Love Eternal

A very good friend of mine recently read Love Eternal and text me to tell me how much she was enjoying it. It made me think about the second book I released on Kindle. I started writing Love Eternal about six years ago and it sprang from the notion of fate and how sometimes we fall in love with the wrong person; or believe ourselves to be in love when actually we aren't. Alyssa Grey was a lot of fun to write because I could imagine her in different time periods and in different incarnations, which meant I could develop her character through the lives she had lived. In Love Eternal, we meet Alyssa as a student who has recently split up with her fellow student boyfriend Nick. This relationship is shallow and almost entirely based on the student lifestyle of fun and nights out in between studying. Alyssa's realisation that this is not what she wants in her final year leads her to meet two men who know more about her than she could imagine; Mac and Jerrod.

Mac was a complicated character. He was very bitter; kind of a 'the world owes me' character (reminded me a lot of an ex ;-)) but also the sort of man that could appear very attractive to a somewhat naive Alyssa. He is wealthy, confident and handsome, with a familiarity about him that initially draws her, but which ultimately leaves her feeling wary as his more sinister nature comes to light.

Jerrod is one of my favourite characters of all time. He has his flaws in that he can on occasions come across as grumpy and even pompous, but you have to wonder how it would feel to watch someone you love with the person who is exactly wrong for them. But Jerrod's protective and loving nature hopefully shines through to the reader, along with his sense of humour (which my friend also commented on!). He is aware of his faults and apologises for them, which makes him all the more appealing. I must confess that I fell a little in love with my own character, but I can be forgiven because I based him on my own love eternal, my brilliant and gorgeous husband Philip.

Anyway, if you've never read it, it's worth a read(even if I do say so myself hehe!). You can find Love Eternal on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Eternal-ebook/dp/B0078DBZDS/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1335298199&sr=8-5

The Apple Tree

This has been a very long week with a lot of changes. Don't know about the rest of you but I find change really difficult, particularly if it is not change through my own choice. In that respect I am probably a bit of a control freak. My work setting got moved and this was my first week in the new setting, so the writing has gone a bit by the by this week which is not what I would want. Writing for me is really important; it is something that helps me to destress and relax; almost like therapy! So this weekend I am hoping to get the writing back to the forefront. Even in my sleep I feel like the muse within has been screaming for some attention.

So last night I was dreaming of an apple tree overloaded with red apples and guess who was there? None other than Robert Thorn himself. I guess he's felt a bit neglected this week lol! So this weekend I am going to dedicate some time to editing and improving The Elite, which is the next in the series of The Light, The Dark & The Blood.

If you have read The Dawn and The Girl, I hope you have really enjoyed them both. I'm having a lot of fun writing the series. I appreciate those of you that have taken the time to leave a review and up to now there seems to be a positive response which is great for me as a writer, so thank you!

Have a great Saturday x

Video Preview of The Girl

Hope everyone is having a good day :-). Mine has been a mixed up kind of day; one I won't be sorry to say goodbye to I think! Anyway, thought I would share this short video clip with you. It is the video preview of The Girl, which is available now from Amazon Kindle. Hope you enjoy it! x


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlrc57lDAuY&context=C4287d6bADvjVQa1PpcFPq_8j18aW3FFsgCdBwEj0diQKZsW8hxRM=

The Girl

Good morning everyone! I am pleased to announce that Book 2 of The Light, the Dark & the Blood is now available from amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Light-Dark-Blood-ebook/dp/B007UI2M1U/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1334557128&sr=8-5

It is also available from amazon.co.uk:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Light-Dark-Blood-ebook/dp/B007UI2M1U/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1334557157&sr=8-6

The children of The Dawn have grown and now is the time they must follow their destinies. The Vampire King is making a bid for world-wide takeover, while Priest of the Light, Ethan Hart, works hard to keep him from his country. As Jack Hart returns to his childhood home he has no idea of the danger he places his family in; particularly his sister Beth, who could be the most powerful Witch of her age, if only she knew it.
Meanwhile Robert Thorn is confronted with an unwanted slave-girl, Catherine, who reminds him of a girl he once knew four hundred years ago. That girl vanished, leaving him alone and bitter. Is it possible that Catherine is the same girl and if she is, where has she been and why did she abandon him?
The paths of the Harts, Robert Thorn and the Vampire King will soon pass again, as Robert must confront his own destiny, which will force him closer to The Girl.
The Girl is Book Two of The Light, The Dark & The Blood.

