Trials and joys of writing guest post by Rhonda Walker

Hello readers! It’s great you could join us today. Today’s feature is a guest post by children’s and inspirational author Rhonda Walker. She’ll be talking about her upcoming release Wesley Out West and her reading and writing journey.

So pour a cuppa and prop up your feet to enjoy the read. Make sure to enter the Rafflecopter contest at the bottom of the post for your chance to win a personalized autographed copy of Wesley Out West and a cute Wesley plushie!

Trials and joys of writing by Rhonda Walker

Willie Out West (2013, WestBow Press) was my first published children’s story. It was so well received that I am re-launching an updated version, Wesley Out West (2015, JLB Creatives Publishing) is in a smaller size and contains an educational supplement for parents and teachers. If you read Willie I know you will enjoy Wesley even more. The “Fun Facts” and photos of the real sea mammals are educational and enjoyable for children and adults alike. The book size is more comfortable for young children to hold and carry, and the response thus far is widely encouraging. Enjoy.

I always loved books. In seventh grade I walked every day to my little New Mexico town’s library, checking out the maximum number of books. I returned within a day, replacing those books with more. I also used my allowance to purchase every juvenile book of interest: the Hardy Boys and other popular series. I found Nancy Drew boring. During my eighth grade summer, Mother took me on a weekly trek (30-miles one way) from our mobile home in a New Mexico desert mining community into the town of Grants. There, I devoured all of the town library’s westerns (Kit Carson, etc.), mysteries (Ellery Queen, Perry Mason), and stories about Geronimo and other Native Americans.

I carried my love for reading to college and majored in English and elementary education. These classes opened a door to children’s literature that will never close.  I read almost 300 children’s books in one semester. I thank God for blessing me with a passion for children’s literature, the desire to write children’s stories (there were so many bad books, I just knew I could write better), and the desire to develop whatever ability I possessed.

In 1976, I wrote two grammar stories which, amazingly, found their way into a textbook for first graders. However, I had little faith in my ability and gave up after one failed attempt to publish. I published two women’s inspirational articles and edited several women’s church newsletters during the succeeding years, but nothing else. 

Years later I set out to discover why certain women of faith remained strong in spite of unbearable and continual trials in their lives. For two years, I interviewed women; thus was born my first book, “Beyond the Shadow is Tomorrow: Stories of Women of Faith,” published by WestBow Press in 2013. I encourage all Christian women looking for strength and encouragement to read this book. The book still brings great reviews from those seeking answers and encouragement while going through rough times, and it is still for sale through my web site or e-mail.

“Icing, Locusts & Life” is about to be released by JLB Creatives Publishing, and I am so excited. The reviews are already coming in on this inspirational book for men and women.  I encourage readers to reach out and embrace the world and its wonders. Every day is icing on the cake of our lives, no matter how bad our circumstances or how hard it is raining. Every day I have a choice to make when I get out of bed (or even if I cannot get out of bed). It is how we choose the icing of our days, light or dark, which determines how we meet the locusts that visit the beautiful fields and gardens of life.

My life is challenging, fantastic, miracle filled, and troubled—sometimes all at once. There are memories of the blessings of family and friends mixed with my own success and failure. In spite of everything a long life can deliver, I find reason every day to be grateful that God provides abundant blessings. Even with the traumas of illness, embarrassing personal failures, and sadness beyond words, there is one thing that is good: I am still alive to see it dawn a better day.

I have more children’s stories on my desk, and my first novel is begun. No one knows tomorrow’s outcome, but today has been good. Tomorrow will be white icing, no matter what the day brings.

Be blessed. What color is your icing?

About Rhonda Walker

EVERY DAY IS ICING ON THE CAKE OF MY LIFE. It is challenging, fantastic, miracle filled, and troubled—sometimes all at once. There are memories of the blessings of family and friends, successes, and failure. I live daily in grateful awareness for a God who provides abundant blessings, especially during times of embarrassing failures.

I discovered my passion for reading early in life (right after the ark anchored on a mountain top.) In 1979, when my daughters were young, I returned to college. There, English and education professors taught me some needed writing basics and opened the door to children’s thinking. In truth, though, I began writing for myself in 1975, and my style was already developed. God blessed me with a passion for reading, the love of writing, and whatever ability I possess.

With training, skills, and God’s help, I fulfilled a long-held dream of writing stories for young readers. Several years ago, two of my grammar stories were published in a Scott Foresman textbook for first graders, and plans are under way to put those stories and others into a grammar-series book. I write stories to encourage enjoyment and learning through reading.

Follow Rhonda around the web

Website: http://AuthorRhondaWalker.com

Blog: The Word Asylum http://www.thewordasylum.com/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/authorhondawalker

Blogger: http://thewordasylum.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rhondaauthors

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/rhonda-walker/91/516/b04

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Stop by http://JLBCreatives.com for more about Wesley Out West and great reads for ages 1 to 100!

Author Torrence Sassetti talks about Though the Plaugelands

My name is Torrence Sassetti and I am the writer of “Through the Plaguelands.” The Plaguelands are a bit of a unique take on the zombie apocalypse world in that they don’t just have run of the mill zombies; they have threats far more dangerous than the undead could ever pose. Some of these threats are
outright monstrous and beastly, while others are dangerous because of how human like they are.

The Plaguelands are made up of five different territories: the Inner Territory, the Fireland, Frostland, Electric Fields, and Industrial Complex. Each Plagueland has its own feel and theme. The Inner Territory is meant to be the dark and eerie home of the zombies, mutations, and infected animals. While the zombies alone are dangerous, the infected animals are far more frightening. The infected animals I loved the most were definitely the wolves. Before they ruthlessly hunt anyone down, they let out a loud, directionless howl making anyone who hears it extremely tense and fearful that their time has come and that nowhere is safe.


