Monthly Archives: September 2013

No comments

Their Circumstances: the Series

  September 25, 2013

scarredsoulsSo far I’ve got three short stories published in this series (Scarred Souls, Skin Deep and Reunited), but I also have one novel coming as well as two novellas. I also have another novella written, but not submitted.

Yesterday’s Tears, the novel, will be out at the end of November. It’s the continuation of Josh and Damian’s story, as well as Matt’s story. Matt is Damian’s younger cousin. He is only eighteen in the book, but he still manages to find love. Just as Josh and Damian did when they were eighteen.

Measured Doses, a novella, is the story of Chad. He’s introduced in Scarred Souls as one member of the group therapy where Josh and Damian first see each other. Chad has an abusive father, and he’s in love with his former English teacher, Dion. Dion is in a relationship with Jeremy, but it has been rocky since he cheated on Jeremy with Chad. This story is a threesome.

Inner Demons, which will be released in April, is another story featuring Josh and Damian. It takes place before Yesterday’s Tears and it starts before Josh leaves Damian and London. I hope Josh’s reasoning for leaving is one that people will understand. It also incorporates Reunited, in Josh’s POV.

Maybe Tomorrow is the last novella that’s written in the series. It is a direct sequel to Yesterday’s Tears, so I can’t really say anything about it without spoiling the ending, so I’ll just leave you all with this.

Now, what’s next up in the series? That’s a good question. I have so many ideas. I thought I should list some of them here, and if you have an opinion on which story should be next, feel free to tell me!

Fading Ink is another story for Kian and Silver. I plan for this to be novella length and it will be set after YT and MT, as it will also deal a bit with Kian’s little brother, Kasey.

Indefinite Quantity is the continuation of Chad, Dion and Jeremy’s story. Also another story I plan to be novella length. As MD hasn’t been released yet, I cannot really say much more than this, but it will be set a couple of years later.

Tonight’s Wish is the story of Spencer and Lesley. Lesley is Adam’s brother. Adam wil be introduced in YT. This will be set a few years before, in a critical point in their relationship.

Collision Course is the story of Wynn. Wynn is Chad’s very troubled friend. He’ll be introduced in MD. It will take place after Maybe Tomorrow. Wynn is, as said, very troubled, and his HEA will not be an easy one.

Road’s End will be the story of Catlin and Sterling, another two characters introduced in SS in the group therapy. This will be set shortly after Scarred Souls. Neither of them have nice parents, and there’ll be some drama before they can be together and happy.

Opening Doors will be Chloe and Quinn’s story. Quinn is first introduced in SS, as part of the group therapy. Chloe is Damian’s aunt’s sister and will be met for the first time in YT. This will be a f/f novella.

Open Wounds will feature Mal, also introduced in SS in the group therapy. Mal is extremely troubled, and his road will be a hard one. Thankfully for Mal, Tyler is a patient bloke.

So that’s it. I have more planned, but these are the stories that needs to be written before anyone else. What do you think? Is there any particular story you’d want to see? Please share in the comments!

No comments

Meet the Characters: Kian & Silver

  September 20, 2013
[title size=”1″]Kian Mallory[/title]

kian

» Full name is Kian Lawrence Mallory, but he refuses to use his mother’s surname.

» He works as a hairdresser, which is where he met Chloe. They’re now best friends.

» His original hair-colour is brown, but he always keeps it dyed. He has green eyes.

» He’s born on March 30th, 1985.

» He’s 5′ 6″ and skinny.

» He usually wears tight-fitting clothes or hoodies, and depending on hair colour, they’re always in bright, flamboyant colours.

» He’s outgoing, confident, cheerful and funny.

» He grew up with his mum, who was an alcoholic and drug-addict.

» He didn’t meet his dad until his 18th birthday, because this was the day his mum couldn’t keep his dad away any longer. He moved in with his dad the very same day. He finally became a part of a proper family, with his step-mum Sun-Hi and half-brother Kasey.

[title size=”1″]Silver Clayton[/title]

silver

» His full name is Sylvester Clayton, but he uses the nickname Silver because he cannot stand his real name.

» He has black hair and grey eyes.

» He’s born on August 14th, 1984.

» He’s 5′ 10″ and toned.

» He was the sole survivor in a car accident where his boyfriend and two friends were killed. He was the driver of the car. What caused the crash was an argument between them; Silver and his boyfriend came out to their friends, and the girl friend wasn’t happy about it, so they argued. Silver lost control of the wheel and the car slid over into the other lane and into the ditch.

» Silver couldn’t bear to stay after the accident, so he moved to London to live with his brother. Because of the accident, he also repeated a year of his A-levels, which is why he started in the same class as Damian.

» He has always been excellent at Arts, and he’s always known he wanted to be a tattoo artist.

» He likes to wear loose-fitting jeans, tight-fitting shirts and sweaters and hoodies.

» He dislikes thoughts about his ex, the accident and not having control of his own actions.

» Personality: good listener, quiet, a bit reserved at times, confident.

