Quick May Update

Hello readers!  I thought I'd just publish this quick post to let you all know what has been going on with my writing lately.  I'll also be sending this out in a newsletter as well since I haven't sent one out in quite a while.  With that being said, here are a few things you should know:

Currently, I've been busy with my day job (starting in June I'll have a few months off, so I plan on writing a lot more then) and getting ready for another book event.  On May 25th and 26th I'll be taking part in the Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival.  Lately I've been trying to think of ways to build a local following for the Otherworld Trilogy and the Oescienne Series, since the setting for both stories are set in my home town, and I thought the Strawberry Festival would be a great way to do so.  If you are going to be attending, be sure to stop by booth # 159.  I'll have paperback books for sale, posters, buttons and bookmarks to give away, and maybe a raffle or two.

Earlier I mentioned my time off this coming summer and that I'll be using it to get some writing done (okay, hopefully more than just some writing done . . .).  I've been receiving a lot of email lately with questions about the fourth Oescienne book, so that will most likely take priority.  However, I have been consulting with my Muse about more Otherworld books (Cade's second POV short story, of course, and Robyn's and Enorah's stories).  I should also mention that some ideas for future paranormal series have been coming my way as well . . . more on that when I've got an actual manuscript in progress ;).  In a nutshell, I look forward to a very busy summer and fall :).

Finally, YA and adult fiction novelist Elle Casey is in the midst of her Springtime Indie Book Giveaway.  Feel free to check out her list and sign up to win some of the wonderful books being offered!  I've donated five ecopies of the Otherworld Trilogy Omnibus Edition, so if you know anyone who might be interested, do pass the information on!  Here is the link to the list of books: http://ellecasey.com/promotions/elle-caseys-springtime-indie-book-giveaway/

Well, that's all for now!  I'll try and get some more photos up from the L.A. Times Festival of Books soon, as well as a video clip of my interview with KBEACH ;).  Until next time, happy reading!

-J.E. Johnson

Author Spotlight: Interview with Sarah Daltry

1. Quickly, give us the title and genre of your book and a 30-word or less tagline:

My book is The Quiver of a Kiss and it is an erotic/romantic retelling of the story of Helen of Troy and the fall of Troy, from Helen’s point of view.

2. Who is your intended audience and why should they read your book?

 

I suppose my intended audience is anyone who is interested in classical literature and history/mythology, but who is also open to interpretations of these things. I would also say the audience is going to be women and men who are interested in erotic romance. They should read my book because it is a retelling of the story but it is written through a contemporary and female-oriented lens.

3. How did you come up with the title of your book or series?

 

The title comes from a line from a poem by Sara Teasdale, which is also in the beginning of the book.

4. Tell us a little bit about your cover art. Who designed it? Why did you go with that particular image/artwork?

 

I designed the cover. I went with this photo as it showed lovers, who appeared to be on a beach, and the woman looks like I imagine Helen would have looked. The couple also has a bit of forbidden desire about them which I thought worked.

5. Who is your favorite character from your book and why?

 

Helen, although Odysseus was interesting to write. I am not a big fan of Homer and I always found Odysseus arrogant. I liked giving him a more heroic slant.

6. How about your least favorite character? What makes them less appealing to you?

 

Agamemnon. In mythology, he is just so unlikable. He is arrogant and misogynistic.

7. If you could change ONE thing about your novel, what would it be? Why?

 

I would have made it longer. I figured most readers of the genre don’t want overly long novels, but I am starting to question that.

8. Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about your book or series:

 

All of the stories, terms, and concepts are found in various forms of the Helen myth. In addition, I would like to tell Clytemnestra’s story because in learning about Helen, I learned a good deal about her as well.

9. What other books are similar to your own? What makes them alike?

 

I really don’t know any like this. There may be some, but most historical erotica seems to be set in the 17-19^thcenturies.

10. Do you have any unique talents or hobbies?

 

Not really. I am a nerdy gamer, which is surprising to a lot of people. I tend to enjoy some MMORPG action on a regular basis!

11. How can we contact you or find out more about your books?

 

Email me at sarah.daltry@gmail.com, find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads, or check out my blog at http://sarahdaltry.wordpress.com/. All of my work is available via Amazon and some of it is at B&N and the other major channels. The Amazon exclusive work will likely be made available elsewhere by July.

12. What can we expect from you in the future?

 

I have been working on a NA novel about Lily and Derek from my short story “Her Brother’s Best Friend,” but recently I started something new. It is a paranormal erotic romance about vampire brothers, but there is a Biblical/mythological slant.

13. What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?

 

Spread the word. Review it, tell friends and family, encourage others to check it out!

14. Do you have any tips for readers or advice for other writers trying to get published?

 

Tips, not really. I do everything myself so I am not the best person to ask! As for advice, I would say that it is important not to let things bother you. I have a hard time taking a lot of the negativity I face and I am trying to get used to it.

 

15. Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Sadly, no. Although now I am thinking of writing an MMORPG erotica story!

16. And now, before you go, how about a snippet from your book that is meant to intrigue and tantalize us:

 

My brothers are regaling Father with tales of their conquests. Castor, at eighteen, has bedded more women in Sparta than I knew lived within the city walls. They flock to him, fools for his looks and charm. I am sometimes led to blush when they talk of him as if they do not know I am around; I have heard intimate details of my brother that I would be happier not knowing. Pollux has not been lazy in the act of lovemaking, but his mind is always on battle. He is forever scheming, strategizing; he sees a future Sparta that is famed through the continent and he sees himself leading it. I am amazed at the way the two speak of their adventures in the same manner, as if women and warriors are one and the same, to be treated with the same pride or indifference depending on how well they have fulfilled their roles. My brothers forget my presence, as they always do. Father enjoys living vicariously through his sons, as age has limited his virility both in the bedroom and on the field. Although they are my twins, my brothers have been granted immeasurable freedoms of which I can only dream.

