A Conversation with Author Hazel Robinson

Today on the blog it is my great pleasure to be hosting Hazel Robinson, who has come over to talk about a phenomenally exciting project she has been pulling together, and which I have the great privilege of being involved in.

Tomorrow sees the release of an amazing charity anthology called, 'After The Scars' (A Second Chances Anthology) It will be available on Amazon worldwide for just $2.99

It features a collection of fictional stories on the theme of emergence and healing after periods of emotional and physical abuse. Each story tells the story of a woman growing out of the darkness and moving on to find happiness, love and reconciliation.

What makes this anthology even more special is that Little Bird Publishing House have donated 80% of the production costs and the authors have donated their stories, meaning that after a small amount of costs, all proceeds from the sale of the eBook and paperback are going to the charity, 'Refuge', an organisation that helps women escape from abusive and threatening relationships.

It is an incredibly moving and captivating series of stories and I am proud for my story, 'The Emergence of Julia Gray' to sit alongside such powerful and beautifully told stories.

In order to celebrate the release of the anthology Little Bird has given me 2x paperback editions of Hazel Robinson's romance novel, 'Something Missing' up for grabs. All you've got to do is leave a comment in the box below and two random winners will be picked in a month's time.

A CONVERSATION WITH HAZEL
Where we have chat about the anthology 'After The Scars'.

K: So, Hazel, welcome. We've been Little Bird author buddies for a year now, and I have to say I really love 'Something Missing
H: Thank you, Katie, it has been an amazing year! And I have loves working with everyone.

K: So you've been working really hard getting involved in the romance author community, tell us a little bit about that.
H: Well where do I begin? It’s been a huge adventure. Romance is a massive target to hit at the moment. I mean there are so many different sub-genre of romance. I have joined so many groups and met hundreds of different readers and writers. I have been reading a wide range of romance books too, and one thing I did feel is that a lot of books are very similar at the moment.

K: And because of that, The Second Chances Anthology idea was born?
H: Yes. I had a short story idea but couldn’t find the right anthology competition to enter it in to. And with romance been so huge at the moment, I thought it would be brilliant for my publisher, Little Bird to venture down that road too.

K: You've called this anthology 'After The Scars', why is that?
H: Well that title came further down the line after we started going through the stories we loved. They all have a similar theme to them. Stories from after some sort of hurt or pain, some physical and some mental.

K: What do you hope readers will get from reading the anthology?
H: The main thing is hope. Like I said, all the stories are mainly about picking yourself up and holding your head up high. These stories are written by women for women (although that doesn’t rule men out of our readers) but it’s about giving women the strength to carry on.

K: After The Scars is a charity anthology, what do you mean by that and how does it work?
H: As almost all of the stories and poems engage with the theme of abusive relationships, in all their various guises, it felt fitting to offer the proceeds to a charity that is doing great work in supporting women escape abusive relationships. The charity the authors chose was 'Refuge' and more can be found out about it here http://www.refuge.org.uk/ My publisher, Little Bird Publishing wavered over 80% of the production costs, donating hours of time and skills meaning that after a small amount of costs, all proceeds will be donated to this incredibly important charity.

K: This is your first anthology. What were the challenges of working with so many different authors?
H: To be honest, at the start it was brilliant, it was very easy and the authors where amazing but then when it came down to the final crunch times some did go their separate ways for different reasons. But really they have all been amazing. They knew how new I was to it all and they were very patient with me.
K: LOL, I know what you mean. I’ve done several anthologies now and they are such a lot of work, mostly because there are lots of elements that you are not able to control, which is good in some ways, but a complete headache in others. It’s great when it comes together though.

K: Difficult question, but which piece would you say was your favourite in the anthology?
H: Well, you know how to put a girl on the spot! I kind of have two that stand out to me. The first has to be ‘Sweet Sixteen’ it’s one of the shorter of our stories but its also a sweet story that just give a reminder that sometimes a relationship just needs a little nudge to work things out. And the second (sorry to be a little biased) it has to be Beaten by myself! If I didn’t have the idea for the story then the anthology would never have happened.
K: It was a tough question because they are genuinely all so brilliant in their own way. My favourite has to be ‘When The Storm Breaks’ by Avery Hart. I really like the way she has worked with language in a different way. It’s a bit like the story ‘Rebirth’ by Eden Night; there’s an interesting approach to using language and layout differently; a kind of breaking of rules. Of course I think yours is also fab, Hazel – that’s a given.

K: So would you do it again?
H: Haha well even though it’s been stressful, yes I would! I have learnt loads from doing this project and it’s been fun at times.

