An amazing author to check out: George Straatman

George Straatman writes fiction in the horror genre, here I'd love to introduce you to The Converging: Closures in Blood, his latest book in a trilogy.

An introduction to this amazing book:
The Converging: Closures in Blood is the concluding volume of George Straatman’s epic Converging horror trilogy. Though rooted firmly in the horror/supernatural thriller genre, Closures in Blood is a skilful weaving of intense action and compelling drama that will stand as a fitting finale to this dark and richly imagined tale.
After apparently vanquishing the demon, Cynara Saravic…the now-immortal Elizabeth Simpson returns to America to begin a desperate search for the only man she has ever loved and the one person who can grant her absolution for the sins she has committed while under the demon’s dark thrall. Abhorred as an abomination by both Heaven and Hell, Elizabeth must run a deadly and insidious gauntlet to find David Stillman, unaware that she has become the catalyst for an apocalyptic war between good and evil. Pursued across a dying America by legions of religious fanatics and satanic assassins, Elizabeth is forced to turn to her avowed enemy…a dark mistress who represents her only hope of eluding her relentless pursuers and finding some sense of closure to the dark nightmare of her life…and a hope of personal redemption. Populated by a cast of dark and richly detailed characters, Closures in Blood is a frenetic rollercoaster ride into darkest depths of the Converging universe…a place where the vile and the righteous will find a grim measure or resolution in the explosive conclusion to this master work of dark horror.

Now... let's have some questions and answers with George about his book:

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS FOR CLOSURE IN BLOOD

1. What are the primary themes of this final segment?

As the title would imply, the novel’s plot revolves around putting a measure of closure to the story elements that have bridged the trilogy. By the conclusion of this novel, all of the primary characters who have populated the world of the Converging will have found a sense of resolution by the novel’s closing page. In addition to this, the story deals with the protagonist’s search for personal redemption and atonement for her culpability in Cynara Saravic’s twisted tapestry of evil.

2. Is there one common theme that ties the three segments of the trilogy together?

This is first and foremost, a horror trilogy and its roots are fixed deep in the dark soil of the supernatural thriller genre, but really, the story transcends the genre to become more of an intense drama about one woman’s thirty-five years search for a degree of normalcy after the foundations of her life have been eradicated by cataclysm events. Elizabeth’s painful and often tragic journey is really a metaphor for perseverance and a sustained belief in the compelling power of hope. The horror elements merely serve as a vehicle through which this story is told.

3. How long did it take to complete the full Converging cycle?

The full cycle took twenty-five years to write from the first moment I took up a pen and began the first page of the original novel until the moment I decided that I was happy with the end product of Closures in Blood. The characters of the story become constant companions of sorts…who I’ve come to care about and develop an emotional attachment to.

4. The first two novels were characterized by intense and dark horror…that could often be considered disturbing…does this atmosphere prevail in the final installment?

Most definitely…I’ve attempted to infuse the novel with a pervasive sense of desperation in which Elizabeth’s search for David Stillman is undertaken against a frenetic background of terror and incessant pursuit. The central concept of the Converging has always been about a wide array of forces coming together at one juncture in time with catastrophic results and Closures in Blood is fraught with this element. I wanted the story to unfold like an avalanche…or more correctly, a convergence of avalanches…all coming together with a brutally violent finality. Every character in this novel is much like a piece of an intricate jigsaw puzzle…the commonality of each of these pieces is Elizabeth Simpson, who serves as the lens through which they are all focused…with extremely explosive results. This novel certainly serves up the most diverse collection of characters of the series…and this diversity adds to the volatility of the plot.

5. Was there a single facet of this story that would stand out as the most difficult to write?

The segment of the story that dealt with the teenage runaway, Cassandra Jasic was perhaps one of the most difficult that I’ve ever written…the scene in which she reveals the story of the abuse she suffered as a child was difficult to write…and equally difficult to read. Ultimately, horror is an emotional response and Cassandra Jasic’s hellish ordeal goes a long way toward justifying the depth of psychosis she demonstrates in the story. The tone of segments such as this one is critical…an author has to be attuned to the need for presenting this type of material in a way that does not make it gratuitous or even worse…appears to condone the actions being depicted.

6. With the conclusion of this series, is there any one character with whom you feel most connected?

Though I’ve enjoyed all of my characters immensely and feel a strong affinity for each, I would say that Elizabeth Simpson is the individual for whom I have the most empathy…I often reflect on the things that she endured over the course of the three novels and I’m suffused by a profound sense of sadness. Cynara Saravic presented me with the most perplexing technical challenges as a character, but Elizabeth Simpson is the one who resonates emotionally through the trilogy…her closure is, for me, the most emotionally poignant.

