Why hire mercenaries to kill an innocent family just to obtain one little key? That question haunts Jacquie Renairre for six years as she hunts down the people responsible for murdering her parents.
Not even accepting an assignment to investigate a conspiracy that aims to start a war can keep her from searching for the key. Armed with her father’s guns and socialite Clay Baneport, she continues her quest for answers abroad.
With the world edging closer to disaster, Jacquie is running out of time to figure out how the war, the key, and ancient legend are intertwined. The fate of the world hinges on her ability to unravel both mysteries before it’s too late.
How did the idea of the
story come about? Did you outline this story, or let the story create
itself?
To be honest, I don’t
remember how I came up with the original premise for The Exile’s Violin. I knew I wanted to write a steampunk novel that
was full of adventure, gunfights, and airship battles. I definitely
accomplished that goal! Some of my original ideas involved a lot more magic
than what actually ended up in the final product. I’m glad I cut that stuff
because it didn’t fit with the tone I was aiming for.
I definitely outlined the story. That’s how I work. If I don’t have an
outline, I get real panicky and unable to write. My outline for The Exile’s Violin was about 20,000
words or so, and the outline for the sequel is more than twice that.
Are there any characters
in the story you feel greater kinship with? Why?
I really like writing the
main character Jacquie Renairre. She’s a short, petite woman who’s not afraid
to get in somebody’s face. She’ll threaten to shoot somebody and actually mean
it. It’s really fun to write her because she can be selfish and mean, but she’s
also fiercely dedicated to what she believes in. Pretty much any scene with her
and her partner Clay was a blast to write. Their banter always came easily to
me. I also really liked
writing Admiral LeBlanc. She’s in charge of an airship fleet and is a kickass
admiral. It doesn’t matter that everything isn’t exactly how it would be in the
military (besides airship navies don’t really exist). It was a lot of fun to
indulge in some military speak.
If you were in front of a
reader for the first time, and asked to summarize why they would love this,
what would you say?
I’d tell them they’d love
it because it’s a fast-paced adventure through a steampunk world where a
determined young woman goes on quest for revenge. There’s gunfights, airship
battles, and lots of banter between the two main characters.
Who is R.S. Hunter?
R.S. Hunter fell in love with science fiction when he watched Star Wars with his grandmother as a small child. From then on there was no turning back. To escape suburban life he turned to stories that took him on wild adventures through time, space, worlds both real and imagined. While he knows space combat won't work the same way as it does in the movies, he still hopes that someday he'll get his own X-Wing or TARDIS. His short fiction has appeared in anthologies like Abaculus III, Growing Dread: Biopunk Visions, and the forthcoming In Situ. One reviewer commented that his story "Strike Breakers" from 20,001 A Steampunk Odyssey gave "an unsettling but profoundly necessary foundation to the prettier ideas of steampunk [...] because it shows us that it's not just gleaming brass." Hunter's tales love to answer the question "What if?" and they rarely end well for the protagonist.
Behind the Scenes: Eternal Patrol Michael G Wallace
One problem with writing a story which involves WWII is the number of war historians out there that will hang on every detail no matter how slight. So when I took on the project of writing a time travel story that included two American Gato Class submarines, I knew the details would make or break the book. No one would have a problem with the time travel, but if I said the said the depth gauge was above the ballast gauge, they would throw the book down and say the entire story was unbelievable.
Even though some readers posted, in their reviews, I should have watched more WWII movies so my submarine facts would have been more accurate, several submariners have told me I had the details so accurate it was like being back on the boat.
Before I wrote my first word for this book, I spent a year and a half researching all I could about submarines. I read Commander's logs, sailor's journals and every manual, schematic, and website I could find about Gato Class submarines and their operations. This led to a lot of information about modern day subs which also came in handy as this is a time travel story.
"I did find some very unusual events surrounding the disappearance of two subs"
My research started with the Navy's record archives catalog. I found, since the Navy launched it's first commissioned submarine, (the USS Holland, October 12, 1900), it has kept a record of the location of each boat. They are listed as, "In Port", "On Patrol", "Sunk in Battle", or "De-commissioned". If a sub goes out on patrol, never returns and its fate is unknown, the Navy will officially list the submarine as, "On Eternal Patrol." It was these subs I wanted to find.
