Yearning

In my urban fantasy, GLORY, the blood of the seventeen-year-old heroine, Glory, contains the cure for a deadly pandemic plague. A witch named Kaia, an angel named Dominic, and a vampire named Zane are assigned to be her bodyguards. In the midst of their quest to save humanity, Glory is overcome by desire for Zane. Then, in her words:

     I wondered if he was sharing this intense electromagnetic current with me. At the same time that all of these thoughts and feelings were flooding me, I experienced a dreadful sense of shame that I could have selfish interests at a time of such horror in the world. I glanced across the table and saw Dominic watching me.

     “Yearning preceded creation, caused creation, and sustains it,” Dominic said. “It’s what holds the atoms together. Yearning is nothing to be ashamed of.”

My novels run the gamut from young adult urban fantasy, to comic chick lit, paranormal romance, canine chick lit, and paranormal thrillers. The one constant in all the worlds I create is desire.

It is indeed what holds the atoms together.

In my paranormal chick lit romance novel, RED HOT LIBERTY, Molly becomes the leader of a band of rebel patriots. Mata Hari-style, she must seduce her former lover, Jake, into helping them:

     Molly stepped out of her car and froze. She had wanted to kiss him again for so long and now it was her sacred mission as leader of the rebellion. The prospect was both thrilling and terrifying. Jake took a few steps toward her and stopped as if he sensed her storm clouds. She knew his emotions were also a tempest because lightning crossed the expanse between them, jumping from cloud to cloud, and the strike practically knocked her to the ground. She used the car to steady herself as rolling thunder rocked her world.

     Their eyes locked, and she was lost.

     He came to her slowly, intently. His fingers drew her hand to his mouth and his soft breath sighed into her palm. He bent to bury his face in her hair, and she closed her eyes, inhaling his familiar scent of leather and pipe tobacco. Every cell in her body seemed to respond to the memory, long-buried embers exploding in flame.

He looked at her, and his fingers traced the contours of her face.

     “I can’t breathe,” she managed to say.

     “I’ll be your breath,” he whispered.

     He leaned into her, the length of his body pressing hers back against the car. His expression was tender as their lips came together and their tongues, former dance partners, remembered familiar steps.

     He breathed life back into her once again, as he had with that first kiss so long ago. Their connection drew forces from the center of the earth, and she felt incredibly alive.

Yearning holds the atoms together.

In my paranormal thriller, THRESHOLD, a seventeen-year-old cowgirl named Leah discovers the fire in her belly isn’t for boys:

     “Any particular boy you’re hot for?” Nita asked.

     Leah shook her head. “That’s the problem, I guess. Just not been in love yet.”

     “Never felt fire in your belly for anyone?”

     Leah stopped walking Dixie and stroked the horse’s face, certain that her own face reflected the same shade of red. When it came to the land of sex, Leah had always been a foreigner unable to speak the language or navigate the terrain.

     Nita stood, walked to them, and offered Dixie a handful of hay. The horse nibbled cautiously at first, and then with greater interest.

     Relief blew through Leah. “Her stomach’s okay. She’s going to be fine.”

     Nita stepped closer to Leah. When Leah turned to look at her, Nita grabbed her by the hair at the back of her head, pulled her face close, and drew her lips to her own. Startled, Leah tried to resist the unexpected, but weakened as Nita’s kiss stole her breath. Like Dixie, she discovered her appetite, and it grew by the moment. Hungry, she devoured the food Nita offered. Thunder filled her blood. A rumble escaped her throat. Limbs trembled in the wild wind.

     Nita pulled back and slipped her hand into Leah’s waistband, hot palm against bare skin. Lightning struck with such force that Leah staggered.

     “Now you’ve discovered fire in the belly,” Nita whispered. “Figure out what to do with it.”

     When Nita strode out of the barn, Leah stood like a young tree in a fierce storm, its tender roots desperately clinging to hold on to a turbulent new world.

Yearning holds the atoms together.

