When The End Is Just The Beginning - Journey To Walhalla Entry 1.

It never ceases to feel special to me, whenever I type the words "The End" on a writing project. 

For my latest work in progress, a romantic fiction novel that carries the working title "Walhalla", I reached that milestone yesterday - and I almost couldn't believe it.

I've spent just short of a year working on this one, if you include the time that I spent *not* working on it because of some health challenges, and it was because of those health challenges that this milestone feels all the more sweeter. 

When I lost my voice after I had surgery on my throat and vocal cords, I mistakenly believed that I would actually throw myself into the project during my enforced convalescence at home. In truth, I lost all motivation for writing. My writer's voice had become just as silent as my physical one and there were times when I thought I would abandon "Walhalla" completely. I grew to hate writing and I grew to hate myself because I hated writing. 

What pulled me out of the hole I found myself in?

She... (image credit Lucasfilm Ltd.)

Carrie Fisher's death in December of last year had an impact on me. Apart from the fact that she was my most favorite "bad-ass princess" throughout the now 40 years of Star Wars, Fisher was widely regarded as a brilliant writer and script doctor - able to weave complex narrative tapestries and turn the most parlous of screenplays into something special. And she did all this while waging a none to secret battle with mental illness. In the ensuing obituaries and reflections on her life, I guess I received something akin to a kick in the pants from her. 

Somehow, I clawed my way out of the hole and I recommitted to this story. I realized that I actually loved it. For this is a story that I think will likely be my most personal one.

"Walhalla" is set in a little mountain town in Victoria, Australia - a place I have known and loved my entire life. Steeped in history and the site of one of the biggest gold rushes in 19th century Australia, Walhalla has refused to die - even though it was thought many times that it would. Somehow it has endured and is undergoing something of a renaissance, thanks to a renewed interest in its history and the opportunities afforded to it by tourism. 

For me, Walhalla serves as the setting for what I hope will be an engaging love story between a Doctor who has returned to his home town after the failure of his marriage and a Baker whose tragic past has instilled her with a steely determination to succeed with her nascent business. Walhalla - the story, like the town - is filled with a cast of quirky characters, all of whom are derived from people who have been a fixture in my life and I hope their presence will leap off the page as I develop the story further.

Because, even though I have typed the words "The End" on this first draft - it is really just beginning. 

Editing is a process that I love. It is challenging, frustrating and rewarding all at the same time. Once I have completed my first pass over the manuscript, I'll have a team of people to whom I will pass a second draft onto to get their insights, advice, criticisms and recommendations. I will incorporate all of those into a third draft - and then I'll be at a stage where I hope to submit it to my publisher.

I hope you might like to join me on this journey. I'll keep you updated - not too frequently - about my progress and I'd like to share a little bit of ephemera about the actual town Walhalla and how it has influenced me over all these years. 

DFA.

Heart of a Dove by Abbie Williams.

Heart of a Dove by Abbie Williams

Scheduled for world wide release on December 9th, 2014 from Central Avenue Publishing.

The Civil War has ended, leaving the country with a gaping wound. Lorie Blake, a southern orphan sold into prostitution at fifteen, has carefully guarded her aching soul from the disgrace forced upon her every evening. Two years have passed, leaving her with little hope of anything more. Meanwhile, three men – longtime friends – and a young boy with a heart of gold are traveling northward, planning to rebuild their lives in the north and leave behind the horrors of their time as soldiers in the Confederate Army.

Fate, however, has plans of its own, causing their lives to collide in a river town whorehouse. Forced to flee, Lorie escapes and joins them on the journey north. But danger stalks them all in the form of a vindictive whorehouse madam and an ex-Union soldier, insane and bent on exacting revenge. At last, Lorie must come to terms with her past and devastating secrets that she cannot yet bear to reveal.

Heart of a Dove is the first book in a gripping, sweeping romantic saga of pain, unbearable choices, loss and true love set against the backdrop of a scarred, post-Civil War America.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars*

(*disclaimer - Dean was provided with an advanced copy for the purpose of this review.)

Abbie Williams is an author who excels at the romance genre. Her Shore Leave Cafe series is a show case for her ability weave a contemporary tapestry, complete with rich characters, vivid settings and seductive moods. With Heart of a Dove, Williams takes those ingredients and deposits them into an historical back drop - in this case, the American Civil War - crafting an epic story that is her most accomplished work to date.