 

*****

Thank you Sarah for taking part in my Author Spotlight interview! I hope your writing continues to flourish and we hope to see more of you in the future.
*****
If you or an author/illustrator you know is interested in being interviewed, feel free to send me an email atjejoescienne@yahoo.com

 

L.A. Times Festival of Books Recap

     Last weekend I traveled down to Los Angeles with my two best friends in order to take part in the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.  If you were to ask me to describe the experience in one word, I'd have to call it fabulous.  Hardly a minute went by where I didn't find myself standing at my table and talking to one festival goer after another.  In fact, my voice is still partially gone because of it ;).
     Some of those who visited my booth were readers, others were teachers, aspiring authors and bloggers who specialized in reviewing books.  One woman was a teacher visiting the festival for the day with her literature students, while another was one of my author friends from facebook.  And more than once someone would spot my booth and inform me that they had heard of my books or seen them on amazon and goodreads.
     I handed out dozens of buttons, bookmarks and signed posters, and even sold a good number of books.  And I'm still getting in touch with those who won raffle prizes.  All in all, I had a blast and I even got interviewed by KBEACH (a radio station associated with California State University at Long Beach)!  I'm already thinking about plans for next year's festival and am even researching other book festivals on the West Coast (the Tucson Festival of Books looks like it might be added to my list).
     I leave you with those thoughts for now and some of the pictures we took, but do check in again soon because I plan on posting more pictures later on.  Happy reading for now and I look forward to some R&R and perhaps a little free time to get some more writing done ;).

-J.E. Johnson

The rental van is all packed and ready to go!
 

Laura and Nino helping me set up the first day.
 

Ready to go!
 

A view from the author's seat.
 

The nice people over at KBEACH radio came over and asked if they could talk to
me about my books.  How could I resist? ;)
 

A small crowd at my booth.
 

Signing Otherworld Trilogy posters for fans.

The Book Festival Draws Near!

Hello Readers!  As you all know, I've been very busy lately with all that needs to be done for the upcoming Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.  Those of you who subscribe to the L.A. Times might have seen my add in this Sunday's paper with some of the other participants.  It is now less than a week away, and as the time draws nearer (and as I get all those little last minute details out of the way), I'm getting more and more excited.  I know that not everyone can make it, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get to meet some of my awesome readers next weekend and perhaps gain a few more ;).  I don't have much else to post this week, but I thought I'd share with you the image of my raffle schedule.  These are the raffle times and all the prizes that are up for grabs.  If you are planning on attending the festival be sure to enter for your chance to win (it's free to enter!).  Until next time, happy reading!

Readers: Help me Choose a Cover for Cade's Next Novella!

       The time is drawing near, once again, for a new perspective on the Otherworld to be released into the wide world . . .  Okay, okay, I guess the time isn't drawing TOO near, but I'm starting to get that urge to write again.  As some of you might already know, for the past few months I've been spending a large part of my free time getting ready for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, so my Muse has been remaining scarce with regards to the Otherworld and Oescienne books (instead she's been sending me tons of material for a completely different series . . . but that is another story entirely).
       This week, however, I am lucky enough to have oodles of time on my hands, so I'm doing my darndest to make good use of that time by getting some writing done.  Now, as much as I'd like to finish the first draft of this next Otherworldly novella by the end of the week, I think that's a bit ambitious even for me.  I will, however, do my best to keep at it and get this story to you as soon as possible because I know there are many of you eager to hear more from Cade and he still has much to tell you (though he'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Meghan all of his secrets . . . ;)).  I'm about 15,000 words in and I'm aiming for 30,000-40,000 in the end, so please be patient and keep your eyes peeled for updates and possible tidbits on my facebook page.  Ah, and perhaps you'd like to know the title of this next Otherworldly installment?  The next novella told from Cade's POV will be called Ghalien, and you'll have to wait and read it to find out what exactly Ghalien means :).
       Now that I've shared the news, I'd like to ask you all a favor.  I've been playing around with cover designs for Ghalien and I've narrowed it down to two, but I like both of them and I can't choose.  So I was hoping that you guys might be able to lend me a hand.  Which of these covers do you prefer?  The RED cover on the left or the YELLOW cover on the right?  Since many of you wrote to me with suggestions for the scenes for this novella, I thought it only fitting that you help me out with the cover design as well.  All you have to do is decide which one you like best and tell me either by leaving a comment here, emailing me or making a comment on my facebook page.  When I'm ready to release Ghalien, I'll tally up the 'votes' and let you know which cover was most favored.  Again, be sure to look for updates on my facebook page and once again, thanks so much for reading!
-J.E. Johnson

 

Otherworldly Fan Fiction!

Yes, it has been a ridiculously long time since I've posted anything here on my blog, but for those of you who follow me on Facebook and Twitter, you'll know that all of my free time of late has been dedicated to getting ready for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, which will be taking place  April 20-21 on the USC campus (I'll be posting more later when I have a better picture of what to expect).

So, I just wanted to warn you that until that date, I'll be very much occupied with everything I need to do to get ready for the festival.  Despite all that, however, I have a nice treat for the fans of the Otherworld Series (at least, I hope you'll find it to be a treat; I sure did ;)).  James Connor (author of Kepler's Witch) contacted me to let me know he enjoyed my Otherworld books and that he had an idea for some fan fiction.  I was thrilled, and flattered, to learn that my characters and books had inspired another writer.

In The Great Experiment, James spends some time with Meghan's brothers (Aiden and Logan) as the two of them take part in some mischief that may or may not get them into some deep trouble from both this world and the Otherworld.  With that being said, I now present to you The Great Experiment, a fan fiction short, written by James Connor.  Enjoy!!

-J.E. Johnson

The Great Experiment
James A. Connor

Dr. Simmons office was cold, so Logan didn’t want to take his shirt off until he had to.  Voices murmured in the hallway; a door opened down the hall—Dr. Simmons said something Logan couldn’t make out, and the door closed.  Aidan’s voice whispered to him from the thin air next to him, and Logan nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Don’t do that!” Logan whispered back.  “If you’re going to be invisible, carry a sign or something.”

Aidan snickered.  “Hey!  Doesn’t the doctor look like Data?”

“What?”

“Data!  From Star Trek.  You know—Data!”

“Yeah.  Sounds like him, too.”

“Creepy.”

“This coming from an invisible guy.”

“Hey!  This was your idea.”

“OK, then stop yacking and get to it.”

