I went to Nashville, Tennessee in July and met so many fantastic authors and creatives that work tirelessly behind the publishing scene. In a brief few days I felt a part of a much larger world than the little desk I sit at daily, by myself, to write. It occurred to me that I wanted to know these other professionals who toil with words and design and publishing.I put out the call and they signed up to let me stalk their pages and ask them questions. Let me introduce Beth Adams. 

The Big Ten

1. Your book, Soulbound, is built around an Elvin world. What inspired your world n this novel? How do you go about world building?
I've loved elves since reading The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. [Me: if you guys haven't watched the MtV series, it's worth it.] It's funny, because most people assume it's Tolkien who inspired me. Nope. Terry Brooks. :) When it comes to Soulbound, the world just sort of evolved along with the story. For me, that's often how it happens. I let the story unfold, and the characters reveal their world to me. That....sounds totally strange. :-D

2. You recently tweeted: “Even an elf feels awkward when someone flirts with his mom.” What’s happening? Do tell!!!
Ohhh, well, this involves spoilers if you haven't read Soulbound yet. Continue at your own risk! Hehe. In Soulbound, we learn that the healer has a thing for Lyr's mom, Lynia. In Book 2, Sundered, there's a scene where Lynia is arguing with the healer because she needs to strengthen her recently healed back but he wants her to rest. And he starts to make a risque suggestion about ways he could help strengthen her back...in bed. Bwahaha. Poor Lyr shut that down before he had to hear more. It seems you can be over five hundred years old and STILL not want to think about your mom's love life.  
 
3. Tell us about Acts of Bravery and Against the Odds. What major themes run through these short stories?
These anthologies were born in the Debut Collective, a group of writers inspired by UTOPiA Con. I have a story in each of those two anthologies. My Acts of Bravery story is "The Golden Queen." It's about a queen cursed to remain in a portrait, only able to leave for one day every decade. She and her guardian, Kenrick, have to marshal all their bravery to get out of that one.

For Against All Odds, I have "The Grove Between." Contact with the Eiana, the people of the forest, is forbidden, but to save her people from a wicked plot, Mio must seek them out. She meets one of their people, Faen, but the rest of the Eiana refuse to help. With her greatest enemy closing in, Mio and Faen have to work together to beat the odds.

4. I see you recently attended UTOIPiACon2016 in Nashville. What did you do there? Did you attend any panels? What was your take away from that experience? [me: UTOPiA 2017 is already up and going]
I had my very first author table at UTOPiA Con this year. I only made it to a couple of panels because I didn't want to stray to far from my table. I'm a naturally shy person, so it's always an experience to go to such a huge event. But I did have a great time! This was only my second year, and I find that after each year, I make more friends. I'm already excited for next year!
 
5. You tweet quite a bit about the equality and peace. Tell us what sits on your heart about the world.
I hate injustice. I know that life isn't always fair, but if we leave it at that, it never will be, right? But you know, I think what really gets me are the artificial boundaries we use to separate. Nationality, race, religion, sexuality--if you really examine these things, you'll find more commonalities than differences, yet we often don't look beyond the label. We all hurt, love, care for our families. The more we see that, the more we'll live in peace. Maybe someday. :)
 
6. If you could bring one character alive from your novels, who would it be and why?
Probably Lyr. I have such a soft spot for him. He has had so much happen to him over the last few decades that I'd love to see him happy.
 
7. You’re a busy mom of a little one. How do you find time to write? Do you have any rituals to help you get started and stay on track?
Actually, I have two kids. I just try to keep their pictures off social media for privacy concerns. My oldest is 6 and my youngest 3. I find time to write whenever I can, really. I have a standing desk so I can work without my youngest crawling on my head. :-D I typically start work around 9 and get in a couple of hours before lunch. If it's a good day, kid-wise, I work again in the afternoon. Summer has thrown me off, though. The kids are old enough that when they aren't fighting, they're playing loudly.
 