WIN A PAPERBACK COPY
ENTER A COMMENT BELOW

K: It’s amazing what you learn about your own writing from working with others on theirs, isn’t it!

K: And what's your next project?
H: My next project (the little Bird team will be happy to know) is finishing the sequel to Something Missing. I just want to spend the next few months writing. I have a couple of just standalone stories I want to work on too. 

PAPERBACK GIVEAWAY

2 x paperback editions of Hazel Robinson's 'Something Missing' is up for grabs.
All you got to do is to leave a comment below the post. 2 Random names will be pulled from the hat in a month's time. We'll drop you a message (so don't forget to add your twitter handle at the end of your comment)
Open to UK and USA only.


BUY LINKS FOR 'After The Scars' (A Second Chances Anthology)
U.S http://amzn.to/1f2ez1G
U.K http://amzn.to/1Smn8Rz

UtopYA From Your Armchair: EPIC SCALE SWAG GIVEAWAY

Welcome to UtopYA from your armchair. This series of posts (posted over the next 14 days) is designed to give you folks back here in the U.K a little taster of the UtopYA Author & Reader Con  experience. It's also a chance for you to get to know some of the authors and to pick up some gorgeous swag and freebies. As well as posting live from the event (prepare yourself for selfie-madness) there will be virtual tables set up here on the blog.

The following amazing authors have signed up to take part in this virtual con. Jolene Buchheit, Kelly Risser, Kallie Ross, Rachael Brown, C.J.Pinard, Jo Michaels, N.L.Green, Amy Evans, Michele G. Miller, Chris Cannon, Sharon Rose Mayes, Amy Leigh Strickland, Brenda Hiatt, Catherine Stine, Natasha Hanova, K.D.Wood, Shawn McGuire, Liz Long and Elizabeth Sharp, Vanessa Kimball and Me, Katie M John

Each of these authors has offered some of the swag from their stall to put into one of Three U.K Swag bags. I shall be lugging a full suitcase of goodies back by the looks of it.

Each Swag bag will contain a random (but equally distributed) selection of items from the UtopYA conference. The items on the Rafflecopter giveaway are a very strong indicator of what may be included, but it isn't a 100% guarantee; think of it more like a lucky dip. What I can tell you is that the three gift bags are going to be truly swagtastic; the authors have been truly generous.

The plan is that two authors will be featured a day starting on Monday of this week and it will run for a fortnight. The Rafflecopter entry form will be attached to each  virtual stand, giving you  a chance to get lots of entries into the proverbial hat.

Good Luck and I hope you enjoy meeting these fabulous authors and their works as much as I do.


A List of the pledged swag offerings.
Jolene Buchheit - bracelet keychain, magnet, bookmark and a signed paperback
Kelly Risser, Metal book mark with charms, a necklace, bracelet, button pin and signed paper swag.
Kallie Ross - a signed copy of Descent: A Lost Tribe Book 1 and a signed copy of Defend: A Lost Tribe Book 2 + a gift bag
Rachael Brownell - Bookmarks, bracelet, magnets and small goodies.
C.J Pinard -  A signed paperback copy of one of her books, bookmarks and small goodies.
Jo Michaesls - a preview booklet, a bookmark and a pair of Fractured Glass Earrings.
N.L.Greene - a signed copy of Illusions Begin and a Fractured Glass button badge.
Amy Evans - a signed paperback and swag pack to include jewellery and postcards
Michele G Miller - A signed paperback
Chris Cannon - Magnets, bookmarks, postcards and an e-Book copy code for Going Down in Flames.
Sharon Rose Mayes - A signed paperback of Book 1 of 'Blood Pact'
Amy Leigh Strickland - A pair of button badges
Brenda Hiatt - signed postcards with QR codes for free books from 7 different authors and some temporary 'Sparks' tattoos.
Catherine Stine - A paperback copy of 'Dorianna'
Natasha Hanova - signed paperback, bookmark and nailvarnish
K.D.Wood - signed paperback copy of 'Unwilling'
Shwan McGuire - Hippie duck, tie-dye pen, wish bracelets, bookmarks, postcards and buttons
Liz Long - A signed paperback copy of Book 1 in The Donovan Circus Series, Bookmark and button
Elizabeth Sharp - A special blogger swag bag (normally exclusive to bloggers)
Vanessa Kimball - A signed bookmarks, pins and magnets
Katie M John - Knight Trilogy wrap bracelet, eBook code for free Book One of Knight Trilogy, signed postcards and metal and semi-precious stone bookcharm.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DON'T FEEL LEFT OUT, CHAPS!