I spent days going through each page of the Navy log writing down the names of all the subs from WWII still listed as On Eternal Patrol. Once I had my list, I delved into the logs, sightings and war reports from the U.S, Japanese, and German navies to try and find out what happened to the subs. As I expected, if the Navy couldn't find out what happened, I wasn't going to have much luck going through only the de-classified reports. But I did find some very unusual events surrounding the disappearance of two subs, the USS Corvina and the USS Dorado.
While on patrol in the Gulf of Mexico, the Commander of the Dorado radioed he had spotted a German U-boat. This was the last communication from the Dorado as she was never seen again. According to German records, they did not have a submarine in that area at that time. I'm going to give Commander Schneider the benefit of a doubt he knew what a U-boat looked like and one must have been in the area. If the Germans didn't have any record of this sub in the area, it sounds like German black-ops.
"the Germans claimed they did not have a boat there at that time"
There are several conflicting stories of what happened to the Dorado. She sank under friendly fire, sank under attack off of Panama but none of these stories actually confirm what happened to her.
In my novel, I used the circumstances we know about the submarine. The last contact was that Schneider saw a U-boat in the area and the Germans claimed they did not have a boat there at that time. I knew these details would work well with my time travel story.
The second boat in my novel is the USS Corvina also listed as On Eternal Patrol. Like the Dorado, the Covina had some mysterious facts surrounding her disappearance. After months of searching through both U.S. and Japanese records, (ones that had been translated to English), I again found many conflicting stories. But, they all boil down to no one knows what happened to the sub.
The Corvina reported they were under attack by a Japanese destroyer which had an attack sub escort. The Japanese destroyer reported they had dropped depth charges on the American sub and followed her oil slick for miles. One problem here, after they dropped their depth charges, they never saw or heard from their Japanese attack escort sub. The Japanese Captain insisted he only sank one sub and it was the American boat. There was no way he would go back to Japan and tell the Emperor he sank one of his own subs. So which sub did they sink? Debris from the Japanese sub was found by passing Allied ships hours after the attack and modern day deep water surveys have found the hull of the Japanese sub in that area but to this day no evidence has been found as to the fate of the Corvina.
"this crew spent the next several days wondering if they had all died in an earlier attack"
So I had my two submarines for my story. But with all that research, I found so many incredible stories of what happened to our subs when they were out there on patrol. Commanders wrote about their boats being flipped upside down and dragged across the ocean floor by undersea storms. While on the surface conducting open sea repairs and unable to submerge, one submarine had a Japanese destroyer pass by only fifty yards away and never saw them. And, what I found was common on many boats, this crew spent the next several days wondering if they had all died in an earlier attack and this is why the Japanese ship didn't see them. Many subs went deeper than they were built to go causing the crew to wonder if they were still alive. Crewmen continuously made makeshift repairs with whatever they could find on the boat.
Every sub had to deal with "rogue fish." These were torpedoes that would loose their steering and come back at the sub which launched them. To make it worse, they didn't come back in a straight line. They darted all over like a tuna chasing a mackerel giving the sub no place to hide.
In the novel, Eternal Patrol, I brought all of these events into one story that linked both the Corvina and Dorado into a battle where the fate of the war, their future and our past is held on the outcome of their journey.
Fifteen-year-old Veronica “Ronnie” Lambert wants to get out from under her older brother’s shadow. When Ronnie gets a tattoo and then is struck by lightning, she suddenly finds herself able to see and hear things in shadows that don’t appear to others. Then Ronnie meets Gavin Clearwater, the hot new guy in all of her classes and finds out he can see and hear the same things she can.
Gavin tells her about the Spiral Defenders, a secret group that travels through space and time to defend the planets of the Spiral. After meeting the Commander of the Spiral Defenders and realizing his intentions might not be pure, Ronnie struggles between following her destiny to become a Spiral Defender and trying to regain the life she had before being struck by lightning.