“All right!  All right!”  One by one, the drawers on the cupboard opened, then closed, until the bottom drawer stayed open and a sterile package with a single hypodermic needle inside floated up from the drawer and disappeared.  “Now what?”

“Now get out of here.  Wait for me by the car.”

“Mom’s going to kill us both if she finds out.”

“Weenie universalis!”

“You are so weird, Logan.”

“This coming from the boy from another planet.”

“Eile’s not another planet, so shut up.”

“Shh!  The Doctor’s coming.”

The door opened, and Doctor Data stepped through, looking around the room.  “Who are you talking to?”

“Um…no one.  Just myself.”

The doctor looked at him askance, and then crossed the room, clicked on a flashlight looking thing, then checked Logan’s eyes, then his ears, then took a big popsicle stick and told him to say “ahhh!” which he did, and then the doctor took his stethoscope out of the freezer and listened to Logan’s heart, then said “Big breath!”, which he did, and then “Big breath!” again, which he did again.  Then the doctor walked back to the cupboard, and gave Logan a sour look.  The door behind the doctor opened on its own, then closed.  Logan breathed easily.

“Nothing,” the doctor said.  “There’s nothing wrong with you.”

“Oh, really?”

“Logan.  Could you possibly have a Math test tomorrow, or today?”

“History.”

“Uh huh.  You did this just to get out of a geography test?”

“History.”

“Whatever.”  The doctor glanced at Logan over the top of his glasses.  If he had a neon sign on his forehead, it would have flashed “Faker!  Faker!” over and over.

“Are you going to tell my Mom?”

The doctor growled, then sighed.  “No.  Take two aspirin and call me in the morning if there are any changes  Don’t do this again or I will tell her.  I promise you.”  Then he pulled open the door, glanced a quick stinkeye over his shoulder at Logan.  “Get dressed.”

 

*****

At home that afternoon, Logan and Aidan whispered at each other in the hallway, then disappeared into the bathroom and locked the door.  Anyone standing outside could barely hear them talking, but they could hear the tearing open of a package, and then a minute later, Aidan’s voice.  “Ow! You didn’t say it was going to hurt.”

“I had to draw blood.  It was a needle, for God’s sake.  Of course it hurt.”

“What now?”

“Now I inject your blood into my arm and see what happens.”

“This is so stupid.”

“Don’t be a weenie, Aidan.”

“What if something happens?”

“It’s an experiment.  You know, like Science?”

“I don’t need Science.  I got magic.”

“Yeah, yeah.  Ow!”

“Told ya.”

“Doofus infinitis!”

*****

Half an hour later, Logan and Aidan climbed up the culvert to the cave hidden by fallen trees, wormed their way into the open hole, and then down the tunnel into the black.  Ten minutes and a good deal of shuffling later, they came to a dead end.  Aidan kept walking, but Logan pulled him back.  “It’s a dead end, man!”

“No it’s not.  I can see the light at the other end.”

“I can’t.”

“So it didn’t work,” said Aidan.

“I guess not.”

“Crapola.”

 

*****

That evening, the family was gathered in the living room, watching Grimm on TV.  Dad was out at a meeting, so his chair was empty. The twins were pushing at each other over couch territory, claiming that the other one was moving in on his space.  Mom finished the dishes and then made a command decision by plopping onto the couch between the twins and glancing at each one of them, daring them to complain.  Logan squirmed in his chair by the door, while Bradley was on the phone, talking to a girl from his class, and intermittently giving the Evil Eye to Logan, who was snickering at him from the puffy chair in the corner.   Suddenly, Logan scratched his belly, then his back, and then his rear end.  He squirmed in the chair again, but couldn’t stop scratching.

“What’s going on with you?” said Mom.

“Nothing.”

“It’s not nothing if you’re scratching like that.”  She stood and lifted his shirt to reveal a burning rash across his chest and belly.  “Oh my God.  Did you roll in poison ivy?”

Aidan jumped up from his place on the couch and hurried over to see.  Glancing at Logan, he took a deep breath, let it out, and whispered “Crapola!”

Mom pulled Logan to his feet and hurried him into the bathroom, leaving the door open behind her.  “Take your pants down.”

“Mom!”

“I’m your mother.  I’ve seen your butt.  Oh my God!  How did this happen?”

“It’s an experiment.”

“What do you mean?”

They could all hear whispering from the bathroom.  Aidan put his face in his hands and groaned.  More whispering.

“You did WHAT?!!” said Mom.  “How could you be so STUPID?  AIDAN!”  Mom appeared in the living room.  “Your father is going to have a fit!  Aidan, I thought you were smarter than this!  I expect more of you!  How could you do this?”

“It was Logan’s idea,” said Aidan. 

“But why did you go along with it?”

Aidan hung his head.  “I want you guys to come with me.  When I’m here, I miss Meggy and Cade and Mother, but when I’m over there, I miss you guys.  I want us all to be together.”
Mom knelt down in front of Aidan, then hugged him close.  “We’d all like to go there, too, sweetie, but it’s not possible.  You know this as well as we do.  Please don’t do this again, because you don’t know what can happen. It could kill Logan if you’re not careful.”

As if on cue, Logan appeared in the hallway behind Mom, holding his pants up with one hand. 

“He’s right, Mom.  It’s not Aidan’s fault--It was my idea.”

Mom looked at Logan with hawk eyes, as if trying to figure out if this sudden maturity of Logan’s was real or a play for sympathy.  “I’m going to call Dr. Simmons.”

Half an hour later, the phone rang—it was the doctor calling back.  Mom picked up the phone, apologized for calling so late, then put the phone on speaker.  “I want them all to hear this,” she said.

“Ok, what seems to be the problem?”

“You know that Logan likes Biology, and he wants to be a doctor.”

“I know.  He likes to cut up dead frogs.”

“That, too!” said Logan.

“Well,” said Mom, giving Logan the Evil Eye, “he drew some blood from his brother Aidan and injected it into himself.  Now, he has a rash, a big rash.”

“Why did he do that?” said the doctor.  “Wait a minute!  Is that what his appointment this morning was all about?  Are you the one who stole a syringe from my office?”

Mom’s eyes threw daggers at Logan.  “You did WHAT?”  Logan hung his head and nodded.

“I did it Mom,” Aidan whispered to Mom, and then added “I was invisible.”