UK FOLLOWERS - YOU'RE ALL INVITED TO A VIRTUAL UtopYA and SWAG GRAB.

So my lovely British followers - as you will have seen from the blog, it's all been a bit UtopYA Nashville crazy. I make some apologies for this, but I guess it is the biggest, scariest, most exciting thing I have done in my author career so far, so please forgive me. In order to say THANK YOU for putting up with my kid-before-Christmas excitement, I am putting together something very special for you chaps.

I have been speaking with some of my fellow exhibitors at UtopYA and asked if they would be willing to take part in a virtual UK UtopYA tour on my blog during the UtopYA week and the week following. As part of this, they are donating the most AMAZING swag; paperbacks galore, bookmarks, signed postcards and many, many more goodies.

Originally I had planned on putting a single UtopYA box together, but due to the generosity of these wonderful authors, there is probably going to be enough for three pick and mix, lucky-dip boxes.
Currently they are still signing up, but as soon as I have more details I will set up the rafflecopter giveaway form and let you know.

So in the meantime, head to the right of this post and seek out the 'JOIN' button and press it. That way, you're sure to get all the updates.

Fellow UtopYA authors

I'm wanting to run a small-scale virtual con for the folks back in the UK on my author blog during the UtopYA con and the week following. I'm looking for between 5-10 authors who would like to have a virtual stand on my blog (A spotlight of their book, a little bio and a link to their sales platform) As part of this I'm planning on doing a giveaway of UtopYA swag box, which I can gather whilst I'm there, bring back to Blighty and post on from here - if possible, I'd also like to feature a selfie too smile emoticon
To make it easy and to keep track, I've created a google.doc form http://goo.gl/forms/9HR27WZXon

The Demons that come in the night: My true-life experiences of sleep hauntings.

Today's blog post is a little different, it is inspired by the situation of my final read through of Book 2 of The Meadowsweet Chronicles, and the reading of a scene which is actually based on  my very real experiences of Sleep Paralysis (Sleep Haunting)

They are experiences that have truly led me to question my understanding of the scientific world. They have led me to question my own belief that demons don't actually exist - because part of me thinks maybe they do. Don't believe in such nonsense, then read on and see if I can change your mind.


The Nightmare by John Henry Fuseli 1781 - a painting that
conveys my experiences with unnerving similarity.

I know so many of my posts on here are fictional works, but not this one. This is the account of three very real events in my life, which I hope by sharing may bring comfort to some that they are not alone, and for others, offer some curiosity.

BACKGROUND.

My mother had always told me that she dreamed differently to other people; she would recount tales of waking in the night to look out of her window across the familiar landscape outside her window. She'd feel a sense of calm and wonder, and then something curious and beautiful would catch her eye - she'd turn around to tell my father of it, and discover that her body was still in bed alongside him- sleeping. She would walk up to herself and watch for a while - knowing she was neither asleep or awake, but somehow she had slipped through the dimensions of consciousness into some in-between place. On other nights, she would 'float' through the house, happily.

She informed me she had looked it up on the internet, and discovered after all these years that she has Sleep Paralysis, but she wasn't worried because she liked the episodes, there was something restful about them, and she'd always had them.

This always bemused me, you see I rarely recall my dreams. In fact I'm not sure I dream at all - mostly. I can probably recall the only five dreams I can ever remember having. When I put the sleep monitoring app on my phone, I discovered I hit 'deep' sleep - as in right at the bottom of the scale - within several minutes of getting into bed, and I pretty much stay there, down at the bottom like a river trout, pretty much flat-lining until the alarm wakes me.

This is much to the annoyance of my light sleeping husband, who has undertaken years of milk runs to the babies.

But when I was pregnant with my first child, the most horrendous event happened, one which still haunts me to this day. To call it a dream - even a nightmare, is an inadequate name for what happened.

Understand that in my daily life I am a great pragmatist - I am an evolutionist, I am a curious atheist who calls themselves a Christian because I believe that the values of Christ were a good model to pin my humanity on. I have an amateur interest in science, and in another life, I would love to have studied Quantum Physics. I have an understanding of human psychology and transference and trauma responses. I am a lazy fair-weather follower of Plato - I value reason, science and rationalisation - and yet...

In all three incidences of what they call Sleep Paralysis, I can not fully accept that I wasn't truly visited by a demon.

The impact of these three events over my life have been unsettling to say the least. They are truly the material of a terrifying psychological horror film - indeed, when I watched the film 'Insidious' I could not shake the frightening level of shared experience and understanding it conveyed.