A few thank yous x

I have been thrilled by the response to The Dawn and it is overwhelming to have had so many people download it, not just as a free book but also now that it is available to buy. As a writer it can be very intimidating putting your work out there because when you write you reveal a part of your soul.

The Light, The Dark and The Blood is a concept I have worked on for quite some time and the reception that The Dawn has received has been great on the whole. I am hoping people will enjoy The Girl just as much.

Dedicated to all the wonderful ladies who have helped me on my writing journey; you know who you are.

This is what you will read when you purchase The Girl first and I want to make it clear the people I am referring to now.

First off massive thanks to Emma, who has been a wonderful help to me in proof reading my work and helping me to edit it to a much better standard. Thank you as well to Heidi, who has been my close friend for many years and has been so encouraging with my publishing The Dawn.

I owe some massive thanks to Credoroza who discovered a very shy writer and encouraged her to put her writing out there. I'm not sure I would have had the confidence to even start the blog without her encouragement.

LaPumuckl and Nico have been fantastic in reviewing my writing and helping me to improve my style with their questions and constructive criticism, not to mention on occasions giving me a big head with their praise, so thank you so much for that!

And finally Tonya, who has been with me on my writing journey from the very start. You are always there to listen when I get frustrated with plot line or flamers and have given me encouragement and advice in equal measure, for which I am very appreciative.

So my lovely ladies, thank you to you all. Your support, advice and friendship are very much appreciated. When you read the dedication at the start of The Girl, it is there for you.

Love ya xxx

Publishing The Girl

Today is the last day of the free promotion of The Dawn. It has been amazingly well received and thank you so much if you have downloaded it. Today I will hopefully be putting the finishing touches to The Girl, which is Book 2 of The Light , The Dark & The Blood and that will be published over the weekend, which will mean you won't have long to wait, as I know that The Dawn finishes on a bit of a cliffhanger. If you have followed my writing, you will know I love a bit of mystery :-).

The Girl moves the characters into their adult lives and shows how the events of The Dawn helped to shape each one of them. We will spend a bit more time with Robert Thorn and his mysterious new slave, Cathy, who is perhaps even more of an enigma than he is. Cathy has the ability to bring out the very worst in Robert at times, but also the very best in him. He is still just as confused about who he should be; should he be the Human hating Vampire he believes himself to be or the honourable and powerful being that those who know him best believe him to be?

Cathy is a mystery. She has lived with The Elite for ten years, in a palace full of Vampires, with blood that is a constant source of temptation yet she has never been bitten. This in itself is a miracle. Robert has never been tempted by Human blood, yet her blood becomes predominant in his thoughts, leaving him frustrated and confused.

Thankfully Richard is still there to keep the waters as calm as he is able to. We get to see a bit more of just how good this Human is, despite the fact he has been enslaved for practically all of his life. There is no resentment from him though and he genuinely cares for his master and for the girl that has entered their home.

Watch this space over the next couple of days for information about the release and pricing of The Girl.

The Girl

I am feeling very pleased with myself today as I feel I have accomplished quite a lot. The Dawn's free promotion is going really well and I am so pleased that so many people have uploaded it. There have been nearly 800 downloads so far and The Dawn is currently at no. 11 on the Free Fantasy Downloads chart which is amazing! Thank you so much if you have purchased. I also have two reviews for The Dawn on amazon.co.uk. Click here to read them: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dawn-Light-Dark-Blood-ebook/dp/B007SGUFRC/ref=zg_bstf_362264031_11

Today I also completed editing of The Girl, which is the second in the series The Light, the Dark & the Blood. I have sent it to my wonderful proof reader Emma and hopefully she will have it ready for me to publish very soon. The Girl picks up where The Dawn left off; with Cathy arriving at Robert's house and their inevitable meeting. The question is, is she the same girl he knew 400 years ago and if so how is that even possible if she is Human? She's certainly going to stir things up for Robert Thorn, that's for sure!

Ethan is now a Priest of the Light and ably assisted by Diana in their mission to protect their country from Rogue Supernaturals and Human blood drinkers. Beth is lost following the death of her mother and has a long journey to help her achieve her destiny. And then there's Jack, who has got in way over his head and must now accept the consequences of his actions...

In The Girl, we will also meet the charismatic Vampire King, Adam and his newest acquisition, a Witch who might just hold his fate in her hands.

Times of change are coming.

