Farley here,

I turned 7 on Wednesday and wanted to show you how a dog celebrates! This is called a DOG BIRTHDAY PARTY.

No presents.

No cake.

Just fun.

Woof Woof.

Flip Flap Floodle invites you to come on over to her blog. The lovely Joan hosting me today…

Get ready to be frightened. Today on Mystery Mondays Donna Galanti shares her monsters. In her own words here is what Donna has to say.

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In some movies and books the monsters are obvious. But are the monsters inside us? In the first two books of my paranormal suspense Element Trilogy, A Human Element and A Hidden Element, I write about monstrous characters.

In A Human Element, X-10 appears to be the obvious monster. He is deformed. He kills. He seeks blood and revenge. He has no remorse. Yet as we come to discover it’s a combination of his genes and environment – the line between monster and victim begins to blur.

I am drawn to writing stories that feature the monsters inside us; the things we fear, battle, and seek escape from. Sometimes we need to face them to conquer them. I even faced them in my own real nightmares once and survived, which could be why I write about them.

And sometimes we create the very monsters we fear who are really to be pitied, like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. We can identify with him as we have all felt like an outcast, rejected and unloved at times. Is he truly the monster or is it the human who created him?

X-10 in A Human Element can be seen as a monster in the book. Yet, while his genes and environment have made him what he is, should he be feared or pitied? Or both? You can meet him here.

I believe the true monsters in A Human Element lie beneath the surface of characters that are not so obviously monstrous on the outside.

• The abusive foster father.
• The scientist who tortures his experiment.
• The doctor who sells a baby.
• The men who kidnap and torture a sailor.
• Do they get what they deserve in the end? You’ll have to read to find out…

I created a new kind of monster in book 2, A Hidden Element, with Adrian. He is menacing and evil and to be feared, but pitied too. In the book we begin with Caleb, the son of Adrian, forced against his will by his father to a new land. We watch, through his eyes, as his father wields his evil power over innocent folk and how Caleb vows to never become like him – a monster.

I am compelled to write about light and dark residing side by side. To me, writing is all about passion – feeling the good and feeling the bad. And I want to feel it all. To explore the twin sides of our human nature: the good inside us, the dark inside us – one book at a time.

Excerpt of X-10 “the monster” from A Human Element:

As X-10 ran under the full moon, leaping over rocks and roots, darting around boulders he could see her in his mind.

Laura. You are mine.

Then he saw her with her man. Water coursed all around them. Her hair hung wet about her shoulders. X-10 closed off his mind’s eye to the scene. It made him feel strange. And in that strange feeling he couldn’t define, X-10 hated her even more.

Rage surged through him and his blood pulsed fast, throbbing under his white skin in blue rivers. Why did she get to have her man when he couldn’t have his woman? Why was she worthy and he wasn’t? But Sabrina’s touches had made him feel worthy. Even if they were paid. And she had smelled and looked so good.

The night flashed through him again and he moaned with agony over the loss of the girl who left a hole in his heart. The girl who called him Charlie and loved him for just one night.

After Sabrina’s fear of him had left her, she’d sat down on his bed then. “Why don’t we just lie here for now? We can talk, you know. Like real…people.”

He stood over her, considering. What would he talk about with a human girl?

She lay down on her side and he did too, facing her. Her blonde hair curved along her breasts like silky strands of sparkly cotton candy. He’d seen a picture of it once being swirled on a stick at a fair. He wondered what it would taste like. What she would taste like.

She touched his face then pulled her fingers away. “When you look at all your parts, you’re not so bad.”

“A monster.”

“No. I’ve been with monsters.”

“Like me?”

She shook her head. “Monsters on the inside.”

Even in the garish light she was the loveliest thing he had ever seen. He wanted to touch her, but was afraid of his urges. To hurt and maim and kill. Good guys don’t do those things. And she had called him by his name. As if he was a good guy.

No! No good guy!

He was evil to the core.

And hate spurred him on now. Hate would help him survive. He forced himself to run faster through the night. Why did Laura get to live a normal life? He vowed to make her end not normal. And in that end, she would wish she had never been born.

A lonesome dog bayed in the hills above X-10 as if approving his plan. Streaks of moonlight and shadows fell across his face like whip lashes over and over, creating a living painting from darkness and light. He would show Laura darkness like she never experienced, and pain. There would be so much pain. He howled back at the creature that rode alone through the woods as he did. Perhaps they would meet along their journeys.

He hoped so. He was getting hungry again.

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Who are some of your favorite monsters? And did they get what they deserved in the end or were they to be pitied and redeemed?

About Donna:

Donna Galanti is the author of A Human Element and A Hidden Element (Imajin Books), the first two award-winning, bestselling books in the paranormal suspense Element Trilogy, and the middle grade fantasy adventure series Joshua and The Lightning Road (Month9Books). Donna is a contributing editor to International Thriller Writers the Big Thrill magazine and blogs at Project Mayhem. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family in an old farmhouse. Visit her at www.ElementTrilogy.com and www.DonnaGalanti.com.  