The other four Plaguelands each have a unique danger to them. Instead of becoming zombies or
mutants, some who are infected will become unique leaders called Alphas. Alphas retain their normal form, while gaining godly strength, speed, and intelligence. They also gain a unique supernatural ability which they pass on to those they infect.

Each land has its own theme. The Fireland is a place of fire and ash. It always feels like night in this Plagueland because of the ash and smoke that fills the sky and blocking the sun. Their infected have control over fire and tend to be a little more unpredictable than the other infected. The Frostland is a frozen wasteland. Their infected have control over water and ice. They tend to be methodical and ruthless. The Electric Fields is a mysterious place with thick layers of fog covering the landscape. Their infected use electricity as a weapon and tend to be more rebellious against the will of the Plague or their master. The final land is the Industrial Complex. It’s a place full of factories and office buildings that look completely untouched by the Plague. The infected here use telekinesis and are deeply devoted to their religious beliefs towards the Plague and its maker.

There’s a look at what makes up the Plaguelands. If you want to find out more about it, be sure to buy a
copy as soon as you can.

Get your copy here:

Amazon
Barnes & Nobel
Kobo

Find Author Torrence Sassetti here:
Facebook
Website

Writing Process: The Physical and the Mental Guest post by Mark Collington

Today we have author Mark Collington guesting in the Ludis! So pour a cuppa, kick back and enjoy the read. Don't forget to leave a little comment love at the bottom! 

Whenever people ask me about my writing process, I’m always intrigued as to whether they mean the physical process of sitting down to write, or the mental process of deciding which words to write. So I guess I’ll try and talk about both.

I’m one of those nocturnal authors. I’ve always found that my most productive hours are between about 11pm and 4am. Not sure why, they just are. Maybe it’s the silence and the lack of external distractions. Maybe it’s that I get appalled when people suggest waking up earlier than 9:30am. When I do sit down to write, it’s in a dark room, usually just one lamp, and with my laptop (my handwriting is awful, left hander’s curse, and I can’t imagine anyone wanting to write an entire novel by hand and then type it up). I’ll settle down with a cup of coffee, a can of coke, and a glass of water (yes, all three at once, something nice about the temperature and flavor combination….and the caffeine high) and can sit there and just get involved in the writing.

 People have often asked me whether I listen to music when I write. The answer is yes, music is an important part of my life, but when I’m writing I ban (give or take) anything with lyrics, and will sometimes have it so it’s barely audible. Any other time I love good quality vocals in my music, but they can be too distracting to the “writing process.” Its purpose becomes to provide a beat for the work, something to listen to in those moments when I need a short breather, and to block out some of the other, more disruptive noises—I used to live in the countryside surrounded by all manner of noisy night time creatures and farm animals, now I live three feet from the sidewalk in upstate New York and it’s a whole other type of night time creature. Some of my favourites to listen to are movie soundtracks (Hans Zimmer and Harry Gregson-Williams tend to provide well there), Apocalyptica, the instrumental/orchestral versions of Kamelot and Nightwish, and a small instrumental rock group from Albany called Yoma.

As for the mental side of things, you’ll see articles about how meticulously J.K. Rowling planned her series (with accompanied photo of scrawled blue biro), or hear advice of how you have to have a clear plan written down. That’s not how I work. I plan massively. In fact I have plots already in place that aren’t likely to appear for another seven books or so. But I don’t write it all down in notebooks. It’s truly a mental process—if it’s good enough to put in a book, then I’ll remember it.

Most of what I write in any one session I’ll have outlined mentally beforehand, and maybe thought of a few key phrases while driving, walking, standing in the shower, anytime I’m doing something that requires only a small amount of thought. And from there, I let the narrative and the characters take it away and flow freely.

 In all honesty, I do occasionally take a few brief notes to keep track of my various plot strands, but nowhere near what I’m aware that some people do. I find it too restrictive—one of the first novels I wrote I planned out scene-byscene and the result held little feeling because it was just following a preordained plan. I have also looked back at the brief notes I’ve made after I’ve finished a section and seen something about where a plot is going, or what a character will do and thought “wow, I was really wrong, [that character] wouldn’t have done that…”

 For me, the writing process is a source of great joy. It holds elements of quiet contemplation, or having a laugh with a group of your friends (even if these ones are imaginary). I can get very excited about what I’m doing, even if it’s 3 in the morning, dark, and everyone else is in bed.

About author Mark Collington 
Mark Collington was born in the south-east of England in the early 90s. At the age of ten he moved to Mid-

Wales, and started writing a novel for the first time at 14. He graduated from Bangor University with a Bachelors degree in English with Creative Writing. He is currently studying for an MA at SUNY at Albany in upstate New York.

While not into 'traditional' sports, Mark enjoy fencing and archery.

He spends a lot of time reading, listening to a wide range of music, and playing a variety of instruments.

About Kingdom Come
In the distant future, the world has been reconstructed into the Realms, controlled by a mysterious unseen entity called Kingdom. Jasper Montague-Smythe, a private detective in the 1930s L.A. Realm, is struggling with a stack of clients and a growing caseload. As he juggles disappearances, blackmail, kidnapping, and murder, he also finds himself custodian of a woman who doesn’t belong in his Realm. Drugged and confused, she needs his help. Can he afford to take the time? Can he really afford not to? 

Yet an even larger problem looms: Kingdom’s Enforcers have started disappearing. Now it’s fallen to Jasper to find the cause and stop it before it’s too late.

