Thursday, April 21, 2011

My Frankestein Giveaway and Michael J Lee Guest Post

Author Michael J Lee's Favorite Scene In My Frankestein

My favorite scene in the book comes towards the end. It’s the finale in the foundry. That’s where the stories of the three main characters come to a climax. I picture the scene where Adam breaks down the door in the pouring rain and calls out Viktor’s name. It’s a real trailer moment for the story. (Couldn’t actually use it in my trailer for budget reasons.)

Another one of my favorite scenes is towards the middle after Eva has fallen into the river. Viktor uses his machinery to save her life. I liked it so much I moved it ahead to the prologue.

What I like about it is that it shows where I’m striking out on my own. Viktor isn’t assisted by a slovenly hunchback but by a professional engineer. And his search to conquer death has taken a few interesting detours. It’s also the point where Viktor and Eva’s relationship takes a critical turn. It was one of the very first scenes I imagined when I first planned the story. It seemed to me that Viktor could use his technology as a modern defibrillator. And what could be more dramatic than using it to revive the story’s heroine? It was a very straightforward scene when I first wrote it as a screenplay. When it came time to convert it to a novel I had a few more choices to make. I decided to keep the scene from Eva’s perspective and it’s very dark and gloomy at the beginning because she’s just been pulled from the river. I personally have no experience with near death experience. I wrote it from the point of view of someone who was slipping from this world into an unknown darkness. That part still gives me the chills. When this chapter became the prologue I had the opportunity to rewrite the scene from Viktor’s point of view. It’s more dynamic here. Viktor is using all his skill and knowledge to defeat death and he won’t be denied. Both scenes were very rewarding to write.

I also really enjoyed some of the more horrific sections. I’m a big creature feature-loving kid at heart and these scenes brought me back to my misspent youth. Two scenes really stand out. One takes place in the alley and the other one by the river bank. I was careful not to just write gratuitous violence. What happens in these scenes is horrible but it’s necessary as far as Viktor is concerned. He’s going to protect his work no matter what. They both have different tones. The alley scene is a fight. I’d say it’s almost like a slasher in some regards, though not as bloody. The riverbank scene is more emotional and more haunting. It has to do with grief and remembrance of those who are dead. Both scenes give the narrative a nice kick but they are also pivotal scenes in the plot. These are the points of no return for the characters.

After pouring so much work into these scenes along with the rest of the book I’m very excited to see what the audience reaction is.

Did I do good?

That’s not for me to decide. I hope others enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. But I’ll just have to wait and see.



Book Description:

In a small village in early 19th Century young Eva is enthralled by the new young baron, Viktor Frankenstein. Viktor promises to transform the traditional little town into a beacon of science and gives the book loving Eva access to his fantastic library. Eva becomes his student and assists him in a secret experiment, though she is kept in the dark about its ultimate aim. Soon after that Viktor introduces Eva to his “cousin” Adam. Adam is horribly disfigured with stitches running across his face. Viktor claims he is mute and simpleminded, but Eva takes pity on him and sets out to teach him to speak.…

What follows is a combination of tragic romance and classic horror as Eva is pulled between Viktor, who grows jealous and takes murderous steps to ensure his secret, and Adam, who possess tremendous strength and rage yet deep inside is innocent and vulnerable.

In his debut fantasy novel, Michael J. Lee retells the classic story by Mary Shelley as a dark romance with steampunk overtones.

Would you like to win a Kindle copy of My Frankestein?


The leave a comment on this post with your email address


One winner will be chosen


Winner TBA Announced Next Wednesday


For more chances to win visit Bewitching Book Tours


for his entire tour schedule

14 comments:

Reading said...

Thanks for the giveaway. What a great cover!

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

Cherie Reich said...

Beautiful cover! Sounds intriguing. I'd like to be entered.

cherie.reich at gmail.com

Estella said...

Would love to read this book!

kissinoak at frontier dot com

Jessica @ a GREAT read said...

The cover is just gorgeous!!

jessbess2505[at]yahoo[dot]com

booklover0226 said...

I agree with the other posters, the cover is quite wonderful. It has a haunting beauty to it.

I'm adding this to my must have list.

Thanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 at gmail dot com

RFTC Blog said...

That cover is gorgeous! This book looks really good and I would love to read it.

iqb99@yahoo.com

Jen B. said...

Yes, I would like to win a Kindle copy of this. It is on my wish list. Thanks for the giveaway.
jepebATverizonDOTnet

Julie S said...

Sounds like a great read. I love the cover art.

juliecookies(at)gmail.com

Rachel said...

This book sounds fabulous. Very different to the original Frankenstein. Please count me in =)

rachybee101@live.com.au

Unknown said...

Thanks for the giveaway. Would love to read this book. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

lindalou said...

I have a Kindle and I'd love to read your book! Sounds great! Thanks for the give-a-way...
Linda T.
lindalou(at)cfl(dot)rr(dot)com

Kristi said...

I would love to win a copy for my Kindle. It sounds great!

kherbrand at comcast dot net

GoldenAgeofGeek said...

Thank you everyone who participated. Congrats to Jen B. for winning the copy of My Frankenstein. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I certainly hope the rest of you will also check out My Frankenstein on Kindle. Thank you again for your participation. It made me feel very welcome here at Fang-Tastic Books.

Thanks to Roxanne for hosting this giveaway.

Jen B. said...

I just got home from vacation and found out I won! Yay for me!!! I am looking forward to reading this book. Thanks for the contest.

 
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