The Vampire Queen of prose. Meet author Carole Gill.

Does she bite? Yes, her ability to spin a vampire tale is proved in her novels. Carole Gill is not new to the publishing industry and is skilled in her genre of dark horror and vampires. The reader is taken into the world of historical and gothic horror told in an elegant but scary prose. What more can I say except welcome into the vampiric world of  talented author Carole Gill.

I write dark horror, but vampires are my specialty. I have no idea why that is, I just love writing about them. But I do it my way. I focus on what I consider to be crucial to their existence: their feelings.
Yes, they have them. Even my favorite villain, hate-filled, maniacal Eco who appears in all three of my novels (but stars in the last two) has feelings. In his case he is the way he is precisely because he has feelings. He was damned for something his father did.
His father was a fallen angel and Eco is vampiric. Such beings are creatures of the blood in my fiction.
Eco’s nemesis shares the same heritage but whereas Eco is bad, Louis tries (as he says) ‘to do less evil than himself.’
As he says: he has no code to guide him, no promise of heaven awaits, he has too much freedom and no restraint.
Louis is a true immortal as Eco is, for these sons of fallen angels cannot be destroyed. If Van Helsing popped up one dark night, they’d just shrug and say;
“Sorry, you’re wasting your time.”
Of course Eco would say a lot more than that. He’d laugh at Van Helsing; he’d skip around cackling and taunting him.
He’s mad by the way, in case you haven’t guessed. He’s completely deranged.
What drove him mad was his innate intelligence; the power of his reasoning for instance. When he came face to face with Jesus and felt every inch the demon he was he knew which side had the power.
Eco: “Yes, we would terrorize and torture, we would spread evil through willing vessels but in the end we were little more than insects, little more than flies in Heaven’s ointment.”
~ from “The Ointment.”

http://carolegillofficialauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/friday-flash-fiction-ointment.html
All vampires are damned, they have no souls. Those I write about fill that void with memories of love as they recall their living lives.
I also make a point of having them mourn for those living lives. They recall their deaths too, of being raised up or created. Those that were raised up passed through hell and how quickly they did affects them either with hell’s taint or not.
Created or turned vampires are brought into the ‘hood. The sister or brother- hood, whatever you wish to call it. It is better for them since they haven’t passed through hell, as they didn’t witness the horror of having demons reaching for them.
Most vampires, those created or raised from the dead, can be destroyed. Let Van Helsing enter the equation and they are gone.
It might be a relief for them. I have vampires who choose to destroy themselves. Yet those descended from fallen angels have no choice; for they endure.
Michelle asked me if I would write about my gothic vampires. I hope I have. I happen to love history and so I set my fiction in the past. In biblical times, during the crusades and so on.
I even have the French Revolutionists using the guillotine to make damn well certain they get any vampiric nobles. (There weren’t many and King Louis and Queen Marie Antoinette certainly weren’t. My goodness, they suffered enough I am not going to have them blood suckers.
So that’s it really. I think any undead, whether they are ghosts or vampires or zombies, give us comfort. We enjoy reading (and writing) about them because they give Death a good kick up the backside and what’s wrong with that?
The House on Blackstone Moor is the first in:
The Blackstone Vampires Series

Unholy Testament-The Beginnings
Unholy Testament –Full Circle
will be released shortly.

The House on Blackstone Moor at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00804XJBA/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=shu-kbb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00804XJBA

My blog:
http://carolegillofficialauthor.blogspot.co.uk/

Be friend me at:
https://www.facebook.com/carole.gill.94
The Blackstone Vampires Series Page at Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Blackstone-Vampires-Series/302971749728381

Carole Gill Author Page
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carole-Gill-Author/120405794703293

Let's meet Best Selling Author Aiden James.

Established author Aiden James give us an in depth look into his writing world and success. His unique style has earned him the title of 'Best Seller' and he continues to climb up the ladder as an Indie Author. 

I am honored to be here, and I thank you all for allowing me to share my story as an author.

I began writing stories roughly sixteen years ago, after pursuing a career as a singer/songwriter in Nashville. My writing career could've been a brief one, as it started one night when it was my turn to read a bedtime story to my two young sons. Rather than read the 'Mouse birthday book' for the umpteenth time, I began a ramble about a mystical world parallel to our own, a world where sinister creatures sought to take a little boy into their hidden lair…forever.