Watch this space for release details for The Girl. Again, thank you so much if you have downloaded The Dawn. I hope everyone has enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

The Dawn: Video Preview

If you click the link below, it will take you to a video preview of The Dawn :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOsGnddWsa4&feature=youtu.be

The Dawn & The Girl: Inspiration

Good morning to all my UK readers. For the next five days you will be able to purchase The Dawn free of charge! It is available from amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dawn-Light-Dark-Blood-ebook/dp/B007SGUFRC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1334044846&sr=8-4

Unfortunately if you are elsewhere in the world, Amazon will not issue it for free, but it is still available to purchase at the cheapest price possible and I really hope you'll all think it's worth it :-).

I thought today I would talk a little about what inspires me, as a lot of people often ask me that question. It's difficult to say sometimes, or at least difficult to explain. Inspiration can lie in so many different things.

The starting point for The Light, the Dark & the Blood came when I envisioned a boy running through the woods, looking for somewhere to hide, which occurred while I was walking my dog through a wooded area with a river. In fact, the particular path I sometimes take Holly along has given me a lot of inspiration when I walk it. It isn't anywhere fancy, but it is beautiful and despite the proximity of the road peaceful too. As my mind feverishly worked away at wondering who the boy might be and why he might be running, the idea of Robert began to form.  When I got home I wrote out the prologue and was really happy with it, but I didn't know what to do with it next.

I had begun posting stuff on Fan Fiction and I was writing a story about Vampires taking over the world and enslaving humanity. The story had almost written itself and was getting a lot of notice. And I liked the story, I really did, but when it was complete for FF I realised that for me it felt incomplete. The characters lacked the depth I wanted to give them. Taking the 300 page document away, I cut about half of it out and began rewriting, this time using the characters I envisioned in my mind rather than those I had used for the sake of it being a fan fiction. I still love the FF version of The Girl, as I know many others do, but The Light, the Blood and the Dark is a far better story in my opinion.

First of all, Robert is a very bitter, yet honourable character and this gave me the inspiration to build up a storyline based on his character; he was to take centre stage and the lead. I have given him a family, who though they might irritate him as Humans, he will protect at all costs for the sake of his sister's memory. I have given him a relationship with the enigmatic Vampire King, who has his own story to tell and will in Book Two, titled The Girl. And I have given him his destiny, which is tied up in the mysterious girl.

I really hope that you all enjoy The Dawn and that you will enjoy The Girl just as much when it is published, which should not be a long time off.

Have a great day x

The Dawn: Update

Exciting news! The Dawn has now been released on amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Dawn-Light-Dark-Blood-ebook/dp/B007SGUFRC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1333996639&sr=8-4 and on amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dawn-Light-Dark-Blood-ebook/dp/B007SGUFRC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1333996715&sr=8-4

It should be available as a free purchase from 10th April for 5 days as well which is even more exciting!

Publishing The Dawn

So today is the day when The Dawn will be published! My proofreader, Emma, did a fantastic job for me and spent several hours reading over the material for me and checking for minor errors. Massive thanks to Emma for that! She also gives me feedback on if she actually likes what I have written. As she is a voracious reader, her opinion means an awful lot. When she said she loved it but needed to know what happens next I knew it was a good thing!

I also got some feedback from the wonderful Tonya on the cover and have altered it according to that. Again, a great person to help me out with the minor details. So thank you Tonya, hope the new cover is easier to read!

Onto The Dawn. I had a few issues with the publishing of the book as Amazon will not publish it as a free book. It will however be very cheap at approximately 99c in the US and 75p in the UK. If you are enrolled on Amazon Prime, you will be able to pick it up for free in their KDP Select lending library, so it's not all bad news!

The Dawn was a lot of fun to write, as we get to meet the characters whose stories will unfold throughout the series while they are children and see the events that shape and mould them. In the words of the synopsis:

Dawn; the hour when the sky changes from the dark to the blood; the hour when the world belongs to his kind; the hour before the light takes over; burning brightly enough that every fault, every imperfection is highlighted. The Vampire’s Hour; a fitting name for the hour when the world appeared to bow to the Blood.

Robert Thorn is a Vampire; he has lived for four hundred years, an existence marred by the darkness and the blood in his soul. Once, he made a promise to his dying sister, that he would protect her family and their descendants and so when his nephew is murdered by a Vampire and a Shapeshifter he heads to the UK to avenge his death. There he meets his nephew’s three children whose destinies are just dawning. Little does he realise that his own fate will become inextricably tied up with theirs and that of a girl he once loved four hundred years ago.

The Dawn is the first in the series of four books; The Light, the Dark and the Blood.

Easter Thoughts & The Order of Light

Happy Easter everyone!

