Monday, October 31, 2016

Happy Halloween!

From the Mistress of Undawnted


 Have a safe and fun night!


 



Sunday, October 30, 2016

In the Name of Blood Trial by Fire Ending

Want something to get you into the mood... for Halloween? 

In the Name of Blood is still available for free until 11:59pm on Halloween! Action, suspense... of a crime drama. So it's not your typical vampire novel.

Riley needs a life makeover but when she crosses into the supernatural, she realizes her boring life may not have been so terrible after all.

Have a fright filled night!



Friday, October 28, 2016

Copyright of Corporate Greed

Information about a certain science fiction franchise that was going after fans for fan fiction and fan videos struck a cord with me. 

As a poet and author of original concepts, characters, and works, I am concerned about overreaching fandom and even outright theft. As a fan of many speculative fiction, fantasy, and horror franchises, I must also weigh the good with the bad. What is and is not considered fandom?

Fandom that is good natured is not out to get corporate profits; it is out to make the franchise eternal. That is what corporations forget in their bid to take over the intellectual property rights of the entire world. The copyright laws here in the United States have been changed, changed, and changed again to accommodate the rights of large companies. In this manner, corporate greed instead of being a positive member of society has erased any type of creativity. 

Many franchises would be dead or non-rebootable if it were not for the fandom. Then where would corporate profits be? Corporations are cutting off their nose despite their face. 

Fandom must also realize that if corporations are so hell bent on locking down all creative ventures then why are we supporting that type of dishonesty? 

Fandom needs to realize that independent authors and creators offer another avenue for creativity: actual originality.  It may not be the old standbys: Star Trek, Star Wars, or whatever is en vogue at the time, but at least the smaller independents will appreciate fandom that is supportive. 

As fans and creators, we must support one another financially as well as emotionally. We must also start a movement to change copyright laws to include everyone, not just corporate monopolies and profits. If we don't, what will be left in a few decades for us to create when all public domain is locked away?  

I think the key is to stop patronizing with money and fandom those franchises that treat their fans like criminals. 

Fandom may not be perfect, but we are not out to "thieve" anything if it is in the spirit of cooperation that is mutually beneficial to the life of a franchise.


Thursday, October 27, 2016

Paranormal Reality Can Help Horror Writers

A writer should have a variety of interests. 

Reading and writing are amongst the top endeavors but writers need to be masters at mood, characterization, and world building. With autumn here and Halloween a few days away, paranormal reality shows top the list of how to build suspense, intrigue, and horror. 

A recent episode of a ghost hunting show explored the house of a serial killer. Not their first exploration, but it still gives a writer insight into what a depraved mind thinks like and does. 

Normal people do not have these inclinations. We simply go to a movie. So being able to witness the supernatural underpinnings of a lunatic helps grease the wheels in the inner mind of a writer. 

Poison people. Bury them in the yard... I have always joked that I would bury people in their yard, but I have a sick sense of humor. 

Practicality aside, serial killers have a vanity complex. They must own what they kill. Almost like cannibals who eat their victims must own the spirit, soul, and energy of the person they have conquered.

So as you write your horror fiction or poetry, remember to understand that killer and the victims in your made up case. You never know what haunting evidence will lead your reader to read your story again and again. 

Dalmane, anyone? 


Tuesday, October 25, 2016

400 Word Challenge

Every once and awhile, I see a writing challenge online and I must take it. This one helped me with a science fiction book I have been writing off and on for what feels like centuries. So I used this opportunity to expand my universe, once again.
“Grrraahwahahaaaa!” The planet screamed from within. The soul of the planet began to emerge from its cloistered hibernation. 
Panicked residents began to flee as giant chasms in the crust opened to reveal the stark truth: this was not a planet; it was a cocoon. A billion years this creature had matured in its chrysalis and now it was about to be reborn. 
Earthquakes toppled buildings. Whole structures split in two. Massive chunks of the concrete and steel gods plummeted to the ground. 
People scattered screaming, yelling, and cowering in fear. The peaceful colony was besieged by terror. Millions were being killed in the upheaval and sheer chaos. 
As the rips in the planet’s configuration widened, a blue glow emanated. Brighter and brighter the illumination blinded people as the creature made its way out. The cool rays vibrated at a frequency too low to hear but easily felt. People froze as their muscles turned to ice. 
Soon the planet would be no more and the chill of the beings’ natural deep space temperature would destroy all the life it came in contact with. Some people found their way into ships and zoomed off into the farthest reaches of the solar system and watched. The dusty red planet succumbed to the overpowering destruction of a live birth. 
I was one of those people. Nine years old at the time, but I saw it. I witnessed how life could change in an instant. Not from malice or hate, but by the law of the universe: change and live or die in your shell. 
Ten billion people lost their lives that day. The creature was an indescribable ball of blue light with different colored orbs revolving around its own circumference like an atmosphere. The inner core of the planet spilled out and now it used as a mining colony for all the precious metals and minerals. 
That is the pendant I wear. A rare pink mineral was given to me as a lasting reminder of how I lost my family and home world in a matter of hours. I really do not need the jewel; I remember every moment in perfect detail. 
The creature disappeared after that day. No one had ever seen another glimpse of the being. Well, not until today. 
I found it. After twenty years of searching the deep trenches of space, I am staring straight at my living nightmare…
 How would you write about the end of the world? 