Where to find Mark on the web: 
Twitter 
Facebook 
Amazon
Barnes&Noble

A Life Renewed Not just a story, it's her story, Lisa Andrews Guests on Gladiator's Pen

Author Lisa Andrews guests today to tell us a bit about her inspiring true life story A Life Renewed. 

An Introduction of "A Life Renewed" 

by Lisa Andrews

Lisa Andrews and her husband

A highly-achieving student and athlete, Lisa was in sixth grade when she was diagnosed with AML leukemia. The news shocked her and her family, along with her entire small-town community. Over the next six months, Lisa and her mom basically lived at the hospital. When she wasn’t receiving chemotherapy, Lisa was hospitalized for transfusions or for antibiotics to fight serious infections. She went through a lot of changes. On the outside, most noticeably was her bald head! On the inside, her faith was being challenged as she tried to make sense of her experiences.

Once Lisa completed chemotherapy, she re-entered junior high school. One month into seventh grade, Lisa’s leukemia returned, and after a few more months of chemo she received a bone marrow transplant. After the transplant, Lisa was in remission but continued to face other health challenges, most of them side-effects from chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Almost a year after her bone marrow transplant, a man at Lisa’s hometown church said to her, “You should write a book so that other people can read about all that you have been through.” At the time, Lisa had a very negative reaction to this advice, wanting nothing to do with her story. She wanted to forget about everything and continue on with her life. She had a lot of anger and bitterness that she didn’t want to tell others about. And though her small-town community had offered much support and love, she wanted everyone to forget that she was “the girl that had leukemia.”  

It wasn’t until her freshman year of college in 2002, almost six years later, that Lisa was ready to accept

her illness as an important part of her past and to deal with the bitterness and anger head-on. The process involved a lot of journaling and some counseling with a friend. Those journaled thoughts compose much of this book. After receiving healing, she felt comfortable talking about being a cancer survivor and answering people’s questions about what she had been through. Lisa also felt it was time to do as that man had suggested years before: write a book so that others can read about it.

A Life Renewed is suitable for ages 12+ and has three purposes. The first is to give a raw, firsthand perspective from a preteen dealing with cancer. Lisa’s hope that family members and friends might know how to better understand and relate to their sick loved one. Secondly, this book asks hard questions about faith, and it documents Lisa’s own personal journey with God and her attempts to make sense of her experiences. And thirdly, A Life Renewed is meant to inspire readers to realize the value and importance of their own stories and to encourage them to share their journey with others.

Whether stories of greatness, of failure, of love or disappointment, your story is one of the most important and powerful things that you own. There is no story like yours, and no one can take it from you. We must share our stories with one another! 

Get your print or ebook copy of  A Life Renewed on 

JLB Creatives Book Store

 Amazon.com 

Hunted author Ruby Fielding is in the ludis for a chat

Author Ruby Fielding has dropped into the ladies for a chat about her latest book, Hunted to be released on January 16th. So pour a cuppa and get comfortable as she tells us a bit about Hunted and Ruby.

Tell us 3 little known facts about Ruby Fielding.

My favorite season is winter, although this one has been a bit extreme even for me! I’m currently living in a cabin in the heart of a New England forest – up in the White Mountains in New Hampshire and baby it’s cold out there!

I’ve travelled a lot, and lived in some fabulous places, but I never really ventured far beyond the UK until my mid-twenties, when I suddenly realized life was passing me by.

The closest thing I have to a day job is ghost-writing books for minor celebrities - all covered by non-disclosure agreements before you ask! I’m pretty scrupulous about those NDAs, so most of my family and friends probably just assume I write that Fifty Shades stuff all the time.

We’re here to celebrate the upcoming release of your next novel Hunted. Can you tell us what this segment of the Shifter’s World Series is about?

Hunted started off as a short story (published as Lone Wolf). The setting and the characters took a powerful hold on my imagination and pretty soon I’d written three more stories in the series. Rather than just collect the four stories together, I rewrote them into a single narrative, which became Hunted. It was important for me to do this extra work, as it gave me the opportunity to tighten the writing and expand on some parts, and to remove the inevitable repetition you need in separate stories as each reintroduces the world and characters.

Here’s the cover description:

Should she struggle to survive alone or give in to desire and risk the - perhaps deadly - company of others?

In a world where plague has swept civilization away like leaves in a storm, where viruses that cause people to shift and change have altered what it is, for most, to be human, a few survivors hold out in a desperate attempt to save the human race. Selene lives alone in the forest, protecting herself from human and shifter alike until one day a stranger turns up: a young man called Skinner, out on a quest to hunt down and destroy any shifter he can find. Torn between desire and fear, Selene must confront her true nature and make some impossible choices if she is to survive this harsh, post-apocalyptic future.

Hunted: a Shifters' World novella - a shapeshifter erotic romance of survival and desire in a deadly future from the co-author of Seduced by Moonlight and The Touch.

Why shifters? What draws you to write about them?

I love that extra frisson of danger and risk: if a story doesn’t have that, then it’s just a romance. This is fine –

Shifter's World Book 1

I’m a sucker for a good romance – but I want my paranormal romances to get under the skin. There should be thrills, risks: genuine tension that heightens the romance, and makes any happy ever after hard-earned.

It’s an animal thing, too. It’s about those raw, intense passions and needs. You don’t get much more alpha-male than a shifter hero, a man who can just sweep you off your feet and possess you. As a writer it lets me explore intense attraction and giving yourself up to desire. It’s fascinating, and damn me, but it’s hot.