8. Coffee! I see you love the brew and Ironman. So, if you could sit and share a cup of coffee with Ironman/Tony Stark, what would you talk about?
Investment advice? Hehehe. Seriously, I'd probably ask him about all of his cool inventions. I wouldn't understand half of the science, but he'd be fun enough to watch. :-D
 
9. Who is your fiction hero/heroine? And who is your real life hero/heroine? Why? Do tell.
Probably Elspeth from Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar. She begins as a brat, but beneath that, she's hurting. I love how she transitions to a confident, competent, and empathetic person by the end of the series. I guess because I was once that hurting brat, and Elspeth was one of the characters who taught me how to be better.

I love Amy Lee, Sara Bareilles, and Sarah McLachlan. Their music has gotten me through some tough times. And my mom, who has an amazing strength of will. 
 
10. At the end of all things, when light fades to black, what’s the only thing that’s real?
The Divine Spark that flows through everything. The energy that makes up the core of existence. Love. 

Main website: http://bethanyadamsbooks.com/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/bethanyadams
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/bethanyadams
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bethjadams
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writerbethany
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/amberwillow
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willowreve/

I first came across B.C. Morin's work from her FB page and the artwork she was posting. I came to find out it was her husband doing the designing. We struck up the usual virtual conversations, leading to years of mutual postings. And here we are. B.C. Morin writes in the YA paranormal world of faeries and magic in her The Kingdom Chronicles. So, let's make some noise for B.C. Morin. Her links are below so you can stalk her pages and like some cool stuff.

The Big Questions
1. What is the first thing you remember writing that made you realize you were a writer/author?
I used to write poetry all the time in high school, along with a few short stories. It was such a release for me.

2. What sparked your muse for your Mark of the Princess series? and the new novel White Witch?
My sister in law was having  her Quincenera (Sweet 15) and it was in a Renaissance/Fairy theme. As we were helping with the decorations and looking at some of the things she was putting together for it, I said; “Wouldn’t it be cool, if there was a world like this?” And my husband said; “Yeah, it would. You should create it and make a story with it.” I thought he was joking, but a couple of weeks later I was napping on the couch one day and he created this amazing drawing based on me and my love of fairies. And there was such a lure to the way he did her eyes that I thought, yeah, I need to create a story for this.The White Witch was inspired by some artwork my husband did. (He seems to be notorious for that, huh?)  He does absolutely amazing graphic design and he did the picture with the eyes and showed it to me and said: “Wouldn’t this make a cool cover?” And within minutes we were bouncing around story ideas!

3. Do you have any rituals when you’re writing and book designing?
Sometimes I will put my headphones on and listen to soundtrack music, classical, or epic music, anything that will inspire the story so long as it doesn’t have lyrics. I have a bad habit of singing along with everything so it throws off the focus of the writing.
 
4. What inspires your cover designs?
Tell us everything you want us to know about it. Honestly, my husband is the mastermind behind my covers and all my art and banners. I tell him about the story and my main characters and he runs with it! We are so in sync creatively, that he knocks out covers beyond what I am thinking.
 
5. I noticed you posted for World Autism Awareness Day. Is this something that you feel passionately about?
Are there other charity or causes that you feel strongly about? What would you like people to know? I do, my best friend Sylvia’s son is Autistic as well as my husband’s cousin. Parents of Autistic kids go through more than most of us could ever imagine, especially so with the actions and discriminations of people. So I think it’s very important for more research, education and awareness to be put toward it. I also feel very strongly about epilepsy research and support for spinal injuries. I recently underwent a spinal fusion in December of 2014 for stage 4 Spondylolisthesis.
 
6. What fascinates you about life?
The way I see God’s hand in everything.
 
7. Why do you write?
Because I have to. It flows from me. When I have an idea it will eat at me until I release it onto paper or my laptop.
 
8. If you could bring ONE character to life from any of your novels, who would it be? What would you talk about? Why that character?
It would probably be my main character from the story I am working on right now. She’s kind of introverted and geeky and ends up getting tossed into this world where her only option is to be a bad-ass, so she takes what life hands her and kicks some ass!
 
9. If you could only read one book over and over again stranded on a desert island, which book would you choose?
Why? Oh my gosh, just one??? HHmmmmm….. Honestly, it would likely be the Bible. If I’m going to be on a deserted island with no one but my creator to talk to, I’m going to get to know him the best way I can and that’s through is word.
 
