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A Little Perception with Heather Cashman
Finding new-to-me authors and sharing their fabulous stories with folks is one of my favorite things to do. Becoming friends with them is a perk I will never grow tired of.
Today, I have the lovely and gracious Heather Cashman here. I was supposed to have Heather visit last week, but I totally dropped the ball and she agreed to do a super quick gathering of material for me.
Her novel Perception: Book One of the Tiger Eye Trilogy is a lush YA fantasy:
Your perception will sharpen once you see through a tiger’s eyes.
More than five hundred years after the apocalypse, the survivors of off-grid genetic experimentation have refined their mixed DNA to the point that humans and their animal counterparts share physical and mental links. Varying species have divided into districts, living in a tenuous peace under the President of Calem.
Ardana and her tiger ingenium Rijan leave their life of exile and abuse in the Outskirts, setting out with their twin brothers to redeem themselves and become citizens of the Center. But shedding their past isn’t as easy as they had hoped. When the system that shunned them becomes embroiled in political conflict and treachery, their unique abilities and experiences from the Outskirts make them invaluable to every faction. The runaways become pawns to friends as well as enemies, and with every step it becomes more difficult to tell which is which.
I asked Heather a few questions about her writing and life in general.
How long have you been writing and what prompted you to begin?
HC: I’ve been writing seriously for about five years now, but have loved to write ever since I was in elementary school. During the mundane tasks of the day (laundry, dishes), my mind would wander to far off locations. I would entertain myself with imagination. When my children went to school, I found a few hours to begin writing the stories down. It took me a long time to study how to write, and I am still working on making my writing better every day.
What is it about your preferred genre(s) that interests you most?
HC: I like Fantasy. It’s like creating something all your own, completely unique, where anything goes and you set the rules.
Perception is set in an amazing world full of complex characters. What do you like best about creating such a fantastic setting? What is the hardest part?
HC: I think what I enjoyed the most was discovering the world. It was like taking a really amazing vacation. The most difficult part was taking something I saw so clearly and writing it in such a way that someone else could visualize it, though I’m not sure anyone will ever see it quite the way I do. The original manuscript was over 150,000 words, a lot of which was setting that I cut out to tighten it.
Are the other books out or coming soon? What else are you working on?
HC: YES! I am hoping to have book two, Deception, out by December 1st, but I want to make sure it is top quality before I release it. So Dec. 1st is not a set date, just a goal. The final book, Insurrection, should be out mid-2012. I am also writing a prequel, Resurrection, that will be out late 2012.
My other project is a YA Urban Fantasy, which I hope to have finished by the end of this year.
Juggling work, family and a writing career can take its toll. How do you keep the balance? What do you do for yourself (other than write)?
HC: Deep breath. I accept the wrinkles appearing from lack of sleep, try to keep my head up, and remember that I am doing this because I love to write, not because I care how many books I’ve sold. I actually wrote an article for a fellow author that you can find here called “Staying On the Roof.” It talks about finding balance through tradition (of all things).
What I do for myself–my kids call them “Blow-out Nights.” I buy about fifteen kinds of junk food, set them in bowls on the coffee table, and we watch back-to-back episodes of the shows we’ve missed. I go to bed sometime the next morning feeling sick. Somehow it cures me.
Sounds like you’re a busy woman who knows how to keep things in perspective! Thanks for coming by, Heather!
Find Perception
at Heather’s
or on Amazon
or Barnes&Noble Nook
Find Heather
at her website, on her blog, or on Twitter
Heather Cashman graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry but has always loved to write, winning her first contest in the second grade. Married since 1992, she has three unique children and has moved from Arizona to New York to Kansas. She loves to kayak and canoe down the windiest rivers she can find. She welcomes opportunities to visit schools, libraries, and book groups in person or via Skype. Born in Tucson, Arizona, Heather currently lives near Wichita, Kansas with her husband and three children.
Here and There
Going visiting and having visitors is always a lot of fun. Like swapping houses a la the movie The Holiday.
So, I’m visiting the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal chapter of the RWA today. I give my $0.02 on revisions. Pop in and say hi.
On Friday, the lovely and gracious Heather Cashman will be here. I have a few questions about her life as a writer and her fantasy novel Perception.
Look for more visitors and visitings in the next couple of weeks.
And don’t forget your copy of Rulebreaker : )
A Little Quiet Time–Sort Of
Thank you to everyone who popped in to visit the variety of blogs during the last few weeks of the Rulebreaker Blog Tour! I’ve been getting some great feedback and have had a lot of fun interacting with readers and other writers. Some folks who hadn’t read much science fiction romance or F/F fiction have told me how much they enjoyed the story. I can’t tell you how fabulous that makes me feel.
So if you’ve read Rulebreaker, or any other story outside your normal fare, tell me what you thought.
Here, I’ll start. I recently read my first M/M, Muffled Drum by fellow Carina Press author Erastes. I’d read snippets of M/M before, but it really wasn’t my thing. But Erastes’s story touched me. There was such tenderness and heartache. Yes, there were some love scenes, but they were tasteful and poigniant.
I’ll probably read more of her work, and perhaps look for other M/M stories of similar sensuality.
In a couple of weeks, I’ll have a guest blogger here and there, but for the most part things will be a little quiet as far as all out promoting and touring. Which is good. I’m scheduled to work through the middle of September and have a manuscript to revise, another partial to tweak, and a WiP to flesh out. I’ll keep things up to date and let you know how things progress.
In the meanwhile, have fun out there and be kind to each other.
Don’t Fear the Research with Guest Sarah Mäkelä
Hello, Blogger Buddies! I have another New Author Friend to share with you! Please give futuristic/paranormal romance author Sarah Mäkelä a warm welcome!
