Origins by Sean Hayden

Sean Hayden is the author of Origins, a paranormal thriller that brings an exciting new twist to the supernatural creature arena. Missed my review? Here’s an excerpt:

As the title suggests, Origins, the first title in the Demonkin series written by Sean Hayden, lays down the foundation for this intriguing new paranormal mythos filled with supes of all kinds. Vampires are alive and well in Chicago — they are also out in the open and working in law enforcement. In Origins, author Sean Hayden introduces us to a new breed of vampire, making us question everything we think we know about them…[Read more...]

Sean was awesome enough to sit down with me and answer a few questions about Origins, writing, and his new short story Lady Dorn. So, without further ado, here’s what I had to ask him.

The Scribe’s Desk: How did you get started writing?

Sean Hayden: With pen and paper in first grade. OH! You meant novels. Sheesh. That’s easy. I was in Barnes & Noble. They had a whole display of this new series that had just come out. Honestly I don’t even remember the title or author. I just remember looking at the shiny cover and thinking, “THAT LOOKS AWESOME!” I bought all three books of the series. When I got home, I immediately cracked open the first book and began reading! How that piece of crap ever got published is beyond my feeble comprehension of the fairness of the universe. I was so mad. I stopped after the first half of the first book and never read the other two. Currently they are being used to level my dining room table. Anyway, it was reading that hunk of printed garbage that put the idea in my head…”I can do better than that!”

The Scribe’s Desk: What gave you the idea for Origins?

Sean Hayden: My nine year old daughter is Obsessed with vampires. It’s like Justin Bieber –> VAMPIRES –> Everything else in the world. I think we’ve seen every television show and movie dedicated to the subject. The problem was in each movie or show, the vampires were different. How do they make other vampires in this one, daddy? Does silver kill these vampires, daddy? How come these vampires don’t burst into flame in the sun, daddy? Daddy? Well, that gave birth to Origins. I thought it would be fun to explain all the different legends of the vampires as them being different subspecies of vampires. I had a lot of fun creating the mythos around the idea.

The Scribe’s Desk: Ah, yes. The allure of Justin Bieber and vampires. She must think you’re so cool for inventing a new vampire universe. I have to admit that I was fascinated with the fact that your main character was female. Why did you choose to write from that perspective?

Sean Hayden: A lot of my MC’s are female. I am probably one of the LEAST feminine people you will ever meet. That being said (to protect my reputation) writing from the female perspective is so much more vast, leaves the character responses to situations endless, and makes your characters way more three dimensional. Being a guy, I can say this. We’re not that deep. Our responses are usually based upon three things (I’m sorry, but my male union card prevents me from divulging the three stimuli in our decision making process). I’m sure if you thought about it you could figure it out, but I’m probably going to get in trouble for even giving that hint.

The Scribe’s Desk: Lol. There’s that humor I was talking about. Yes, females are like an ocean. I agree with you, the possibilities are endless. Good point. Can you describe what your daily writing routine is? What time of day (or night) is your favorite time to write?

Sean Hayden: I have no daily routine. I write when I can. I have a full time job as a fiberoptic engineer at a local telecom company. I am SR Acquisitions Editor for Echelon Press. I also edit, have two children, a multitude of pets, and a giant house that consistently needs cleaning. I’m lucky if I can squeeze it in on weekends!

The Scribe’s Desk: That is so inspiring, Sean. And impressive. It’s amazing that you get any writing done! Where do your best ideas come from? What inspires you?

Sean Hayden: EVERYTHING! I am one of those people who can write a thousand word dissertation on the migratory habits of #2 lead pencils from the top drawer of the desk, across the great linoleum tundra, to the darkest reaches of the cushions of the land of couch. Hyperactive imagination? Me? Hell yes.

The Scribe’s Desk: Lol! That’s so funny. I’m convinced! What genres do you enjoy reading?

Sean Hayden: Everything except romance. ~shudder~ No I don’t want to read an epic novel about a pirate named Captain Swizzlestick ravaging a buxom stowaway and then enticing her to leave her cushy Victorian lifestyle to be the saucy pirate wench who tames his heart and his sword. Ick.
Other than that, I’ll read just about anything fictional. I read non-fiction on a dare once.

