Birthing a New Series: The Lakota Brothers

Raven Wolf is a new author of Paranormal Romance. She shares a description of a forthcoming novel which will birth a series of six books.

Gary, first of all, I want to thank you for giving me an opportunity for being able to express how important it is as for a Native American writer to share the meaning behind my works. When I first began writing the” Lakota Brother’s series”, the original title was actually: “The Lakota Blood Brother’s Series” I began writing a diary to a man who I only knew in dreams. As an avid reader myself, I decided to flesh him out and the only way to do this was to create a story line for him, for us.

The Lakota Brother’s Series is a story that contains not only the spiritual, but cultural essence of a nation. A legend called, “The White Buffalo Calf Woman” is told to the audience - a story that was told many moons ago of a woman who brought the seven sacred rites to the people, thereby becoming the dominant figure of the Lakota Nation. This woman, Raven, a mother of three, runs from those who call themselves the “Chosen” which is a secret worldwide organization that has sent their best to track her and take her out.

Following her Lakota beliefs, struggling to stay alive, she flees from one state to another, heading to Night Fall, Colorado. There, she finds love. She begins to realize that dreams do come true even in the mist of darkness.

Michael Thomas was chosen by the Wakinyan (The Thunder Beings) to lead the pack. With just a mere glance, Raven and Michael fall into a deep love they have never experienced. Due to that one stare, something changes. She feels a strong connection for a man she hardly knows. Raven begins to find out the true identity of Michael, the man from her dreams. She begins to realize events are about to happen which will change her life.

Raven finds it hard to handle truth; that her creativity, with the power of the moon, will bring premonitions to reality. Afraid and not fully understanding this power, she runs once more, not from the “Chosen”, but from love instead. Michael is aware of the dangerous situation that Raven and her family are in. He is put to the test struggling with his inner emotions. He is unaware Raven is not just a regular woman. Soon, he’ll find out she is more then he bargains for. His senses heightened with anticipation, his interest grows for her. She is not like the women he’s used to.

He decides to become her protector. Under his rebel command, his Lakota brothers follow Raven wherever she goes. Unaware that she is being followed, Raven takes off heading to Pierre, South Dakota. That’s when Michael and his brothers begin to discover that Raven isn’t really alone in her journey; it seems that supernatural forces are escorting her. They are warriors of Lakota, Dakota and Nokota territories. Raven just happens to stumble into a town where they are visiting. Was this a coincidence? Or was it destiny that brought them together?

The “Chosen” continues to track Raven. These dark, sinister supernatural forces are skin walkers and they are far from home. They are an enemy that won’t stop or compromise.

In all six of the Lakota Brother’s series, Raven reminds the brothers of what was long forgotten and needs to be brought back in order to live again. There will be many struggles - fighting evil and working side-by-side with a government that has no control of natural forces or understanding of the spiritual realm. 2012 is coming. Many things are beginning to shift. Many must unite by putting their differences to the side for the survival of human kind. Those who were enemies become close allys. The brothers must learn the meaning of what it is to be true warriors. By bringing back the old ways and blending them with the new, Michael begins to learn the true meaning of his existence. In the same time, he begins to understand the true meaning of unconditional love. Through Raven, he begins to unlock her hidden secrets that soon will be revealed when the moon is full.

Villians of Paranormal Fiction

This Writers' Blog features musings about villians by Heaven Liegh Eldeen, author of the DEMON SIDE. It seems today's villains are not as recognizable as they were in the past.

We hate them and we love them. No, I’m not talking about our spouses. I’m talking about the ever evolving villains of today’s fiction world. The writers of our generation have slyly and creatively blurred the lines of good and evil to the point of confusion. The villains they have created stand in the grey area between right and wrong. One page has you falling in love with the character, then comes the grand betrayal. Your once chivalrous knight suddenly transforms into the treacherous troll under the bridge.

Gone are the days when the bad guys were easily detectable by the huge hairy moles on the end of their freakishly protruding noses and maniacal hack saw teeth. Replacing their hideous appearance, now stands an ultra-sexy, uber-fit, flesh statue carved by the gods themselves.

With the mad-scientist lab coat in the trash, they don expensive tailor made suits and evening gowns that most of us wish we could afford to sniff. Their plots of evil doing no long involve taking over the tri-state area. Their conspiracies still centers around ruling the world, but for an understandable reason. Some great injustice haunts their past, forming their future as a force to be feared and reckoned with.

And say goodbye to the times when they hid away in the shadows, watching their henchmen completely fail at carrying out their dastardly plans of destruction. As full fledge respected members of high society, super villains today have Ivy League educations, unlimited resources, and employ a full state of the art army of highly trained mercenaries. And this just covers our human arch nemeses.

Our world is filling more and more with the ever growing paranormal fiction phenomenon. No longer do we care for the clichéd everyday anthropoid. We crave fangs, claws, and powers beyond our wildest understandings. But these traits banish them to the edges of our world, watching from the outside in.