Did you always want to be an author or what did you want to be when you grew up?

I’ve always written, and I think I’ve always wanted to be a writer of some kind. At school I wrote stories that featured my friends and made fun of the teachers – it was how I tried to be cool. Someone really should have told me there were easier ways to be cool.

At university I worked on my college newspaper, and I went into journalism and advertising copywriting. I still do bits and pieces of all kinds of writing, but on my own terms: I have the luxury of variety and being able to pick and choose and somehow being able to get by.

When writing Hunted did you have a favorite part you would like to share?

The cage was not high enough for her to stand, so she sat in the middle, her knees drawn up to her chin, as if huddling into a fetal ball might somehow protect her.

At first there was no sign of them, but eventually they came. As the shadows grew longer and the sun fell below the tops of the trees, they came.

First, a man. Naked, his body scrawny and white, almost luminously so in the growing twilight. Dark hair matted his chest, and the silvered hair on his head was long and his beard thick and unkempt.

He came to stand by the bars of her cage, making no attempt to cover himself so that inevitably her eyes were drawn to that thick knot of hair at his crotch and the semi-hard shaft of his manhood.

“Please...” she said softly, eyeing the cage’s bars warily. “Please don’t...”

She started to rock back and forth and all the time the man just stood there, studying her.

So close, his scent was almost overpowering, an intense, sweaty musk. An animal scent, one that reached deep inside her and started to wake something primal.

“No, please don’t.” She shut her eyes tight, fighting the thing, the beast within.

After a long silence, she hoped that he had retreated. When she opened her eyes she saw a beast, fully in wolf-form, charging towards her, and then throwing itself at the cage. The impact was like an explosion. The bars clanged and groaned, and for a moment she thought the cage was going to topple over or collapse under the onslaught, and then the beast fell back with a yowl of frustration.

  

What did you find most difficult when writing this story?

Conflicting priorities. Because my professional life is packed, I rarely get a good stretch of time where I can concentrate on a single project. That’s why I wrote Hunted as four separate stories to start with, just to break it down a bit. I like those stories, but I think it works best as a single narrative.

What character in the Shifter’s World Series would you like to bring out of their book for a day? How would you spend that day?

Selene in Hunted fascinates me. She’s packed full of determination and spirit, surviving on her own in the wilds, but also she’s lost: her memories are vague; just as she gets insight into her past that memory is snatched away. So frustrating for her! And she’s clearly special: not only a survivor, but someone who has a past, and someone who is different now. I’d chill with her, maybe take her to a spa – her life is tough, so she deserves a bit of  pampering. And maybe that would help her to start to unravel her memories: I’m really keen to find out more about her past and why she’s so special and a day at the spa would be a lot easier than writing her story to find out!

Tell us about your writing routine/ rituals. Do you have a certain place or time of day that helps you write best?

For many, writing is a solitary activity, but I love the buzz of everyday life around me. So wherever I happen to be living, you're likely to find me at the nearest wifi hot spot with my laptop and a large mug of coffee.

What’s next for Ruby Fielding? Is there another Shifter’s World novel on its way?

Definitely! I’m hooked. I haven’t started it yet, as I’m focusing on another book project, among other things, but I’m hoping to get back into Shifter’s World soon. I’m torn about what to tackle next: although Hunted ends at a definite resolution, Selene’s story needs to be continued – I want to see where she goes next. Alternatively, I could pick some other characters in this setting and follow their story; I have a few ideas for that.

Where can we find Ruby? 

All the latest news on my writing and publishing can be found on my website and on my Amazon author page; also, why not join my mailing list for news and offers, or hook up with me on Facebook?

Is there something you would like to say to readers or fellow writers?  

Writing, publishing and reading are far more connected these days, and readers can make a real difference. If you like an author or a book, it’s usually very easy to find them on the web or social media, and most authors love to hear from enthusiastic readers. Equally, leaving a rating or review at Amazon or other booksellers, or on sites like Goodreads, can be really helpful – not only does the author get feedback, it helps other readers find books they might like. So please don’t be shy and retiring: we love to hear from you!

Hunted: a Shifters' World novella is currently available from:

• Amazon.com
• Amazon.co.uk
• Barnes and Noble
• Kobo
• Google Play
• ...and it will be available from Smashwords and All Romance eBooks soon!

Thank you for stoping by the ludis Ruby. You're welcome back any time, especially with a handsome shifter. :) Hunted will be available starting January 16th for an introductory price of $.99. 

Don't forget to leave a little comment luv! Have you read any Shifter's World Novels? What do you like most about shifter/were characters? 

How does your story grow? Guest Post by J.Drew Brumbaugh

Gladiator's Pen welcomes guest author J. Drew Brumbaugh to the Ludis. He is the author of  the thrillers War Party and Shepherds and here to talk about his writing process. So pour a cuppa and enjoy the post. Don't forget to leave some comment love!

How Does Your Story Grow? 

by J. Drew Brumbaugh

As a guest here, I suppose I should introduce myself.  I am J Drew Brumbaugh.  The J being for James and so most people call me Jim.  I write suspense novels of various types.  I have two novels available in both print and ebook formats, a third one on the way, and a collection of three short stories that is available only as an ebook.  More info is available at my website at www.jdrewbrumbaugh.com.

For me, novels take a long time to write.  I envy those who can sit down and churn out a finished novel almost from the first draft.  I don’t know how they do it.  My novels grow and change as they are written.  I start with a basic plot in mind and at least an idea for a few of the main characters.  But it’s sketchy at best, more like an overriding theme.  Still, I have to start somewhere so I write some and then write some more and somehow the story keeps going, though not necessarily exactly as I’d planned.  Characters try to change things.  They’ll say I’m not that kind of person, I’m smarter than that.  Or I just wouldn’t do that.  And of course I listen because who knows more about a character than the character them self? 