My first critical reviews from my young audience were mixed. My youngest child, Tyler, was enthralled about the magical place I created, and eagerly awaited more. However, my oldest, Christopher, thought it was the dumbest tale he had ever heard! Luckily, my wife, Fiona, listened nearby. She thought the idea had potential, although she kept that fact a secret until the following spring, 1997. When she suggested I create a fuller blown version of this story, it marked the beginning of my love affair with writing stories.

I wish I could say that the experience has always been a glorious progression, where crafting characters, incredible landscapes with captivating plots, and surprising twists was easy. Far from it. It took nearly three years for me to complete my first novel--based on the bedtime story to my boys who by then were young teenagers—and another two years to decide if I liked it enough to show it to anyone else. Signed to a small independent publisher in 2004, "The Forgotten Eden" in a previous version was released to small critical acclaim in 2006. But the book found only a very limited audience, so the search for that elusive 'bigger' audience continued.

While pursuing a bigger book deal for my paranormal adventure series, The Talisman Chronicles, of which "The Forgotten Eden" and "The Devil's Paradise" are the first two of five installments, an itch to dabble in something a little different hit me. A ghost story, and one dealing with a murdered teenage girl who waited nearly a century to enact her revenge became my next creation. Completed in 2007, "Cades Cove" was my second release on Kindle, in August, 2010. The sequel to this ghost story soon followed in September, entitled "The Raven Mocker". But, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, so allow me to fast-forward to July 2010, when my good friend J.R. Rain talked me into leaving the elusive NY book deal treadmill, and try something new: ebooks. Specifically, ebooks on Kindle, Nook, and eventually other outlets such as Kobo and Apple.

I mentioned the releases for both "Cades Cove" and "The Raven Mocker". But before those books were released on Kindle, there was another—my very first ebook: "Deadly Night". Released in July 2010, it is the first installment of what promises to be a unique and exciting ghost hunting series. Based on a fictional exaggeration of Fiona, and me "Deadly Night" is a mixture of 'now' and where we were 20 years ago as ghost hunters (and in my hard-hitting' days as a Nashville rock n' roller). It’s sequel, “The Ungrateful Dead” was just released at the beginning of September 2012, and could well be my most entertaining venture to date.

"The Vampires' Last Lover" was my first release specifically written for the Kindle and Nook audience. One that pushed the personal envelope for me, the story was written from a female perspective. Like Stephen King, when he wrote "Carrie" so many years ago, my wife provided precious insights into how women view the world around them, and in particular, their true perspectives on males—something I'm sure would surprise most of us guys. Anyway, as the first installment for my "The Dying of the Dark" series, the story brings a fresh perspective to the vampire genre, focused on what it means to be unique and alone, both for the living and the undead, and how self sacrifice for the good of others remains the most noble aspiration for all creatures—above and below our beloved earth.  And this vampire saga has become as much of an action adventure/thriller as any other of my creations, with the arrival of the next two installments (“The Vampires’ Birthright” in August 2011 and “Blood Princesses of the Vampires” in December last year).

Perhaps the most unique story and series I have ever had the pleasure to work on, and has become by far my most popular, is "Plague of Coins". Based on the incredible story-idea of J.R. Rain, this first installment of “The Judas Chronicles” is the story of Judas Iscariot and his quest for forgiveness. Only in this story, Judas is over 2000 years old and lives in modern-day society as William Barrow. Since its release in May, 2011, this has become my series of greatest focus. “Reign of Coins” followed this past May—almost a year to the day of the release of “Plague of Coins”—and the third installment, “Destiny of Coins”, will be released in time for Christmas this year.

So what's next?

In addition to "The Judas Chronicles", all of the other series I have mentioned will have new books by summer of 2014, with five books planned for next year. In the meantime, J.R. Rain and I have a novella action adventure tale that will debut in October, entitled “Temple of the Jaguar”. Along with this release, a brand new series that deals with the true nature of good and evil will start as a serialized project with Curiosity Quills Press. I’m truly excited about this new series, which will be an ongoing saga about an evil plantation owner from the 1860s who suddenly finds himself reborn as an innocent ‘new’ man in 2012. The story is called “The Serendipitous Curse of Solomon Brandt”.

After that, who knows? Perhaps it will be time for something dark and creepy… Or, perhaps something light and fun?

The only thing I’m sure of is that I will pour my heart and soul into whatever it is, so that it will be well worth your time to check it out. 

