Tuesday, October 28, 2014

A Must Read: THE FIVE DEATHS OF ROXANNE LOVE By @ErinQuinnAuthor



I must start with a disclaimer: Erin and I critique each other’s work. After reading her first few novels and falling in love with her writing, I made it my mission to wrangle her into working with me, and I’ve been grateful for her partnership over the years. Her work often reads like poetry, and she does dark novels with a masterful pen. Being on medical leave, I finally got the opportunity to read through THE FIVE DEATHS OF ROXANNE LOVE once again. (It’s different when reading as a critique; I’m working, and on my computer. Reading the published printed version of the book is just sheer relaxing pleasure.) Anyway, I knew I wanted to write a blog entry one day highlighting some of her words that I found particularly brilliant, evocative, or sensual, so I marked the pages, and I’m sharing them with you here today:

Page 341
“Maybe that’s all you need to know,” he said against her lips. “That I’ll always be waiting for you. You’re not alone in this, angelita. Maybe we do it together.”

Page 295
He seemed overwhelmed by the responsiveness of her body beneath his, overawed by how it felt to make love to her. And for just a moment, he looked lost.

Page 278
A small pool positioned near the rental office and clubhouse glittered, surface as flat as glass, chairs at precise attention around the perimeter. All of it vacant and looking too serene to be real. It buzzed his already stretched nerves.

Page 231
“The Beyond, Reece. Heaven, hell—Hades, Elysium. Call it what you want. But in the end it’s the same. That door lets darkness seep in. And lurking in all those shadows, just waiting for a chance to scuttle through that opening, are demons.”

Page 221
Her breath was shallow. So was his. He held her body so close that their lungs filled in tandem, each breath taking the space vacated by the other.

Page 212
He leaned back against the pillows and tugged her down next to him. She resisted for about half a second before laying her head on his shoulder. He smelled of soap and cotton and Santo. She pressed her nose against him and breathed him in.

Page 211
Still caught in Santo’s gaze, she said good-bye and set the phone on the nightstand beside her. The air felt thin, dissipated by the man who moved like a jungle cat through it, bare feet padding against the wooden planks.

Page 195
He heard it again, a deep, menacing reverberation that seemed to come from just behind the boulder, and yet in front of it and all around it. The shadows gobbled the sound and spat it out in a million small, vibrating pieces.

Same Page
The air grew so still it seemed to thin until he could see the particles within, silver on gray, slate on black.
But then it shifted and became thick. Sulfurous. Suffocating.

Page 188
Reece had only ever seen the hours before dawn from the other side of midnight, when the rising sun meant the end of a good night. He’d never awakened early to watch it evict the stars and muscle down the moon like he did now.

Page 180
His palm felt warm and gentle against hers, his touch a low-frequency hum in her system.

Page 126
Her heart labored, so stressed she couldn’t tell if it had sped up or slowed down. The eerie stillness stretched hard and tight over them, an imperceptible cellophane wrapper that trapped them. Panic made her short of breath; terror convinced her that she’d find the oxygen siphoned away from their dubious refuge if she tried to fill her lungs.

Page 124
The sound of dragging footsteps coming up the other stairway—the one behind them—echoed just as the strident bell of the elevator binged ahead. She didn’t look back. She didn’t need to. She could sense the creature on the stairs. Could it sense her, too? Did she carry a scent that demons could sniff out? Was the one on the stairs testing the air even now and asking, Where are you?

You probably have your own favorite passages after reading this book; these are my own personal ones. And if you haven’t already read it, you can get THE FIVE DEATHS OF ROXANNE LOVE HERE:
And be sure to preorder the sequel, THE THREE FATES OF RYAN LOVE

As Always,
My Magical Best,
Kathryne Kennedy

 

Sunday, October 12, 2014

What I Learned From The Eagles



My husband took me to an Eagles concert for my birthday last week. They are by far my favorite band. They sang for two-and-a-half hours and I recognized almost every song. Yes, we were one of the youngest couples in the arena. They started the band when I was in grade school and reunited when I was in high school.

Between songs, they told the story of their band.  I found something they said to be interesting and enlightening. At one time, people thought the band was history because popular music had changed, but they continued to perform the songs they enjoy and radio stations continued to play their music. Not all young people know who they are, but I was surprised to discover my twenty-six-year-old daughter knew two of their songs. She said the radio station had just played Witchy Woman that morning.

Writers who are chasing the trends and not getting anywhere need to stop and write the novels that speak to them. Even if you don't make the Top 10 lists, you will be happier.


Until next week,
happy reading and writing.
Tina Swayzee McCright


Thursday, October 9, 2014

Seasoning Your Writing

No, I'm not talking about that kind of spice. I'm talking about the actual seasons.

And the holidays that go with them.

I'm a big fan of holidays, especially in books.
The book cover kinda gives it away doesn't it?

But it's not the whole story. I love them because I'm not the one trying to juggle everything while solving a mystery or embarking on a new romance.




Holiday themed books are a way to experience the best and worst of times without fearing the credit card bill after the new year.

We can relive memories, or create ones we wish we had enjoyed.

So next time you start writing a book, think of all those special times yet to come and sprinkle in a few.

And, when it's over a 100 degrees outside, Christmas in July might actually think it's cooler:D

Until next month..