» He works as a tattoo apprentice.

» He’s got a lot of tattoos. The biggest one is the memorial tattoo for his boyfriend and friends spanning his entire backside.

No comments

Just For Fun: Productivity

  September 19, 2013 ,

ALMidnightSunOnce upon a time I was very productive. I could write a story in no time. Now, I usually struggle to finish something. I really miss the old times when I could knock a story out in fourteen days. As I’ve kept a document on when I started and finished a story, I thought I’d post it. Makes me feel embarassed about my current pace, but oh well.

I wrote the first draft of Polar Nights from January 5th to January 13th, 2009. I was really on a roll with that one. I don’t even know what inspired it, per say, but I think it was a picture or a documentary or something about polar bears. They fascinated me and I wanted to write a story set on Svalbard.

I started Northern Lights, the sequel, on January 13th and ended it on February 5th, 2009. Used a little longer on this one, but still quick when compared to how I write now.

Midnight Sun was not so quick. I started it on February 13th, but had major writer’s block and finished it on May 8th, 2009. I think I was still in my writers block then, because it continues onto the next story in the series.

White Nights, the sequel to Midnight Sun, was started on May 10th, but due to my major writer’s block around that time, I do not have a record of when I finished it. Sometime in July/August/September/October 2009. Very vague, yes.

Northern Skies, the fifth book set on Svalbard, was started on November 3rd and ended it on November 21st, 2009. This is a direct sequel to Polar Nights and Northern Lights, featuring both those couples.

Winter Love‘s first draft was started on December 1st and wrapped up at December 13th, 2009. Here I’m definitely back on a roll.

The first draft of Sakura Kiss was started on December 13th and ended on December 28th, 2009. I was very inspired to give Armas’ his happy ending after the jerk he was in Winter’s Love.

And then Moscow Nights. It was started on December 28th, 2009, and ended … I don’t know. My records end there. I think I wrapped it up in January of 2010, because I can’t remember having writer’s block on it.

Black Sun, the sixth story set on Svalbard, was started in January 2010. I do not have on record when I finished it, but I do think I didn’t use too long on it. It was either finished in January or February.

These books are now divided into my two contemporary series, Arctic Love and Seasonal Love. They used to be called Svalbard Saga and the Related series. Those weren’t really any good series titles, were they? They weren’t at all. So I quite like the new series’ titles.

In fact, Winter Love was connected to Polar Nights in the first drafts. Andreas and Lasse knew each other. That changed when I revised them, or as was the case with Polar Nights, rewrote them. The series are still connected, but that connection won’t be obvious until the fourth Arctic book and the third Seasonal book, where a minor character makes an appearance. That minor character will have his story told in the fourth book in the Seasonal series.

No comments

Forest of Fenris: Turning Two

  September 13, 2013

forestoffenrisTwo years ago Forest of Fenris was released. It was my first published book, and it was also my first ever fantasy book. I am, and will probably always be, most comfortable writing contemporary stories, but I do like the three fantasy stories I have had published.

It all started with a prompt. I do believe the first one was “into the forest”. That was the first scene in the book. The next prompt continued the story, then came the third, the fourth, and soon I had the whole story unfolding in my head. I was pretty darn pleased with it, because I managed to do something I never had done before; the world building of a completely fantastical world and to actually write and finish the story itself.

All in all, I am happy with the story. That’s not to say that there aren’t things I would change with it, if I could do it over again. Mainly, the ending. The feedback I’ve had on it is that it ended too quickly. If I could do something, it would be to draw the ending out a bit. However, I do like the ending it has. It simply felt right to end it there, and it set up the events for Brand’s sequel, Desert Fire.

No comments

Meet the Characters: Josh & Damian

  September 11, 2013
[title size=”1″]Josh Slater[/title]

josh

» His full name is Joshua Slater, but he prefers to be called Josh.

» He has blond hair and green eyes.

» His birthdate is January 23rd, 1985. His zodiac sign is Aquarius.

» He’s 5′ 9″ and very thin, despite eating healthily.

» He’s taking a BA in Psychology part-time.

» Was sexually abused by his stepfather the entirety of his teenaged years, which led him to self-harm. The entirety of his arms are covered in scars.

» Suffers from Cyclothymia, a chronic mood disorder considered a milder form of bipolar disorder.

» Used to have a strained relationship with his mum, but they’ve grown closer ever since he told her about the abuse he suffered.

» He’s thoughtful, trustworthy, loyal, withdrawn and sometimes moody.

[title size=”1″]Damian Fielding[/title]

damian

» He has black hair and azure eyes.

» His birthdate is January 3rd, 1985. His Zodiac sign is Capricorn.

» Josh was his first in every way; first kiss, first boyfriend, first sexual experience. He’s never had feelings for anyone but Josh.

» He’s 5′ 10″ and slender.

» His best mate is Silver. They met their last year of A-levels and bonded over their drawing.