Author Abbie Williams. 

The effects of the War are evidenced in Williams cast of characters - all of whom have been damaged in some way by the conflict. Not the least of which is Lorie Blake, a unique heroine whose young innocence is shattered by forced servitude at the hands of a callous brothel madame.

Her situation seems helpless until she is rescued by a rag tag quartet of young men, lead by an enigmatic veteran in Angus, a mysterious stranger in Sawyer, a dependable horseman in Boyd and a precocious boy in Malcolm. They are as much veterans from the war as they are orphans because of it. And because of this, each man has a distinct sense of justice and an intolerance of those who seek to abuse it. All of them have a unique experience and, for me, I became as much a student of history through their eyes as I was a reader of this sweeping romantic drama. Williams attention to history is impeccable and yet she doesn't labour the story with it. 

Her romantic elements - so much a signature of Williams writing - shine in Heart of a Dove as it moves softly in places and urgently in others. There is an erotic energy to the tome that is tastefully drawn and an emotional power that is honest and heart felt.

With Heart of a Dove, we are quickly drawn into what is a rather lovely place and time to be and I had a difficult time wanting to leave.

It is a singularly beautiful story - a fine achievement for Abbie Williams.

Heart of a Dove is scheduled for a December 9, 2014 release from Central Avenue Publishing in both print and digital formats. 

Minnesota based writer Abbie Williams says she has been addicted to love stories ever since first sneaking her mother's copy of The Flame and the Flower. "Since then, I've been jotting down stories of my own in notebook after spiral-bound notebook. Well, that is until I got a computer that was equipped with Word, one fine day."

Abbie spends her days with her own true love, their three daughters, and a very busy schedule. She says she is most happy when she can sneak in a few hours to write and indulge in visiting the characters in her stories. 

When Abbie not writing, teaching or spending time with her family, she can be found listening to her favorite music: Alison Krauss and Union Station, the Wailin' Jennys, and The Be Good Tanyas. If there's time in the evening, she might watch a few episodes of Hell on Wheels and eat a jar of crunchy peanut butter.

Visit Abbie Williams here. 

Connect with Abbie Williams here.

Tweet with Abbie Williams here. 

View all my Goodreads reviews

DFA.

Queen of the Vampires - Conversations with Author Jodie Pierce.

A big determiner of the success or failure of genre fiction is the commitment and the enthusiasm lent to it by its author. Not only does the author have to offer something unique and original but they should be willing to take risks that draw readers in. If the author can deliver a passion into his or her stories that captures the readers attention and keeps them invested, success will follow. 

Jodie Pierce is one such author who has committed herself to a genre that is often considered over populated by content, however Pierce has succeeded in contributing a lively and engaging new facet to Vampire fiction - one that takes risks and challenges its readers.

Informed in part by her love for Anne Rice's Lestat series, Jodie Pierce has invested heavily into her own Vampire odyssey, committing herself to infusing her own series with a meticulous attention to detail - often employing dense historical research in order to bring a sense of authenticity to her stories. She has, as a result, achieved a body of work in Vampire fiction that transcends the genre and offers something surprisingly unique. 

Pierce began her Vampire Queen series with the appropriately titled "The Vampire Queen" in 2011 for Eternal Press and quickly amassed a dedicated following which has remained with her through her subsequent releases - The Vampire Chronicles and The Demise Of The Vampire Queen. Jodie has added to her portfolio with the novellas Condemned By A Vampire, The Reluctant Vampire, Midnight Thirsts and Once Sanguist, Twice Bi.

In the debut to the series - The Vampire Queen - we are introduced to a young woman - Paulina de Lordes - who awakens to discover that, not only is she an important Countess, but she is also the very first or "Ancient One" of a mysterious order that is adhered to by many of her subjects. Her memories of a prior existence as a vampire as well as memories of anyone from that former existence are gone when the story opens, so she must relearn everything from that other life from the people around her, but can they be trusted? She also learns her role as the former Countess was a quest to purify the vampire race thus, when Paulina begins to realize her destiny, her desire to complete it becomes a focal point for the novel. 

She is challenged in her quest by The 'Others', a group of powerful and evil vampires that attempt to use her memory loss to their advantage. The presence of the 'Others' reveal a centuries old battle between two opposing forces to covet the "Ancient One" as their leader. Struggling to remember her past, battling the 'Others' and coping with her new life keep the Countess busy throughout this spellbinding and thrilling saga. Will she succeed in her goals or will the 'Others' win her over to their side this time around?