Peace to you all,

Aiden

Here are the links to Aiden books and sites- check them out!

http://www.amazon.com/Plague-Coins-Judas-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B004Z2JI6Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1347871589&sr=1-1&k

http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Night-Murder-Ghosthunters-ebook/dp/B003UNKZ2M/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1347871658&sr=1-2

http://www.aidenjamesfiction.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aiden-James-Paranormal-Author/186876114703747

Domestic Violence: A Personal Story

Domestic Violence: A Personal Story

Where do your loved ones go in the afterlife.

When someone we love passes away we are left wondering if they are safe and happy, it is a normal reaction in all of us. Questions rage on, are they in a safe place, do they have the company of others who will take care of them, can they still see us and will they remember us? The answer is yes to all. They are more alive than ever, restored to full health and are able to pursue any hobbies or passions that they desire. Of course they come back, usually more frequently at first to try to reassure us they are not lost, then less as our time goes by and our grief lessens. So where do they go exactly?
That all depends on their progression in this life. For someone who lead a simple life and didn't care much about the bigger picture their place in the afterlife will be pretty much the same as here, similar surroundings, familiar feelings, until they are ready to progress this is where they will stay, seemingly content in their creation of a spiritual existence. Others who worked on their development when alive will progress higher and will be, just as the simple spirit, amongst like-minded spirits. We all graduate to where we belong so all is in balance and harmony, unlike here where we are all mixed up together. Children always go to a higher level as they are devoid of life's ravages that plague and hold us back.
The spirit world is not so different to here, there are houses and cities and mountains and rivers and millions of inhabitants, but there are some things that are not the same. We are lighter and free to travel anywhere we please, telepathy is used more than speaking as we get used to our new surroundings. We connect to people we love, but if there is someone who we don't wish to see then we don't. We pass into the light very quickly, but our adjustment can take longer depending on our acceptance of our being there. All material desires are gone, no need for work or money and we can pursue any hobbies or passions we desire, sometimes being able to do things we couldn't do in life. In all rest assured your loved ones are happy.

JR Rain and Scott Nicholson's Ghost File series

Do I like things that go bump in the night? Well, like is the wrong word. As a psychic medium I've become accustomed to the other side making an appearance on a regular basis-ghostly doesn't scare me.
As an author I have loved writing about the afterlife in fiction and when author JR Rain asked me to put a story together for his Ghost File series I jumped at the chance. Who wouldn't?
Not only is he a Best Selling Author he also happens to be a super nice guy and my abilities as a psychic seemed to be a plus point in his view.
So I sat down and created Ghost Hall, the next novella to enter into the world of Monty and Ellen Drew who are fictional paranormal investigators. He's the sceptic who's always trying to come around and she's the psychic-together they work on guiding wandering ghosts into the light. It's a unique series that's become a real succes and is set to continue. JR and Scott penned the first novella Ghost College then gave the reigns over to Evelyn Klebert for Ghost Solider and Eve Paludan for Ghost Fire. Now it was my turn to take the reigns and bring forward my take on the adventures of  paranormal investigators/husband and wife team Monty and Ellen.
I pondered long and hard for the story-line and figured that being British and living in Belgium gave me an edge. I could set the story in either countries promoting Monty and Ellen to  to the status of international paranormal investigators. I went with Belgium seeing as the country is littered with haunted hot spots-literally.
It didn't take long to find my abandoned city hall standing tall and neglected and dating back to the 15th century. It had unceremoniously burned down twice and been rebuilt. The last time was in the 17th century and it's still standing- as of now. I was fortunate to be able to get a peek inside and it was everything a writer could have dreamed of for a paranormal adventure. It was then that Ghost Hall was born. 
I don't want to give away too much but needless to say I didn't have much trouble blending modern day investigations with historical facts concerning World War 2. It was a unique experience to be able to write a book using the inspiring time I had spent in the actual location. Friends asked me if I felt it was haunted when I was there. I have to confess there was a strange energy in certain places and a few cold spots. But there were no spirit manifestation to be seen. Maybe they were in hiding and- just may be responsible for every new restoration project falling through for decades. Ummm, spooky!

                                      Recent photographs taken inside the abandoned city hall.

                                                  Series 4 in the Ghost file series. Ghost Hall.

http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Hall-The-Files-ebook/dp/B0090Q0O5Q/ref=zg_bs_157064011_73

KDP Select worked for me.

