Take a Walk on the Dark Side

There are days in life where everything falls into place and all is good.  But then some days it all seems to crumble at our feet.  It's in those moments when the &%#@ hits the fan that we find out who we really are - when we take a walk on the dark side.

Join me in that walk today as we explore Scott Lerner's Ruler of Demons.

Book Summary:
Only eleven shopping days till Christmas. And less than a week to save the world.

Three nuns—in Chicago, Paris, and Jerusalem—have been killed in a religious ritual. The choice of victims and the macabre details of their deaths indicate that someone is following a recipe provided on an ancient text—a recipe to unleash the forces of hell on earth. The final sacrifice must occur on the Winter Solstice.

Samuel Roberts, a small-town attorney in Urbana, Illinois, knows a bit about the supernatural, having triumphed at least once over the forces of evil. Thanks to a friend who is aware of Sam’s little known previous efforts on behalf of mankind, Sam is hired by a big Chicago law firm to take on a sensitive case. His mission? Nothing less than halting the impending apocalypse.

Sam and his good buddy Bob travel first to Jerusalem then Paris in a desperate race to save mankind.

My Review:
Ruler of Demons was fast-paced, full of dry humor and took me on a whirlwind tour through Chicago to Israel and then France.

Sam Roberts takes a very light view of life.  As an attorney, he's not out pounding the pavement searching for his next client.  Circumstances - I'm assuming from the previous book, which I did not read - have allowed him to relax and not worry so much about how he's going to pay the bills.  And he takes advantage of that.

Until he's offered a very unusual case by a large, well-financed firm.  The harried friend who works at said firm urges him to leave the case alone.  But Sam is intrigued - or has a death wish.  So after meeting with Alexy Smart, the last surviving founder of the firm, and official representatives of the Catholic Church and witnessing first-hand the human flesh scroll authored by the Prince of Darkness, Sam decides to accept the case.

Oh, and it doesn't hurt matters that someone left him a human tongue on his kitchen table.

I must admit, I had mixed feelings about this book.  Dry humor isn't my forte, but I found the beginning to be intriguing and it pulled me into the story.  I was curious about the deaths of the nuns and how it all tied together.  I like a book that makes me think and surprises me.

Unfortunately I discovered few surprises here.  As usual, the priests, church, and military personnel were easy targets to spot early on, as they are utilized as the "bad guys" throughout so many novels these days.  I'd actually hoped to be surprised that maybe they were going to be the red-herrings but was disappointed to find this wasn't the case.  Plus Sam internalizes over and over again throughout the story how he doesn't believe in God/religion, which presents quite the dichotomy since he's dealing with demonic and supernatural forces here.  Logic says if there is evil then there must be good.  I don't mind an agnostic or atheistic character, but the fact that it gets brought up constantly leaves nothing to guess who the baddies are going after.  All-in-all these factors made it just too darn easy to figure out and left nothing to guess.

Then there are the travel moments.  I was looking forward to Sam and Bob's visit to Jerusalem and the dig site, but it felt like they were in and out so quickly, I as the reader didn't get to experience "being there" or anything.  Same thing with their jump over to France.  Yes, it answered some questions in the overall story and fit some puzzle pieces together, but it was like "poof" they're in and then "poof" they're out.

The story also lacked any real emotional connection to the characters or events.  When faced with a demon, Sam and Bob rather brush it off like it is an everyday occurrance and no big deal.  There was no fear or concern.  This also played into lack of internal motivation for why they did anything or went anywhere.  The overall lack of emotion and internal motivation made the characters and the story feel very wooden and somewhat disjointed.

I hate to say it, but after muddling through I felt as if I'd been offered an entire loaf of melba toast with nothing to drink.  It was a struggle for me to finish Ruler of Demons.  But perhaps if you like and understand very dry humor, you might consider checking out the book for yourself.  There were a few moments that offered up a chuckle even to someone like me.

And don't forget to sign up for the giveaway below!