To find out what to ask a beta reader to help him/her provide quality feedback on your novel check out my guest blog with Judy Penz Sheluk.

Judy writes about an amateur sleuth with an edge. Her novel HANGED MAN’S NOOSE was released three days before DESCENT.

If you’re interested  in either book, you can buy or download a sample by clicking the titles:  DESCENT or HANGED MAN’s NOOSE.

Catherine’s books are gritty, yet portray gorgeous surroundings; they deal with sensitive social issues, but always include love and hope. They’re not thrillers, but rather literary mysteries with loads of character and setting. And justice always prevails.

So let’s see what she has to say about female protagonists today. If you have questions for Catherine, leave a comment below and hear back directly from her.

The Feisty Female Sleuth by Catherine Astolfo

Even before Miss Marple, there was a spirited female, middle-aged and widowed, who partnered up with Scotland Yard to solve crimes (1860’s). Mrs. Paschal was not afraid to eschew the traditional trappings of a lady back then (e.g. crinolines) to chase after the bad guys.

As I began to read mystery novels, and then write my own, I realized very quickly that I love kickass heroines. Whether they are amateur or professional sleuths, I admire their courage, ingenuity and flaunting of social norms.

I started with Nancy Drew, of course, who never obeyed her father, drove a cool car and plunged headlong into danger. I discovered that I like raunchy heroines such as Lisbeth Salander, V.I. Warshawski, Kinsey Milhone, Joanne Kilbourn, Gina Gallo, Kate Garrett, Li Fa-Ling, Bliss Moonbeam Cornwall…oh I could go ON and ON and ON, but I have now covered all the authors who paid me.

As I explored the phenomenon of kickass heroines, I realized that there are a lot of layers to these women. Here is a list of some of my favorite characteristics for our female kickass heroines.

1. A heroine who has a “distinct self apart from the hero”. Not that some of us don’t want a man or another woman, we just don’t need them.
2. Our favorite female characters are “universal archetypes and uniquely flawed individuals all at once”.
3. My favorites display all their traditional feminine qualities, but use these as a source of strength, not weakness (e.g. tenderness, intuition, empathy).

So what female heroine did I create for my four-book mystery series? Emily Taylor, middle-aged principal of a small town elementary school. How does she become kickass? Her love for her husband, her protective qualities, including empathy and nurturing, compel her to act. In every situation, she is drawn to danger only when the people who mean very much to her are threatened. Emily is flawed, but she’s also courageous and smart.

In Sweet Karoline, Anne is a form of anti-heroine. I love her because she’s the opposite of what a reader might expect from a female. She has her reasons for the way she behaves!

Kira Callahan, star of my new novella series, is a retired investigative reporter with a natural affinity for mystery. She may be a senior citizen, but boy can she still kick ass.

A bit about Catherine.

Catherine Astolfo is an Arthur Ellis winning author of short stories. Five novels and a novella are published by Imajin Books and have been optioned for film by Sisbro & Co. Inc. A Derrick Murdoch award winner, she is a Past President of Crime Writers of Canada, and a member of both Mesdames of Mayhem and Sisters in Crime. Find all the stories and links right here: www.catherineastolfo.com

Please join me next week to welcome Donna Galanti, author of THE ELEMENT TRILOGY – Paranormal murder and mystery with a dash of steam…

New Book Fanfare. Thanks For the blog Sally!

Farley here,

I’ve been living in the mountains since last fall, but sometimes it takes a while to get to know your neighbours.

Let me introduce Max. He lives next door, his sister’s name is Ruby and he has four humans living in his house, so I understand he’s been busy. This week he’s decided we’re going to be friends.

I’m officially calling this a bromance. Now we can wrestle, play with sticks and generally run wild. Could Max turn into another Friend For Life? I think it’s possible.

Woof Woof

Now that DESCENT is published, the next step in the publishing journey is spreading the word. I’ll be guest blogging throughout the summer. The hard part is writing a new blog for each post. The fun part is connecting with others.

Luke Murphy, international best selling author, is graciously hosting me today on his blog. Luke’s latest book, KISS & TELL was released last Monday.

So come on by and find out why I wrote DESCENT. You can find Luke’s blog by clicking here.

My next guest blog is Friday, 31st of July with author Eileen Schuh, author of adult Sci-Fi novels and the young Adult BackTracker series.

Thanks for reading…

If you don’t have enough frightening experiences in your life, then turn to fiction and check out what Michael J Conn has to say about writing Horror.

First a bit about his novel, THE RIGHT TURN.

Yesterday I had the fabulous experience of having my first novel, DESCENT, released.  To top that today and keep the happiness going, I’m guest blogging on the site of Author Debra Purdy Kong.

Debra is the author of the Casey Holland Mystery Series and her first Evan Dustan Mystery novella, DEAD MAN FLOATING, will be released September 12th. 2015.

So come on by Debra’s site and find out if Alpine Skiing is actually dangerous.

Thanks for reading…