The son of a Methodist minister, he was about 14 when a bigger boy taunted him as the author of some graffiti on the school wall, a puppy-love note to a girl in his class. John Wesley went for the boy with a knife. Before they could separated, he stabbed his tormenter twice.

So we hear stuff like this all the time. But this isn’t the present day. This was research I had done for a ghost western time travel about John Wesley Hardin since I wanted to include him in the story as he allegedly killed a man in Waco, TX at the same time my story took place in 1870. He hadn’t killed the man in Waco, but he did murder one of the men who was taking him to trial.

Research to me has always been the fun part of writing stories, whether its in Winning the Highlander’s Heart and all of King Henry’s shenanigans…mistresses, his brother’s murder on a hunting “accident,” or the fight with the middle brother who should have been king by rights of succession, or in the wolf series, where I researched real wolf behavior. In each subsequent book the stories have more real wolf details. I also write for a lot of genealogy magazines, and so have done a lot of research for those. But facts and figures isn’t what makes the stories fun. It’s the John Wesley Hardins in the family tree that makes the story interesting!

I read tons of books every year, and I thoroughly enjoy stories where I get to learn more real world stuff in them, from a scuba diver to a pediatric nurse, to live in the Middle Ages. I enjoy “seeing” the fiction and fantasy mixed in with the real world. In one story, I learned about paddle wheels on the Mississippi River. And in another, about some of the famous artists lives in two different stories set in Holland and how they were entertwined with great court figures.

What about you? Do you learn interesting tidbits about the historical past, or the real world present that fascinates you? What are some of the favorite things you’ve learned?

Terry Spear
The Vampire…In My Dreams, Heart of the Wolf, Winning the Highlander’s Heart
www.terryspear.com

Popularity: 4% [?]

We interupt your regularly scheduled program to make this awesome announcement!Yes, you read that subject line right. We’re having a DeLurk on the Readers loop at Yahoo today. You’re probably already a member and just haven’t dropped by in a while. If that’s the case, be there today. Destiny Blaine & Friends are giving away over 200 prizes.

Join us today for CataNetwork-Readers Delurking Party!
groups.yahoo.com/group/CataNetwork-Readers

You’ll see some of your favorite authors and hopefully win one of over 200 prizes including books, bookmarks, gift cards, promo packs, and various other gifts!

JOIN US!

Adelle Laudan
Adrianne Brennan
AJ Hampton
A. J. Llewellyn
Angela Cameron
Ann Cory
AP Miller
Billie A Williams
CR Moss
Catherine Chernow
Celia Kyle
Cricket Sawyer
Dee Knight
Derek Musgrave
Destiny Blaine
Donna Grant
Esther Mitchell
JL Wilson
Jacqueline George
Jami Davenport
Jeanne Barrack
Jenny Penn
Larriane Wills
Lindsay Townsend
Logan Blue
Maddie James
Marie Treanor
Michael Barnette
Michelle Hasker
Minnette Meador
Morgan Ashbury
Paige Tyler
Raina James
Raine Delight
Resplendence Publishing Authors
Rob Graham
Rynne Raines
Sarah Mäkelä
Selena Illyria
Selena Kitt
Silapa Jarun
Sloane Taylor
Susan Smith Alvis
Tanya Hanson
Teresa D’Amario
Tonya Ramagos
Wendi Darlin
We hope to see you on May 8th!
Destiny Blaine
www.myspace.com/destinyblaine

Popularity: 16% [?]

Hey all,

I’ve been given the honor of being a monthly blogger here at the Cata Network Readers’ Lounge. My regular day will be the tenth of each month, but since Ally needed some extra help, she asked me to jump in today as well.

I thought I’d blog about something near and dear to my heart…

Fantasy.

What really does that mean? How do you decide what is reality and what is fantasy?

I believe the answer is something different for each person. And even more so for us who write. I think the line between reality and fantasy blurs quite often.

You know that saying… “I live in my own little world, but it’s okay…they understand me there.” I think this really is true for a writer. How many times am I out and about with my family and suddenly I’m transported to another place and my characters are all speaking to me at once.