Have a great and wonderful day!


Thursday, October 20, 2016

Expanding My Universe

I have gone into the realm of writing and writer's groups on social media.

I post art, poetry, and some commentary. I have shared contact information and grown my readership. I am glad I made the jump into this new and exciting world. 

I hope I learn a lot from the vast knowledge of so many creative minds. 

So if you are on social media and see one of my posts... stop by and say hello! 

Have a great and wonderful day! 




Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Supermoon Fading for Now

The night sky is wonderful this time of the year. 

Orion is out in the early morning hours and the moon phases across the star studded darkness. October's Hunter's Moon is waxing. A New Moon is on the way. November and December will also see their own Supermoons this year. Orion and his nebulae star cluster will watch the moon go by from new, crescent, waning, full, waxing into the nights. 

I am up to watch it all unfold. 

The mornings are cool until noon. That is when I am doing chores and coordinating my activities. Then it's off to sleep in the heat of the day.

It won't last long. Autumn beacons. The man made high pressure systems are about to fall. Mother Nature will get her way because she is about to move in.

I hope she packed some rain.

Have a great and wonderful day! 



Monday, October 17, 2016

In the Name of Blood Released

Finally! 

In the Name of Blood, the vampire crime-drama has been published by Sonoran Dawn Studios

This ebook pdf will be free until the last minute of Halloween. So be sure to grab your copy before the free trial fortnight is up. 

I am so excited to finally have one of my stories published in book form. The print version will be available this coming summer with the second installment of the book due out in October of 2017. 

Thank you to everyone who has made my dreams possible!

Have a great and wonderful day. 


Thursday, October 6, 2016

Trick or Treat Time Again

Okay... not the best picture, but here is my new Halloween plate!

The large plastic round fits nicely in my china cabinet. The skull motif inspired me to decorate my entire cabinet in Halloween fun! 

October is my 31 days of Halloween. 

Autumn for me begins on September 1st no matter if it is 110 degrees or less. It is meteorological fall and I am sticking to that. 

The night is cool, but the house is still warm from the hot, dry days of summer. So the windows are open, the laundry machines are on, and I am dusting away. 

The nights are beginning to smell different as the cool arctic air filters into the subtropical mass that used to house monsoon moisture. 

Now I wait. 

Ghosts and goblins abound. Each makes an appearance at my front door for a one night only engagement. Will I have enough candy? 

Trick or Treat!

Have a great and wonderful day!



Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Sights and Smells of Autumn Writing

Cooler weather has come to the Sonoran Desert! Autumn has arrived. 

With the crescent moon in the sky and Mars glowing after sunset, this new season has wowed and wooed the observer. The smell of autumn fills the air with fire pits, mesquite, and marshmallows. 

Writers can use their senses to show the reader. In the above paragraph, the reader is taken on a journey through their senses and engage with the season. Autumn is alive on crisp, cool evenings. 

Reading and writing should never be a passive event. 

Get your autumn into action! Write for the five senses. Engage with the reader. 

And, rejoice in the return to pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes, and spices! 

Have a great and wonderful day! 




Saturday, October 1, 2016

On the Horizon of a Black Moon

Black Moons are the equivalent to a Blue Moon for New Moons. 

Confused? Don't be. Blue Moons are two Full Moons in a month or four in a seasonal cycle. Black Moons are two New Moons in the same vein. 

So how can we use these natural cycles in our stories? For supernatural or paranormal subplots? Since I will be working on a werewolf novel next, the mythology surrounding the moon has become late night reading. 

I have read about the phases, names, and astrologies of the moon from Celtic to Chinese. The moon as the Earth's only satellite has captured the human imagination for thousands of years. The only avenue left is to create a new mythos for a story that is not complacent, derivative, or juvenile. 

When my characters come alive in my head, I bet they will have a lot to say, but for now it's research time. Pass the gmo free bean chips! 

Have a great and wonderful day!



Subscribe to Undawntable Today!

Subscribe and receive news from Undawnted on a regular basis. Updates include: book release dates publication updates discounts contests/giveaways Join Undawnted's Creative Tribe.