For those who don't know, I was brought up as a Christian and I take my faith very seriously. From an early age I have developed the faith I have in God and in his son Jesus Christ. When I went to university I specialised in Religious Education and there further developed my understanding of different belief systems. I personally believe that everyone finds their own path to God and that people have the right to follow the faith of their choice, but for me that path is the Christian faith. My dad is a recently ordained priest of the Church of England and I am so proud of him for following his vocation. When I published The Word, my book of poems based on the Gospels, it was my dad I had in mind and if you read it, you will see that it is dedicated to my dad. http://www.amazon.com/The-Word-Inspired-Gospels-ebook/dp/B0079JXHQE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1333873896&sr=8-3

Today I wanted to share a little more of The Dawn with you and talk about the belief system that exists in the world I have created for The Light, The Dark and the Blood. Using what I know about theology and religion, I created a church that rose as an antidote to the power of Supernatural beings such as Vampires, but one which ultimately embraced the light of Christ's teaching (hence The Light).

The Church of the Order of Light was founded by Reverend Father Luke Dowell in the 17th Century, in the wake of the witch hunts, where he witnessed cruelty and torture towards people he believed to be innocent. Luke was no ordinary man and he had conversed with the Mystics, a pure species of light about the direction he believed the world was turning in.  After witnessing a particularly infamous trial, he returns to Glastonbury, to the well...

It was with a heavy heart that the priest returned to Glastonbury and took himself directly to the well, where in the dark of the night he lit candles and spoke the ancient tongue until a brilliant white light emitted from the depths.

“You see what is real and what is not Luke Dowell,” spoke the voices of the Mystics, as their light shone brightly around him. “We will grant you the gift of First Sight; every being, Human or otherwise will be obvious to you; you will see them for what they truly are. No being might hide the truth of their nature from you; not even us. Not even the Mystics of the Well.”

As their voices faded, his eyes burnt with their new found power and he left feeling lighter than he had in months, knowing what his purpose must be. He must seek out the Witch Hunters and do whatever he could to bring an end to this persecution. Gathering others around him who felt the same way, with his curate, David, he established the first of the Churches of Light, a secret organisation which recognised the Light of Christ’s love above all other things; above doctrine, dogma and even the law of the land. It was a peaceable faith, but necessarily secretive in these difficult times.

So there we have the theology that will run through the story of The Light, The Dark and the Blood; the church that Ethan will become a priest of in the upcoming novels and which Robert Thorn will show a grudging respect for (which incidentally is mutual when he meets Ethan's mentor Father John White).

So I'd just like to wish everyone a very happy and peaceful Easter. However you celebrate the occasion and whatever your personal beliefs, I hope the light of God shines upon you x

The Dawn

Today has been a good day up to now. The final draft of The Dawn is complete and just needs a final proofreading before it is published. And even more exciting, it will be FREE on Amazon Kindle for a limited time, so get in there quick!

The Dawn is Book One of The Light, The Dark & The Blood. It introduces the cast of characters to the readers. We met Robert Thorn yesterday and in The Dawn we will see him recollect some of his Human existence, in particular the time he spent with the sister he adored and a mysterious girl who completed him until she left his life.

We will also be introduced to some very special children. Jack Hart is the eldest of Robert's nephew's children. He is brash, confident and surprisingly vulnerable too. He is probably the more likable of the two Hart boys. Ethan is his studious younger brother who spends most of his time either reading or in the Church of the Light. It is his destiny to one day become a powerful priest, but when we first meet him he is a child getting over the trauma of witnessing his father's murder. And then there is Beth, a precocious three year old girl, who resembles an angel. She captures her uncle's heart and he recognises her as a powerful Thorn Witch, but he also knows that her powers could easily be repressed by her needy mother who keeps the child close to hand. Lastly there is the daughter of the priest, Diana White, who could be a force to be reckoned with one day.

So that is Robert's family.

Back in America, a clan of Shapeshifters protect a girl they call Sleeping Beauty and she is adopted by the leader of the clan, raised as his daughter. Her adoptive brother, Matt, is proving to be an unusually gifted Shifter, as he enters the Rite of Passage that will mark him as an adult. But there is a Hybrid on the loose who has his eye on the strange Human who lives with the Versipellis clan.

There will be many twists and turns as the dawn breaks on the destinies of the Hart children, the Versipellis clan, the girl whose nightmares mark her as something not quite Human and the most powerful Vampire who ever lived, Robert Thorn.

Watch this space for the release of The Dawn.

