Sunday 28 October 2012

Lily and Cullen's story

The Perfect Storm

The gentle flow of three hundred year old classical music surrounded Lily as she waited at the entrance of the wedding venue for the march to begin. It would announce her intentions to walk down the aisle to join with Cullen. Her mind had been filled all day with an intense buzzing sensation that heightened her sense of unreality. Then, as the wedding march started and she began her long walk toward her intended she felt a great relief come over her and it was a little like swooning. Above her the stars shone hard and bright and sparks struck off the dark skin of the universe through the vaulted glass ceiling of the conservatory. In this other humbled world she walked on the wings of love toward Cullen, carrying their child in her womb.
 
*These two lovers are more than star-crossed. They come from different planets! Lily is from Earth and Cullen is from 2topia. Talk about conflict as 2topians are on Earth to exploit humans...
 
Best, January Bain
 

Wednesday 24 October 2012

Thanks, Mom!


My personal journey into the awesome realm of writing truly began for me as a child. I thank my dear mother for reading to her brood pretty much nightly for my interest in the written word. In point of fact, I was so excited about discovering how to read I taught myself how to even before my first day of school!
And once I began writing there was no stopping the outpouring of words. I not only write novels, I write about the journey of creating each novel. Words have such power for me! And over me…

To date the journey of storytelling has led me to vampire lairs, to distant planets, to many exotic place right here on Earth and all have definitely increased my pleasure. I usually give my characters the lead, as they off-times know more than me about what they would or would not do! Another advantage of this style of writing is the journey is so fresh that I believe that freshness and passion comes across in the story.
Different species populate my novels. Vampire, Dhampyre, Angel-Fae, Fairies, Dragons, Aliens—all have called my pages home. And all have enriched my life.

So thank you, Mom, for introducing me to stories by reading a chapter-a-night to us. It was the best gift a child could have!

Love, January Bain
Storyteller
Forever Man
Forever Woman
Forever Clan
www.ChampagneBooks.com
www.januarybain.ca

Sunday 21 October 2012

World Building for The Perfect Storm


Welcome to my 2topia:! A planet that has two moons and a highly advanced civilization that will take your breath away...
 
Excerpt from today's writing:
 

His mother was pushing to see him but maybe it was for the best. He was thankful his parents’ trip would take a week, even at infinitely faster-than-light speeds that humans have not even dreamt of yet. They would go through the Universal wormhole in Alpha Centauri’s binary star system propped open with superstrings of limitless energy. He saw it in his mind’s eye: the wormhole used by 2topians for easy access to Earth and its rich resources.

 From 2topia to Earth was just a week’s travel. The incredible pressure that such high velocities were thought to be created for the body did not happen as expected at that speed as time also speeded up to a superluminal blur. Of course, everyone was backed up with data streams in case of failure to allow cloning in the case of death, though it was not an option Cullen liked to think about as it was too similar to a mind-sweeper experience and he could not imagine for one second wanting Lily to forget any of their time together...
Best, January
 
 
 
 

Sunday 14 October 2012

THE PERFECT STORM


Did you ever feel that you were bringing something new to the table with your writing? That many things were converging and creating a perfect storm. That is how I feel right at this moment in time. I’ve hit a place that is well above the earth where different ideas of writing are unfolding in unison and creating a book that is like none I have ever written.

The novel unfolding is more powerful with words and paragraphs and words that I have not strung together before. It’s a love story not wholly of our world, but of a new one created from world building. Two beings have come together, one from planet Earth, one from planet 2topia. Their mating is so intense I can only hang on for the ride. But even more importantly, their offspring will be the salvation of our planet...

The story overrides all genres for me. It’s science fiction, its fantasy, its romance, its intense literature. And I’m bringing to it a freedom that is calling to me. It will definitely be written under a pen name to protect the innocent! And I cannot wait to see how it will end. I’m twenty thousand words in and it’s fully charged with intrigue, romance, the need for salvation, and themes around human issues and healing. I can only hope do it justice. May the word fairies have my back!

Best, January Bain / October 14, 2012

 

Friday 5 October 2012

)… And do the sins of the human fall on the vampire?


I’ve considered many ethical and moral questions as I write vampires and humans that are juxtaposition, one on the other. Vampires have obviously discovered the proverbial fountain of youth, but how much of their former human characteristics do they bring to their new lives when they are made by a vampire?  