10. At the end of all days, what do you think is the only thing that’s real?
Faith in God and his son. And as my husband says, the legacy you leave behind. And I don’t mean businesses or financial things like that. What will people say when you are gone? How did you make them feel? Did you share the love you were given? 
 
Twitter : @BC_Morin
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/BCMorinAuthor?ref=bookmarks
Goodreads : https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5427981.B_C_Morin
Pinterest : https://www.pinterest.com/bcmorin/
Amazon : http://www.amazon.com/B.C.-Morin/e/B00AK4RF18/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

If you enjoyed this post, give it a LIKE or a TWEET :) And by all means, SHARE :) If you'd like a heads up on future Big Ten Interviews or giveaways, join my email list. The only spam I like is with my eggs.
© Janell Rhiannon 2016
Any information from this blog must be properly cited :)

Years ago when I first started writing, I came across Amanda's story and her work as an indie author. I thought, "WOW!" what a cool chick she is. She was working hard on her dream of publishing her stories. I really love it when people follow their dreams and encourage others at the same time. Amanda has a fantastic grasp on storytelling and an imagination that truly engages her readers :) When she agreed to do the Big Ten, I was stoked to say the least. She's an animal lover and advocate for all things Batman. Ladies and gents...it's Amanda Hocking :)

1. What is the first thing you remember about writing that made you realize you were a writer?

I have a cassette tape of me at about two or three telling this long elaborate story to my grandma about the Muppets and werewolves and giant monster bugs, and I think almost as soon as I could talk, I  knew I wanted to be a storyteller. About the time I started kindergarten, it became apparent that writing would be the most efficient way for me to tell stories, and I knew I wanted to be a writer.

2. What sparked your muse for your Kanin Chronicles? I love this world you’ve created. And the covers are so beautiful. Do you have sticky notes all over your desk or on the wall? Who is your favorite character? Who speaks loudest in year ear?

The base of the Kanin Chronicles is based on the Trylle series which it’s spun off of, but the specific set up of this book came from two places – a trip I took to Alaska, and the movie Haywire. I actually didn’t care for the movie that much, but I absolutely fell in love with Gina Carano, and I thought, “I want to write about someone as tough and strong as her.” So that’s where Bryn came from, and the rest of the story fell in around it.

I actually do have sticky notes all over my desk! I’m crazy about Post-Its and I’m meticulous about note taking and outlining.

My favorite character from the Kanin Chronicles is probably Bryn, but I also have soft spots for Ember and Tilda and Konstantin and Ridley. I’m also really quite fond of Linnea. She grew on me.

I don’t know who speaks the loudest in my ear. Maybe Bryn, because she’s so demanding.

3. I notice you like Game of Thrones...This show makes me crazy and I could talk about it for hours, so...Who is your favorite character? What are your predictions for next season? What has been your favorite scene so far?

Margaery Tyrell and her grandmother Olenna Tyrell are my absolute favorites. I love everything about them. I love Varys and Tyrion, especially when they’re together, and I like Sansa a lot. I especially liked her turn as dark Sansa toward the end of season four, and I hope to see more of that in the future. And Ser Pounce. We need more Ser Pounce.

I’m putting SPOILER ALERT, just in case people aren’t all caught up on Game of Thrones, because I’m talking about it now.

I didn’t like Jon Snow for about three-and-a-half seasons, because he was boring. But now I’m quite fond of him, and I also do no for a second believe that he is dead and gone for good. Will he come back as the Jon Snow we knew and loved, or more like a Mountainstein creation? Probably somewhere in between, but he’ll definitely be back.

I doubt they’ll do it, but I would also like if Khal Drogo came back somehow. Or maybe it turned out he had a twin brother so Jason Momoa has to come back. I don’t know. The writers can work on the logic. I’d just like to see Jason Momoa again.

And I would like lots more Dark Sansa. Even Darker Sansa would be better.

4. You recently got married and congratulations! Can you tell us your “How you met story?” And how has married life been integrated with your writing? What’s been your biggest adjustment? What has been your greatest joy so far?