7. Are the any specific moral concepts contained within this final novel?

It would be difficult to write a two thousand page story without inculcating some personal philosophy into the fabric of the story…The story is violent and bloody, but beneath this, there resonates a subtle judgment on the nature of this violence. The story also holds an implied statement on the nature of seduction and the way that an individual’s personal prejudices can ensnare them into accepting things that both dangerous and illogical. This subtext is most clearly demonstrated by the characters of Gregor Ingram and Contayza Prowzi, whose inherent prejudices allow them to be deceived into seeing Elizabeth Simpson as the ultimate manifestation of evil.
Elizabeth Simpson takes center stage in this novel and it is through her that I have implicitly conveyed my own personal view on violence and moral integrity…Through all of her travails and loss, Elizabeth retains an inviolable sense of dignity and grace and vehemently refuses to succumb to the more primal urges that drive many of the novel’s other characters…she comes closest to representing my own perspective on the treatment of violence in art.

8. With the conclusion of the trilogy…have we seen the last of Elizabeth and Cynara?

As mentioned earlier…this cycle had a twenty-five year creative life. In that time, I have transitioned from a horror novelist to a fantasy novelist…a genre with the broadest creative potential. Still, it would be impossible to invest so much creative and emotional energy into characters such as Cynara and Elizabeth and not have a strong bond with both. The Converging as a concept has definitely run its course, but I have tinkered with the idea of writing a novel that tells the story of the demon Cynara Saravic and her life through the years between her disappearance in 1850 to her appearance in the fictitious town where the first novel takes place in the 1970s. As for the trilogy’s primary protagonist, Elizabeth Simpson, I have developed a plot outline for a novel that would take place some years after the events chronicled in the epilogue of Closures in Blood. Both of these notions are in the formative stages and whether they will germinate into full novels, only time will tell. My primary focus over the next few years will be on development of my fantasy cycle – Journey through the Land of Shades.

If you want to know more about this superb author and his amazing work, check out the following links:

Check out his website!
Discover him on Goodreads
Get hold of his books!
Follow him on facebook
Follow him on twitter

null
null
null

Author Interview: Nicki J Markus

Nicki J Markus is the author of books such as:


Here you'll find her interesting answers to our questions and discover more about this fabulous author!

1) We would like to know something more about yourself as an author and what lies behind your author persona, so let's start this interview with your beginning as an author. How and when did you start writing?

I have loved reading and writing for many years and always said I wanted to be a writer, but it was only in 2010 that I really decided to give it a go. I did a Creative Writing Course and while working on that I started to scribble some short stories. I had planned to submit to some open submission calls for anthologies, but a good friend (and fellow author) read one and suggested I submit to one of her publishers instead. I did, it was accepted, and the rest, as they say, is history.


2) What's your favourite piece of writing? I mean, from everything you've written, what is your personal favourite and why?

Hmm. I think Awaken to the Night out of those already published as that was my first one accepted and, though I haven't seen sales figures yet, it seemed to do well for me. But I am fond of my vampire story called Day-Walker which has recently been accepted by Silver Publishing and will be released later this year.


3) What do you need in order to get inspired and write?

Peace and quiet. I find I cannot work when my fiance is home and has the TV on - the noise is too distracting. I like to be alone with my thoughts and then the words come.


4) What is the best book you've read this year?

Ohh. That's hard as I've read a few good ones. I guess The Vampire Dimitri by Colleen Gleason springs to mind. I read that last month and really enjoyed it.


5) Where do you get the inspiration for your characters?

Often I dream them - usually just before I fall asleep at night when my mind is wandering. Sometimes I am thinking of existing characters and stories, thinking of ways they could have been different, and then someone pops into my head!


6) Are you currently working on a new book? If so, when can we expect to see it on the market?

Well, as I said, Day-Walker is out in September (provisionally). My Time Keepers miniseries is still ongoing too. Parts 1 and 2 are already available and the final two parts are due early May and early June. My current WIP is a thriller novella. I hope to have that ready to submit to the publisher next month.

7) Where can the readers find your books and discover more about you?

For more info on me and my books (including buy links), you can visit my website/blog: http://nickijmarkus.com

8) Please leave us with a phrase to reflect upon or a quote.

Think of something witty by Oscar Wilde and pretend I said it...no seriously!

Thank you very much for your time!

Thanks for having me!


Check out the Amazon links to Nicki's fabulous books:

A great werewolf book: "Raised by Wolves"

Following the paranormal genre, I wanted to talk to you about a very good book I read last month: Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
Even though it is a werewolf book it manages to escape certain stereotypes and surprise the reader. Its main character, Bryn, is a human girl who was in fact "raised by wolves". Living amidst a werewolf pack after being attacked by a rabid werewolf when she was a small kid, Bryn learnt everything about living with wolves... That is untill Chase appears in her life.

There is some romance in this book but it is not the "mushy" kind of romance we typically find in many YA novels, it is very down to Earth and almost "wolflike". It is not what the reader tends to expect but fullfils expectations non the less.
I personally enjoyed very much the way in which the author describes wolf pack interactions, she obviously did her homework on the matter really well! She applies real wolf ethologhy traits almost to the werewolf packs in the novel and thus manages to make them completely believable. Completely superb!

Another plus I found on the book? Are you still not convinced? Well, let me tell you something else I liked... There is a book two!
I love yet hate finnishing a good book. It leaves me with a bitter-sweet taste, yet if I liked the book and know there is a sequel I feel relieved! Sometimes I just want more! I want to keep on reading about the characters... And in this case there is a book two, yey!

I have not read it yet, but it is waiting for me to read it...