And that isn’t all.  Plot changes and additions crop up at the oddest times and places.  Often as the novel writing proceeds a new idea pops into my head, something I hadn’t thought of before that adds to the story, or complicates things, or changes the level of challenges for the main characters.  Again, the only thing to do is fix it, add it or change it so that the idea is incorporated into the story.

I’m not sure how these things happen.  I wish I could see everything down to the last detail up front and then maybe I could finish a novel in one or two drafts instead of ten.  I am convinced that somewhere in the deep recesses of the unconscious mind, the creative ideas keep percolating even as the book is unfolding.  I’ve started novels without being able to see the ending.  I begin with an idea for the initial challenge, the original conflict that starts the story in motion, but I don’t know how it will be resolved, or whether the main character(s) will even succeed.  I trust that somehow, some way, the conclusion will materialize as I go along.  I don’t know how to tell you what happens along the way it just happens.   

My novel Shepherds is a perfect example.  Over about three years the story grew, had chapters added, new Pacific Ocean, there would be storms.  So, a storm became an important part of the novel.  Then I thought of rustlers, fishermen who would steal the factory tuna since they couldn’t find wild fish.  Another problem found space in the novel.  How about killer whales?  They would eat tuna and dolphins too.  So, killer whales.  Add to that the personal issues that haunt individual characters, like Olga’s angst over possibly meeting her mother, whom she’s never seen having spent her life in an orphanage for mutated “shepherds.” 

conflicts for the characters to deal with, dangers that I hadn’t thought of when I began writing.  The original premise was simple.  As the oceans were depleted of wild fish, the larger seafood companies to avoid bankruptcy would figure out how to “farm” tuna.  I used tuna because they get big and individual fish can be worth a lot of money.  How would they farm these fish?  Floating pens like salmon didn’t seem to be a good approach for tuna who like to swim, all the time.  So, the seafood giants created genetically modified people who could use trained “herd dolphins” to manage the tuna in the open ocean.  This meant that vast tracts of the ocean would be claimed for “ranches” and suddenly there were conflicts between the “shepherds” and independent fisherman who were trying to eek out a living on what wild fish remained.  As the story grew, various conflicts came to mind and were added.  What about a storm?  Certainly in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, there would be storms.  So, a storm became an important part of the novel.  Then I thought of rustlers, fishermen who would steal the factory tuna since they couldn’t find wild fish.  Another problem found space in the novel.  How about killer whales?  They would eat tuna and dolphins too.  So, killer whales.  Add to that the personal issues that haunt individual characters, like Olga’s angst over possibly meeting her mother, whom she’s never seen having spent her life in an orphanage for mutated “shepherds.”

And even with all that I realized I needed a nastier antagonist.  Who?  Ah, some of the fishermen work for drug cartels making and shipping drugs.  Some of the shepherds got in their way and were killed.  Enter Toivo, an independent fisherman who has dolphin friends who help him find wild tuna.  He too gets embroiled in a fight for survival with the drug cartel and ends up meeting Olga, a shepherd.  How could a couple of nearly defenseless people defeat such a powerful group of ruthless killers?  I didn’t know.  It seemed hopeless, which is the point of a good suspense novel.  And yet, as I neared the end of the book the answer was there.  Like magic.  Where did it come from?  I don’t know.  Maybe the writer’s muse?  So I write fervently hoping the muse does not desert me.  How about you?

Find J. Drew Brumbaugh's books on Amazon

Like him on Facebook 

Eleanor T. Beaty talks about Seeing Spirits on Gladiator's Pen

Gladiator's Pen welcomes Elanor T. Beaty to the Ludis. She's guest posting with an interesting topic seeing spirits, in celebration of the release of her book Souls of Darkness. For an extra treat there are is a rafflecopter drawing below the post. So refill your cuppa and enjoy today's guest. Don't forget to leave some comment love :) Have you ever seen a spirit?

Seeing Spirits – A Gift?

Guest Post by Eleanor T. Beaty

There will always be the question or doubt whether being able to see, communicate and interact with spirits is a gift. When I began to study spiritualism (and I am still a beginner no matter how much I study) I came across the explanation that we choose to have or not have this gift before we are born and we choose how much it will impact our lives and destiny. For some reason you asked for it, and I’m not meaning this in a bad way, because God is not so unkind to throw such a burden on someone without previous preparation or permission. That is what I learned. I’m sure there will be people who don’t agree and they have a right to their opinion.

Truth is we all have the ability to be mediums if we want to develop it through practice and study, but it won’t be as strong as those who come with the gift from birth.

So back to the – you were given a choice- POV. Why would one choose such a gift? One of the reasons would be to help both the living and the dead. For those that don’t believe in past lives this might not make sense, but accepting such a burden is a way of repaying a past debt. There are many different reasons why, but the most common is that, at another time, you may have hurt people through your actions. So think of this not as a burden but as an opportunity to give back and grow, move forward and settle past debts. It is not an easy gift to deal with, as not all spirits that cross your path are easy on the eyes, or good, but there are plenty of tools at hand to teach you how to handle this gift and dominate it so that it doesn’t dominate your life.

I know plenty of people that think that if they ignore it, it will go away. Denial doesn’t work. I have someone close to me who will turn on all the light in the house when alone and sleep with the TV on loud, just so he can’t hear those invisible friends. One day he’ll give in and probably find an amazing fulfillment with helping people, from both sides.