We met a mutual friend’s birthday party, and one of my now-husband’s friends told me that he was a total cad and lady chaser before I really talked to him, so my first impressions weren’t good. He tried to ask me out a few months later, but I still wasn’t interested. Finally, after knowing him for over two years, he asked me out again, and I said yes, and it was wonderful, and six months later were engaged.

The biggest change in my writing routine is when I write. I used to start writing late at night, like six or seven, and I’d writing until the early morning hours. My husband is a morning person, and he has a seven-year-old son. So me staying up all night and sleeping all day wasn’t very conducive to being part of a family, so I’ve started writing during the day, usually from about ten in the morning to five or six at night.

I don’t know what my greatest joy has been so far. My husband makes me laugh a lot, and when I get stuck in a video game, he can always get me past the part I’m stuck at. He really is always surprising me. My greatest joy is just getting to hang out with him.

5. I noticed you posted a lot about Batman. When and how did you come to dig this man in black? Any thoughts about the new Batman movie? Who’s your favorite Batman? Favorite Batman scene?

When I was seven, my dad took me to see “Batman Returns,” and I think I was smitten at that moment. I love Batman because he’s just a guy. Yes, a super rich genius with lots of toys, but he’s not endowed with special abilities from another planet or spider bite. He just made a decision to be the most badass man on the planet, and then he followed through.  

I think Ben Affleck will do a fine job as Batman. My problem with it is that I don’t feel like we need another Batman movie right now. I would’ve loved to see a Nightwing movie (perhaps Joseph Gordon Levitt carrying on the torch from the Christopher Nolan movies), or other characters brought to life from the DC cannon.

With that said, I am SUPER psyched for Jason Momoa as Aquaman.

My favorite Batman is Christian Bale, but he’s only very slightly above Michael Keaton, Adam West, and Kevin Conroy. They’re all excellent Batmans.

6. What fascinates you about life?

Everything. The great thing is that there’s the internet, so when I decide I need to know something, like what’s the largest butterfly in the world or how come rivers aren’t salty, I can look it up.

I would say that I am most fascinated by human nature. We’re fascinating creatures, because we’re just animals with basic animal instincts, but because of language skills and our ability to be self-aware, it changes everything.

7. Why do you write?

I definitely write as an escape, but I also think I write to solve something for myself. I don’t always know what it is when I start writing, but something is nagging me, and I need to create a fictional scenario to work my way through it.

With the Kanin Chronicles, for example, I think the biggest themes involve love, guilt, redemption, and death. I think those are emotions that I struggle with, and my ways of handling them and working through them were changing, and the Kanin Chronicles helped me redefine those terms for myself.

8. If you could bring ONE character to life from any of your novels, who would it be? What would you talk about? Why that character?

That is so, so tough. Marcy from Watersong is the character I’d like to most hang out with, but if I’m going through all the trouble of bringing a character to life, I feel like it should be more substantial than “I just like her.”

So I guess I would pick Ezra from My Blood Approves, because he’s so old and he’s seen so much. I think he would have a really interesting perspective on life, and it would be fun to pick his brain.

9. If you could only read one book over and over again stranded on a desert island, which book would you choose? Why?

Something by Kurt Vonnegut. Probably Cat’s Cradle, but maybe Slaughterhouse-Five. Or Mother Night. I really love Vonnegut, and I’ve re-read his books so many times already. I’m also a big WWII buff, so two of the three books are about WWII.

10. At the end of all days, what do you think is the only thing that’s real?

This moment and only this moment. I know that what’s happened can’t ever unhappen – a tree falls in the woods no matter if anyone hears it or not. But your perception is often distorted, your memories fade, your mind can fail you, and eventually your body gives out. So the only thing you ever really have, that you can ever really be sure of, is the moment that you’re in. Everything else is entirely intangible and could disappear in an instant. 

