite alright. Back to Virtual Blue, then. So several months after meddling with Daryl's affairs, you stuck your nose into Fiona Shaefer's business, too. Do you make it a habit of sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?

Burton: [sighs] As a matter of fact, I was investigating reports that an extremist cult tied to a dangerous demon had taken way too much interest in a Freeware roleplaying video game. I went to the campus to investigate. I had no idea at the time that the programmer of the game was Eugene Farren, Blue's boyfriend. And you'll be happy to know that fell into a booby trap. Blue and I met when she...tried to rescue...me.

Maxine: [Eyes flashing] How embarrassing for you.

Burton: It wasn't my finest moment.

Maxine: I can imagine, a seasoned paranormal investigator and secret white magic druid of the Kelranian Order had to be saved by a college student. A poetry major.

Burton: Is there a question in there?

Maxine: What was your impression of Blue Shaefer?

Burton: Blue is...extremely talented with solid instincts. She'll make a great paranormal investigator some day. But she's also brash and hot-headed. I...found that out. It's something I have to think about it for awhile. Any other questions?

Maxine: Yes. What do you know about the Tesh Ke Ra?

Burton: Well....[fidgets] Not much, really. I hear rumors about a secret project by the Kelranian Order.

Maxine: In fact, it's a secret breeding project being conducted by the Order, one to create a refined druid and master of white magic.

Burton: If you say so.

Maxine: Blue's boyfriend all but accused you of being the Tesh Ke Ra. Your response was decidedly evasive. Care to enlighten us on---

Burton: [Stands]---I think it's time you returned to your grave or wherever it is you're haunting these days, Maxine Marie.

Maxine: But Rebecca, Halloween is tonight! I'm not going anywhere for hours yet.

Burton: Then you can stay here and haunt an empty chair. [Burton's eyes light up dark red as she advances on Maxine.] But this interview is over.

Maxine: Oh, poo. Fine. You can leave then. [Maxine motions toward the door] Happy Halloween, Rebecca.

[Burton exits and slams the door behind her without comment]

About the Author: R. J. Sullivan’s novel Haunting Blue is an edgy paranormal thriller and the first book of the adventures of punk girl Fiona “Blue” Shaefer and her boyfriend Chip Farren. Seventh Star Press released Haunting Obsession, a Rebecca Burton Novella in 2012 and Virtual Blue, the second book in Fiona’s tale, in 2013. Seventh Star will release a new edition of Haunting Blue in early 2014. R. J.’s short stories have been featured in such acclaimed collections as Dark Faith Invocations by Apex Books and Vampires Don’t Sparkle. His newest project is the Red Lotus series of science fiction novelettes for readers of all ages.

R.J. resides with his family in Heartland Crossing, Indiana. Check in regularly to learn the latest about the projects of R. J. Sullivan. Connect with R. J. on Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads

Book Synopsis: Did you ever wish you could escape to a virtual world? What if you could...but then couldn't get out?

Two years after her deadly clash with a vengeful ghost, Fiona “Blue” Shaefer still can’t shake off the trauma of that night. Moving to New York with her father didn't help. Neither did absorbing herself in her college classes. Not even her poetry provided the solace it once did. She convinces herself that ending her relationship with Eugene “Chip” Farren, her long-distance boyfriend and final tie to the horrors of that night, might bring the closure she needs. Blue travels to Bloomington to break the news to Chip in person, but her timing couldn't be any worse.

The Sisters of Baalina, vengeful cultists who practice a new form of “techno-magic,” have targeted Chip’s multi-player videogame as the perfect environment to cast a dangerous spell to free a demoness from the very pits of hell. In the process, their plan may trap Blue in a prison of the mind with no locks, no bars, and no escape.

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Amanda Romine Lynch: Childhood Influences

When I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to write, and so by the time I was five I was writing sentences. By the time I was seven, I was writing very bad plays, the plots of which were based on Ducktales episodes. At ten I tried my hand at musicals (as it turned out, that one didn’t work out so well—it’s hard to write a musical when you are tone deaf).

But it wasn't until I was thirteen and I purchased Avi’s The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle at a middle school book fair that I knew exactly what I wanted to write. Novels. Ones that grasped and clawed at my heart the way Charlotte did. She was the sort of heroine I wanted to create: Smart, endearing, spunky—and not someone who took things sitting down.

When I reflect on it, I suppose Anabel, the heroine of my novel, is a lot like Charlotte—but perhaps a grown-up version. I conceived Anabel in my mind when I was eighteen—and then spent the next decade finding a home for her (Washington, DC), throwing her life into chaos, and creating different scenarios for her. When sitting down at the beginning of 2009 to write the book that would eventually become Anabel Unraveled, I found myself heavily influenced by loss of innocence stories—Nabokov’s Lolita, John Connolly’s The Book of Lost Things. At first, I didn’t even think of Charlotte—but then again, in a much different way, she loses her innocence through the course of that story as well—finding that adults don’t always protect you, that the ideals and institutions that you hold dear aren’t always what the seemed through the trusting gaze of childhood. Charlotte’s ordered world was destroyed and she operated under a new paradigm completely different from her life of privilege. When writing Anabel I shattered her world and forced her to survive.