I don’t have that type of gift. I don’t see, nor do I hear. I always wished I’d had it, but I guess that wasn’t part of my life-plan. However, I have always been around people who have, so I’ve seen close up what it’s like to live with such a gift and use it to help others. The person I learned the most from was an assistant I had a long time ago. Her gift began in her early childhood, and as expected, the first time she told her mother, right after her grandfather died, that he had come to say goodbye, she was dragged off to the psychiatrist. A few years later her mother came to understand and accept her gift and gave her full support.

My assistant was what is called an unconscious medium, meaning when she’s incorporated by a spirit she will have no recollection, nor control. During her first years, her gift took over her life and it was hell. She received visitors at all times. She would wake up in the strangest places. Through studies she managed to stop that; she learned to sense their approach and block the spirits from taking over. She came to dominate her gift. Sometimes, while we were in a meeting, she would start looking behind me and I would know there was someone there. It could get weird. She did pay a price for such a gift in her personal life, as in she didn’t have much of one, but she helped so many people her sacrifice was rewarded. She never used it to make money, but what if one does? Is it allowed?

In my opinion, the true spiritualist will never charge because they are only the transmitter and those who are actually doing the work, the spirits, are doing it out of kindness and they don’t get paid. However, there are exceptions, and making a humble living when sacrificing your life to help others is allowed. But if you try to use it to exploit people in their hour of need, or to glorify yourself, there will be a price to pay. I saw an amazing tarot reader go from getting everything right to everything wrong when she began to think she could charge a fortune for a service provided by others. She made the mistake of thinking she was the one who could see the future all on her own. Besides losing her high paying clients, she went through a tough time in her personal life.

Seeing and communicating with spirits is a gift and an opportunity to grow. This gift comes accompanied by friends to guide us, our mentors. Our character and our intentions will determine what kind of friends and mentors will surround us. And just like the gift is given, it can be taken away if misused, or it can even hurt us the same way we used it to hurt others.

Souls of Darkness:

Alex's life is turned upside down after his father's sudden death. An old pamphlet found in his father's belongings leads Alex and his mother, Charlotte, to a remote Polynesian island. His mother longs for a place untouched by past memories, and Alex hopes the trip will help her to heal. Their arrival on the island elicits an eerie episode of déjà vu for Alex, and he begins to wonder about the pamphlet and his father's past. Why did he have it? Had he been there before? Alex senses something is off with the island. Progress is unwelcome by the inhabitants. A local girl reveals the history of the island and its dark spirits. She warns him to never be caught outside after dark, but Alex finds it all hard to believe... Until inexplicable and terrifying events begin to unfold. While digging for information, Alex finds his presence on the haunted island is not by chance. Rangur, the most evil of souls, aims to use him to acquire great power. There's only one way Alex can stop him and for that he must uncover his father's past connection to the island.

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About Eleanor

Eleanor T. Beaty is a Young Adult Paranormal author. A worldly person born in beautiful Brazil and spent much of her childhood in several places (Argentina, Switzerland, and the US to name a few). She holds a BA in English Literature and is published in both Brazil and Turkey.

Eleanor loves spirituality and magic - both have allowed her to gain a strong grip on life and enjoy what it has to offer. She believes that everything has a reason and understanding those reasons help us deal with the difficult moments. Eleanor currently enjoys life with her husband in Brazil.

Follow her at http://eleanortbeaty.com/

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Mai Tais and Mayhem are served up on Gladiator's Pen by MS Spencer

Glaidator's Pen welcomes Meredith Spencer to the ludis today. She's going to be talking about her latest release Mai Tais and Mayhem. Add a little more sweet to that tea and enjoy! Don't forget to leave a little comment love :) 

Mai Tais and Mayhem by M.S. Spencer

My latest romantic suspense novel is set on the balmy shores of the Florida Gulf coast. Readers looking not only for romance, but for encounters with the exotic birds and animals to be found in that tropical paradise, not to mention a murder or two, will find it here.

I chose the setting because the Gulf coast is blessed with an enormous variety of wildlife, from rays, sharks and dolphins, to pelicans and roseate spoonbills, to the sweet lumps of manatees. Five of the seven species of sea turtle live in the Gulf of Mexico. Wetlands covering nearly five million acres are home to the “walking trees” called mangroves, alligators, and anhingas. In Mai Tais and Mayhem, our heroine Tessa Diamond confronts a wide array of the denizens of the coast—from sea turtles to sturgeon to feral pigs. Besides her work counting sea turtle nests, she volunteers at the famous Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida.  Founded in 1955 by Dr. Eugenie Clark, the “Shark Lady,” today it conducts research on sharks, red tide, marine mammals, sea turtles, coral reefs, coastal ecology, and sustainable fish farming. One project that is featured in Mai Tais and Mayhem is their public-private effort to save the American surgeon, funded by sales of fabulous caviar. If you want to find out more about Mote Marine (and the caviar), here’s a link: www.mote.org. To buy the caviar (which is really yummy!), go to: http://mote.org/index.php?src=gendocs&ref=Caviar-SturgeonSale_Jan2011&category=News  or www.caviarstar.com.

Mai Tais & Mayhem: Murder at Mote Marine (a Sarasota Romance)

Secret Cravings Publishing (January 2013)

eBook 65,000 words (208 pp)

Contemporary romantic suspense/mystery, M/F, 3 flames

When Tessa Diamond rescues a baby pufferfish from a hungry gull, her good deed leads her into a shady world of smuggling, Russian gangsters, and coded messages. She confronts murder, attempted ravishment, parrots, sea turtles and big fish, only to encounter blossoming romances at every turn, including one of her own.