“Oh my God,” Mom said.  “Give me strength.”

“Listen, Mrs. Elam,” the doctor said.  “If the blood was from his brother, then he probably just picked up a virus.  And Aidan is too young to be carrying anything really dangerous.  At least I assume.”

Bradley snickered.  “He means if you were ‘doing it,’ Aidan.”

Aidan looked around.  “What do you mean?”

“You know,” said Bradley.  “Like, you know, boy meets girl, boy and girl like each other a lot, you know, like the birds and the bees.  Doing it!”

“With a girl?”

“No doofus, with a chicken.”

Aidan looked around, from face to face, his eyes wide.  “I wasn’t.  I’m not!”  He looked at Mom, caught her eyes.  “Meggy would kill me.”

“She’d have to get in line, Aidan.” Mom whispered away from the phone.  “First I’d kill you, and then the Queen would kill you, and what was left we’d leave for Meggy.”

“That’s a lot of killing, man,” said Bradley, and then snickered again.

“I’m not!”

“I believe you,” said Mom.  Then to the phone.  “What should we do, Doctor Simmons?”

“Well, I suspect that his liver is trying to clean out any elements in the blood that his body might reject.  If this gets any worse, call me or bring him into the emergency room.  I suspect that this will pass after a while.  It is his brother’s blood, after all.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“Of course,” whispered Bradley, “she didn’t tell him that the brother isn’t human.”

“And tell Logan that this was a damned stupid thing to do,”  said the Doctor.

“Did you hear that boys?  The doctor said it was a d…” She froze for half a second.  “Darned stupid thing to do.”

“And tell Logan that if he ever does something like this again, the next time you bring him to see me, tell him I’m going to give him a prostate exam.”

“What’s that?” said Logan.

“You don’t want to know,” said Mom.  “Thank you Doctor.  I’ll hold you to that promise.”  Then she hung up the phone.  “I have some calamine lotion here somewhere.  You stay here and don’t scratch.”

Mom disappeared into the bathroom, and Bradley sidled up to Logan and Aidan.  “You guys are in such doggy doo.  The doghouse, man.”

“Shut up, Bradley,” said Logan.

“Rahr, rahr, rahr!”  said Bradley, barking like a yappy dog.  “Rahr, rahr, rahr!”

“Bradley!” said Mom from the other room.  “That’s not helping.”

“Rahr, rahr, rahr!”

“Shut up, Bradley,” said Logan and Aidan, in two part harmony.

*****

That night, Logan spiked a temperature, and then two hours later, the fever disappeared.  The rash disappeared with it, and the next morning, Logan bounced up from his bed and announced to the world that he felt terrific.  And then he passed out.  Mom rushed in to pick him up off the floor, and plopped him back on the bed, where he awoke, gave her a silly grin, and passed out again.  She sat on the bed beside him, stroked his brow, while tears dribbled down her face onto his pillow.  “My poor baby,” she said.  “Please get better, get better.  Come back to me so I can ground you for the rest of your life.”

At that moment, Aidan stepped into Logan’s room and stood by the bed.  His face screwed up and his eyes shut, while tears hung from his chin.  “Is he going to be all right, Mom?”

“I don’t know, sweetie.  Maybe, maybe you should run and get Meg.”

“If I go to the Otherworld, I can call her with shil-sciar.  She’ll come.”

Three hours later, Aidan led Meggy and Cade into the house, and then up to Logan’s room, where she rushed up to the bed and knelt beside Mom and held her.  “What are we going to do?  Is he going to die?”

“I don’t know.  I do know that taking him to the emergency room isn’t going to do any good.  The Doctors wouldn’t know what to do about this.”

“Maybe this will help,” said Cade, and pulled a stopper off a vial of Otherworld medicine.  He poured a deep purple liquid into Logan’s mouth.  Within two minutes, he was awake and sitting up, asking for soup.

“Something’s going on,” Cade said.  “That medicine should only work on Faelorehn.  It was a shot in the dark, and I am really surprised that it worked at all, but it did.”

“What does this mean?” Mom said.

Meggy shrugged.  “I don’t know.  Maybe we should ask Mother.  What do you think, love?”  Cade crossed his arms and then nodded.  Meggy turned back to Mom.  “Ok, so Cade and I will go to Erintara, and we’ll send Briant over with more medicine, just in case.  I’ll leave Meridian here with Aidan, so if something bad happens, she can let me know.  Is that all right, Mom?”

“That sounds good, Meggie.  Logan, can you get out of bed, or do you want to stay.  I can bring you some soup.”

“I’m Ok, really Mom.  I feel good, now.”

“All right, then.  Get dressed.  Do you think you can walk Ok?”

“Can Aidan and I go to the Dolmarehn with Meggy and Cade?”

“Are you up for it?”

“If I pass out, Aidan can always carry me back.”

“Sure I can,” said Aidan.  “Cade and I can drag you back and dump you in your bed, or next to your bed.  Oops!”

*****

Fifteen minutes later, Meg, Cade, Aidan and Logan were traipsing across the swamp toward the culvert.  At the cave, Meghan turned and stared at Logan.  “We’re going to go through.  Aidan, you stay here and help Logan back.  No fooling around, you two idiots.”

“Cross my heart and hope to die,” said Logan.

“Don’t even think that,” said Meggy.  Cade stared at the two boys, winked and followed Meghan into the cave.  After a few minutes, Aidan turned back toward the house.

“I’m going to take home, and then I’m going through to Luathara.  I want to be there when Meggy gets back from seeing Mother.”

“Don’t be a corruptus intellectus,” said Logan.  “I can make it back.  In fact, I’m going to go as far as I can through the cave, just to see you off.”

Aidan shook his head, then sighed.  “Come on.”

The cave was just as dark and wet and slimy as usual, oddly enough, for Logan, it felt different somehow.  He expected to reach the dead end, but it didn’t happen—of course, he could just have his timing off.  But then, the tunnel started getting lighter, and not fifty feet away, there was an opening, filled with mist. 

“Wait,” said Aidan.  “Can you see that?”

“Yeah.”

“No.”

“Yeah!”

“No!”

“Yeah, I tell you, I can see it.”