» He has studied at UCL Medical School and is now training to become a Plastic surgeon. He wants to help people who are not happy about their appearance.

» He’s quiet and reserved and doesn’t much like being around a big crowd of people. He’s a bit clueless when it comes to reading people, except when it comes to Josh.

» He has a scar going from his collarbone to his opposite hips, given to him by his mentally ill mother when she tried to kill him.

No comments

Arctic Love: Welcome to Longyearbyen

  September 9, 2013

“unikt, trygt og skapende”
 “unique, secure and creative”

Longyearbyen (English: Longyear Town) is the largest settlement and the administrative centre of Svalbard. It is located on the western coast of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago, on the southern side on Adventfjorden (English: the Advent fjord), which continues inland with Adventdalen (English: the Advent valley). The Governor of Svalbard and his administration reside in Longyearbyen.

Longyearbyen has approximately 2,000 inhabitants. It is one of the world’s northernmost towns, and the most northerly town with a population of over 1,000.

Geography

Owing to its location far north of the Arctic Circle, Longyearbyen is in polar night from November 14th to January 29th, and in polar day (or midnight sun) from April 19th to August 23rd.Longyearbyen has an Arctic tundra climate.

Economy

Mining still plays a major role in the community. The Norwegian mining company, Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani, runs two coal mines (Longyearbyen #7 and Svea), and coal mining employs about half the residents.

Nicknamed “Doomsday Vault”, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, an Arctic safe capable of storing millions of crop seeds, is located near Longyearbyen. Global Crop Diversity Trust administers the facility. The safe has been designed to protect against natural and human disasters, including global warming, floods and fires, and nuclear holocaust. The site was chosen for both its remoteness and ambient temperature of the permafrost.

Education

In 1993, the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) was opened; it is a cooperation of all four Norwegian universities, providing lectures in geophysics, arctic biology, geology and Arctic technology as well as bachelor, master and PhD positions. The faculty consists of 20 fulltime professors, 21 assistant professors and 120 guest lecturers.

English is the official language of work, and currently about 350 international students take at least one course per year at UNIS. The student body consists of 50% Norwegian and 50% international students; there are no tuition fees, and most students live in six renovated mining barracks in Nybyen.

Media

Longyearbyen has one newspaper, Svalbardposten. Also published are three newspapers called LYB News, Longyearbyen Weekly and THE LYB (written in all capitals).

Tourism

Most tourists to Longyearbyen arrive during spring and summer. Spring is very popular since Spitsbergen is one of the few places in Norway where a snowmobile can be driven in open country without special permission. However, due to strict environmental laws not all of the main island of Spitsbergen is accessible. From February until November several tour operators provide a wide range of guided trips.

Longyearbyen is the world’s most northern easily accessible settlement, with Svalbard Airport just outside town offering regular flights to and from Tromsø and Oslo, Norway. It is also the northernmost town over 1000 inhabitants; it houses a large number of northernmost places and objects of interest: the northernmost church, hospital, tourist office, permanent airport with scheduled flights, bus station, commercial sea port.

Community

The community offers a wide range of activities and facilities: there is a swimming hall, a climbing wall, a big sports hall, a grocery store, three pubs, three hotels, one church, several tourist shops, a cinema (Sundays), one night club, and a squash court. There is also the University Centre in Svalbard, which represents four Norwegian universities and provides university-level education in Arctic studies.

Inhabitants

At the end of 2007, Longyearbyen had around 2060 inhabitants. 500 people (or 25% of the current population) moved to Longyearbyen during 2007. About 300 people, or 15% of the population, are non-Norwegian nationals, with Thailand, Sweden, Russia and Ukraine being the most highly-represented nationalities.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longyearbyen)

No comments

Arctic Love: The Struggle

  September 4, 2013

ALPolarNightsSo far, only Polar Nights has been released in the Arctic Love series. The first three books, the main books, were supposed to run as a serial, but I got stuck with a major case of writer’s block, so Polar Nights was the only book that was finished. A while ago, all the characters wanted to rewrite their stories completely, which would mean writing the entire series all over again.

Now, when my head’s on straight again after this summer where I’ve been completely AWOL, I’m a bit torn about it all. I like the new ideas for the characters, but at the same time I like the original plots. If I stick to the original plots, I only have to go through and edits the rest of the series, because all books are finished.

The only thing I’m not happy about right now is the ending to Polar Nights. It set up the next story for Frey and Jørgen. Originally, theirs was the third story. I’m a bit torn about how to do this. I have some of Frey and Jørgen’s story half re-written, but it won’t be as long as the rest of the books at this rate.

What I am looking forward to is Jonathan’s book. Jonathan is probably my favourite character in the entire series. Perhaps my favourite character of all my books. The fourth book is about two Russians met in Frey’s book, while the fifth is about both Andreas & Christian and Jonathan & his love interest. The sixth books is another one dealing only with Jonathan.

I love these characters, this series. They’ve been on hold for a long time now, and I think it’s finally time to get back to them and give them all some well-deserved love.