She is torn between Cameron Mason, tiger-eyed and handsome, and Dugan Trevally, sexy and dangerous, but before she can drop her longstanding opposition to marriage and accept her true love, she must face the possibility that one of them could be a thief, and even a murderer.

Buy Links: http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=500

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mai-Tais-and-Mayhem-ebook/dp/B00B3YJZJO

allRomanceEbooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-maitaisandmayhem-1046886-149.html

EXCERPT ~ An Unexpected Surprise (PG)

The alarm woke her at seven. Tessa threw on the Mote polo shirt and black golf skort she’d laid out the night before, grabbed the bagel and can of V8 she’d left on the counter, and shot down Gulf of Mexico Drive as the sun came up. The road for once was deserted and she could revel in the breeze blowing her long black hair and the scent of frangipani in the air. The soft gray sky held only a hint of the deep blue to come later, and the gulf lay becalmed by the evaporating night. She sang a country song as she drove. In her bones she knew this would be a glorious day, the first in a long time where she felt free of any guilt or sadness. If only she could whistle. If only I could carry a tune.

She parked in the aquarium lot and walked across to the Goldstein Center. Pulling out the key Pilchard had given her, she let herself in by the ticket booth. Pale, blurry light seeped in through the plastic sheeted tanks to her right. She went up the stairs and around the gift shop to the dolphin pool, rattling doors as she went. All was quiet and locked. A snort came from the pool. One of the dolphins raised his head and peered at her before diving back down.

Looks okay here. She checked her watch. Eight-twenty. The support staff should be arriving soon to open the gift shop and ticket counter. She walked back down the stairs. The turtle tanks lay to her right—two large shallow pools that at present held four sea turtles, one leatherback—Fred—two green turtles, and a loggerhead. She leaned over Fred’s tank. “Fred,” she called, “how are you? Feeling better?”

A black mass floated at the other end of the pool. Oh dear, I hope he’s not still sick. Worried, she skirted the other tank and ducked under the gate. The mass didn’t move. “Fred?” She reached out a hand to touch his shell and instead encountered something soft and mushy. “Fred?”

At that moment the overhead light flashed on. She swung around. From the hall came the voice of Henry Stillwater, the coordinator of the dolphin training program. “Who’s there?”

“It’s Tessa. Tessa Diamond. I’m the volunteer. I was checking on Fred, but something’s wrong.”

“What?”

Tessa turned around to look into the pool again and screamed.

I’d love to hear from you!

Blog: http://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/M.S.SpencerAuthor

Twitter: www.twitter.com/msspencerauthor

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/msspencerauthor/

Amazon Author Page:

http://www.amazon.com/M.S.-Spencer/e/B002ZOEUC8/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1277387999&sr=1-2-ent

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/msspencer

Author Stromie Kent talks about the novel setting for Battling Rapture

Today we're welcoming Stormie Kent Author of Battling Rapture to the ludis. Kick back and have a read as Stormie talks about her latest novel's setting. Be sure to leave a comment  for a chance to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card! 

Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

Book Length: Novel

Genre: Futuristic Erotic Romance

Release Date: January 18, 2013

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Thanks for having me on Gladiator’s Pen today.

When I was writing Battling Rapture, there were scenes where I wanted the scenery to not only say something about the futuristic world my heroine lived in after Earth is invaded by aliens, but also about the woman who was my heroine. She had to be everything the heroine in my previous book wasn’t. That difference was the result of the trauma they had both experienced as children. Niki (Battling Rapture) is resourceful, hostile, guarded and dangerous. What kind of environment would test her limits? What would Earth look like after a battle with aliens?

I decided to open with a hospital. Why? I wanted to take a place everyone goes when they are hurt or injured and destroy the hope of finding solace there. I thought of scenery in terms of damage from firepower. I imagined the accelerated wear and tear on a building long neglected. I wondered what had happened to all of the animals in the area. Then I threw my heroine in and waited to see what she would do. The excerpt below is just a snippet. I hope you enjoy it.

  

BLURB

      Niki is captured by hostile aliens after Earth is invaded. Once a soldier, she is now a slave. She is sold to the highest bidder, and then lost in a game of cards to a tall Ordanian spaceship captain, who claims to have been sent to rescue her. They work together to survive the dangers of the United Universe, while Niki battles her desire for the only man to ever enflame her mind, body and soul.

Captain Rhine’s mission is to reunite the Earth woman with her family. Outmaneuvering beast shifters and a crazed stalker are the very least he is willing to do to keep her by his side. Her touch ignites his passion. Her scent drives his lust. Her strength eases his soul even as she challenges him every step of the way. In the end, Rhine understands, the biggest battle is for her heart.

EXCERPT

 The following excerpt is for those readers who are 18 and over only.

Copyright © Stormie Kent, 2013

All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

She filled bags with medicines, needles and bandages. She saw a pile of hospital gowns and shoved those in too. She had a little of everything loaded into the packs, including soap, hospital toothbrushes and sheets. Their third salvage mission might be their last. The next time they came, the entire place could be vaporized. This was the only city for miles which still contained the original architecture and infrastructure—even if it was in ruins.

She walked to the gaping hole in the wall. Craters dotted the landscape. Some were filled with buildings, others with vehicles. The building across from her had the top two floors collapsed in. All the windows were blown out. She looked down. Movement caught her eye, and she quickly hid behind what was left of a pillar. She carefully peered down again and relaxed when she noticed it was only a pack of stray dogs.

At least it isn’t a lion or tiger from the zoo.

She heard a whistle, and then a man stepped into the doorway.

