New video plans and working on books

Hello there world,

Today was a good day, I was up late last night and recorded two video’s, one of which is up and live. Click her to watch the video.

I have a plan that is a rotation.

Week one:- Simone’s Writing Workshop Podcast.

Week two:- Simone’s Craft Podcast.

Week three:- Living with EDS and an invisible disability

Week four:- is a general discussion of what’s going on on the internet, which includes what’s going on, a scum of the internet and various different bits of internet drama, etc.

I hope that my body allows me to stick to this timetable. Cross my fingers.

I am working on Poisoned by Blood Book 3 and I can’t wait to share it with you, I really am looking forward to it and will do so as soon as I can, I am busy transfering the first draft from paper to digital format. I only hope that people enjoy it as much as they did the first two.

Have fun

Simone

New year, new books

Happy New Years,

So Christmas is over and that also means my break is over, which is something I needed. Releasing three books in one year was something I never thought I would be able to do. I really didn’t.

I’m working on book three of Poisoned By Blood and I’m excited as this one is even darker than the others and the tale gets even more complicated. I’m also working on  a squeal to Twisted Coven, so yeas, I’m a buys girl.

I am also playing some games to give me down time where my mind isn’t on books, my newest one’s are Subnautica, thanks to Markiplier, and then I found out Mass Effect 2 was free on Origin and I  am just waiting for it to finish downloading. I have multiple YouTube videos planned too, just waiting my voice to stabilize so I can do it.

I also have some awesome books planned for this year and I’m excited to share them with you.

Keep reading

Simone

It’s live, It’s live, So excited

Hi Guys

Today in release day for Hell Hath No Fury, and I couldn’t be more excited.

I am so happy with the book and I am so happy that my best friends daughter agreed to be on the cover of it and agreed to be my muse on this.

The basic outline is that Andrew finds the remains of a missing student that went to school with his older brother, what ensues is a roller coaster of of angst and drama as the police try and find the killer that leads Andrew to realize a few things about his life that are hiding a lot of secrets from him.

It’s dark, as most of my stuff is, with a few light moments and I am happy with this book. I am so happy. Sorry for gushing but I can’t help being excited about this.

Click here to get the book. 

Happy Tuesday

Simone

Why do we worship/are intrigued by serial killers?

Many people become obsessed with serial killers, me included. The reason behind this varies and is dependent upon the person and their life. For this I will concentrate on my own reasons and explain how it began and how it links with my love of horror.

When it happened

In my teens I was given a book, which I still have, called infamous killers and it sparked my intrigue around killers. I read about Ten Bundy, Myra Hindley, Ian Brady, David Berkowitz and several others. I read what I could over the following few years. Once we had internet I searched furthers and bought books on killers, most of which I still own, one is a book on Jack the Ripper that included copies of the letter he sent to the police.

My love of horror made me interested in killer, I wanted to know as much as I can, I had to know what made them do what they did and I learn about people who knew or had an inclining but did nothing. I wanted to know everything I could so I could understand why they did what they did.

I was around fourteen years old when my interest was sparked and it showed no way of stopping.

Details

I have a strong stomach and things that would make others sick I am fine with and it doesn’t turn my stomach. It helped whole I was studying and I want the only one who had the stomach for crime scene pictures. The only thing that bothered me was anything that involves children and it still does.

I researched details of cases and read as much as I could. My interest was in why they did what they did, which in some cases the killers themselves knew, others they didn’t. The reasons varied, Ted Bundy blamed violent porn, and Jeffery Dahmer blamed being left alone and his parents divorce as well as alcohol. David Berkowitz blamed hallucinations and then an occult group he was a member of. Myra Hindley blamed Ian Brady, Ian Brady blamed Myra Hindley. It was worrying that no two killers claimed the same reasoning.

FBI Profilers John Douglas and Candice Delong both describe the cause as a perfect storm of biological and environmental forces with not one event being the cause for the killers to become killers.

Once the killer does their first kill they open a door they cannot close not would they stop, something described by Jeffery Dahmer and Gary Ridgeway as a growing need to feel the power of taking another’s life.

Why am I fascinated by Serial Killers

The main reasons for my interest in them is:-

1. To understand why so I can write about them in both fiction and non-fiction.
2. To understand why they can kill without Guilt.
3. How the killers rationalize their killings to others.

Understanding

People want to know everything so they can protect against them and for some they want to know how the killers do it, they want to kill but do not have the stomach for it. I’m interested purely from a writer’s point of view the second reason is from a forensics point of view and how they prevent being killed.

Top 10 killers with the highest kill count

I will say this first, Dr Harold Shipman is speculated to have killed over 400 people but due to the facts that medical records of his victims were changed after death there is no way of knowing the true victim count.