Website: www.hockingbooks.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/amanda_hocking
Facebook: www.facebook.com/amandahockingfans
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/amanda_hocking
Wattpad: wattpad.com/AmandaHocking
Instagram: instagram.com/amanda_hocking
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/aehocking/
Tumblr: amandahocking.tumblr.com/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/aehocking
Book Shop: www.hockingbooks.com/all-books

If you enjoyed this post, give it a LIKE or a TWEET :) And by all means, SHARE :) If you'd like a heads up on future Big Ten Interviews or giveaways, join my email list. The only spam I like is with my eggs.
© Janell Rhiannon 2016
Any information from this blog must be properly cited :)

The Oath
Book 2 of The Coven Series By Apryl Baker
Summary from Goodreads:
She killed herself. Everyone asked why, but when I got my hands on my sister's diary, I understood exactly why. I stared at the girl in the mirror as I removed my nose ring. Gone was the black hair, replaced by golden blonde locks that made my sapphire blue eyes shine and my California sun-kissed skin glow. The Goth chic clothes had been put away and I wore a pink tank top and a pair of khaki colored Capri’s. Stylish sandals completed the outfit. I wanted to barf.The snotty little would-be witches would pay for what they'd done. By the end of the week, they’d all be praying to whatever god they worshiped to hide them from the hell coming for them.May the Fates have mercy upon them, because they would pay the same price they’d demanded of her.Their lives.
Add to your Goodreads to be read list now!
Available for pre-order now!
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Apple | Kobo

Summary from Goodreads:
Armed with kick-ass shoes, can CJ stop a maniacal coven leader, save the town, and still get Mr. Melt In Your Mouth Gorgeous while surviving the darkness coming for her? The smoke from the fire burned her eyes, its heat caressed her skin and the taste of fear choked her. She was going to burn just as her ancestor did all those centuries ago in New Salem Village. How could she have been so wrong about everything? Cassie Jayne Bishop grew up the only non-believer in town of Coven. When a stranger comes to the sleepy town of New Salem, everything she thought was true unraveled around her. Ethan made her question everything, even her sister’s death. Clues start to pile up and Cassie is determined to find out if the Coven was the real reason her sister died. What she uncovers terrifies her to the very depths of her soul....

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Apple | Kobo | B&N

So who am I? Well, I'm the crazy girl with an imagination that
never shuts up. I LOVE scary movies. My friends laugh at me 
when I scare myself watching them and tell me to stop watching 
them, but who doesn't love to get scared? I grew up in a small 
town nestled in the southern mountains of West Virginia where 
I spent days roaming around in the woods, climbing trees, and 
causing general mayhem. Nights I would stay up reading Nancy 
Drew by flashlight under the covers until my parents yelled at me 
to go to sleep. Growing up in a small town, I learned a lot of values and morals, I also learned parents have spies everywhere and there's always someone to tell your mama on you. So when you get grounded, what is there left to do? Read! My Aunt Jo gave me my first real romance novel. It was a romance titled "Lord Margrave's Deception." I remember it fondly. But I also learned I had a deep 
and abiding love of mysteries and anything paranormal. As I grew up, I started to write just that and would entertain my friends with stories featuring them as main characters. Now, I live Huntersville, NC where I entertain my family and watch the cats get teased by the birds and laugh myself silly when they swoop down and then dive back up just out of reach. The cats start yelling something fierce...lol. I love books, I love writing books, and I love entertaining people with my silly stories.You can reach me at any of these places:
Facebook | Twitter | Wattpad | LinkedIn | Google+ 
Blogspot
PS: DO NOT GET IN MY WAY IF THERE IS A SALE ON AT TARGET 
- my home away from home!

In Book One of the Livingstone Saga: Birth, Iseo and Celestino share a very passionate kiss. It's just a "kiss"...so no reason for concern because kisses are innocent...or are they? You can steal a kiss, take a kiss, blow a kiss, kiss back, or just peck a kiss. But, I have been thinking a lot about kisses, and not because it was just Valentine's Day (which I celebrated solo style in the company of two dogs and one cat). This is what I thought about: kisses are probably the most dangerous thing of all. The simple act of leaning in, pressing lips to lips is how the very first line is crossed. It's the line that separates the safety of where you are with the excitment of the unknown and where you're going. A kiss is the doorway to passion. A kiss is the first truly intimate thing that lovers do, and the one thing they notice first when it's missing-in-action. Consider this painting by Gustav Klimt entitled, what else? The Kiss.