“You ready, Niki?” Antoine said.

“Yes, let’s get these down to the wagons and go get the others. I hope they found baby formula and ammunition.”

Dragging the heavy packs down the emergency exit stairwell was slow work. When they reached the ER entrance, they began loading the bags in the carts.

“I wish I knew how the aliens track us when we use cars and trucks. This would be so much easier without the horse and cart,” Antoine said.

“Just be happy we don’t have to hike back up the mountain with this stuff on our backs or pulling it behind us on a makeshift gurney.” She was slightly out of breath. Some of the bags she’d packed weighed more than she did. She pulled her gun from her hip. “You steer the cart. I’ll be lookout.”

There were four teams spread out all over the city. They needed to pick them up and make it back to the mountain by late afternoon without stumbling onto an alien hunting party.

She scanned the rubble for dead bodies. They tried to burn them when they could. If not, the animals—well, it was better if they burned the bodies. She refocused. She had a job to do. To make it back to camp safely, they all needed to use their heads, stay sharp and work as a team.

Their survival depended on it.

Want more? Click the link for another excerpt.

Now for my blog tour contest. Every eligible comment along my blog tour will be entered to win. All those who enter a positive comment here between now and 11:59 p.m. Eastern (USA) on February 1, 2013 will be entered in a drawing for a $20 Amazon eGiftcard. You must leave a valid email address in the comments to be entered. The winner will be announced the night of February 2, 2013 on my blog, http://stormiekent.wordpress.com.

Happy Reading!

Stormie Kent

                

Alpha Heroes & Happily Ever Afters: The Perfect Combo guest post by NY Times best-selling author Bella Andre

Gladiator's Pen welcomes,New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Bella Andre. Bella has taken the indie market by storm The Sullivans, her contemporary romance series. Plus you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour sponsored by Novel Publcity, including special romantic swag baskets for each book, an iPad Mini, Kindle Fire, Nook Color, and Kobo eReader, and Amazon and iTunes gift cards!

Alpha Heroes & Happily Ever Afters: The Perfect Combo

A guest post by Bella Andre

  Alpha heroes are my favorite kind of hero: sexy, rugged, independent and take-charge. Yum! Take Chase Sullivan, the hero of THE LOOK OF LOVE, the first book in my best-selling Sullivan series. He's a jet-setting photographer, a mind-blowing lover, and is surrounded by gorgeous models all day long. But it isn't until he meets Chloe Peterson on the side of a road during a rainstorm in the Napa Valley wine country that he falls in love. One of my favorite things about an alpha hero falling in love is that all those alpha traits - his single-minded determination, his focus - are then devoted entirely to the woman of his dreams. Chloe's been burned by men before, but Chase is determined to show her that he's worth trusting. What follows is his relentlessly sexy pursuit of Chloe, because now that Chase has found love, he won't accept anything less. Each of the Sullivan heroes is an alpha in his own way. Marcus (FROM THIS MOMENT ON) is the de-facto family patriarch. He looks after the rest of his family and takes care of them. Gabe (CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE) is a take-charge firefighter. He rushes into danger to save lives - what's not to love? Zach (IF YOU WERE MINE) is a handy, self-sufficient mechanic and businessman. In addition to being wealthy and successful, he's useful with a wrench. What's hot is when those alpha traits are turned towards pursuing - and catching - the women of their dreams.

The Sullivans are on tour with Novel Publicity. Follow along for your chance to win amazing prizes. We've got special romantic swag baskets for each book, an iPad Mini, Kindle Fire, Nook Color, and Kobo eReader, and Amazon and iTunes gift cards. WOW! You'll also get introduced to this amazing contemporary romance series via excerpts as well as interviews with and guest posts from New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, Bella Andre. You'll definitely want to learn more about the family that has captured the world's heart. All the info you need to join the fun and enter to win amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment--easy to enter; easy to win! To Win the Prizes:

1. Purchase any of the Sullivan ebooks by Bella Andre for just $4.99 (optional)
2. Enter the Rafflecopter contest on Novel Publicity (go here)
3. Visit today’s featured social media event (that's where the HUGE prizes are)

About The Sullivans: In this sexy, emotional and funny contemporary romance series, each member of the Sullivan family will eventually find true love...usually where he or she least expects it. Get the eBooks via Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, the iBookStore, or the Kobo Store. Audiobooks are also available for the first five in the series (with more coming soon). Plus, keep an eye out for paperback editions coming from Harlequin Romance starting Summer 2013.

About the Author: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Bella Andre has always been a writer. Songs came first, and then non-fiction books, but as soon as she started writing her first romance novel, she knew she'd found her perfect career. Known for "sensual, empowered stories enveloped in heady romance" (Publishers Weekly) about sizzling alpha heroes and the strong women they'll love forever, nearly all of her novels have appeared on Top 10 lists at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple and Kobo. Her books have been Cosmopolitan Magazine "Red Hot Reads" twice and have been translated into nine languages. Winner of the Award of Excellence, The Washington Post has called her "One of the top digital writers in America" and she has been featured by NPR, USA Today, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal. She has given the keynote speech at Book Expo America on her self-publishing success and has sold more than one million books. If not behind her computer, you can find her reading her favorite authors, hiking, swimming or laughing. Married with two children, Bella splits her time between the Northern California wine country and a 100 year old log cabin in the Adirondacks.

• Sign up for Bella's newsletter at www.eepurl.com/eXj22
• Visit Bella's website at www.BellaAndre.com
• Follow Bella on twitter at www.twitter.com/bellaandre
• Join Bella on Faceboook at www.facebook.com/bellaandrefans

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