With their super natural abilities, they suavely manipulate you into trusting their labyrinth of lies, wanting them carnally, believing in their campaign of annihilating innocence and willing to do anything for them, short of suicide. I am guilty of falling in lust with my fair share of bad boys and sulking in a pit of jealousy over the bad girls before and after their intentions were revealed.

But for the new twists on how we perceive villains, I am thankful. Without the trailblazer’s of yesterday’s paranormal fiction world, my novella, The Demon Side, probably would have been laughed out of the writing world.

To learn more about Heaven go to: www.heaveneldeen.com

Research and Writing by JL Oiler

Prolific novelist JL Oiler shares some cautionary advice on story preparation with us. She also shares an excerpt from her latest book.

Research and Realism in the Romance World…..by JL Oiler

I am one of those readers who devour books that I enjoy. There is nothing like climbing into a story regardless of sub genre and being able to connect with the characters. However, I can’t help but notice that with the increase of availability of reads due to the e-book revolution, that a great number of authors fail to truly think or research the topics/genres they write. I truly believe to grab the author that a story requires elements of realism regardless whether you write paranormal, BDSM, historic, Sci-Fi, or any other of the zillion sub genres out there.

Honestly, if you’re going to give me a story about Rodeo then you should research the topic. Learn as much as possible so you’re not just blowing smoke. Believe me readers can peg a fake. It only takes a few careless mistakes to have it all come crashing around you. The same could be said about locations. If you select a real setting, you should at least checkout a map. Nothing worse than discovering the writer has made Garden City Kansas, ocean front property.

Time seems to be the biggest mistake made by authors. I once read a historical book that was great other than one sticking point for me. She had referred to a zoo in that country a good 75 years before the first opened. A simple mistake easily corrected with just a bit of research.

Well enough of my rant, on to something filled with a load of unrealism (I do love paranormal!). My latest release….

Title: Dead Force Rising

Publisher: Rebel Ink Press

Cover Art: Carl Franklin

Blurb:

Sergeant John Rose planned to make the military his life, at least until an eye condition threatened to rob him of that goal. Now the Army has another plan for him and four other soldiers that find themselves in the same boat. Together they will form the government’s latest weapon in a war John didn't even know they were fighting. A war on the monsters most people believe are just a figment of their imagination.

Thorn Grant lost her only brother a year ago when he was serving in Afghanistan. Now the paramedic finds herself doing a bit of civilian recon to help support his widow and small daughter. However, being a part-time spy is one job that isn't nearly as simple as she thought. After her mark catches her watching him, Thorn discovers not only is there more going on than she suspected, but that she has a connection with a certain Sergeant that goes far beyond just a physical attraction.

Excerpt:

Thorn looked at her watch and frowned. She still had another four hours until the end of her shift. She’d worked three days straight on the 3pm-3am shift and was anxious to call it a night, not that it had anything to do with it being Wednesday, well almost Thursday, and her having the next three days off. The radio squelch made her screw the lid back on her bottle of water and head for the ambulance. At least a call would make the time go a bit faster.

“Unit three respond, alleyway behind First, and Gordian Street South, report man down,” the dispatcher announced across the units speakers as both she and the driver fastened their seat belts.

Great, Thorn thought to herself as she grabbed the jump kit she kept between the seat and her driver, Keith Boyd, as he pulled out onto the ice-covered streets. It had been snowing off and on for the past few days but tonight Mother Nature seemed to be throwing everything she had on the roads. Most likely, this call involved yet another person succumbing to the bitter weather and was another slip and fall on an icy patch of ground. She’d taken in three such cases in the past five hours.

As they approached the scene, however, Thorn noted that no one was around the body, which was lying face down in a snowdrift the wind had created alongside a decaying stone wall. She thought it strange that the caller didn't hang around. When Keith pulled about twenty feet away, Thorn climbed out the door and headed for the body as the Keith went to grab the cot and some warm blankets from the back.

The bitter, cold wind cut through Thorn's uniform, making it feel as though she were wearing nothing at all. Kneeling beside the body she could now confirm as male, she felt the victim's neck for a pulse. Feeling nothing, she withdrew her hand, grabbed the body by the shoulders, and rolled the man face up. The site caught her off guard and Thorn stumbled back landing on her ass in the snow. The man’s entire neck had been torn open, his dead eyes locked wide in what appeared to be absolute horror.

A loud thump and yelp from Keith drew her attention from the body. Jumping back to her feet, she hurried around the ambulance fearing he might have fallen on the icy street. Instead, she came to a sliding stop at the back of the unit with her eyes wide. Keith was on the ground about five feet from the back doors of the ambulance, her jump bag lying on the ground, its contents spilling across the snow. Her driver lay sprawled across the cold ground, eyes staring into the sky, a silent scream on his face as a man dressed in jet black leaned over his throat. Blood turned the snow around Keith a bright red in the flickering lights of the dim street lamp.

Thanks for having me. It was an honor! Folks can stop by and visit with me at my site www.joiler.weebly.com or look me up on facebook!