The Scribe’s Desk: I enjoy all kinds of fiction too. Which authors have influenced your writing style?

Sean Hayden: I don’t try to emulate anyone. I’ve been compared to people I’ve never heard of. That was nice.
I actually don’t think ANY author’s writing is significantly influenced by solitary authors. Our voice is comprised of everything we have ever read and every experience we have ever lived through. I know, I know that was a pretty astounding answer from a person such as myself, but it is true. Our personality leaks into our writing, not another author’s style.

The Scribe’s Desk: That’s very true. Writing is very revealing about who you are as a person. What are you working on now? When can we expect Book 2 in the series?

Sean Hayden: Book 2 is called Deceptions and it will be out later this year! I’m a little excited. As to what I’m working on now, I just submitted my part of a steampunk anthology coming out from Echelon Press later this year as well. Now I’m back to working on a series of short stories with my son. We’re writing YA steampunk novellas for young readers. The first one is called First Flight and will be out March 15th. The series is called The Magnificent Steam Carnival of Professor Pelusian Minus. We’re having a ball with it.

Lady Dorn A Short Story by Sean Hayden

The Scribe’s Desk: That sounds so exciting and like a lot of fun. Tell us a wee bit about your short story Lady Dorn. It’s an interesting concept. Where did you come up with the idea?

Sean Hayden: I had barely even heard of the steampunk genre before I wrote Dorn. It was sort of a challenge from my publisher who is absolutely enraptured by the whole idea. I fell in love with it too. For my first attempt I kind of wanted a lifeline, so I introduced the familiarity of vampires into it as well. Sort of like a blanky. Now, I don’t need the blanky anymore and am writing more steampunk than anything else!
As for the idea for Dorn, I have no idea. I write as I go and the story took shape. I’m planning on both a pre and sequel to the story as well.

The Scribe’s Desk: Isn’t it amazing how things happen? What a great opportunity to hone your craft and have fun while doing it. What else can we expect from you in the future?

Sean Hayden: I have more steampunk on the way. The third of the Demonkin series is starting. I also have a YA urban fantasy in the works that’s almost completed called Soul Seeker. It’s about a boy (yes boy, I’m writing male perspective this time) who sells his soul for his fondest wish. He comes up with a clever idea to save his soul and ends up with more than he bargained for!

The Scribe’s Desk: Wow, Sean! You are a writing machine! Are there any tips or any advice you can give to aspiring authors?

Sean Hayden: For the love of God, never give up. If writing is something you enjoy, do it. If you have a story to tell, there will always be somebody willing to listen to it.

And there you have it! Thanks immensely Sean for chatting with The Scribe’s Desk! I’m looking forward to everything you have lined up. It sounds like 2011 is going to be a busy and exciting time for you. Happy writing!

Sean Hayden works in South Florida as a Fiber-optic Engineer for a cable communications company.

Born in the Suburbs of Chicago he relocated to Florida as a child, where he grew up and attended school at a small Catholic elementary and high school. It was there, in literature class, he fell in love with books. Vampires especially fascinated him as well as the realm of possibilities of the urban fantasy genre. This fascination gave birth to his first novel, Origins. The sequel, Deceptions is under contract and will be out later this year!

He lives at home with his wife, children, and a plethora of pets.

Follow @shaydenFL on Twitter and connect with him on Facebook!

Peter Jackson is bring us 2 times The Hobbit fun!

New Line Cinema, the studio that gave us the beloved Lord of the Rings trilogy, has registered two titles for the long awaited adaptation of The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien. A friendly neighbourhood cinema spy over at TheOneRing.net has shared the good news from Middle Earth, and what welcome news it is.

Fans of the Middle Earth saga should be ecstatic over the fact they will get not one, but two Hobbit films. The titles “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” and “The Hobbit: An/The Unexpected Journey” haven’t been confirmed as official by…[Read more...]

Play Fling by Amber Scott

Let’s help make Amber Scott’s Play Fling a Bestseller For A day!