Prices/Formats: $4.95 ebook, $13.95 paperback
Pages: 202
ISBN: 9781603819053
Publisher: Camel Press
Release: December 15, 2013

Amazon buy link:
http://www.amazon.com/Scott-A.-Lerner/e/B008WXJWSS/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Author Bio:

Author and attorney Scott A. Lerner resides in Champaign, Illinois. He obtained his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and went on to obtain his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign. He is currently a sole practitioner in Champaign, Illinois. The majority of his law practice focuses on the fields of criminal law and family law. Mr. Lerner lives with his wife, their two children, and their cat Fern. Lerner collects unusual antiques and enjoys gardening, traveling, reading fiction, and going to the movies. His first novel, Cocaine Zombies, won a bronze medal in the mystery/cozy/noir category of the 2013 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Awards.

Check out his website http://scottlerner.camelpress.com/ and for a taste of his writing, check out the excerpt http://www.scribd.com/doc/181544210/Ruler-of-Demons-by-Scott-A-Lerner-Chapters-1-4

Follow the Tribute Books blog tour:

http://rulerofdemons.blogspot.com/

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Setting the Mood

Music moves and inspires me.

Puttering along in my zippy little car this morning, I enjoyed the digital strains of the new Tron Legacy soundtrack by Daft Punk that I bought my son for Christmas.

Yes, we have very similar music tastes and he always burns new soundtracks onto his computer and I-pod then gives me the CD.  It almost seems self-serving everytime I give him the gift of music.  But I digress.

So as I'm speeding along, trying my best to avoid policemen, track 10 hits the Bose speakers (yes, I'm a Bose junkie when it comes to that sweet bass).  Suddenly the whole world drifts away and I'm in my newest novel, Piercing the Darkness, and the inspiration goes gangbusters.  The scenes open up before my mind and I see it all performed as if watching on a stage. 

The lyrical strains of the cello lead me through dark, rank alleys, homeless crawling through dumpsters in their search for a morsel to stave starvation.  Then a hand reaches out with a fresh morsel and leads to the cardboard hovels and fires of a homeless encampment.  My protagonist, Samantha, works the streets to earn cash to feed the wretched of society, to offer scant medical attention to the least of these.  All the while she's being hunted by the dark hand of the Elite, who are rapidly closing in on her location.

So how's that for a preview?

Almost every time I sit to write, I search my CD library for just the right mood music from the not-nearly-big-enough stash of soundtracks from my favorite movie composers.  It helps me set the scene and enter deeply into the psyche of my characters.

Writers out there - do you ever use music to help set the mood and pace of your writing?  I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Oh The Possibilities

'Tis a cold and rainy day, dripping with possibilities.

Under normal circumstances this would be a perfect day for crafting time with my latest novel.  There is something positively yummy about sitting at my desk, hearing the drip, drip, drop of rain outside beneath a canopy of clouds.  Perfect writing environs!

Alas, my day is packed with a number of activities - my son's vocal concert immediately followed by a Christmas party this evening and accompanying ongoing cooking.  Plus there are chores screaming at me.  Even so, I have found a few moments this morning of solitude.

It always puts me in the mood to write.

So if you've a mind, dear readers and writers, I'd love to hear from you.  What do you consider the perfect reading/writing experience?  Is it the cold and rainy moments?  The snowy vistas?  A good spring thunderstorm?  The sound of the waves caressing the shores?  For me it is weather or nature - what does it for you?

Please comment and let me know!

Interview with William Brian Johnson

Today I am pleased to host William Brian Johnson, author of "Hell to Pay" from Hellfire Publishing.  Brian recently finished his Coffin Hop blog tour during the Halloween season and has taken time from his Thanksgiving preparations to talk to us about this supernatural horror thriller.

DAB:     Thanks for stopping by.  So tell us a bit about "Hell to Pay".

WBJ:     A man who thinks he's losing his soul, meets a man who has.  Detective Michael Bailey is an ex-alcoholic police detective investigating a series of murders, where the main suspect may be possessed.

DAB:     What prompted the novel's premise?

WBJ:     A drunken night of bad puns.

DAB:     Seriously?

WBJ:     Seriously.

DAB:     Okay, so then which character in "Hell to Pay" do you most identify with, if any, and why?

WBJ:     I think as a writer you tend to identify with all of them.  The characters themselves are bits of my personality mixed with other friends' personalities and traits.  I hate to say it, but the time I wrote it, I identified with Bailey the most.

DAB:     Why do you hate to say Bailey?  He is your protagonist, after all.