What is really fascinating about this type of Sleep Paralysis is that when you go onto the worldwide forums, regardless of apparent cultural influences, there are startling similarities in people's experiences. In some cases, the accounts state exactly the same words being spoken, and physical properties of the manifestation. Strange don't you think?


EPISODE 1.

I was eight months pregnant. I had not been sleeping as well (a new experience)  and I became aware of being awake - but not yet with eyes open. I felt  a presence at the side of my bed - bodily warmth, some living being - and then large firm hands pushing in from the side between the mattress and my back. They were firm hands, real hands - man's hands. I opened my eyes and saw my husband sleeping soundly beside me. I daren't look around to face my assailant.

All at once I was lifted into the air by incredibly strong arms, the cold winter air rushing in under my back. My husband becoming further away. I neared the ceiling. I began to cry out - but no sound would come out. I was turned ninety degrees and then hurled with full force towards the far wall of our bedroom - I braced myself, wrapping my arms around my baby bump - knowing that when the contact was made with the wall, the baby would be harmed.

I didn't make the wall - I landed in a crumpled heap at the end of the bed - limbs, hair and tears in one big knot.

I tried to orientate myself and pull myself back up the bed - only there was somebody asleep in my space. I rocked back on my heels and watched myself asleep in bed.

In that moment, I had no idea how I was ever going to get 'back inside' my own body. Sensing my disturbance the hubby called out my name, and I opened my eyes to be suffering a near panic attack - tears streaming down my face.

For days afterwards, I was dazed by the event. It was no different in my head to having been violently assaulted in reality.

Six years passed and thankfully, there were no other incidences. I put it down to hormones and latent fears etc.

EPISODE 2

We were staying in an old fisherman's cottage. The bed was aligned with the door so I could see right down the hallway from my pillow. Our daughter was two years old and in the room at the bottom of the hall. I woke in the night, thinking I had been disturbed by our daughter. I lay there, completely awake, watching the hallway, convinced that there was somebody standing in the night gloom but not able to actually make out a full form. I sensed a female presence.

I shivered. It was freezing cold, but it was February and the house was old. I sensed a grey movement. I started to worry. I went to get out of bed and couldn't - I was too heavy, as if made of lead. I turned to my husband. A horrible pressure filled the room, like when it's about to break a thunder storm.

My chest began to tighten and I couldn't breathe. It was as if my lungs had simply decided to give up working.

Then she manifested. This old crone dressed in black. She pressed her hand down onto my chest, squeezing the air out of my chest. Laughing.

In her other hand, she held a gleaming syringe, which I knew contained a heart-stopping poison. The weight on my chest was crushing, and I felt my self go dizzy, and then the tip of the syringe pricked my heart space and I woke screaming and sobbing.

EPISODE 3

About six months ago (and no, I wasn't pregnant) I found myself waking in the night. My eyes were open (of that I was convinced) Our bedroom was exactly as it is. I was awake. I cursed, thinking how irritating it was to wake in the night and feel 'perky'. I was just about to swing my legs out of bed when I discovered that I couldn't.

Quickly I discovered that despite being awake, I was entirely paralysed. My heart rate burst into a rapid staccato. I tried desperately to move my fingers. I began to panic, thinking that maybe I had had a terrible stroke in my sleep. I slid my eyes to see the hubby asleep.

A terrible pressure started to mount in my chest. Something had entered the room. Something dark  - something seriously malevolent - something that wanted me to die. I tried to call out my hubby's name, but my voice just wouldn't work, I couldn't even croak.

I knew that from the corner of the room, that something was watching me.

I began to feel tears sliding down my cheek. I knew it was approaching me.

I screamed silently - begging the hubby to hear me, desperate to move my hand to alert him.

Then all at once, there was something by the side of my bed. I can not express in words the sense of dread I felt. I honestly believed my heart was going to stop.

Slowly, I slid my eyes to the left (I sleep on the left) and there was a form, a mass of white face and blood red lips, of dark black eyes, but deformed, just as if an oil-painter had streaked their fingers through a portrait whilst the oils were still wet.

It was only a momentary glance, but I knew she, for I was certain it was a woman, was truly a demon from some other world. There was a great whooshing sound as she flew up over my body and disappeared.

I breathed a heavy sigh of relief - began to feel the movement in  my fingers return. Then from the corner of the room came a voice - a voice not human - a voice not of the real world, but something earthly, elemental, primitive. It travelled from the shadows towards me.

"I'M. RIGHT. HERE!" it growled.

I shot upright in bed, soaked in sweat - realising that I had not been awake at all - but I hadn't been asleep either.