These are the things I have imagined during alternative world building I’ve created writing about vampires:

Imagine: having all the time in the world to create medical cures.

Imagine: it being feasible to inoculate all humans against their mortality, a vaccine against death.

Imagine: never dying.

Imagine: saving loved ones.

Imagine: saving people with special gifts: Those who want to do good in the world.

Imagine: watching history being made.

Imagine: accumulating great wealth.

Imagine: flying…vanishing...shapeshifting...

Those are just some of the things I’ve thought about during the journey of writing the Forever Series of books. The best part of writing for me is the realization of how amazing our world truly is. And maybe I just like to twig it a bit to add even more magic! After all, that is the gift of storytelling.

Best, January Bain
 

Thursday 4 October 2012

A Writer’s Journey


My personal journey into the awesome realm of writing truly began for me as a child. I thank my dear mother for reading to her brood pretty much nightly for my interest in the written word. In point of fact, I was so excited about discovering how to read I taught myself how to even before my first year of school!

And once I began writing there was no stopping the outpouring of words. I not only write novels, I write about the journey of creating each novel. Words have such power for me! And over me…

To date the journey of storytelling has led me to vampire lairs, to distant planets, to many exotic place right here on Earth and all have definitely increased my pleasure. I usually give my characters the lead, as they off-times know more than me about what they would or would not do! Another advantage of this style of writing is the journey is so fresh that I believe that freshness and passion comes across in the story.

Different species populate my novels. Vampire, Dhampyre, Angel-Fae, Fairies, Dragons—all have called my pages home. And all have enriched my life.

So thank you, Mom, for introducing me to stories read a chapter-a-night. It was the best gift a child could have!

Best, January Bain
Storyteller
Prologue
The murmur of voices was silenced in an instant by the ancient magistrate’s unearthly cold stare as he stood with full authority, blacked-hooded and paper-white, and read from the book of punishments, his voice heralding the full power of the Condita, the Vampire Establishment.
“It is our character and our will that makes and mars our lives. Your defense that you were not aware of the edict against Human feeding falters as it does not justify the excessive crime of random acts of terror against humans. Modern Vampire lore is clear on this point, as it is written.”
And with a short pause for emphasis, continued his diatribe in the echoing tone of an inhuman mountain of stone. The more astute members of his audience felt an infinitesimal flicker of his savoring the silence before his final pronouncement began.
“Therefore, it is the verdict of this court that the vampyre, Katrianna Ivanski, in absentia, for her crimes against the Condita, be chained for no less than twenty four hours to the punishment polus in the central courtyard of the templum. May the Confuto have mercy on your undead soul.”
Fondest Regards,

January Bain
STORYTELLER
Forever Man
Forever Woman
Forever Clan
 
 

Wednesday 3 October 2012

Its Hard To Be Human


FOREVER MAN and FOREVER WOMAN are now available from www.ChampagneBooks.com
It is hard to be human which is maybe why I like to immerse myself in imaginative vampire lore. And immerse myself I do. I’ve lived their lives 24/7 as I get the gift of experiencing the richness of this parallel world. Okay, my human life probably suffers for my obsession at times, but fortunately I have a loving, tolerant husband and three independent cats that like to watch me tap away at the computer. I think they find the rhythm of the keystrokes soothing—just my take as I used to like the sound of my grandma’s knitting needles clicking away while I sat beside her. I even used that memory in my third book, Forever Clan, for the heroine’s Scottish ma.
But I digress. Why is it so hard to be human? Well, we cannot heal ourselves as quickly as vampires can. Imagine being healed overnight as you sleep from a wound that would kill a mortal. I’d like that gift! And for those of you that know me well, you can imagine how I would want to share the gift of healing after reading my first novel in the series, Forever Man.

Vampires have it better on the strength side of the equation also. A drink of blood and they are full of energy. And if the blood comes from a blood bank concoction there would be little guilt, I’m just saying…

Vampires can shape-shift at will. Not a bad ability to have. Imagine the havoc one could bring to bullies, child molesters, murderers and other such evil people.