Talent, inspiration, and presentation go hand in hand with any writer. Erin Danzer has successfully merged these three into her upcoming novel, 'Into the Spiral'. Erin, what was the inspiration for your upcoming book?
Spontaneous combustion. The idea that a teenage girl is totally fed up with her life and ready to spontaneously combust is what inspired this book. The original beginning had more of that in mind, but I believe I still got that idea across in the novel.
Can you tell us a little about the story without giving it away? (the back of the book blurb, etc.)
Fifteen-year-old Veronica “Ronnie” Lambert wants to get out from under her older brother’s shadow. When Ronnie gets a tattoo and then is struck by lightning, she suddenly finds herself able to see and hear things in shadows that don’t appear to others. Then Ronnie meets Gavin Clearwater, the hot new guy in all of her classes and finds out he can see and hear the same things she can.
Gavin tells her about the Spiral Defenders, a secret group that travels through space and time to defend the planets of the Spiral. After meeting the Commander of the Spiral Defenders and realizing his intentions might not be pure, Ronnie struggles between following her destiny to become a Spiral Defender and trying to regain the life she had before being struck by lightning. What attributes do you admire in your main character?
I loved watching Ronnie grow in this novel. In the beginning, she was still a bit of a pushover where her mom was concerned and just let things happen around her. By the end, she’d gained confidence and belief in herself. I also love her tenacity, continuing to trek on no matter what happens to her. What 'favorites' play into your writing? For instance, favorite color, smell, foods, places you'd like to see, or things you'd like to do?
One of my favorite foods is hamburgers; I love a good burger! Ronnie’s favorite place to eat is famous for its burgers. Another favorite (though it isn’t in the book) is the song E.T. by Katy Perry. It’s probably cliché, but I think of my books every time I hear that song. Do you have a favorite author(s), and if so who?
I have so many favorite authors! But I’m only going to name one, Cassandra Clare, because her Mortal Instruments books were part of the inspiration for me to write this series of books (I wanted to write something just as good as her books). Have you or do you plan to write in any other genres?
I used to write contemporary YA novels, without all the supernatural stuff in them. I’ve also written a New Adult novel and even an Adult novel. But for now I’m concentrating on YA. Is this a single or series? If series, how many are planned?
Into the Spiral is the first in a four book series. There are also three short stories, the prequel Defending the Spiral, and two stories between books 2 and 3. That’s all that is planned for now, but I never know what other stories will come to mind. Do you have other books/stories in the works?
I am always writing something. Besides the Spiral Defenders series, I recently came up with a novel idea about a water sprite that has to defeat three evil witches. I also have a vampire story in the works, about two vampire brothers who have to protect a half-vampire female who’s able to reproduce half-vampires or full vampires (something that hasn’t been seen in over 200 years). There are many other novels and stories I’m working on right now but those two have held my interest the most recently. When will your current work be available?
Right now, Into the Spiral is due out sometime in November from Hydra Publications. If you had to sum up the feeling of the book in one word, what would it be, and why?
Exciting. There is always something happening, whether it’s romantic or action of some kind.
How can readers keep in contact with you? (Blog, Facebook, email, etc.)
Erin Danzer wrote her first book at 10-years-old for a Young Authors competition, where she was awarded an Honorable Mention and discovered a passion for the written word. She’s written several novels and short stories since that spark ignited. She writes a monthly short story serial, The Cassandra Serafin Chronicles, posting alternately on her blog and in Literary Lunes bi-monthly online magazine. Erin resides in Racine, Wisconsin, with her husband, two children, and their cat.
"The mermaid calls from cliff and rock. Her song a sailor's dread. She seeks the one which she has lost within the ocean bed. Human ear cannot stand test against the song so bold. For humans stay upon the shore, and she to the sea must hold. Beware oh sailor where you go; her song of music calls. Stay with the soul you've found on land, or your ship will surely fall."
Bob The Pixie looks around. "Well, what do you think? Should I use it for the contest?"
"Ho, ho, ho, lookee here!" Bob The Pixie dropped onto the kitchen counter. As the light glinted off the colorful cans, he licked his lips. "Is this soda pop?"