1. Luis Garavito, active in the 1990’s in Colombia, 172-300+ kill count (proven 138)
2. Pedro Lopez, active 1969 to 1980 in Columbia, Ecuador and Peru, 300+ kill count (proven 110)
3. Daniel Camargo, active 1974 to 1986 in Colombia and Ecuador, 150 kill count(proven 72)
4. Pedro Rodregues Filho, active 1967 to 2003 in Brazil, 100 kill count (proven 71)
5. Yang Xinhai, active 2000 to 2003 in China, Proven 67
6. Andrei Chikatilo, active 1978 to 1990 in USSR, 56 Kill count (proven 53)
7. Anatoly Onoprenko active 1989 to 1996  in USSR and Ukraine,51+ kill count (proven 52)
8. Gary Ridgeway, active 1982 to 2000 in the USA, kill count 71-90+ (proven 49)
9. Alexander Pichushkin, active 19982-2006 in Russia, kill count 60 (proven 48)
10. Wang Qiang, active 1995-2003 in China, kill count 45+ (proven 45)

In conclusions

People want to know as much about serial killers whether it be from voyeuristic point of view, intrigue on their reasons, or infatuated by the killer. People do worship serial killers and there reasons vary depending on their own mind, but some reasons are unhealthy and unsettling. While I am intrigued by serial killers and their reasons for killing I am not obsessed with them and I have never wanted to marry or meet one as so many do.

Please comment below you views on this and let me know if there is anything you want me to look at.

Happy Halloween

Its that time of year again, kids are running around, getting candy, oh to be a child again. I’m still recovering from a nasty cold that has hit me pretty hard, damn things.

I love Halloween, as a pagan and a Goth its an important holiday an I celebrate my own little way. I love the spookiness of it and I love the meaning behind it.

Check out here for he Pagan meaning and significance of October 31st.

Sorry its not a big post, my mind is willing but my body falters.

Have a spooky night.

Simone

Countdown to release day

Hello guys

In a little over a month I have another release and I can’t wait. Hell Hath No Fury has been in the making for two years and the young lady on the cover is a good friend of mine and I can’t wait to see what Rue does withe cover. I am blessed to have her do my covers as she is a pure artist when it comes to covers. 

I am also planning some videos for my YouTube channel and I am looking forward to making some promo items for the release and I have some awesome things planned.

The book is something that I loved writing and my beta reader, the mother of the lady on the cover and my best friend, loved it too. Thankfully I am in awe of those around me who help. My publisher has faith in me and loves my work and I am slowly building a fan base of people who love my work, including my Mum, who loves my writing. 

I am thankful for the people I have in my life that support my work as a writer. 

Thank you all

Happy writing

Simone

Hard at work

Hi guys

 

I’ve been hard at and I am busy. With a visit from my Mum and the impending release has me finishing my work. I now have a beta reader and I love her for the help she has given me, she is awesome.

I am so excited about this, the things I have planned for this is immense and i really cant wait to show you what I am going to be making. The cover release will happen so and I know that it will be awesome as always, Rue is a genius when it come to covers and I love every single one she has done for us.

I also have some fun planned for Halloween. I’m always in a cave when writing and it sucks because I’m cut off from anything, I hate not being near my computer while the writing urge has me in it’s grips.

Six weeks until release day, six weeks, I still have to pinch myself when I see my books on out TARDIS coffee table and I really hope that I can continue to release books people want to read, I am working hard on several projects to get me into the minds of readers and I have some videos planned that will use my training and my liking of horror to take my YouTube channel into a few new directions. I really can’t wait. Just working on a few things I need to do before I can share but these next two months are going to be busy for me.

Have an awesome week

 

Simone

Allowing reality to affect fiction

Evening everyone,

It’s Saturday and three days off my birthday, and I can’t wait. I am really looking forward to it and I have a little surprise in store but I’ll save that for the day but stay tuned.

Today I want to talk about allowing reality and real life events affect any story or book you want to share with anyone. Now this can be intentional or unintentional and providing there is no case for slander then, in most cases, it’s fine.

For example, in my next installment of Poisoned By Blood I have mentioned and had some involvement with a real admitted serial killer that has been dead for nearly thirty years. The  serial killer in question is one of the most notorious and vile of the subgroup within society. Because he is a person that was and that he confessed to his crimes I am not slandering his character so I wouldn’t be at risk of being sued by his family.

There are traditional media programs that also do this, a perfect example is the central character of Murdoch Mysteries, William Murdoch, is based on the real life Ontario Provisional Police John Wilson Murray.  There is also, Call the Midwife, Orange is the New Black, Band of Brothers, The Tudors, Boardwalk Empire, and The Secret, all based in some way on real events that have happened in the past. There have been movies based on serial killers, along with real serial killers influencing people to create memorable fictional killers that we all know and love.