“Playing cupid isn’t a reward; it’s Millie’s punishment. If she doesn’t find repressed, divorcee, Brooke, true love in the next thirty days, Millie’ll lose the one thing in this life sentence worth fighting for, her partner. Just two problems: First, Millie sucks at matchmaking. Second, too young, too hot, Elliott keeps getting in Millie’s way.”

~ via Smashwords

I was lucky enough to get a chance to review her novel Play Fling, and let me tell you what a romp of a read! I had a great time enjoying the pages of this book. I laughed (boy did I ever!), I was shocked (lots of gasping and saying, “Oh my!” and, “No way!”), and when I was done, I knew I definitely wanted to read more books about Millie Match and her matchmaking! As soon as I picked up this book and read the first paragraph, I was excited to read this book. Not only did I feel a certain camaraderie with the cupid Millie’s target Brooke Munkle, I was amused by both Brooke and Millie, and I was genuinely rooting for them both. Brooke was likable in such a way that not only did I really like her, but I could see her as a friend I would want to make a match for too! And Millie, Brooke’s cupid, was such a breath of fresh air. She’s funny, irksome and entertaining as a fledgling cupid. Her bumbling attempts at match making were comical and well intended, even if they were a little motivated by self interest. Brooke’s love interest, the gorgeous Elliott, was a guy any girl could, pardon the expression, go ga-ga for. Elliott and Brooke were definitely two people I wanted to see get together! Their love story, as unlikely as it is, will leave you with a genuine smile on your face. This book is hot and fun and a real guilty pleasure! It’s bittersweet, romantic, and hopeful. It’s a book that will have you turning the pages rapidly, eager to find out what’s going to happen next. Play Fling deserves to go on your bookshelf, be it 3D or virtual, and is a Millicent Match Novel worth reading!

Play Fling is available for your Kindle on Amazon now!

Tale of the Lost Swan Egg by Kyra Dawson Book 1 in the Persimmon Tales series for children.

Hooray! It is finally here everyone! Come and celebrate with me on Facebook and Twitter! And don’t forget to visit Foden Press and the Persimmon Tales website! There’s going to be lots of fun and a couple contest announcements!

Press release via Foden Press:

Tale of the Lost Swan Egg released in print format.

First in the Persimmon Tales series set in Stanley Park, Vancouver.

Feb 11, 2011. Calif. Foden Press today announced the release of Kyra Dawson’s first book in the Persimmon Tales series for young readers and their parents. The Tale of the Lost Swan Egg will fascinate the young reader, parent or grandparent who love stories of critters that have very exciting lives and have very similar personalities to children everywhere. Residents and visitors to Vancouver will notice the accuracy of the details in Stanley Park. Younger kids will enjoy the illustrations by Candice McMullan that so delightfully illustrate a few key scenes throughout the book. In addition, a matching website www.PersimmonTales.com helps children and their parents understand the more unusual words and locations, while also providing full character personas for each critter, all of which have interesting names and personalities. An early reviewer of the book, Vanessa Annur, proved that this is a whole new story that adults will not find old and stale themselves. She says “I read the tale and must say, I’m in love! I found it very amusing, clever, and fun. You don’t know how many times I laughed out loud. I love, love, love the characters. They are very endearing and memorable. Their antics made me laugh! This is going to be a best seller. I like how you used imagery – I felt like I was there – and also, how you used elements of our modern society, such as a Blackberry, SPN and The Tattler – that was cute. I have many favorite moments, like when Persimmon took the picture of the hummingbird, and his eyes were wide-eyed and surprised looking. Also when Hector crowed about ‘raccoons wear masks, raccoons are villains, raccoons are tricksy’… too funny! And when you wrote how Persimmon had to stop his brain from ‘gathering wool’. There are so many other humorous parts that I truly enjoyed. With this story, I was drawn in and immersed in it. As I read, I went through a full range of emotions, from hopeful, to curious, to nervous, to contented.”

Claire Lynas, a UK mother of five says “A very good descriptive work. Makes you feel like you are there and involved in the story. Plus the illustrations are just wonderful and all of my five children enjoyed listening to the story. They asked a lot of questions in each chapter about what was going to happen next.”