Vampires can live forever. Okay, this sounds good but what about the fact that if you have regrets in life you have to live with them FOREVER. But then maybe vampires (at least the uncivilized ones) don’t carry this guilt. But mine do for the most part, so maybe it’s also hard to be a vampire at times. But they can’t complain too much as they get to live forever, for heaven’s sake!

I hope you follow the journey of my vampires, angels, and Fae that exist in the pages of the Forever Series. Forever Man was released by Champagne Books in July 2012 and Forever Woman on October 1st, with Forever Clan January 2013. I love to hear from readers and writers alike!
Best Wishes,
January Bain
Storyteller
 
 

Tuesday 2 October 2012

The Writing of Forever Woman


Writing Forever Woman was the kind of experience I can only wish all humans (and especially writers, of course!) could experience at some special time of their live. I found my full writing voice on this magical journey, discovered the richness of an alternate world, and, I won’t hesitant to say, began to envy vampires! 
 What’s not to like? You can to stay young and beautiful forever is you get to be made young; you can acquire great wealth with the full gift of time, you can recover easily from wounds that would smite down a human, and maybe best of all, you get to live with the love of your life forever—that is if you can find them!

That has been Christopher St. John’s, the antagonist’s problem in the novel, as he has lost his mate to betrayal and looks to find another. Well, you can’t just take another man’s love! But he tries and all hell breaks loose. Aidan Hightower, our hero, has his hands full trying to save his love, Winter Kennedy from herself as she has invited Christopher, the head of the Pharaoh Clan to make her a vampire. She has a good reason, but she changes her mind, a woman’s prerogative which the alpha vampire does not take kindly to at all!!!

One of the sparks behind Forever Woman was the revelation to me that if you could give the gift of eternal life to someone, why not chose someone worthy of the gift?! And so the characters that pepper my books are special people, saved for good reason. Winter is a gifted medical nurse with a talent for research and that makes her special to the Pharaoh Clan. Other members of the Clan have their historical gifts too and you will need to read, Forever Woman, to find out what they are!
Best,
January Bain /Storyteller / Forever Man / Forever Woman / Forever Clan
Tomorrow's Blog:
Its Hard To Be Human
 
 
A big thank you to Champagne Books for their belief in me! You do more good than you know.

Excerpt:

“Nice to see you again, Winter.”

The smooth voice of Christopher St. John sucked up all the air in the vehicle. The contrast to the last few days was too much and she was unable to make a connection to any other thought for a few paralyzing seconds. Her brain had shut down, overridden with apprehension and the beginnings of terror.

Finally she found her voice as the vampire appeared in the passenger seat in a blur of hazy movement, dumping her purse on the floor in the process.

“I…I didn’t expect to see you again.”

“Ah, but I am a man, or should I say, a vampire of my word.” His sardonic comment gave her an overwhelmingly queasy feeling.

“Things have changed. I don’t want to be a vampire. I’m getting married tomorrow.” She hated the pleading tone of her voice. She was too stunned by the sudden arrival of the creature and the words spilled out on their own violation.

“Yes, I am aware of your pathetic dabbling with the human. It’s all beneath you. You’re too fine for their world. A beauty like yours comes only once in a thousand years and needs to be preserved for all eternity. That is my quest; that is my service to the Lore.”

“No, no, I’ve changed my mind. I…”

“What you want is not of importance. You are confused—too human. You were meant to call me. As your new-age humans like to profess, nothing happens without a reason. I will help you see the truth and that is my final elucidation on this subject.”

The vampire’s eyes glittered in the lamplight as he placed his hands on each side of her face. She froze once more, her eyes huge, as he bent down and caressed her throat, the vein containing her life’s blood throbbing under the pressure of his cold fingers.

“I thought…I had a choice. That you would know by now that I had changed my mind.”

“Did you really believe that?” His unholy voice was now colored with patronizing overtones. “I gave you too much credit—I thought you were one of the more intelligent women of your species.”

His condescending words enraged Winter and she pulled away violently, only to be trapped in an instant by his inhuman strength as he pulled her close in the claustrophobic confines of the vehicle.

“The pain will only be momentary. Fighting it will only make it worse. Relax, hush, little one.” His voice was mesmerizing as he gathered her close and sunk his lips into her neck. A brief start of intense pain caused Winter to let out a moan and then she felt nothing, thought nothing, as the vampire stole the life force from within her and she lapsed into unconsciousness.