Tonight



On Valentine's day she thinks  to herself as she runs the washcloth across the evening dishes. The late sun streams into the window at a low angle, stinging her sore and tired eyes. She thinks of what she might have said, what she might have written if she'd just taken the time to think things through before slamming the door in his face.

If we could just start over tonight

Without the arguments, without the fights.

 

I'd be yours and you, mine

Our love stretching beyond the end of time.

 

I know that your out there now, somewhere all alone

Is there some way you'd just sense my thoughts and come home?

 

Oh how I long to feel you again, with me, on me and in me.

I remember we were good together, weren't we?

 

Please come back to me and spend the night

If you give me the chance, I'll make things right.

 

If we could just start over tonight

Without the arguments, without the fights.

 

The sound of the door latch startled her and she turned. He was there, on his knees, flowers in his hand and tears in his eyes. He stood and they embraced. Her body became light, as if she was suddenly free of a great weight. In that embrace, she knew she was forgiven, and she was loved unconditionally.

Fifty Shades of Fantasy

Wasn't that a catchy title? I wanted to title this post "Realistic Fantasy" but simply could not resist the temptation of the title above.

Truth is, I recently succumbed to all the hype over the E.L. James trilogy and to begin reading it for myself. About half-way through the first book, something struck me as profound--although the story uses a realistic backdrop, the situation is just far enough beyond reality to qualify as fantastic fiction.

I don't mean 'fantastic' as in 'great' (I'm sorry, but the quality certainly is not great) rather, I mean 'fantastic' as in beyond the realm of the realistic. That is, in fact, what attracts most readers to fiction.

When the word 'fantastic' is mentioned, I feel we've ventured into my territory. I would consider many of my stories in the realm of the fantastic, but at a polar opposite to stories such as FSoG.

Let me splain.

The premise of my stories are based in the fantastic. I like to take the paranormal existence of my characters and make them believable by grounding them in the real world. Realistic fiction takes normal (human) characters and attempts to bring their actions into the realm of the fantastic.

So, in a sense, many paranormal and fantasy stories must concentrate more on the realistic in order to help the reader suspend their inherent disbelief of the subject matter. I find this aspect of paranormal stories fascinating.

For instance, in my latest novel, Lexi's Run, my main character, Alexis, is a shape shifting werewolf living among an entire community of shape shifting werewolves.

How could I make her seem real?

First, I made sure that her community lives in secret among mere mortals. See, now I bet you're already thinking, "Yeah, this could be happening right now. In fact, this might explain the weird behaviour I've witnessed in my neighbor, Joannie."

Second, I made sure that Alexis lived as much of a normal human life as I could outside of her secret existence. She grew up in the small North Georgia town of Ellijay, Georgia, nestled at the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. He parents took her to all the local fairs, she attended college in Atlanta, and did all the things that a normal human would do. She just did them through the filter of werewolf royalty.

This way the reader gets to know Alexis as a person, and then is okay when I throw in that extra little fact that she just happens to be a shape shifting werewolf.

This is one of the reasons I like reading paranormal romance, and I'm hoping it is the reason other enjoy the genre as well.

You see, when one is reading a paranormal story a jumping off point must be provided, otherwise the story may be too unbelievable from the start. This is in direct contrast to a story such as FSoG where normal characters do things that, in real life, one might consider out of the ordinary. But that, in itself is a kind of fantasy. And isn't that what reading is all about? It is this ability to experience things as if we are the main character doing things we would never personally do.

But I still like it best when I can experience these things through the eyes of a demon, faerie, werewolf, or dare I say ... even a vampire.

Radar Love, or Something Else?

Photo credit: crystalinks.com



I'm probably giving away my age but here goes anyway. Way back in 1973, a Dutch rock band called "Golden Earring" released a song titled "Radar Love." Some of the lyrics went like this:

When I get lonely, and I'm sure I've had enough.
She sends a comfort, coming in from above.
We don't need no letter at all.
We've got a line in the sky.
We've got a thing that's called radar love.

This song always gives me the impression that the two lovers had some means of communicating beyond words. They called each other without the use of phone, letter, email, text, or twitter post. They were connected on a spiritual level.

Think about it. Wouldn't it be great if something like this were possible?

Ever feel like someone was staring at you but when you look, nobody is there? Some believe that is a form of PsychoKinesis or PK.

Many people believe this kind of thing is not only possible, but is something that exists within us all. Parapsychologists from all over the globe have dedicated great amounts of time and money performing tests to determine if one person could possibly communicate with, or even better, influence another without actual verbal communication or physical touch.