"That's for the party," I called from my dining room seat, "and way too much for a pixie your size. I'll have to get you a cup if you want to try some." I turned back to my work.
"I can do it!" he descend onto the top of one can. As his feet touched the metal top, he liked the sound, so he tapped danced as he walked, circling the lid. "Let's see. First you have to pull the pop-top up."
Standing in the center, he reached down, grabbed hold of the ring, and lifted with a grunt. It barely moved.
"What?" He looked at his arm muscles. "I must be getting flabby!" Shifting positions, he lay down beside it, put his hands underneath, and pushed. It rose a little more.
"That's better!"
Standing back up, he started to sing and dance. The can began to shake.
"Ring-a-round a rosie," he danced to the side and tried to pull, but there wasn't enough leverage. "A pocket full of posies."
Moving in front of the tab, he reached forward and took a good grip. "Hush! Hush! The dog will mush! We all fall," he jerked back on the tab, and shot up into the air. Soda sprayed in all directions.
By James William Peercy
Characters taken from 'The Wall Outside'. Coming soon this summer.
The World Among Us: Prince of Darkness Interview with DuVessa, under Lord Hades himself - Blog Stop Number 1
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Beth Ann Masarik, www.bethannmasarik.com, and I am the author of The World Among Us: Prince of Darkness, and two short stories titled Murderous Regrets and Moon Spirit. I signed all three with Otherworld Publications, and could not be happier! James Peercy was kind enough to jump on board when I first mentioned that I was planning a blog tour for the month of February. He is a great friend, and a wonderful tour host!
The World Among Us: Prince of Darkness, is a Young Adult/Urban Fantasy trilogy that involves vampires, Greek gods, magic, werewolves, and forbidden love. For more information about the book, please visit Otherworld Publications at www.otherworldpublications.com
This is not just a regular blog tour, however. Nope! This is also a scavenger hunt! There will be a grand prize with lots of goodies at the very end of the tour, but you have to follow EVERY SINGLE BLOG in order to qualify. I will be giving clues on different blogs, BUT IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER! This is to keep things interesting and entertaining. Some of the clues & questions will require you to go out and take pictures with either your cell phone (come on, most people have them these days!) or camera and emailing them to me.
You will have to read every single post, because I will be placing the clue or question in a different spot all the time. The tasks will start out simple, then will become gradually more difficult.
Now, let’s get on with the rest of the post. James was brave enough to interview one of my most evil characters, DuVessa. I hope you enjoy it, and remember to read right through the very end for some special announcements! Pst. There just might be a giveaway at the end, but you won’t know until you read the whole interview J.
The Interview
I had already been sitting in the office with James Peercy, when DuVessa walked gracefully into the office and invited herself to sit down.
“First, that interview with the news reporter, and now this guy? Come on Beth, I have an army to run.”
I shot DuVessa a warning glare. “Now, now DuVessa…be nice. This will help you and the army. It won’t take long. Just answer Mr. Peercy’s questions and you can go on with your bitter life.”
DuVessa rolled her eyes and turned her attention to James. “Let’s get this over with.” She crossed her legs and folded her arms while she waited for the interview to begin.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing for James to do, but he did like a challenge. There are some things which cannot be rushed, and he wasn’t about do it now. It was the pale face and red eyes, despite the obvious malice, that created his first question. “Have you ever been attracted to anyone other than Damien, and if so who?”
DuVessa narrowed her eyes, uncrossed her legs, and unfolded her arms. He thought she was coming out of that chair. She hissed bitterly, “Not in this lifetime, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell a mere mortal such as you.”
Wow, okay, one point for us mortals. That would give the gossips lots to discuss!
“Perhaps,” he decided out loud, “we should take a different tact. When did you first find yourself attracted to Damien?”
DuVessa looked up towards the sky as if she was replaying that night in her head. “It was love at first sight,” she admitted, physically relaxing at the thought. “I was crossing the Sea of the Dead when I first spotted the handsome prince, and knew he had to be mine.”
It was incredible how those red eyes could sparkle, and they certainly were now. James pressed his gained advantage. “Would you mind sharing how you turned Damien into a vampire? Was he for this?”