While this is Kyra’s first children’s book in print, it is far from her first writing endeavors. She is a professional copywriter, blogger, ghost writer, editor and naming consultant of many years standing, plus she has had numerous short stories and articles published. Kyra lives in Vancouver, Canada so she writes first hand of experiences in Stanley Park. In addition, Kyra is the editor for Rosie Reay’s companion series The Chimona Chronicles. These are also illustrated by Candice McMullan and published by Foden Press.

Foden Press is an independent publisher of children’s books, as well as business How To Do It Business books and ebooks. They are based in Northern California, and may be reached at www.FodenPress.com. Call +1-650-960-0811. Professional reviewers of children’s books are invited to request review copies of any title. Tale of the Lost Swan Egg (ISBN # 978-0-9710157-2-2) may be ordered directly from Foden Press along with the companion Chimona Chronicles that are also set in Canada. Plus they are available at Amazon.com and bookstores nationwide. They are distributed by Ingram Micro.

Contacts:
USA: Athol Foden (amfoden@fodenpress.com) 650-960-0811
Europe: Rosie Reay (rosiereay@fodenpress.com) +34-619-772-492
Canada: Kyra Dawson (info@brighterscribe.com) 604-566-1064

The Gotterhrling Goblet by Mark Sheldon Book 2 in The Noricin Chronicles

The Gottlehrling Goblet is the second of 12 installments in The Noricin Chronicles series by author Mark Sheldon. This tale brings you deeper into the mythology of the Norcinites and Dan Regal. Danger and mystery surround him and his friends at Snisnar school, and once again, Dan must defend his very life from the nefarious Scorpion.

School is in session at Snisnar and we are met with familiar faces. Dan has spent his summer alone at the school except for the company of Mr. Loeren who is teaching him to master defensive and offensive skills. When the students arrive back from summer break at Snisnar, Dan, Mike and Shelley are pleased to no longer be freshman. They face the new year with eager excitement until they discover the identity of a new faculty member and their class schedule.

Dan is experiencing the thrills of his first crush, the aggravation of dealing with bullies and enemies, and the threat to his life and those around him that he cares about. As he begins to hone his skills, it seems that the threat of the Scorpion is ever present and casting a foreboding pall over the school. Indeed it seems that the Scorpion is becoming ever more bold and gaining in strength. The attacks on the school and its inhabitants are also happening ever more fast and furious.The Scorpion is once again using his power to possess anyone he sees fit, and strange happenings and danger seem to be lurking around every corner. Though Dan’s life is in ever present jeopardy, he still focuses on his studies, determined to thwart the Scorpion. It is clear that the Scorpion and his evil minions the Dirae will stop at nothing to succeed in their malevolent plans. Before the year is over, Dan will be grateful for those he counts as friends and allies.

As we delve deeper into the Noricin mythos, we encounter poisonous Dragon Tears, Memorfictation, the origins of the Margatheans, and the Norcinite and Commen rift, the NDL and the Nemenites, and of course, the legendary Gotterhrling Goblet. The goblet is a Noricin heirloom, fabled to be possessed of miraculous healing powers and a gift so powerful that all men seek it. It is also rumored to be hidden within the walls of Snisnar. It becomes apparent that if given the chance, the Scorpion will use this heirloom for his own depraved and corrupt intentions. The extent of his evil will shock you as you discover a disturbing link between Norcinites who have embraced evil and history’s most prolific serial killers.

Amongst the challenges of final exams, the distraction of first love, riddles and secrets, mystery and murder, how will Dan and his friends manage to survive? The only thing that is for certain is that the Scorpion is hell bent on destroying Dan and the knowledge that not everyone will make it out alive.

To find out who survives the school year and if Dan will live to fulfill his destiny, you’ll have to read Book 2 of The Noricin Chronicles The Gotterhrling Goblet, but only if you dare. Available March 9, 2011, visit http://noricin.webs.com/ for more information.

Check out author Mark Sheldon’s YouTube channel and follow @Mark_Sheldon122 on Twitter! You can also connect with him on Facebook.