Aidan gave a whoop and ran toward the light, with Logan running just behind him.  Nothing unusual happened when Aidan went through the Dolmarehn, but as Logan passed through the door into the Otherworld, a sudden jolt of electricity zapped him between his shoulder blades, knocking him forward face down into the mud.

“Ow!” he said.  “That hurt!”

“I’ve never seen that happen before.  Did you break it?” said Aidan.

“No.  I don’t think so.”

While Aidan was checking the Dolmarehn for obvious breakage, Logan wandered around the standing stones, and then up the trail toward the narrow hill beyond.  “Hey, wait up,” said Aidan, and ran up to his brother.

“So this is the Otherworld.  Cool!”

“This is it.”

“Can you feel magic here?”

“Sure.  Can you?”

“I don’t know what magic feels like.  What does it feel like?”

Aidan shrugged.  “I don’t know, like sunlight maybe.”  They reached the top of the hill, and the mist parted for just a moment, revealing a country of green hills with outcroppings of white stone.  Blue sky floated above the hilltops, and everything smelled as fresh and new as a spring rain.”

“Wow,” said Logan.  “I should probably go back, or Mom will crap a car, but this is so cool.  Do you think they’ll let me come back.”

Aidan shrugged.  “I don’t see why not.”

“I hope I don’t have to drink you blood or anything like that.  I don’t want to be a vampire.”
The two of them turned around toward the Dolmarehn, but as they approached the opening, a static charge began building.  The closer Logan got, the greater the charge.  Suddenly, a crooked stick of lightning jumped from the stones around the entrance and struck Logan in the chest, knocking him back twenty feet and onto his butt in the dirt.

Aidan ran to him.  “Are you all right?” he said.

Logan sat up and let his brother pull him to his feet.  “I guess so, but I don’t think that thing is going to let me go through.  I don’t think I can get back.”  The brothers stared at the entrance for what seemed like twenty minutes, until Aidan took a deep breath and let it out.

“Holy crap,” he said.

“Amen, brother.”



 

Character Interview with Meghan and Cade!

Here it is!  The interview I included at the end of the Omnibus Edition.  Sorry I didn't post it sooner, but I wanted to give everyone a chance to finish reading Luathara first.  Enjoy!

-J.E. Johnson

 

*WARNING!  DON'T READ THIS INTERVIEW UNLESS YOU'VE ALREADY READ LUATHARA BECAUSE IT CONTAINS SPOILERS*

 

Now that I have finished writing the Otherworld Trilogy, I thought it would be fun to interview the two main characters, Meghan Elam and Cade MacRoich.  They have been kind enough to sit down with me and answer a few questions for all of you.  Now, if you've not yet finished all three books in the series, I suggest you save this interview for later since there are some spoilers here.  However, if you don't mind such things, by all means, read on!

JEJ: I'll start with you Meghan, since the story is told from your point of view.  Did you ever imagine your life would be something worth reading about?

Meghan: Ha, no way.  Okay, maybe now I can understand why my life might be interesting, what with all that has happened to me in the past few years.  If you'd asked me before my seventeenth birthday though, I'd have looked at you like you were crazy.  Let's face it; my life was pretty dull before Cade showed up.

JEJ: Alright, that's a pretty honest answer.  Cade, I turn the questions over to you now.  How about your life?  You've been alive for a long time, just how old are you exactly and would the earlier part of your life make a good story?

Cade: Most of the events of my past are things I'd rather forget, though I can only imagine those experiences would make good material for an interesting tale.  When you have lived several thousand years (no, I'm not going to give you an exact number), a lot can, and will, happen to you.

JEJ: Yikes, you have lived for a long time.  Meghan, does it bother you knowing that Cade is so much older than you?

Meghan: I never really thought about it much, actually.  He doesn't look that much older than me, and I can tell you from personal experience that it has only made him a better, kinder and wiser person.

JEJ: Cade, what about you?  Do you worry about the differences in your ages?

Cade: I did at first, but the thing with being immortal is you can live for centuries before you find your soul mate.  I fully believe that's the case with Meghan and me.  It would have been wonderful to find her sooner, but back then I wasn't the person I am now, and I might not have seen how truly wonderful she is.

JEJ: Okay, I think I'll leave the personal questions for now and move on to something else.  This next question is for both of you.  Which of the faelah do you dislike the most?

Meghan: All of them are horrible, but I think the worst is the puca, especially when it came to Luathara and started speaking.  A close second is the Morrigan's Cumorrig, after she transformed them.  I'm just glad they aren't hunting us any longer.

Cade: I have to agree with Meghan on this one, especially considering my own personal experience with the Cumorrig.

JEJ: Do you think you'll ever have to deal with the Morrigan again?

Cade: Unfortunately, she will someday return to Eile, but we have a good thousand years or so before that happens.  We'll just have to remain vigilant and make sure she never grows that powerful again.

JEJ: And now for some more pleasant questions.  Meghan, why do you like twigrins so much?

Meghan (laughs): What's not to like?  I wish everyone could come to Eile and see them.  They're so cute!  Like stick figures come to life, but with more detail of course.  I'm still waiting to see them in the spring and I hope the ones Cade got me for the garden will get flowers on them.

JEJ: On that note, Cade has given you so many gifts: the twigrins, the mistletoe charm, the torque, Meridian . . . are you ever going to return the favor?

Cade (interrupts): She doesn't have to give me anything.  I already have everything I could want.

JEJ: I'm assuming you're referring to the fact that she accepted your proposal of marriage?

Cade (smiling): Yes.

Meghan: That doesn't mean I can't give him something.  I just haven't thought of the right gift yet.  But don't worry, when I do, it will be something good, I promise.

JEJ: You'll be sure to tell me Meghan when you figure it out, right?

Meghan (smiling): We'll see.

JEJ: Okay, new question, this one's for Cade.  It's clear your sister Enorah loves you very much, and Meghan as well.  Do you plan on inviting her to live with you in the castle at Luathara?

Cade: I'd love for Enorah to come live with us, but she is very attached to the wildren of the Weald.

JEJ: I noticed she seems to be a troubled soul, despite the happy-go-lucky front she gives us.  Is there a reason she seems sad at times, I mean, besides the fact that the Morrigan controlled your life for so long?