One of the most colorful of all my characters is a gorgeous show dog named Talisman who appears in RED HOT PROPERTY, RED HOT LIBERTY, and SHOW DOG SINGS THE BLUES. She is in a forbidden, star-crossed romance with another show dog named Chance. She visits him whenever possible:

     In a wanton display of canine coquettishness, Talisman danced for Chance. She dipped low in a coy play bow and then bounced up and butt-slammed him. In response, Chance smiled and twisted his body into a U-shape and wiggled toward her. She chirped and trilled, and he chattered his teeth. Talisman stared at him with a wild gleam in her eyes, batting her eyelashes in a decidedly come-hither manner. Chance smacked his lips and nuzzled her ear. Both shook their tailless bottoms shamelessly. It was a tragic tale of tailless tragedy.

Yearning holds the atoms together...

Visit my website and discover my novels so that you may become more intimate with these passionate characters: www.DevinWrites.com

  

Copyright © 2012 by Devin O’Branagan

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Put Down the Witch and Slowly Step Away From the Demon

The novel I am currently writing is the sequel to my urban fantasy, GLORY, titled PRETTY SACRIFICES. It's filled with all manner of beings: angels, witches, vampires, and demons. The past few days I've been working on a scene where the teenage witch, Kaia, confronts a demoness. The scene has been very intense, and as my readers will attest, my characters are always vivid and realistic.

Last night I had a dream wherein I got up from bed and went down to my kitchen. I found Kaia and a young man standing at the kitchen counter, deep in conversation. The man seemed ordinary enough: dark eyes, a bit on the short side and, as Kaia would say, "really cute." However, when I looked him in the eyes, there was something so evil about his intense stare that my mind said, "He's a real demon and this isn't just a dream." True terror filled me.

Now, even though I've been writing supernatural fiction since I was five years old (at which time I wrote a ghost story), woo hoo things just don't usually happen to me. (Okay, so I did see my dog a few times after her death, I had a near-death experience, and my intuition is stunningly accurate, but never before has a demon stood in my kitchen.) My life is petty mundane.

However, my dream became what is known as lucid, I instantly grew aware of the fact I was dreaming, and I knew in my soul that this cute young man standing in my kitchen was some sort of malevolent being. Perhaps my research for the novel had attracted unwanted attention from the dark side. I had been speaking with experts in the field of demonology and reading everything I could get my hands on regarding the subject.

Not sure if Kaia was just a dream character or another real spirit of some kind masquerading as my mental image of Kaia, my maternal instincts kicked in and I scooted her back away from the demon, then willed myself to wake up. Immediately, I found myself in my bed, but unable to awaken. Using force of will, I tried to fight my way to consciousness and open my eyes. The bed started shaking and I clutched the side of it so I wouldn't fall off, but I couldn't hold on and I crashed to the floor...which did succeed in awakening me.

Honestly, in the next few seconds this is what happened:

I thought about going for my gun, but even if it had silver bullets, the demon wouldn't be susceptible.

I thought of calling the police, but what the hell would I say?

The very next thought...I swear...was, "Oh, this would make a great blog post!" (Writers are a special breed, and a little scary in their own right.)

So, I said a prayer for protection, stood up, dusted myself off, and with great fear and trepidation walked though my house turning on every light. Then I made myself a strong cup of coffee, sat down at my computer, and began to write this blog. As I did, the laptop acted possessed: the screen winked on and off, and the program froze several times. Sometimes the pesky Internet Demons of Doom do mess with me, so I convinced myself that they were the ones wreaking havoc and, despite my trembling fingers, typed away.

Now, I am relatively sane. I realize this could have all just been a manifestation resulting from the imaginary demons I've been creating, but my intuition told me it was something else. Did I mention my intuition is stunningly accurate?!

Of course I will continue to write my novel, and I will publish this post and risk ridicule. In my novels, good always overcomes evil. I dedicated GLORY "To all those who fight the good fight against evil." Perhaps by not letting this incident get the better of me, I'm doing just that.