It's a magnificent painting. The embrace and the cloak exude passion, ignition, and all that glitters in the sparkling shower of love. This piece was recently featured in the movie This Means War starring Reese Witherspoon and the sexy Tom Hardy. Check out this KISS montage by  Mira. I think her selection shows exactly what I'm talking about.

A KISS is when you begin to give in...to everything. It is hard to stop, to pull back the emotional tidal wave once  it starts to crest over your body, mind and soul. The kiss is the beginning of the end for many of our favorite fictional characters, meaning they fall head over heels...to their utter joy or destruction.

Remember when Carrie kissed Aiden in Sex in the City 2? If Mr. Big hadn't called off the wedding in the first movie, I think he might have walked off and said forget it at that point. But, I'm pretty sure, the cancelled wedding and "the kiss" were never brought up again...a "kiss" trumped being jilted. Think about it. And Carrie did pull away...it could easily have gone the other way, as it usually does. 

Which brings me to my characters, Iseo and Celestino. A girl and a gargoyle...they are forbidden from loving each other, yet they do. And they share a KISS...

"Celestino waited until he felt her reach toward him. It was a slight movement on her part, but it was all the permission he required. Without taking his eyes from hers, he allowed his mouth to descend. Gentle at first, he tasted wine and honey on her lips. “You are the nectar of God and earth,” he spoke so close to her that she felt each word as his lips brushed against hers."

You'll have to read they rest in the book one of The Livingstone Saga: Birth. This kiss lasts about two pages...it's sexy, sweet, and you'll have to decide how innocent it really is... (re-posted from previous site).

Click on the picture for a 360 view of Finis Terrae, or the End of the Earth as the Romans called it. When the Romans controlled Espana (or Spain) this pile of rocks was believed to be the very edge of the earth, and beyond the visible horizon lay the entrance to the after world. In medieval times, that morphed into the "Gates of Hell." Today, as in medieval times, Finis Terrae is the final destination of many Catholic pilgrims. They begin from various spots in Europe and walk miles and miles on the famous Camino de Santiago (Road of Saint James). I thought it would be fun for you  to stand where Iseo and Celestino stood hundreds of years ago, looking out to the horizon and the very Gates of Hell.

FROM THE FINIS TERRAE CHAPTER 
"Celestino came up close behind her, close enough she could feel the tension between their bodies. Beneath them pilgrims built fires on the beach. They stripped their clothes and threw them in the fire before running into the cold, welcoming waves. He leaned his head down to her ear and whispered, “Pilgrims have no modesty.” He then whispered down the side of her neck, “I am your pilgrim.” As she shivered, he stepped back and stood watching the sun as it prepared to tuck itself behind the line of ocean and sky. “We should be returning to the inn.” 

Iseo barely heard what he had said, as her knees still shook and her heart pounded loudly in her ears. For a man not versed in love or romance, Celestino plucked every string of her heart. As they walked back, with the sun behind them, the grayness of evening shrouded them in their own world. Celestino reached for her hand. She let him take it, and for a precious brief moment, they walked as lovers under the peeking stars at the end of the world."   (Re-posted from a previous blog).

This story is about a boy and his military dad...love and regret and second chances. Enjoy! And Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there :)

Chapter 5  Cat’s Cradle 
 Nick wore black pants and a black baseball cap to school every day because he was in mourning. He mourned for all the reasons that people mourn. Mostly because it’s too late. Too late for all the things you wished you’d done, but didn’t do. Too late for all the things you wish you’d said, but instead you kept silent. Too late for all the things you wished could’ve been, but weren’t. Sometimes people have too much time on their hands and they waste it. The phrase “too late” gets tossed around for everything that hurts our hearts, as if saying “it’s too late” was a medicinal expression that somehow cleansed the wound.