Cade: That's Enorah's story to tell, but I will say she has experienced as much hardship in her life as I have.  I believe she is content in taking care of the children of the Weald, for now.  It keeps her mind and her heart occupied, though I hope someday she'll find a way to banish the demons from her past.

JEJ: Meghan, if I may ask, how are things going with your mother?

Meghan: So much better now.  We were both so stubborn and selfish with our own personal feelings before the war with the Morrigan, but I think we were hurting as well.  I'm pleased to say that I see her a lot more often now and I've been slowly learning more about my past and even a little about my father.

JEJ: Speaking of which, and if you feel comfortable discussing it, whatever happened to your father?

Meghan: As much as I'd like all the questions about my father to be answered, I feel my mother doesn't like to talk much about their last parting.  I think she's still pretty heart-broken, to tell you the truth.  I don't even know if he's still alive, but if he is, I hope that one day I'll get to meet him.

JEJ: How about Aiden?  Do you think he will heal from his ordeal with the Morrigan?

Meghan: Absolutely.  I know I've only really known Aiden as he was in the mortal world, but in the short time we spent together here in Eile, I could tell he was ready to embrace his new life as my Faelorehn brother.  In fact, Aiden's always been strong, even when something is worrying or scaring him.

JEJ: Are you looking forward to summers in Eile?

Meghan: Are you kidding?  I've already planned it out with my Mom and Danua.  Aiden will spend the first and last weeks of his summer vacation exclusively at Luathara, and I'll go and visit him in Erintara while he's there.  Cade's also promised to teach him how to ride and hunt faelah.

JEJ: So, there are still some faelah around then, even after you demolished the Morrigan.

Cade: There are plenty left, but they are not controlled by her will.  What that means is she was responsible for creating them, but she can no longer tell them what to do, and fortunately they aren't clever enough to band together like they did when she and Donn ruled over them.  Several of us, Faelorehn men and women who are willing, will be keeping them under control.  I know that Danua and the other Tuatha De plan on sending a few of us into the mortal world to take care of the strays there.

JEJ: Will you continue working as a faelah bounty hunter then?

Cade: I'd prefer to stay at Luathara and help keep the castle and its lands in running order.  That might include hunting down any of the faelah and other dangerous Otherworldly beasts that choose to harass us.  Of course, if I'm needed, I will go but only if Meghan will permit me.

JEJ: Meghan, would you be willing to let Cade keep up his old job?

Meghan: Only if he lets me go with him.  I'm much better at using my magic now and after all we've been through, I'm reluctant to let him out of my sight for very long.

JEJ: And how about your old friends and family in the mortal world?  Do you plan on visiting them?

Meghan: Cade and I are definitely going to visit them at least once a year around Christmas time.  That way I know Robyn, Tully, Will and Thomas will be home from college.  Mom and Dad have also insisted we stay with them and my brothers for at least a week when we are there, so I won't be completely cut off from my mortal family.

JEJ: Okay, one final question for the both of you.  I've had a few readers telling me they are sorry to see your story end.  Will we ever hear from the two of you again?

Cade: You're the author.  That's up to you, isn't it?

JEJ: Well, yes, I guess so.  But just because you were willing to give me your time before, doesn't mean you'll have any free time in the future, right?

Meghan: I'm sure you'll be hearing from us again, but for now Cade and I would like a little time to settle into our new life.

JEJ: Oh, I think we can all understand that.  Thank you, the both of you, for answering my questions.  I look forward to hearing from you again, whenever that might be!

The Otherworld in the Mortal World - Episode One

 



A local cave, one I believe might just lead to
the Otherworld . . .

Recently, I came up with the crazy idea that it might be fun to go around my hometown and document all of the locations which make an appearance in the Otherworld books. I personally believe there is a lot of magic in this world that often goes unseen or unnoticed. How do I know this? Because of how easily the simple things can inspire a whole new world in my mind. For this first installment, I asked my friend Niño to come along with me while I explored one of the many hidden treasures along the Central Coast.


I first learned about a trail just beyond the city limits of San Luis Obispo on our local news, and when the reporter showed her viewers the waterfall and cave that accompanied it, I knew it would make a great addition to my Otherworld books. Currently, I'm trying to balance the writing of Cade's second POV novella, my fourth Oescienne novel, and a book that delves into Robyn's life after Meghan leaves for the Otherworld. Since Robyn's story needs a little more world building than the other two, I wanted to do a little exploring and make sure certain details added up in the book. Although a lot of my stories contain elements that I've created separately from the real world, with the Otherworld series my aim was, and still is, to incorporate as much of the mortal world as I can.

Part of the trail we climbed down.

Now, I can't give away too much of the plot for this latest Otherworld work in progress (for one thing, not all of it has presented itself yet, and second, I don't want to give anything away). What I can tell you is that Robyn will encounter Otherworldly things (not saying what or who . . . ), and that she'll be spending much of her time in the city of San Luis Obispo.

And at the bottom of that trail . . .
A cave!

Of course, this meant I needed a portal to the Otherworld located a little further north than the one in Meghan's old neighborhood. So after our sword fighting class this Sunday, Niño and I drove out to the trail head and made our way to the cave and the waterfall just next to it. I don't know the exact history of this cave, whether it was carved for a pipeline or if it was used in some old mining expedition, but what I do know is that it would make the perfect portal to the Otherworld (there has to be a dolmarehn buried in there somewhere . . .). In fact, a man who'd hiked to this same location with his two young sons asked if we knew what the cave was for.  Naturally, I responded that it was for getting to the Otherworld.  He didn't seem too convinced by my theory.

Yes!  I'm only a few steps away from entering the Otherworld!  I only hope that I'm not greeted by Cumorrig on the other side . . . Perhaps I should test out my theory of being Faelorehn another day ;)

After getting a few good camera shots from a short distance, I took off my shoes and followed my friend across the creek and up the slippery rocks leading to the cave. I'm glad I did this because I would have gotten my shoes soaked for sure. In order to enter the cave, I had to bypass some streams of water and to my slight chagrin, I didn't quite dodge them and I ended up getting the back of my shirt wet (fortunately we were having one of our 'Summer in January' days here on the Central Coast and the weather was perfect for splashing around in a waterfall).