"A fantasy on the shoulders of a strong willed girl, Glory is not to be missed." - Midwest Book Review

GLORY was nominated for the 2011 Best Popular Paperback for Young Adults List, sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) of the American Library Association.

Seventeen-year-old Glory Templeton's blood holds the cure for a deadly pandemic-plague and she embarks on a quest to save humanity. When evil forces conspire to stop her, three supernatural beings are assigned to be her guardians. Forbidden love, ancient secret societies, mysterious astronomical monuments, witches, angels, vampires, and demons all contribute to the high adventure that tests the character of this remarkable young woman.  The legend of Glory begins!

Click here to read Glory's opening scene!

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Soup and Compassion

It is snowing and bitterly cold here in Colorado today, and I am working like a crazy woman trying to meet the deadline for my TAILS Magazine humor column. So I did what I aways do when it's cold and I'm crazy busy, I made a big pot of soup this morning to eat from all day. It's convenient and comforting. It's also cheap.

I make great soup. I learned the fine art of soup-making from my late maternal grandmother who was an elementary school teacher. She taught me to do the most amazing things with simple ingredients.

After Grandma died, we received a ton of mail from her former students. Something we family members didn't know about her was that throughout the Great Depression she made a pot of soup in her classroom every day for her students. For many, it was the only meal they had. Some of her students credited her incredible act of generosity with keeping them alive. Forty years later, they remembered and wrote to express their gratitude.

So, on days like today when I make wonderful soup from the most simple ingredients, I am comforted in many ways. I am warmed, I am nourished, and I am honored to remember the compassionate soul who was my grandmother.

New Novel About Near-Death Experience

Cole Dillon drowns in Deer Lake shortly before his thirteenth birthday. Elijah Thunderbird, a Native American shaman, travels between the worlds to bring Cole back from death. Unfortunately, Cole isn’t supposed to survive, and with the natural order disrupted, dark spirits follow them home.

During Cole’s near-death experience, he is assigned an important mission that involves saving the lives of many other children. However, when he is revived, he can’t remember the details and undertakes a challenging quest of discovery.

Meanwhile, the dark spirits begin to manifest in the lives of the local town residents, bringing hatred and death. When shamanic visions reveal that many young lives are indeed in imminent danger, Elijah has to help Cole find the courage to do what is required of him before it is too late.

As Elijah tries to help Cole, he struggles with his own personal demons, and both men—one young, one old—must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice in order to save others.

A moving paranormal thriller about courage, faith, and the transformative power of love.

To read an excerpt, follow this link: http://www.devinwrites.com/bookexcerpts/thresholdchapterone.html

Available as a print and eBook!

An Amazing Showcase Of My Work

The life of an author is full of angst. Well, at least my life is. I struggle to grasp hold of nebulous threads of inspiration and weave them into an artistic vision I hope will touch others. Then I worry about if I could have done it better. I stress over if I messed my commas up too badly. (Commas are my worst thing.) Then I wonder if anyone will read my books. If they do, I fret over if they liked them. I question if I am fulfilling my life purpose or should be devoting my energies elsewhere. I don't sleep enough or eat properly. I am antisocial. My world is my art and I often ask myself if all the sacrifices are worth it.

Then there are days like today. A fan surprised me with an artistic showcase of my work that features my books, reviews of what other people think of them, and interviews with me that I didn't even remember doing. It is extraordinary!

More than flattered, I am amazed that someone I don't even know would go to this much effort to honor my work. It'll make it easier to spend another eighteen hours tomorrow working on my new novel.

Please take a look at what this woman did. It is amazing:  http://www.squidoo.com/devin-obranagan

Please make a comment at the end of it to honor her creativity, time, and effort. Thank you!

Winner of Wicked Dog Contest!

GLORY, Book One of my Legend of Glory urban fantasy series, features an intrepid demon-fighting Australian Shepherd named Hallelujah (Hallie to her friends). Hallie’s job is to protect the teenage heroine, Glory, from demons, vampires, and evil scientists. Hallie has extraordinary courage. She is the Wonder Woman of the canine crowd.