I had been trapped between two worlds.

I woke the next morning, feeling literally traumatised. The sound of the voice, the words 'it' had spoken refused to leave. It was like they had stained me - they have ever since.

#12DaysofCreepfest: Author Interview with Ash Krafton

WELCOME:Welcome to the 12 Days of Creepfest; a celebration of Christmas spooks and horror and an opportunity to introduce you to some wonderful horror and Dark Fairytale writers. Firstly thanks to the wonderful Rebecca Treadway (@creepywalker) for organising this fun trip.
Today I am happy to welcome the brilliant Ash Krafton, author of

Bio: Ash Krafton is a speculative fiction writer whose work has appeared in journals such as Absent Willow Review, Expanded Horizons, and Silver Blade. Ms. Krafton resides in the heart of the Pennsylvania coal region, where she keeps the book jacket for "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" in a frame over her desk. Visit the Spec Fic Chick website at www.ashkrafton.com for updates on the release of her debut novel, Bleeding Hearts, forthcoming in 2012 through Pink Narcissus Press.

INTERVIEW:

In 140 characters, describe your private self.
I love boots so much I developed an addiction. I mean, each pair has its own name. (They tried to make me go to rehab, I said No, no, no.)

In 140 characters, describe your writerly self.
I compose on paper but revise in pixels. I write in thick gel pen but edit in fine-point. I break computers, usually with Darjeeling.

Tell us more about your current work and projects?
I’ve a thick notebook full of poetry and short fiction in various stages of completion. I’ve also a thick MS Word folder full of novels, also in various stages of completion. Most days, I just work on whichever project clamors the loudest.

One of the things I’ve actually completed is my urban fantasy, BLEEDING HEARTS. It’s due out in March 2012. Lately I’ve been working on its sequel. I’ve an editor to keep happy.

What is your favourite book / story of all time?
My favorite book is the Golden Key by Melanie Rawn et al. but, this close to Christmas, I tend to reach for Hogfather. Can’t help myself.

How do you like to bring the 'dark side' into Christmas?
I don’t have to bring the dark side into Christmas. Santa does it all by himself. Fat dude that slides down chimneys, inspiring all sorts of copy-cat crimes that often lead to horrific entrapment and, sometimes, death of the burglar? That’s pure genius.

Describe your perfect fantasy Christmas day.
I wake up wearing magic armor, lying next to a sleeping dragon. If it wakes up before I make it out the door, things may get rather dicey (but in a good way.) The rest of the day is more traditional, except Santa’s reindeer are replaced by chimeras. They are *so cool.* Later, when I open mounds of presents, I find many, many pairs of boots and a Dragon Naturally Speaking program that actually understands what the hell I’m saying.

Which six famous figures (dead or alive) would you love to have sitting at your Christmas table?
Cameron Diaz, Mel Blanc, Geddy Lee, Hansi Kursch, Ben Franklin, and Jane Austen.

What are your New Year wishes?
People everywhere find peace within themselves and peace surrounding them. I wish a prosperous New Year to all my writerly friends and maybe a nice review or two for my novel. I also hope for a painless income tax filing season. (Why not wish big, right?)

Just for fun: TRIVIA

Christmas pudding or Stilton Cheese?
OMG Stilton is a CHEESE? Who knew? I’m lactose intolerant and I love pudding, so let’s go with that one. Hope there is whipped cream on it.

Bing Crosby or The Pogues?
Uncle Bing.

The Queen's Speech or Taking out your own eyeballs?
I like to daydream that the Queen is my grandma. I know she has a duty to behave stoic and reserved in public but, deep down inside her, there is a real hugger inside. (I also pretend my other grandma is Julie Andrews. And that we do shots of peach schnapps at family weddings.) So please, easy on the references to torture. She’s absolutely lovely and I wish we had a queen here. *crosses arms and stamps foot*

Turkey or Ham?
Ham. My mother-in-law makes a fabulous ham gravy that I could drink right out of the ladle. mmmmmm

Brussel Sprouts or Carrots?
I’ve never eaten a Brussel Sprout, dammit, and I shan’t start now.

Jolliness or Bah Humbug?
Jolly with a twisted twist. I fancy myself one of the cheerfully depressed. It’s a good time.

Links to my portals:
Http://ashkrafton.com
Http://facebook.com/ashkraftonauthor
Http://twitter.com/ashkrafton
Http://ash-krafton.livejournal.com
Http://ash-krafton.blogspot.com
Http://goodreads.com/ash_krafton
Http://pinknarc.com