Wednesday, February 19, 2014

New Paranormal Release from Foxglove Lee

This week, we have selected titles from Foxglove Lee, Kiernan Kelly, and Sean Michael on sale for 20% off! Check 'em out here: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=specials


Tiffany and Tiger's Eye
by Foxglove Lee
234 pages / 67000 words
ISBN: 978-1-61040-648-2
$6.99
Buy Link: http://www.prizmbooks.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=84
Blurb:
How many secrets can a family keep?
If there's one thing Rebecca knows, it's how to hide her problems. But with a rock-and-roll dad who drinks too much and a mom who works day and night, Rebecca needs a sympathetic ear. That's why she tells her troubles to Yvette, an antique doll that once belonged to her grandmother.
In the summer of 1986, after her father's strange disappearance, Rebecca and her little brother are sent to the cottage with Aunt Libby and Uncle Flip. Rebecca's relieved to get away from the city, and her relief grows to bliss when she meets Tiffany, a water-skiing blonde who dresses like Madonna, makes her own jewelry, and claims to see auras.
But strange things happen when Rebecca spends time with Tiffany. Her aunt and uncle are convinced she's acting out -- and she'd have good reason to, considering they obviously know where her father is and won't say -- but she can't convince them she isn't the one trashing her bedroom and setting fires. As crazy as it seems, Yvette must be the culprit.
There's nothing more dangerous than a jealous doll that knows all your secrets...

Monday, February 17, 2014

Designing a hero


I have never liked Helen of Troy. She seems so helpless. Homer and others portray her as beautiful, yes, but to me she seems egotistical, self-centered and weak. So when it occurred to me that a kidnapped princess was a good place to begin a story, I set out to describe a  very different young woman than Helen.

Yes Thalassai, the heroine of my novel  Moon of the Goddess, is pampered and lives sheltered in a palace, but when she is plunged into danger, she faces her fears and her kidnappers. She finds there is strength in her, and smarts.  

Sure there is a hero, her brother Melanion, who sets out to free her. He has an important role, and a dangerous journey to make. But when he gets to the kidnappers’ city, he finds that Thalassai has grown stronger and can play a role in her own rescue.

True, it wouldn’t be a novel if things were simple. The god Poseidon is fighting an ancient goddess so the situation is tangled. But it seems important to me that our protagonists offer strong role models not just beautiful, helpless heroes and heroines. They can be flawed as we all are, but finding a way to face and conquer our flaws can make a good story.

Cathy Hird
openonemore.com