I am now writing the second book in the series, and a few months ago I put out a casting call for an evil dog to be Hallelujah’s perfect foil. All I can say is, wow, there sure are a lot of wicked dogs out there!

I received a ton of photos of wild- and crazy-looking dogs that inspired nightmares for weeks and gave me exciting new ideas for my paranormal-themed novels. It took me a while to make my decision, but...hold onto your bones...the winner is Cuddy, a red merle Australian Shepherd puppy. Yes, you heard me correctly—a puppy. (Consider the fictional possibilities!) Here she is:

I am going to have fun using this puppy to create the fictional canine character I have named Hex. Hex is the evil sidekick for the demoness Nyx and is the bane of Hallie’s existence. She will give puppies everywhere a bad name.

There were so many wonderfully wicked dogs who entered the contest that the final decision was tough. So, I may try to fit some of the runner-up dogs into the novel. Perhaps they will form a roaming pack of terror to rival the novel’s sinister collection of demons, vampires, and evil scientists.

Meet a hairless Chinese Crested known as “The Beast.” Her person, Lisa, cropped this photo from a larger one she calls “Beauty and the Beast." Lisa said she cut out the image of her other dog who, “looks like he is sad to have to deal with her.”

And here is Sassy, who is truly horrifying:

Last but not least is a Border Collie named Abigail:

According to their humans, these dogs are merely yawning or playing or being their usual sweet selves.

Right. And they call me the fiction writer.

www.GloryLegend.com

Copyright © 2011 by Devin O’Branagan

Photographer credits as follows:

“Cuddy” – Terri Collins

“The Beast” – Lisa Hartman

“Sassy” – Rachel Ritland

“Abigail” – Shannon Stainton

City Witch Versus Country Witch

In my bestselling urban fantasy, GLORY, there are two powerful covens. The Moonstone Covenstead is located high in the Colorado mountains near the sacred space of Crestone. The Starlight Coven is in located in the heart of the city of Atlanta. In order to cement relations between the two covens, the Elders are attempting to arrange a marriage between eighteen-year-old Kaia, from Moonlight, and the sexy young Evan from Starlight. Kaia rebels, not only at the prospect of an arranged marriage, but because she cannot fathom how to bridge the gap between her more traditional practice of The Craft and the modern approach of the city witches. This is a conversation between Kaia and Evan:

   “But you are attached to your life here in the city.” Kaia said “city” as if it were a dirty word. “How can any self-respecting witch practice the craft in a city? You’re out of touch with nature. How do you raise energy to channel into your magic? How do you commune with the ancient powers? I mean, what you’ve got here is concrete, asphalt, power lines, graffiti, subways, busy roads, skyscrapers, nightclubs, and random gunfire. How sacred is that?”

   “It’s just a different kind of sacred, Kaia,” Evan said. “The skyscrapers are concrete caves and we’re cave dwellers. Graffiti is our cave painting, conveying symbols that represent tribal myth. The streets are rivers of movement and life. Nightclubs are temples where ritual dancing generates tremendous cones of energy.

   “Channeling energy in the city is easy; it overflows our banks. Both the concentration of people and those power lines you mention are tremendous reservoirs. Instead of working to raise energy, city witches have to work at grounding it, because we swim in a giant sea of power.

   “The city has its own deities. For instance, here in Atlanta, our underworld is ruled by MARTA—the Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority—our subway system. She’s a snake goddess who takes us into the labyrinth where we can explore the depths of our being and experience our personal transformation.

   “There is nature here. It’s just different than you’re used to. Our wildlife consists of pigeons, rats, alley cats, crows, and moths. They become our familiars, helping us to survive in this wild place. “And yes, there’s violence, but there are demons everywhere. It’s up to us to fight the good fight, be it in the mountains or the city. The entire world needs us and what we do, Kaia. There isn’t any place that isn’t sacred.”

In the forthcoming sequel to GLORY, Kaia and Evan struggle to bridge the cavernous gap between them. But of course, as Evan just pointed out, it really is all a matter of perspective, isn’t it?