Um, did I just hear something back there?

Once I was inside the cave, I felt a little uneasy, especially when my back was turned to the inside of the cave. I could have been attacked by a faelah at any moment . . . Niño felt the same way, though he decided to remain safely on the outside and closer to the mortal world.


Niño, is there something behind me?!

I'm not certain how far back the cave went (I didn't venture any further than a few feet in. I didn't want to risk the chance that I might be Faelorehn and get sucked through to the Otherworld without being properly prepared). Maybe someday I'll return and test that theory ;). For now I'll have to leave it up to my imagination (and yours) as to where the cave leads. One thing I know for certain, however: this cave and the waterfall next to it is definitely one of those magical, everyday places certain to give the imagination a good workout.

- J.E. Johnson

Here is a short clip of me talking a little bit about our outing.  And when I say a little bit, I mean it.  I'm not a big fan of speaking on camera, and I often shy away from such things.  However, I've decided it's something I should probably work on, so here is my first attempt at speaking about my books directly to you.  Yes, tis not the best (and it got a little cut off at the beginning, sorry!), but hopefully I'll improve over time :)

 

Omnibus Extras and Faelorehn is FREE on Amazon!

KINDLE VERSION NOW FREE
FROM AMAZON.COM!

Hello everyone,

     First, I'd like to announce that the ebook version of Faelorehn is now FREE from amazon.com!  Lots of people have already discovered this and have been downloading their own copies.  Please feel free to take advantage of this opportunity and also to let all your friends know if you think that they might enjoy this trilogy.  I'm hoping this will help expand the Otherworld Trilogy's readership even further :).

    With that announcement over, here is one of the extras from the Omnibus Edition of the Otherworld Trilogy.  This particular excerpt is titled The Birth of a Trilogy and is just a commentary I wrote since this is the first trilogy I've actually completed (despite the fact that I've published three other books in a different series AND regardless of my desire to continue writing books that take place in the world of Eile . . .).

   With that being said, if you'd like to know a little more about how I came up with and created the stories for Faelorehn, Dolmarehn and Luathara, feel free to read on.  But just a word of warning, I do discuss a few aspects of Luathara that those of you who haven't read it yet might not want to know quite yet.  So, if you don't like spoilers, please wait and read this Omnibus extra after you've finished all three books.  For the rest of you, I hope you enjoy my rambling ;).

-J.E. Johnson

The Birth of a Trilogy

The creation of the Otherworld Trilogy started about a year and a half ago, but in all honesty, it may have even begun earlier than that.  Although I can safely say my writing career officially took off some six years prior, I must admit that the stories I now bring to life on paper (or on screen for those digital readers among us) have been accumulating for years.  However, the decision to actually sit down and write the Otherworld Trilogy is a rather recent development, in the grand scheme of things.

 

So, what prompted this decision you might ask, to set my Oescienne series aside for a while and dive, head first, into an entirely new world?  Perhaps I simply needed a break from my other books and around that time I'd been reading quite a few novels in the young adult, paranormal genre.  Many of these tales dealt with vampires, werewolves and the Fae (in some form or another, since, let's face it, the old stories can be obscure at times), and I realized that some of these authors were independently published and doing quite well with their paranormal series.  Yet, that wasn't the only thing that encouraged me to begin Meghan's story.  I also happened to have a wealth of knowledge at my disposal that would act as a nice backbone for a young adult paranormal series of my own, and it was dying to be put to use.

 

In a sense, I guess one could call my time spent taking Celtic and Norse mythology classes in college (an enterprise most people looking to build a useful degree might consider a pointless waste of energy) as time well spent.  While reading and picking apart such epics as Beowulf, The Tain, and the Mabinogi, to name a few, I managed to accumulate quite a bit of useful information, mythologically speaking, of course.  From there, all I had to do was gather up what I'd learned from my studies and add a dash of modern, teenage angst.  Easy, right?  Okay, that's stretching it a bit.  Some aspects of creating this series could be considered less painful than others, but it was, by no means, a walk in the park.  For example, I knew I wanted to incorporate the Celtic pantheon (since this is a lesser known set of gods than say Roman, Egyptian or Greek), and I wished to set the story in my hometown.  Well, at least the mortal world aspect of it.  Wrapping it all together into something readers might find believable and entertaining was the tricky part.

 

The characters, surprisingly, arrived early on the scene and were quick to establish themselves in my head.  Meghan and Cade have been with me so long, I can't honestly remember sitting down and fleshing out all their little details.  What I can say is that I always wanted Meghan to be someone who didn't quite fit in; someone who was a little lost in herself and unsure of who she truly was.  Even in Luathara she is still struggling with her self-identity, and I believe this is a common trait among most of us, especially at that age.  It took me a while to figure out who I was, and even now I'm discovering new outlooks on life.

 

Now with Cade's character I wanted an ideal male that someone like Meghan could look up to and admire, not just some pretty face with lots of charm.  Yes, Cade seems perfect on the outside, but the real draw is everything he is fighting within himself.  He's the son of Eile's hated warrior queen and a hero of old, and he has his own special magic to contend with.  Although his riastrad proves helpful on many occasions, to him it's a curse.  But the most significant flaw in Cade is his inner guilt and tendency to blame himself for much of the hardship from his past.  He's a troubled soul, and in all the books I've read, the troubled souls were always the ones to draw me in.  I wanted Cade to have this internal battle so that it would balance his outer appearance and teach him that, with the right amount of time and the right person to care about him, he could eventually heal.

 

Meghan and Cade may have been their own individuals when they entered the story line, but Meghan's mortal family, however, was inspired by some close friends of mine and their children (they have one girl and several boys, so that's where Meghan got all her brothers).  One interesting thing I should mention is that Aiden, at the very beginning of this series, was never meant to be Meghan's blood brother.  In fact, it wasn't until I started writing the second book, Dolmarehn, that that little plot twist revealed itself to me.  Interesting how my Muse decided from the beginning that Aiden should have dark hair like Meghan . . .  It's as if she knew before me how the story was going to play out.  Good thing I went with my Muse's suggestion because Aiden's role in book three is rather significant, not to mention the fact that he'll be needing his own series further down the line.