Too late came for Nick the day his father deployed to Afghanistan.
“Dude, isn’t your dad supposed to leave today?”
“Yeah,” Nick said as he lit his cigarette.
“Aren’t you going with your mom?”
“I’m not gonna see that bastard off to war. He’s always leaving anyway. What’s the point?” Nick took a drag of his cigarette.
“That’s kinda cold, dude.”
“No one asked your opinion. So, shut the f*** up.” Nick stubbed the red cherry end of his smoke into the asphalt. “F*** school today. I’m going to the mall.”

I was sitting on top of the auto shop carport where Nick and his buddy smoked every day before school. His anger tasted like black licorice in my mouth. I could hear Nick’s hurt in the ugly words. When they left, I jumped down to the dumpster, then to the alley road. Nick’s house was only a few blocks away. The time to help Nick was coming soon; I could feel it. I just didn’t know when or what just yet. I kept hearing his father’s voice, too. And that puzzled me.

Nick’s mother waited for Nick to show up at the house so they could drive his father to the base. Unfortunately, Nick never came. His mother took his father to the base by herself. Nick never saw how his mother held her tears back, so her husband would think her strong and wouldn’t worry about the family while he was gone. And neither Nick nor his mother saw the tears the soldier shed inside his invisible heart. Soldiers have to be G.I. Joe tough on the outside. However, you know by now that what we feel on the inside is far more important than what others see or think they see on the outside.

In the field, Nick’s father carried a photograph of his smiling six-year-old son. In the photograph, Nick wore a green and white uniform and stood with one foot poised over a black and white soccer ball. When the sun went down in Afghanistan and the heat radiated roasting hot, not blazing hot hell-fire, his father looked at the faded picture. Over time, his sweat smudged the clarity of the colors and spoiled the flat pristine paper with puckers. He didn’t care because the picture symbolized everything he fought for. He loved his son who ignored him. Someday, he’ll come back to me. He’ll realize I love him. Nick’s six-year-old smile branded his father’s heart with memories. I could hear Nick’s father every night asking for protection for the family he left behind. Nick never knew that.
*
After his father left, Nick showed his mother no mercy.
“Just because your father’s gone, doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want when you want.” She shook her head in frustration.
“Whataya gonna do about it?” Nick snarled back, because he could. “Ground me?”
“Yes. And take your phone away.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I can turn it off, you know.”
“Go ahead. Then, I won’t have to worry about you calling me all the time. And nagging me.” Nick shrugged her off.
“I got your report card in the mail today,” his mother said matter-of-factly, trying unsuccessfully to change the tone of their conversation.
“So what.”
“You have three Fs and four Ds. What happened?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Shit. School sucks. Teachers suck.”
“That doesn’t mean you can just flunk everything.”
“I’m not flunking everything. I got Ds.”
“Quit twisting my words. Your grades are unacceptable, Nick.”
“Whatever.”
“Go to your room right now.”
“For what?”
“Being disrespectful. Your father would never allow you to—”
“He’s not here, is he? So who cares.”
“Get to your room!” Her eyes filled with angry frustrated tears.

Nick walked out of the kitchen. Instead of going upstairs, his mother heard him slam the front door. She leaned against the kitchen counter for strength as she made dinner, because her legs felt like rubber. The urgency of war took her husband into rocky hills and sandy deserts far away from her. She needed his help. I don’t know what to do with our son. I’m so angry you left me here to do this all by myself. That night, like every night, she cried herself to sleep. When daylight lit the edges of the curtains, she awoke, putting one foot in front of the other. Nick never noticed her resoluteness day in and day out. He missed each second she wiped her tears away so he wouldn’t see.

The dark day arrived when the dark blue car pulled up along the curb in front of Nick’s house. I sat on my skateboard across the street and watched as two men in military dress blues got out. I could see Nick watching them through the big picture window in his living room. The taller of the two took off his stiff hat and tucked it neatly under his arm. I could hear the footsteps timed in unison like a march on the wooden porch all the way across street. Nick opened the door before they had a chance to knock. They asked for his mother, so he hollered for her. The men looked at each other as if to say, Son, we could’ve done that ourselves, but they remained silent. Nick left them at the door and sat down on the couch to finish his turn at HALO.

