Mythology, space, and edits.
Thank
you Fang-tastic books for having me as a guest blogger! It's a pleasure to be
here, though I have to admit I panicked for just a second when I realized where
I was going. I mean, no one can deny vampires are the big thing. I personally
prefer the old-fashioned kind with a touch of evil -- or at least desire --
before the eternally teenage ones frequently featured in media, but they're
okay too. My books just don’t have any. (At least that's what I thought.)
My
mind has been completely focused on my new release Kidnapped. It is a science
fiction romance set in an environment utterly free from anything paranormal. It
has evil, aliens, space, love, a cool cover, and oodles of other things, but nothing
supernatural.
As
I sat here scratching my head, wondering how to tackle the situation, my
husband said, "Tell them about the Goddess's Saga." He's clearly
smarter than I am: this book has it all. There is a goddess, mythology,
genetically manipulated humans, monsters from another dimension, and even a
vampire-like being.
The
main character, Maria Callaway, was originally invented as a role playing
character back in 2007. She took on a life of her own, found relatives, and
grew friendships. She is older than she can keep track of, powerful, beautiful,
and extremely bored. When I decided to put her in an actual novel, I tried
changing her name, thinking of the mockery that would inevitably follow having
a heroine sharing your own first name. (Just imagine, "Haha, you would
like to be a goddess, wouldn't you?") It didn't work. Every time I changed
her name, her personality changed too.
Her
counterpart, Stephan Forks, is a genetically manipulated human. He is built to
be stronger and smarter than people in general. When the book starts he's also
a generally careless drunk, good at finding trouble. They shouldn't even like
each other, but after getting over the first annoyance, they make a good couple.
The
Goddess's Saga is really a collection volume containing three novels with the
same characters. (Touch of the Goddess, Wrath of the Goddess, and Return of the
Goddess.) I have learned so much from writing these books! They're
self-published, and when I finished Touch of the Goddess, I realized I needed
an editor. I hired one online and waited eagerly to get the material back. Let’s
just say, it's a small fortune I could have spent better. I did learn some
things, but the result wasn't impressive. I re-wrote that book for the release
of The Goddess's Saga, and this time I took editing help from an author friend.
I'm sure it's not perfect, one always makes mistakes, but it's much better.
Going
from this haphazard self-editing to the structured way at a publishing house
was a big step for me. Kidnapped was edited four times -- I think, it might be
five -- by several different people. It's fascinating how something that seems
completely clear in one's own head can puzzle others. My mind knows what the places look like and what happens between
the lines.
I
fought some of the edits to start with. I honestly thought my original way of
doing things was better and didn’t want to re-write, but now when I see the
final result, I know they were right and I was wrong.
I'm
working on edits for another book now, also with Desert Breeze Publishing, and my
editor for this book is tough. We're working on my first re-write and I won't
lie; it stings a little when someone wants you to use the language in a
completely different way from what you're used to. Still, when I read the parts
we've remade, the end result will be awesome.
June 4 Review
Smitten with Reading
June 5 Guest blog
Book Nerd Revealed
June 6 Guest blog
Fang-tastic Books
June 7 Promo
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom
June 8 Guest blog
I Just Want to Sit Here and Read
June 9 Promo and interview
JeanzBookReadNReview
June 14 Promo
A Dream Within A Dream
June 15 Guest blog
June 19 Interview
MarthaE
Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf
June 20 Guest blog and review
Always a Booklover –
June 20 Review
Books, Books, and More Books
June 21 Interview and review
Reading Reality
June 25 Guest blog
Katrina @ Kindred Dreamheart
June 26 Review
A Case of Reading Insomnia
June 27 Promo and review
The Bunnys Review –
June 28 Promo
Jessica
Simply Infatuated
Kidnapped
by Maria Hammarblad
Blurb
It's a late winter night when Patricia Risden heads home in her car, on a road she's driven many times before. She doesn't have a care in the world, that is, until a man appears from nowhere, right in front of her.
The next thing she knows is being a prisoner of the unscrupulous Alliance Commander Travis 152; an intimidating man who demands information and complete cooperation. Travis soon realizes his mistake; Tricia doesn't know anything, and she is incapable of even getting a glass of water from the ship's computer.
Infamous for being a ruthless executioner, conditioned since childhood to feel nothing besides fear and pain, he still deems her harmless, and finds enough pity for the lost young woman to let her out of the cell; a decision that will change both their lives forever.
Brief "about the book" from author Lynette Endicott
Kidnapped is a well-written Science Fiction story of a woman kidnapped from earth and taken on a whirlwind tour of the universe with a captor whose heart is thawed by her innocence. This does not please his commander, who pursues, captures and loses both characters. In the process there is fun, adventure, sizzle, and an introduction to different worlds and their impact, one day, on our own. Be sure to pick up Kidnapped by Maria Hammarblad available from Desert Breeze Publishing.
Biography Maria Hammarblad
Born in Sweden in the early 1970's, Maria showed a large interest for books at an early age. Even before she was able to read or write, she made her mom staple papers together into booklets she filled with drawings of suns and planets. She proudly declared them, "The Sun Book." They were all about the sun. She also claimed, to her mother's horror, that her being on Earth was a big mistake and that her alien family would come and bring her home at any moment. This never happened, but both the interest in space and the passion for bookmaking stayed with her.
As an adult Maria's creativity got an outlet through playing bass in a number of rock bands, and through writing technical manuals and making web pages for various companies and organizations. She did write drafts for a few novels, but the storytelling muse was mostly satisfied through role playing online on Myspace.
It was here, while writing stories together with people from around the globe, she stumbled onto Mike. They started talking out of character, and she moved over to Florida to him late 2008. Today the two are married and live in the Tampa Bay area with three rescue dogs.
Besides writing and playing bass, Maria enjoys driving off-road, archery, and Tameshigiri.
Website: http://www.hammarblad.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariahammarblad
Twitter: @mariahammarblad
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4114780
Maria_Hammarblad Publisher's website: http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com
Books by Maria Hammarblad:
The Goddess's Saga, a series of novels consisting of Touch of the Goddess, Wrath of the Goddess, and Return of the Goddess.
Embarkment 2577, a series of novellas consisting of Brand New World, High Gravity, and Adam and Eve.
Invasion and other short stories
Kidnapped Upcoming releases: Undercover, to be released by Desert Breeze Publishing September 11, 2012.
Youtube book trailers:
Kidnapped: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPsVFxWCtJo
The Goddess's Saga: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hSYB3kkXx4
Embarkment 2577: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8stZVGieh1g
1 comment:
Thank you for having me on your blog. I am thrilled to see my post here!
=D Maria
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