Don’t Fear the Research
Research is something almost integral to any writer since while we might know a lot, usually what we write about sometimes delves into what we don’t know. That was something I did with the two series I have right now, one is a futuristic cyberpunk romance with a private investigator and a technomage (Hacked Investigations) and the other is a paranormal romance about a village in the Amazon Rainforest that mingles with shapeshifters (The Amazon Chronicles).
When I first started out with Jungle Heat, I did my research first and then supplemented it while writing. I went all out, finding out about the Amazon warriors who fought Spanish explorer and conquistador Francisco de Orellana and his men, where they fought, what happened, and everything else I could about the culture of those people that I could. I also learned about the kinds of animals and weather to better wrap my head around how the women live. You could say I pretty much geeked out.
It was a good experience since I learned not to be afraid of research. I don’t have to be restricted to what I know just because I’ll have to dig around and find out more information on town/item/culture. Will you find out everything and be able to make your writing 100% believable to someone who knows the subject very well? That’d be great, but it’s important to do the best you can. Some people will spot minute details only a person intimately familiar with the town/item/culture and will put the book down. That’s on them.
Here’s roughly my process for research. First off, I go to Wikipedia, and then I’ll fact check with Google. If there’s not much information online, I head to my local library. It’s important to get the information you want while researching, but also allow yourself to delve into what you might not know you want, but then that’s easy for me since I love learning. Besides, it’s great for when you’re writing the next book, and you find a way to use what you’ve found out!
Do you find research fun or frightening? Do you have any tips that make it easier?
Sarah Mäkelä
Dark Magical Encounters of Passion…
Website: www.sarahmakela.com
Blog: http://blog.sarahmakela.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/sarahmakela
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorsarahmakela
Here’s the blurb for my newest release, Jungle Heat. I hope you enjoy it! If you’re interested, the excerpt is available here.
The Amazon Rainforest still contains a few secrets. One of these secrets is a hidden village of women whose history is filled with the horror of conquering men.
Adara Rukan, princess of the Amazons, ventures away from her village to find something waiting for her. Andrei “Rei” Makarov is a weretiger and a biologist on assignment. Can Rei and Adara find love enough to bridge their two separate worlds?
Jungle Heat is available now from Changeling Press: Buy Link
Inspiration: Getting Between the Sheets with Louisa Bacio
I love getting to know authors, especially those who are new to me. And I want you to get to know them too! In that spirit, I’ll be having guests drop in now and again. Starting now 🙂
First up is author Louisa Bacio. Louisa writes hot (and I mean HOT) f/f contemporary and paranormal stories. Please make Louisa feel welcome.
Want to get to know me a little better? How my mind works? Slip between the cool sheets on this hot summer day, and let’s talk a little about my latest release Sex University: All-Girls Academy, which is a f/f contemporary erotic.
For those unfamiliar with the term, f/f translates into lesbian.
And immediately when one starts to write f/f fiction, many ponder the question on the writer’s sexuality and life choices. Those who have read me before must realize that I believe in equal-opportunity love. It’s not about the gender, it’s about the individual or individuals.
Now, with that out of the way … let’s move on to another topic that often comes up with writing, and that’s inspiration. With Sex University: All-Girls Academy, it began with a few characters whispering sweet nothings to me late at night. It all began with my first full-length novel in the Sex University “Universe,” Physical Education.
Strong female characters draw me. My mother always stressed not to be a “victim,” and to take control of one’s life. The character of Officer Margaret was seen briefly in Physical Education, but readers really get to know her story here. We slide into that uniform with her, so to speak. And, she shucks it off and transforms from “Marge” into “Maggie.”
Next there’s Ms. Lucy, headmistress of the schools. She’s another returning character – and her story’s not quite finished yet – but we primarily delve into the life of her niece, Savannah. Like her Aunt, Savannah wants to escape from her ultra-conservative home life, and experience something new, which brings her to the All-Girls Academy.
Also populating the Academy is a number of other strong-willed women. A favorite will be the Italian art teacher Antoinella who instructs on, among other things, the art of body painting.
Is it getting hot in here or is it just me?
Now, if you don’t mind, I think it’s naptime …
Sex University: All-Girls Academy
Raised by an over-controlling and manipulative father, Savannah “Van” Morgan flees the East Coast for the West, seeking sanctuary with her Aunt Lucy, headmistress of San Francisco Sex University. Rather than staying at the main campus, Van enrolls in SFSU’s more nurturing “sister” school, the All-Girls Academy.
After visiting the main campus of SFSU, Margaret “Maggie” O’Neil hangs up her police badge in search of new experiences and hoping to awaken her own dormant sexuality.
With subject matters such as an “Art Sex-education” class with an Italian visiting professor who’s more than happy to schedule private tutoring after-hours, the All-Girls Academy invites all sorts of sexual exploration. In the end, Van and Maggie will either fall victim to the pressures of society, or come together to save each other.
****************************
Louisa Bacio enjoys soaking up the sun in Southern California, and spending time with her family.
To see how the story started, check out Bacio’s erotic thriller Sex University: Physical Education. Her story “Two’s Company” can be found in I Kissed a Girl: A Virgin Lesbian Anthology. For those who love paranormal ménage, check out the hot “The Vampire, The Witch & The Werewolf: A New Orleans Threesome.”
In addition to writing and editing, Bacio teaches college courses in English, journalism, film studies and popular culture.
Drop in for a visit:
http://louisabacio.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/louisabacio
http://www.twitter.com/louisabacio
Want to win a copy of Sex University: All-Girls Academy? Leave a comment … any comment will do! One random entry will be selected to win a .pdf copy.