 

Developing the Otherworld itself and all its wonders (and horrors) was another challenge (and a joy).  As you already know, I had a whole mythological system to borrow from, and I did my best to make good use of it.  Making Cade the son of Cuchulainn and the Morrigan helped stir the pot, or rather the cauldron, a little.  In The Tain, the Morrigan does try to distract Cuchulainn by any means possible, including seduction.  As far as I know, she fails to outsmart the Celtic hero, but I thought it would be a great plot point if I were to take that tale and bend it just a little.  After all, so many of our folk legends have been twisted over time, why not this one as well?

 

One thing I worried about while writing the Otherworld books was getting the gods and goddesses just right, especially since some of them (Danua, the Dagda, the Morrigan), play such significant roles.  For their development, I merely went on my gut instinct and tried to picture them as I had in all my classes over the years.  The Morrigan became the selfish, heartless, violent queen I always imagined, but she still retained the fae beauty of Eile.  Danua, in my mind, needed to be a harsh, strong ruler, but beneath it all she also had to have a caring heart since in these books she plays the role of a mother.  The Dagda, by far, is my favorite among the Tuatha De kings and queens with regards to this series.  With him, I pictured a giant, affable man who's hospitality and exuberance is impossible to resist.  He acts as a good anchor for Cade, and later for Meghan as well.

 

Robyn, Tully, Will and Thomas took a little more time to develop.  Thomas and Will are loosely based on a combination of my high school friends, and I suppose Tully and Robyn are as well, to some degree.  I wanted Meghan to have the kind of friends who would appreciate her, given that she is an odd duck, and these four, being outcasts themselves, are a good fit for her.  Michaela West and Adam Peders are also directly inspired by real-life people, people I considered my tormentors when I was Meghan's age.  I think almost everyone has at least one or two people they can remember from their teenage years who made their daily lives miserable.  Luckily for us authors, we can use this to our advantage in creating an antagonist or two to help our struggling protagonist build up his or her character.

 

The characters for my books were definitely central to the plot, but creating the setting for Eile and the creatures that live there was one of the most time-consuming aspects of writing this series.  In the old Irish myths, any white creature with red ears is believed to be from the Otherworld.  For some reason, imagining all the animals in Eile as white with red ears seemed rather dull, so alas, I turned those particular creatures into spirit guides and let all the other, everyday animals of Eile retain their more natural colors.  The faelah were another fun creation.  I know, they are horrible monsters, but trying to come up with a large variety of half-rotting, walking dead beasts was a delightful challenge.  I was always thinking about what the Morrigan would come up with next to send after Meghan and Cade.  As for the world of Eile itself and the dolmarehn that act as gateways, well, those are straight from the Celtic past.  The ancient Celts believed in otherworldly things and they also believed that there were ways to cross into their otherworld.  Bodies of water and caves were common passageways, and since Ireland is still littered with dolmens, stone constructs that look like gateways, I decided to incorporate them as my own passages throughout Eile.

 

Once the Otherworld had been sorted out, deciding on the mortal world setting was a bit more daunting for me.  In the beginning, after deciding Meghan's family would live in my hometown of Arroyo Grande, I struggled with the decision on whether or not I should use the actual town names in my surrounding area.  When it came down to it, however, I chose to keep the names as they are and to invent my own names for stores and schools and such.  This way, I could give the reader a sense of an actual place while still leaving them to guess and wonder about some of the locations I mention.  So the places Meghan and her friends frequent are real.  The small town of Arroyo Grande does have an old village, and the swinging bridge where the Morrigan attacks Meghan in raven form really exists.  As a child, I remember visiting the bridge and peering down at the creek far below.  The shop where Meghan finds the book on Celtic myth is a wonderful little old post office where the store's patrons can find an eclectic mix of mystical fare.  The campsite Meghan and Cade and her friends visit at Lopez Lake is an actual site as well.  In fact, when writing that chapter of Luathara, I got online and pulled up a map of the campground and made sure I found a spot that matched the description in the book.  Let's just say I can be a stickler for the details at times.  And finally, across the highway from my house is a swamp of sorts (well, a swamp by California standards at least), and if you hike in deep enough, you'll find a small ravine where old, dead eucalyptus trees crisscross to impede your path.  I haven't found the dolmarehn at the end yet, but I'm still holding out hope that it's there somewhere.  Why did I go to all that trouble to incorporate actual locations in a fantasy series?  I suspect it has something to do with my tendency to find at least a small amount of wonder in so many of the places I visit.  I simply wanted to bring that wonder and awe to life for my readers.

 

The one thing I feel I struggled with the most while working on this series was deciding whether I wanted to write it in first or third person perspective.  In the beginning, Meghan was doing the talking, but when some of my friends read over the manuscript, they encouraged me to switch back to third person.  I had already written three other books in a completely separate series, all of them from the third person perspective, so for a while I seriously considered returning Faelorehn to this style of writing.  Funny thing was, however, Meghan wouldn't let me.  For a good two months I fought against her character until finally I realized that it wasn't so much my story, but Meghan's, and she wanted to tell it her way.  That's the interesting thing I've learned as an author.  We don't so much create stories and write them, but rather, we are the conductors of some other entity's creation.  Sometimes that's the only way I can explain how I come up with my ideas.  Sure, I've invented plenty of my own thoughts and plot twists, but sometimes the dialogue and story line and a character's personality come to me out of the blue.

 

In conclusion, I must admit that this has been one exciting, demanding year with regards to my writing.  I can't even begin to describe how fulfilling it is to have finished a series and to know that there are readers out in the wide world somewhere who have really enjoyed what I've worked so hard to bring to life.  Yes, Meghan's (and Cade's) story is over for now, but once a new world full of new characters makes itself known to me, it never really goes away.  I look forward to returning to the Otherworld and continuing with the stories of some of my secondary characters, and I also hope to be bringing new realms and new adventures to life as well.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my books, and please, if you ever get a chance, swing by my website (www.jennaelizabethjohnson.com) and see what extras I've got posted and also feel free to leave me a note, send me a message, or sign up for my author's newsletter for new book releases and news.  Until next time, may you always find a good book to keep you company, and as always, happy reading.

 

-J.E. Johnson