They’ve gotten use to snapping their fingers in my face and calling me back to the present. Sometimes I come, but sometimes I find the fantasy is more fun and I decide to stay there a bit longer.

As a child, I used to disappear for hours into the woods nearby. I would spend the day playing out all my daydreams. I had stories about handsome princes, adventurous heroines and animals who could talk. I spent so much time with those special friends, I often forgot to relate to the ones I had in real life.

Little did I know that those early days of childhood were training me for being an author. It was many years before I finally put pen to paper and began to write my fantasies down, but by then it was easy to fall into that world. I’d been doing it my whole life.

And I discovered something. When you spend a great deal of time with fantasies, the line blurs even more. Suddenly, it’s very easy to believe in a lot of the things that you write about. Someone asked me once if I believed in all the characters I write about. The answer was simple.

A loud and resounding YES!!!

Does that mean I believe that vampires and shapeshifters walk our streets? Am I really saying that ghosts and witches are real? What about gods and goddesses or ogres and elves?

The reply I make to all these questions is this… I am very willing to believe.

And for me as a writer, it’s that willingness that makes my characters jump off the page. If I believe they can be real, then that is the way I write them. And, when my readers see how true to life they are, then they can be pulled into the story and taken away into the fantasy as well.

And really…isn’t that the goal of every great fiction book. To take us away from the mundane…if just for a little while?

The release I have coming out on May 2nd from Samhain is called The Mylari Chronicles: Eyes of Fire. This was the very first book I ever submitted and its premise came from one of those fantasies I had as a child.

It’s all grown up now, and will be the first of a special series in the magical land beyond the faerie myst, but each time I read it, I’m drawn back to the days where I hunted rock trolls with sharpened sticks, and had blackberry tea with the wood faeries. Where I ran from murderous ogres and prayed that my elven prince would rescue me.

Did I know then I would be someday be sharing this fantasy with others? No. But it wouldn’t have changed things either way. I would have dreamed and played out my fantasies either way. They are a part of me, first as a person, and then as an author. The fact others enjoy those same stories are the icing on the cake.

I’m blessed that the dreams and fantasies I loved as a child are now being shared with people around the world. It is still a surprise to get a fan letter where they tell me how they love my characters and feel like they know them. I feel the same way. My heroes, heroines and even the villains are such a part of me, they are perfectly real.

And it jazzes me to no end that others believe that way too! So to end this blog, I offer you all this peek into my fantasies and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed the fantasy!

Beautifully written and intensely satisfying, the storyline for THE MYLARI CHRONICLES: EYES OF FIRE is unparalleled in clever originality and unforgettable characters.

The vivid descriptions of the elven setting pulls the reader into this ingenious story, but it is the heartfelt romance which keeps one thoroughly riveted to every captivating word. CJ England masterfully brings this magical adventure to life with imaginative scenarios featuring an array of fascinating beings.

Five stars from Amelia at Ecataromancesensual

The Mylari Chronicles: Eyes of Fire

An ancient prophecy comes to life in an erotic tale of forbidden love. Talia’s visit home turns upside down when dark, frightening creatures appear seemingly from nowhere and transport her to another world. The faerie world. In this mystical paradise, she finds her life and honor threatened for reasons she does not understand.

When Calion Sáralondë, Prince of the Calen’taur Elves, rescues the human female from an orcan stronghold, his attraction to her is immediate and strong. And the feeling is mutual. Though their love is sardai—taboo—Calion can’t bring himself to send her back to her world. Her presence sets a fire in his soul only mating with her can tame.

And their passion could be the answer to an ancient prophecy that saves his world.

Read More about this upcoming book at http://cjengland.com/mylari

I hope you enjoyed this brief visit to my fantasy world. I’d love to hear some of your fantasies. Drop in a comment and let me know where you visit to get away from it all!

Hugs,

CJ England
Never anger an elf… we have very long memories.
http://cjengland.com/mylari/eyesoffire.htm
http://cjengland.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CJsaysFollowYourDreams/

Popularity: 51% [?]