The phenomenon has been given many names: telekinesis, Psycho-Kinesis or PK, Remote Influence, Direct Mental Interaction with Living Systems DMILS, among others. Personally, I consider the prospect of remote influence very interesting.

There have been countless studies on this subject involving everything from staring (remember The Men Who Stare at Goats?) to skin reactions. Many of the studies had varying results but some were positive enough to warrant additional study, or even training, in an attempt to foster one's ability in such a matter.

Now, you know as a writer, I could not just leave well-enough alone on this subject. I wondered just how far one could go with this. Is it possible to influence another through tactile stimulation? Could one establish a mental or spiritual connection with another? Could one person remotely stimulate another ... sexually?

In my upcoming story, Surrogate, I explore these questions, and take the possibilities to the next level. To gain more insight, check out this story, written for the Geil Clinic series, scheduled for release on or before 12 July 2012.

Or, if you simply cannot wait that long, Surrogate is available now through Smashwords by clicking this link. I'm even offering it FREE until release day using this coupon code: KZ54K

Hope you enjoy this story. I certainly enjoyed thinking about all the possibilities remote influence might bring, while writing this short (11 thousand words) erotic tale involving four women, a clinical study, and a breakthrough in remote influence of the most intimate kind.

Quest for Believability

The hero in my current WIP is a bounty hunter. He needs a handgun for those occasions when he might find himself in a situation where he must defend himself. I want to make his choice in protection believable, but just how far should a writer go to allow reader's suspension of disbelief?

I happen to have a little knowledge about handguns. Okay, not a whole lot, but enough to make me a danger to myself and others. My limited knowledge of weaponry allowed me to narrow my hero's possible choice in handguns down to three.

The criteria my hero (Joseph Johnson) used for his choice included these demands:

1. His handgun must be easily available, and common enough to be easily replaced should he lose, or have to dispose of his choice.
2. His handgun must be chambered for 9MM (9X19 NATO parabellum) so that he could easily find ammo. There's no sense carrying a handgun if it is so unique that you cannot afford to load it. Also, someone in need of such a weapon must be able to possibly use ammo taken from a dead assailant.
3. The handgun of choice must be within Joe's price range. Joe recently left the Army to take care of his sick mother. His mother has since lost her battle with cancer, forcing Joe to take on work in the only the only thing he knows, hunting others, in order to pay her medical bills.

Have I gone too far already? I hope not. My first thought is to the reader who may read this story. I would hate someone to become completely put off, or lose their suspension of disbelief because of an inaccurate choice in weaponry. After all, I am asking the reader to believe shape shifting werewolves actually exist and live amongst us all in today's world. I need some anchor of reality to help those completely realistic readers make the jump into fantasy.

My research led me to narrow the hero's choices down to three easily concealable handguns, the Czech made CZ-75B, The Argentinian made Bersa BP9cc, and the Australian made Glock 26.

The CZ-75B was the first choice for my hero, because he would have come across this weapon often in his former line of work. The CZ-75 is very common, small enough to conceal, and relatively inexpensive. On the downside, this handgun is rather clunky compared to the others, and it's weight is equal to or greater than the Bersa.

The Bersa is the least expensive of the three choices, but not as readily available. While it holds more cartridges than the CZ, the option requires extensions to the magazine.

The Glock became my hero's handgun of choice (pictured above from the television show "Justified') because it is the lightest, smallest, and easiest to conceal. It is the most expensive of the three, but it's reputation makes in well-worth the cost. It is solid, and holds about ten rounds with no funky magazine extensions. Another reason is because the hammer remains concealed, minimizing the possibility of cocking it while pulling it from concealment. Most of all, the Glock has a safety in the trigger which makes it easier and quicker to shoot.

I can tell you from experience, there is not a more terrible feeling than pulling a weapon in a hurry, only to realize when you try to shoot, that the safety is still engaged. That gives a whole new meaning to the term "The quick and the stupid."

So, Joe Johnson will carry the Glock 26, although he remains impressed with the utility of the CZ-75. Who knows, he may keep a CZ in a hide somewhere as a back up.

So, again, have I gone too far? All this research was done so I could form one sentence stating that Joe slipped his Glock 26 into a concealment holster in the waistband of his pants. I'm not even sure if he'll have occasion to actually use this handgun throughout the story.

But doesn't it make you feel better knowing that Joe Johnson made an informed choice in what handgun he carries?