DuVessa snorted at the question and rolled her eyes already bored. “It isn’t rocket science, you know? I bit him and force-fed Damien my blood. Hades was the first one out of all of us to learn of Damien’s treachery. He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. So, I seduced Damien, and tricked him, just like my sire seduced and tricked me into becoming a demon. Once Damien realized what I had done, he hasn’t been the same towards me since.”
“That’s understandable.” The words had no sooner left James’ mouth when he realized the glare she had turned upon him, but he didn’t back down. “It’s a little hard to love someone you can’t trust. This must have thrown an awful kink in your plans, even though you still wanted him to be yours. Knowing that future mother-in-laws are very important, how well do you and Persephone get along?”
DuVessa tilted her head back, completely forgetting her previous glare, and roared with a bone-chilling cackle. “We don’t. She has yet to forgive me for turning her son into a vampire-demon and for taking away his godly powers.” She rolled her eyes again, but James saw the difference this time. She was actually answering his questions.
He continued with something less obtrusive, “What is your favorite color and why?”
DuVessa raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “Is this a trick question?”
“That wasn’t an answer,” James chided and her glare returned, “but I’ll let it slide.” If her pale face could have turned red, it would have then. The anger burned in her eyes. Maybe his response was a little too close to the line, but he wasn’t about to stop. “In the order of authority, what is your position within the Angels of Fire?”
This time she stood up with a glare that could have burned James to cinders. “I am Lord Hades’ second in command. I took over after Damien abandoned his army! You should know that!”
James threw a glance at me, and I shot DuVessa another warning glare. “DuVessa!” DuVessa sat down, but the look did not leave.
James continued, “Did it ever cross your mind that by Damien killing Selene, it might drive him to her?”
DuVessa looked at James with one of her famous death glares before replying. “I don’t think it would have made any difference. That stubborn old fool would have ended up with her anyway.” She sneered, “He claims that they are soul mates…whatever that means.” She rolled her eyes again.
“If you had to do it all over again, would you advise Hades to have Selene killed?”
DuVessa grinned evilly. “Yes, but I would have Hades torture her first. It would be more fun.”
“I bet,” James nodded. “You can take the girl out Hades, but you can’t take Hades out of the girl.” James stopped and looked up realizing he had just said that out loud.
For the first time DuVessa gave a real laugh. “I’m impressed, please continue. You start to intrigue me.”
“Are there any human conveniences that you enjoy? Have you thought about a
residence on earth and where?” The question made sense. She was attempting to help Hades take it over, and look at all the space that would be available.
DuVessa raised an eyebrow and burst out laughing again. “Me…live on earth? I should bite you and turn you for asking such a ridiculous question! However, there are several human conveniences that I hate to admit are enjoyable, but refuse to list them.”
“I see.” It was obvious this needed to be wrapped up, and there was one final question. James cleared his throat and dived in. “If Damien returned to Hades' side today, would you have him back?”
She scoffed. “That is for me to know and for you to find out. Is the interview over?”
I had the strange impression she had just read his mind. “Very well, if that is all, I have humans to torture, and lives to destroy.” She stood up, straightened herself, and strutted out of the office.
I shook my head as she left, let out a sigh, and turned to look at James. “I’m sorry about that James. I don’t know why she is so bitter all the time. Just be glad she didn’t try to bite you. Thank you for the interview!”
I hope you all enjoyed the post! Now, for the giveaway! Today I am offering you a chance to win a FREE ECOPY of The World Among Us: Prince of Darkness. The contest runs through February 3rd, and the winner will be announced on Jason Reye’s blog which is http://www.jaynoel.com/.
What? You thought that I was going to give you a scavenger hunt mission? Nope! Not on this blog! BUT! You can find the first scavenger hunt mission on DiAnne Ebejer’s blog TOMORROW, February 2nd, which is http://ebbiesplace.blogspot.com/
Please fill out the rafflecopter form below in order to qualify for a free ebook! Thanks for reading! Comments are welcome and greatly appreciated! a Rafflecopter giveaway
Please meet R.S. Hunter and his new book "The Exile's Violin", a steampunk action/adventure (available this month).