There are times where it happens without people realizing that they have done it. I am quiet good at note doing this. The only time I’ve let a person I know influence a character is one of the characters in my latest release, the person I am basing the character on knows and is fully aware that I am doing it. The same lady is going to be on the cover and allowed me to use a few of her little quirk, only a few, have made it into the books but this was purposeful and I love the way that the book is looking and I can’t wait to share it with you, I really can’t.

So overall, you can use real people in your fictional books, if it is people that you know get permission before you go ahead, if it is someone who’s in the public eye such as a celebrity, serial killer, etc then it isn’t too bad. So many writers use actors to decide the physicality of a character but the behavior and such are built separately.

Have an awesome weekend.

Happy writing

Simone

 

 

Support Network’s and Bad Reviews

Hi Guys

I have been super busy working on Hell Hath No Fury and Poisoned By Blood Book Three, I have the sequel to Twisted Coven is planned out and ready once I have the other two squared away.

Today I wanted to talk about the pluses of having a support network around writers, whether they be signed, freelance, those wanting to write and those who were still deciding if they truly want to be a writer.

By nature the world or writing isn’t an easy one to be in. It is fought with judgement and angst. You may be told no 20, 100, 300 times before being signed, J. K. Rowling was rejected 12 times before the Harry Potter series was signed, Stephen King’s Carrie was rejected 30 times before being published. It’s part of the job, perseverance and willing to listen to feedback are the best thing’s for a writer to have in their back pocket.

I have received some negative feed back and attention and I’ll show you a few examples and tell you on how to deal with them.

First a review from Shattered Souls

I have redacted the name to protect the person in question. This was a bad review in a sea of four and five star reviews. I was upset when I saw this, I will admit that I did shed a tear but I realized that it was merely a troll, a person who was out to hurt as troll are. You can do nothing about trolls, nothing but ignore them and move on.

Here’s a review for Spilt Blood

This review is constructive, meaning that instead of five words with no true meaning and are not the slightest bit helpful. They give pointers on how the books going forward can be improved and how they can be better. They advise the use of Beta readers, which is now something I do now. They do question the main characters age state that it would be better if she was older, this is something I debated on this as I wrote the book but her age is important further in the series, in book four. The comment about the ‘rushed’ feel of the book, that was purposeful as their is a serial killer around and they are hunting him before he kills too many people, they don’t really have the time to do much else. Though I think I could have done a bit more character building and relationship building.

Authors are, by nature, solitary nature and we like to work in our own cocoon but we do need a good network of support around us. I am extremely lucky that my Mum and Dad (Stepdad) have always been there, pushing me to be better. I have an awesome husband who believes in me even when I don’t believe in myself. I have an awesome publisher with Vamptasy Publishing, the website is being updated at the moment but it does show several of our awesome writers on their. I also have several fans although I’m only a beginner in this job and they are loyal and that is astounding to me. Having people around to help bring you up when you get that rejection letter or that bad review helps.

While I was lucky to get a yes early on and I love my book home and I would never change that ever in the world and I only hope that one day all authors find their book home.

Thankfully there is no negative review of Dark Side of Humanity yet nor has there been any for Twisted Coven yet, not on Amazon anyway.

I have a lot of things going on this year and I am hoping that my books grow in strength and that those who love it continue too do so. I have a group of people who seem to love my books and people that are happy to share my books on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

I am hoping to do a Facebook ad this weekend to help promote the books a little. I am busy, two book releases this year with more going on that are working on in the back ground hence why I’ve been quiet.

My main peaces of advise are as follows:-

1. Take on the constructive criticism and use it going forward with more books and any re-releases.
2. Let troll reviews slide off your back and move on.
3. Make sure you have an awesome network around you.
4. Don’t let rejection stop you.
5. Learn, learn and learn. Read, read and read. Write, write and write.

I also know I need an editor as my dyslexia makes things hard work and tricky to do and I quite often miss mistakes, that’s another good thing about beta readers, they help with the process and help make things more coherent.

If there are any subjects you want me to take on please let me know and I’ll see what I can do.

Happy Writing

Simone

Amazing News

Hello Guys

Yes, she’s live, she’s on sale and I couldn’t be happier. Its available in both Kindle and print and I am so excited.

I am also working on several other books including Hell Hath No Fury, and book three of the Poisoned by Blood series. I’m also working on events and promotion for the four books I have out.

I still have to pinch myself sometimes as I never once thought that i would ever have books on sale so to have three is astounding to me.

Yes I’m super happy with my books and I’m protective and I hope that one day one of my idol’s will read my books, though that is a long shot.

I love watching old documentaries and learning about the past, it helps spark some on the idea’s in my mind. I do find myself waking in the middle of the night with idea’s in my mind, some darker than others.

I love that my publisher too a huge chance on me and I love her for it.

Stay true to you.

Happy writing

Simone