WBJ:     Bailey is a redemptive character, so he starts off with the entire world bearing down on his shoulders and isn't always the nicest individual.

DAB:     I see.  So were there any characters you found difficult to write?

WBJ:     Isabella.

DAB:     Bailey's girlfriend - why Isabella?  Was it just the aspect of writing from a woman's perspective?

WBJ:     Not only was it difficult to write from the woman's perspective, but I think the personalities I combined for Isabella's character clashed in a couple of instances and required a little rewriting and reinventing.

DAB:     How long did it take to craft this novel?

WBJ:     Too long.  Writing took about 2.5 years.

DAB:     But was that 2.5 years editing, editing, and more editing included?  Obviously it worked - you succeeded in securing a publishing contract, which can be difficult to do in today's ever changing market.

WBJ:     Nope, took me 2.5 years to write.  Editing took six years around sick parents, children being born, job changes, moving, in other words...life.  A couple of the topics in the book came to pass, a sick parent on their deathbed, the economy going to Hell, and I found the light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel.  I'm not denying happy endings exist, but as a close friend will tell you, sun shines on a dog's ass occasionally.

DAB:     I think most of us can understand that.  Let's talk more about the writing process.  There's always debate over whether or not to outline when starting to write a novel.  What typically works best for you?

WBJ:     I write pivotal scenes, then write the back roads to each.  I usually don't outline but will have notes.

DAB:     I'm a notes person myself as well.  Do you have any other writing pointers for our audience?

WBJ:     Listen to your inner editor but don't stop writing.  I've had bad critiques before, get over it and keep doing it.  Keep trying, keep writing, and someday you too might have a book you're proud of.

DAB:     Thanks so much for stopping by.  Please give us the final plug for "Hell to Pay".

WBJ:     "Hell to Pay" is a haunting story about the loss of one's life, redemption, and personal sacrifice.  This supernatural thriller is strongly based on Joseph Campbell's epic storytelling and mythology.  Buy my book.  It will scare the hell out of your Christmas.  Now available in e-reader format and coming November 23rd, "Hell to Pay" rises from the ashes in paper.  See http://www.hellfirepublishing.com/hell_to_pay.html for more details.

There you have it, dear readers!  If you'd like to have a nightmare before Christmas, pick up your eBook copy today or pre-order the paperback coming out this week.  Have a fabulous and filling Thanksgiving!

Rating Success

This week I finally accomplished something I'd anticipated for a huge majority of my life.

I can now call myself a published author.

Though my manuscript is currently under review for proper formatting, cover art, etc., I successfully downloaded the entire thing into the ebook universe.  Even though they will allow purchase of the unreviewed product, I wish to ensure it passes muster before I make it available to you, my dear readers.

It's a pride thing, you know.

Funny thing is, the book wasn't up more than two days and I actually had a purchase.  Yay!  I call that a success.

As soon as it receives the rubber stamp seal of approval, I will link to the sites where it can be purchased and downloaded in all formats, Kindle, Nook, I-pad, Sony, etc.  Until then, enjoy the view of the cover art of Running into the Darkness.

Then I'll give you updates as I have them.  Rating success comes in many forms.  The fact that I completed all of the steps thus far, downloaded my manuscript, and have a purchase under my belt already goes way far in my book.

And all before Christmas!

Yep, I call all of those successes indeed.

The Goose Is Getting Fat

Oh the frustrations of publishing!

For the past few weeks I've been working on prepping Running into the Darkness for publishing as an eBook.  I'd hoped to have it ready sometime during the month of September.

At this rate, I'll be glad for it to publish before the end of October.

The cover art is delayed.  A few additional edits have made themselves known.  Those who volunteered to read the entire thing for continuity issues have been rather busy.

Plus September is my son's birthday month.  He DOES like the attention.

So now September is waning and October rapidly running upon it like an out-of-control freight train (watched Unstoppable recently).  If only I could get the cover art finalized I think I'd be feeling a little better about the whole process.

In the meantime, I've been trying to finish an odd short story to perhaps publish as well.  It'd be nice to have a couple of items up and available before Christmas.  Time to fatten up that goose!

Here's hoping to tip a glass in celebration before the close of 2011.