The Light, The Dark & The Blood: Robert Thorn

“Eyes the colour of sapphires surveyed the forestland which lay at the foot of his garden. Four hundred years ago he had been born in that forest, in a rundown cottage which had been lost to ruin decades before. Four hundred years ago he had known pain, suffering, hunger and want. Four hundred years ago he had known what it was to love and be loved. Now his heart was caged in ice, locked in the deadened walls he had built around it. Solitary and silent he existed within the world that had always been his home, so accustomed to his ways that he no longer felt the loneliness that had once pierced through his soul. He had fought the isolation with cruelty and fury until all of his emotions were spent...

Predator, hunter, mind reader; more powerful than any other being that existed in this world. Blood drinker; Vampire.”  (The Dawn)

Meet Robert Thorn, a four hundred year old Vampire who lives a solitary existence, having removed himself from all his kind, seeking peace but finding only loneliness. Once, Robert made a vow to his dying sister that he would protect her descendants for all time and so when one of her descendants is murdered in cold blood by a Vampire and a Shifter he goes to the UK to seek out the killers and avenge his nephew’s death. Meeting his family is to forge his destiny and those of the three children left fatherless at Joe Hart’s death.

As the years pass Robert returns to his lonely existence until a letter from his niece begs his assistance in locating her brother who she believes to be in America. Robert reluctantly heads to Washington only to become embroiled in an attempted assassination on the Vampire King. The aftermath of this sees Robert gifted a Human girl, who strongly reminds him of one he knew four hundred years ago when he was a boy; one whom he rescued only to have her die in his arms and disappear.

Robert is a complicated Vampire. He hates Humans, yet will do anything to keep his Human family safe. He supports the Vampire King, yet has his doubts about the regime that has a stranglehold over most of the world. He believes himself incapable of love, yet one girl is about to change that and everything else he believes in...

And when the dawn comes, Robert will have to meet his destiny whether he wishes to or not.

Welcome!

Welcome to my all new blog! Those of you familiar with my Fan Fiction or my Twitter account will know that I have an overactive imagination and spend a great deal of my free time writing. Recently, I took the leap of faith to become a published novelist, releasing Light in the Dark first, which is the story of Hades and Persephone told from my own unique perspective. I followed this with Love Eternal, a story about immortals known as Eternals and Life Souls. I have also released a book of religious poetry recently. Currently I am working on a series of four novels set in a world ruled by Vampires. Some of you might already be familiar with The Girl; these novels will follow the theme set by this story, but will give a lot more depth to the story.

So briefly, I am an avid writer. Sometimes the need to write overrides everything else, with my imagination creating worlds that become as real as this one while my fingers run over the keys of my laptop. I wake as if from a dream to find the words have flown across my screen and I am still in the real world. In some instances this is a relief, because some of the places my imagination takes me to can be quite dark! My husband has been a massive influence in my dedicating time to my writing; he has supported my dream and given me the confidence to pursue it.

When I wrote Love Eternal, I had known my husband for about a year and I was (and still am) very much in love with him. Love when it is pure knows no boundaries. You become as one soul, breathing more easily when your love is close. The first time my husband told me he loved me he used the most beautiful words to describe that feeling; it is the greatest risk to tell someone you love them because you open yourself up to them completely. But at the same time, when you love someone, it completes you. With this premise in mind, I created the character Jerrod, who on first appearances is cold and more than a little grumpy. When Alyssa Grey moves into his house, she is concerned that her new housemate dislikes her, but the truth proves to be even more compelling. How must it feel to watch the person you love; the person you know completes you drift from a meaningless relationship into an abusive one, but be unable to tell them that you are the right person for them? In Love Eternal, the characters must pursue this question and endeavour to find the answers before death can claim them once again. Love Eternal is a story of friendship, danger, falling for the wrong person, hurt, comfort and ultimately the purity of true love. You can find it on amazon..com: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Eternal-ebook/dp/B0078DBZDS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333709948&sr=8-1 and on amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Eternal-ebook/dp/B0078DBZDS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1333710002&sr=8-2

I am currently in the process of editing and completing The Dawn, the first of a series of books called The Light, the Dark and the Blood. This series of books is about a world in which Vampires have more or less taken over, with only a few countries remaining outside their jurisdiction. It is a story about Vampires, Shapeshifters, Witches and Humans, of family ties and of love that transcends times. There will be more on this soon. Look out for my first character profile which I will be posting later today.

So welcome to the blog and thanks for reading.

Dolly x