My books sales were going okay that's just it, they were okay not dead in the water but they were not moving too far forward either. I had tried KDP for 3 days in early April for my debut novel Cappuccino Heaven and I got quite a few downloads which helped my ranking and generated more sales afterwards.

This time I decided to use up my last 2 days and also put my second novel Lost on for 2 days as well.

Well, in spite of all the negative press recently that KDP was on it's last legs and the most you could hope for was a few hundred downloads I risked a couple of days thinking I had nothing to lose. The moment it went on free status the downloads started to come in at alarming speed and continued that way throughout the 2 days as the figure climbed into the thousands.

Cappuccino Heaven hit the Kindle best seller free list at the end of day 1. By day 2 it had climbed from #100 to #33 and stayed there dropping only to #53 when the promo ended. It reached #7 at one point in Romance which suprised me as it's not exactly a love story so I don't know why it landed in there!
Lost did well too, less downloads but did make #9 in Ghost horror where it stayed for 2 days. For a new release I was suprised it got so far.
Now I will wait to see what happens to my sales as the ranking levels out after it goes from free to paid. All in all it was worth it. Thousands more people know who I am and it's great book exposure.

If you're unsure whether to use KDP select maybe you should try a promotion and not be put off by negative information I accept that the 30,000 downloads or more are hard to come by now and there are more free books than ever so you have much more competition but there's nothing to loose and everything to gain for trying.
Of course for me now to see just how sucessful it's been sales wise I will have to wait because I won't know  for a couple of days or weeks how it pans out but I'm optimistic.

Why I wrote Cappuccino Heaven and why it's making waves.

'Sit down with a coffee or cappuccino and open your mind.'

That's what one reviewer said on Amazon after reading my latest novel Cappuccino Heaven. This book has been making waves ever since it was published in March of this year and it was meant to. Being a psychic medium I could have penned a book about my life and journey into the psychic world but I decided to create a work of fiction instead.

Elizabeth Walker is my character she is the 38 year old newly arrived spirit in the afterlife and she is the voice of my beliefs and those of millions of others.

She tackles the difficult issues of what happens to us when we die and where we go and she tries to find understanding as to why mankind continues to inflict pain and suffering as does the living.

When she's taken by her Mother in spirit to the special nursery where small children are being healed from their untimely deaths at the hands of parents or strangers she wants to fall on her knees and cry, but she can't as she doesn't want to upset the children who all seem so happy.

Meeting woman and children who reside in a man less village she discovers that they were all victims of domestic violence which resulted in their deaths, still afraid of men they are slowly healing but can only do so in a 'women only' environment. Having never experienced violence Elizabeth finds it hard to come to terms with what she must face that not all is rosy in Heaven.

Her limited beliefs convince her that she's content with her afterlife until she discovers specially trained groups dedicating themselves to rescuing lost and trapped souls in the lower levels. She joins one in the hope of becoming stronger in spirit and helping others unaware of how much it would test her limits and impact her whole way of thinking and believing.

Why do you arrive in the lower levels? Committing heinous crimes, using and abusing others and walking on the dark side of life until the moment of death arriving amongst like-minded spirits, in Elizabeth's words, ''There is no light there only candles and they all seem to be the same.'' The pen ultimate example of like attracting like.

She isn't sure if there is a God, her beliefs in life were never that strong so she doesn't bother to look or question until she begins to progress. Re-incarnation is a subject she avoids at all costs without knowing why and grateful to be in the light she drinks endless cappuccino's remaining in her confines until she discovers there is much more to her afterlife than she could have imagined. 
Slowly she learns to stand on her spiritual feet and let go of things she cannot change.

Was her small world created by her limited beliefs? Yes. Does she have the ability to change and create a more meaningful afterlife? Yes. We will all have that opportunity when we pass over but we will progress much further if we allow our spirit to grow while we are still living.

I have had many heart-warming messages from readers telling me how much comfort they gained from the book and some have had to take a step back and look at their belief systems.

Whatever your beliefs I hope that Cappuccino is food for thought and...... should you think twice of the consequences of harming another? Yes unless you are 100% sure that in your afterlife all will be forgiven.

Cappuccino Heaven is available in Kindle format on Amazon. The sequel Lost is out soon.
http://www.amazon.com/Cappuccino-Heaven-after-death-ebook/dp/B007IGMZRA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1335690932&sr=1-1