His mother walked into the room and saw Nick playing his video game.
“What’s so urgent you had to yell like that?” she asked impatiently. Then, she saw the men at the door. She dropped her coffee cup on the hardwood floor, where it shattered like her dreams...into a million tiny pieces. All the tears she hid from the world flooded her heart like the Euphrates River floods its banks in springtime. Nick watched as a tremor shook her body to the floor like she was having an earthquake from the inside out.

He stood up from the couch and stared at her.
One of the men opened the door and walked in, because he was a man of the cloth.
He knelt next to the weeping wife, “Mrs. DiMitri, I’m sorry about your husband.”
“What happened?”
“He was killed in the line of duty.”
“How?” Her voice was a jolting aftershock.
“He died in the rocky hills of a northern region of Afghanistan. It’s all we’re allowed to say, Mrs. DiMitri.”
“Oh my God,” she wept.
“He died a hero saving his fellow soldiers,” the man of the cloth offered, hoping it would lessen the wound. Then, he helped Nick’s mother up to the couch because her legs refused to move. The taller man handed Nick a faded picture. He recognized it immediately.
“Where did you get this?” Nick asked the tall soldier in dress blues.
“Your father kept it in his helmet.”
“How do you know that?” Nick’s voice cracked ever so slightly.
“I saw him put it in there myself.”
Nick just stared at the picture.
“Your father was a good man. He loved you very much.”

 In the blink of Nick’s brown eyes, all the things he’d never said to his father rushed into his brain, choking off any words or feelings the way a weed chokes out a healthy plant. Nick remembered refusing to play catch with his father, because he wanted to play video games more. Besides, he’d told himself that playing catch with his old man was embarrassing. He also remembered squirreling out of hugs his father tried to give him, because it wasn’t cool to hug anyone except a girlfriend. He remembered, suddenly, that he couldn’t remember the last time he said “I love you” to his father.

In a second, some people blink the most important moments of their life away and everything after becomes “too late.” So, Nick wore black to school every day after his father died. People whispered about how quiet he was now. He shunned his smoking buddies, even as he shunned himself. His friends and teachers believed Nick was sad because his father died. Our entire town read about it in the newspaper. But I knew different. Nick’s regrets were suffocating the light out of him. 

Find out how Nick handles the news, and how Arabella helps him with his father... in Invisible Wings

I recently put Invisible Wings on Kindle for free. It was my birthday, so I decided it was a fun way to celebrate. And it did really well. It was downloaded over 1500 times and the title flew to the #2 spot on Kindle’s Free List in the Christian Fantasy and Science Fiction category. I was stunned. I wrote a “Christian” book and didn’t even know it.

            Invisible Wings is definitely an inspirational-type of book, at the very least meant to make you think about what you do and why you do it. I’d like to think of it as a modern morality tale strung through a framed story. Invisible Wings is chock-full of literary allusions to the Bible, ancient and medieval literature. Not because I was trying to write a “Christian” novel, but because the allusions invoke powerful archetypal images and feelings. The story I used Biblical allusions in the most heavily was titled “Full Grind”. It’s about a teenage skater boy who has a tattoo of Jesus on his back...because he didn't want to bleed alone anymore. I could have made a tattoo of anything, because tattoos are meant to show someone is hardened or has something to say in permanence. But, the ink was of the historical figure of Jesus. Right there, if you know the story of Jesus whether as a devout Christian or a member of western culture, you know that Jesus was crucified and tortured at the end of his life. That’s why I chose that archetypal image for my skater boy, Jay, because his life was also tortured and he felt abandoned by life.

Throughout the book, a Creator is frequently referenced and, of course, the main protagonist is an angel, which is a commonly understood in western culture to be associated with Christianity. I used the term “Creator” on purpose, not to disguise a belief in God but to make a reference to a higher power in a way that would not offend people of different religious backgrounds. (Nothing gets people more upset than when you mess with their “God” and I most certainly was not trying to do that).

So in the end, I have touched into the Christian fiction category and I am perfectly fine with that. After all, there is nothing wrong with a little faith, hope and love. Here's a little piece of heaven via Boyce Avenue...I'm not the only one using Biblical allusions. Thanks Bruno and Boyce Avenue Boys. You guys rock my ears!