In exploring the series, I asked Jodie how she began to map out what has become such a sprawling yet complex and often epic saga.

JP: I have to say that I didn't really do any significant "mapping" per se but rather, the story flowed from me organically. The first book in the series - The Vampire Queen - was my first and favorite manuscript. In it, I set out to introduce a fully realized protagonist in Countess Paulina de Lourdes who is somewhat of a mystery to the reader in the beginning. By reuniting her with her lover (whom she has no memory of initially), and throwing them into an epic adventure from the outset, the reader is invited to peel back the layers of the Countess in an interactive sort of way. I realized the potential was there to expand across multiple titles. When I came to write the second book - The Vampire Chronicles - I deliberately left it open for a third book. I then decided I wanted to tie up the events so I wrote the final book, Demise of the Vampire to achieve that.

Pierce counts a unique experience, living and studying in Brazil, as one that has shaped herself as an author and how the observation of people factor into her writing style.

JP: I lived in Brazil for six months when I was 16. Breaking down the language barrier was a significant milestone for me during my time there. I learnt Portuguese, having had no experience with the language before and I became fluent by the time I left. Brazil is so beautiful and the people are kind, generous, friendly and non judgmental. Though it is a third world country and I saw a lot of poverty, I found that generosity of spirit ran right through the populace, regardless of their circumstance and the experience imprinted on me significantly. Likewise, the country itself is physically beautiful. I lived two blocks from the beach and I found it an invigorating place.

I have often set my stories in Brazil or have used it as a location for other things. I've also created characters that are Brazilian or of Brazilian descent. In terms of the Vampire Queen trilogy, it was less influential  but it did make me a better writer. I wrote for the school newspaper while there and that was a valuable learning experience I will never forget. Brazil had a profound effect on me. I've even considered a tattoo of a Brazilian flag. It was my favorite place to live and would go back there and live there for forever if given the opportunity.

One of the appeals of The Vampire Queen series is the extent to which Pierce challenges the reader through her characters. Her protagonists and antagonists are not merely culled from the traditional archetypes found throughout the vampire fiction genre. Rather, Pierce has drawn them vividly from her observations of people and her own self examination. She has thus imbued them with complexity and potency. Her exploration of sexuality - in particular bi-sexuality - throughout the trilogy was one of the more attractive features of The Vampire Queen series and one that was handled convincingly and with maturity. I asked Jodie what influenced her portrayal of sexual themes in the books.

JP: I am bi-sexual myself so it wasn't difficult for me to transpose my own life experiences, my wants and fantasies into the stories. I have also written erotica with vampires and lesbians (Once Sanguist, Twice Bi) which were kind of proving grounds for exploring sexuality and combining the things that I love. I found these stories easy to write. My husband is accepting of my bi-sexuality (he loves it actually). Many of the situations the Queen is involved in throughout the books, have been drawn from personal experience and I won't deny that I enjoyed that aspect of the story telling. I had a full time girlfriend before I met my husband which changed my life in the best way possible. It has opened my mind to the full potential of sexual experience in a really positive way and it has benefited my marriage for sure. I still enjoy romps with my husband and another woman and, for us, they are positive and invigorating experiences. I'm a very open person and believe that people should be more open to exploring their sexuality and being comfortable with their sexuality.


Jodie Pierce knows her genre well and has a gift for constructing mythology and complex characters that populate her stories. Additionally, Pierce is not averse to challenging both herself and her readers by exploring themes of sexuality, relationships and love in a fully realized and refreshing way. It is clear that she is an astute observationalist - both of people around her and of herself. The result is honest story telling that doesn't take the reader for granted and allows them to be an active participant in the worlds she creates.

In a genre that has been wanting for some time, Jodie Pierce represents a new kind of quality in the world of vampire fiction.

Connect with Jodie Pierce here.

Purchase Jodie Pierce's Vampire Queen series here.

Tweet with Jodie Pierce here.

Facebook Jodie Pierce here. 

Post Script - Pierce has recently kicked off an initiative with other vampire fiction authors that will see them collaborate on a project that will benefit the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. She is looking for authors to add to the project so if you think this is something you might be interested, do get in touch with her.  

DFA.

Download Deans' Interview With Radio Adelaide's Breakfast program with Angas Randall.

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