It’s funny to look back on it now, and realize that the book that influenced me the most to write was one that I read when I was thirteen, one that I reread every single year without fail because Charlotte is as dear to me as my own literary creation. So many books that we read as children stay with us forever, and every year when I pull my dog-eared paperback off of the shelf for a quick voyage out of England toward America on The Seahawk, I feel that same tug at my heart that I did the first time I read her story—one that I hope Anabel inspires in those who read hers.

Buy Anabel Unraveled on Amazon

Anabel Martin’s world was destroyed the day her father was murdered. After spending seventeen years of her life trapped on a Top Secret island in the South Pacific, she now finds herself in Washington, DC in the care of her former politician brother and his unwelcoming wife. While she wants nothing more than to be left alone, instead she is thrust into the limelight as a key witness in the Congressional hearings investigating the murder of her father and the very existence of her former home. For Anabel, it’s hard to concentrate on these proceedings when the thing she wants most in the world is for Jared Sorensen to die.

What's even worse is that Jared is the only reason she’s still alive.

About the Author:

Amanda Romine Lynch is a writer and blogger who grew up in Florida. After graduating with her degree in English from the University of Florida (Go Gators!), she and her husband moved to the Great North of Virginia and haven’t looked back (except when it snows). She is the EcoFriendly/Green Living Contributor at the Prime Parents Club and blogs about her days raising three beautiful boys and attempting to be friendly toward the environment in a world of disposable diapers over at her blog, The Semi-Organic Mom.

Connect with Amanda on Facebook and Twitter

Note: All opinions presented in book and product reviews are my own. Opinions presented in posts authored by others reflect the view of the author only and not necessarily my view or opinion.

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Switching Gears: Chasing Invisible by Karen Pokras Toz

I'm happy to welcome Karen Pokras Toz to the blog once again. The last time she was here we were talking about her kid books: the Nate Rocks series and Millicent Marie is Not My Name. She has switched gears now and released Chasing Invisible, a novel for adults. I've already got my copy loaded on the Kindle and can't wait to read it! After Karen tells us a bit about transitioning from children to adults in her writing she is going to give away a bunch of really cool stuff. (Yeah, I really want to win this giveaway!)

Switching Genres

Thank you once again to Library Girl Reads for inviting me here for a guest post! This time I am here as a writer of adult novels. Writing for adults is so different than writing for children. Yes – I realize that this is an obvious statement. However, putting the statement into action, was not quite so obvious – or easy for me. Especially, when the last four books I’d written were for children. But I had promised my publisher that Chasing Invisible would be completed and ready for my editor by the end of April. So it was off to work.

The last guest post I wrote for this blog talked about how I had a fifth grader stuck in my head. Unfortunately, he didn’t want to leave as I sat down to work on Chasing Invisible. You now see my dilemma. Every time I thought I was headed in the right direction, I felt the dialogue was too young. Mature subject matter mixed with young dialogue was not going to go over well with my readers. I was on a deadline, and I was sadly struggling.

Admittedly, it took quite a few weeks for me to switch gears (and tuck that 5th grade voice away). But I did, and I pleasantly discovered that I do indeed have a grown up voice as well. It was a great feeling for me to finally find it. . It was also a bit of a relief to know that my mind actually can function outside of a 5th grade realm. I didn't think I would enjoy writing in it as much as I actually did. Now I hope that you all enjoy reading it!

Chasing Invisible

Could you handle life in the spotlight?

Julia Alexander is a quiet girl from a small town. Content to spend her days with her small group of friends and a pile of books, Julia thinks her future is set. When she unexpectedly meets Chase, a fellow college student and budding musician, she is unaware of just how drastically things are about to change.

Suddenly thrown into the limelight, her life is no longer her own. Relentlessly followed by the paparazzi, Julia is forced to make tough decisions about fame, love, family, and relationships. But just how much will Julia have to sacrifice to become invisible...

Buy on Amazon: Paperback * Kindle

Karen Pokras Toz, recently discovered her love for writing. Karen writes middle grade and adult contemporary fiction. Her middle grade children’s novels have won several awards including the Grand Prize in the 2012 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards and First Place for a Global E-Book Award for Pre-Teen Literature. Karen is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI). A native of Connecticut, Karen now lives outside of Philadelphia with her family. For more information, please visit www.karentoz.com.

Connect with Karen: Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads

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Disclaimer: A GWR Publicity event paid for by the author. Giveaway is sponosored by the author and is responsible for prize fulfillment. Library Girl Reads & Reviews received no compensation for this post.

Note: All opinions presented in book and product reviews are my own. Opinions presented in posts authored by others reflect the view of the author only and not necessarily my view or opinion.

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