“The Rainbow Sprite” Teasers

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alisha costanzo, anthology, blade, blood, breasts, Broken World, corpse, cruel, Death, fae, faerie mound, fantasies, feel, flesh, groin, heart, magick, myth, new york, paranormal, power, scruff, sex, taste, teasers, The Rainbow Sprite, Underwater, urban fantasy, vampires, whimper, woods

New teasers for my upcoming story, “The Rainbow Sprite.”

All full of sex and magick – just the way I like it.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a video excerpt, read by yours truly.

Excerpt from UNDERWATER: “Crushed” by Case C. Capehart

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anthology, blood, breast, case c. capehart, curfew, dark, fantasy, foster family, horror, lamia, lifeless, mermaids, mistake, myth, paranormal, poison, regret, river, security, squeeze, Underwater, vacant, vicious, wicked, writing

Murina feared venturing outside of her room. Piaractus distracted her everywhere from everything, and she something would eventually give away her thoughts. Her sisters and classmates would see the inky shadows lurking within her twisted mind, and her foster father would find that his conditioning failed. She visualized the looks of disgust from her sisters, the disappointment of Acei, and the accusations of Arowen and Rachovii. They would call her a traitor and lock her away or maybe put her down like the beast she was.

Murina could not help herself. She wanted to be found by him, somewhere no one could intervene. She wanted to be held down in the sticky muck of the riverbed and gripped with fingers of iron; not like the thin, squirming digits that Fasciatus tried to worm across her breast.

She wanted to be squeezed; to have the life choked from her chest. Nothing else in her foreign world would do.

Murina’s desire eventually found a way. Her sisters could only be away from the parties for so long, curfew-be-damned, and she wormed her way into their group. Lying came easier to her than she would have imagined, and when she started to tear up at their initial rejection, Acei quickly put forth the invitation. The anxiety threatened to leak from her pores and poison the waters as she allowed her sisters to paint her into an acceptable image. She could wear the mermaid costume for another night if it meant getting out of that house and the guilt that Tetra’s large, accepting eyes inflicted upon her.

Murina planned to break away from her group unnoticed during the party to search the river for him, but they never made it there.

The river flowed vacant and lifeless. No minnows darting around the surface, no curious perch, not even scuttle bugs along the floor. Murina’s blood chilled and slowed in her veins. Regret pierced her, sending lightning from her chest through her tail as the shadow spilled across them. She had made a terrible mistake letting any of her sisters leave the security of their home.

Piaractus was a vicious-looking merman, with abnormally large, amber eyes, scarred arms corded with muscle, and a wicked grin full of sharp teeth.

And he had Arowen.

 

Check out his author facebook, website, and twitter.

Cover Reveal for UNDERWATER

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#releasedaychallenge, #sociallinks, alisha costanzo, amazon gift card, anthology, anthony s. buoni, author, bell, blood, blood phoenix, book, Broken World, cover reveal, Death, excerpt, faerie mound, faeries, fantasy, folklore, giveaway, heroes, horror, Hulk, humor, magick, mermaids, myth, New Orleans, paranormal, publishing, romance, sharks, spells, sprite, synopsis, The Rainbow Sprite, Underwater, urban fantasy, vampires, writing

✰✰COVER REVEAL✰✰

Underwater edited by Anthony S. Buoni & Alisha Costanzo @TransmundnePres @bookenthupromo

Genre: Fantasy Anthology

Release Date:February 29, 2016

Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions (http://bookenthusiastpromotions.com )

#BuyNow

Amazon US:http://amzn.to/1JgjdYa

Amazon UK:http://amzn.to/1njorJ3

#Giveaway:

Enter here ➜ ➜  http://bit.ly/1T2eagc

Add the book to Goodreads ➜http://bit.ly/1QmcmxN

#Synopsis:

When was the last time you came face-to-face with a mermaid?

Ever explore a hidden underwater cave or been haunted by an unearthly creature? Did that passionate childhood fantasy turn into a real, sexy encounter? When was the last time you discovered a bell concealing the entrance to a faerie mound? Have you wondered what would happen if New Orleans was entombed in radioactive water?

UNDERWATER features sixteen exploratory tales that delve into decrepit landscapes and strange magic, inhuman heroes and crushing experimentation. Two-thirds of the world is submerged—experience what happens within, from the fantastical and erotic to the horrifying and triumphant, UNDERWATER showcases stories that will inundate readers with uncharted territories.

#MeettheEditors

Alisha Costanzo is from a Syracuse suburb. She earned her MFA in creative writing from the University of Central Oklahoma, where she currently teaches English. She’s the author of BLOOD PHOENIX: REBIRTH, BLOOD PHOENIX: CLAIMED, and LOVING RED, and is co-editor of DISTORTED and UNDERWATER. IMPRINTED, her new novel, is undergoing serious edits for its 2016 release. In the meantime, she will continue to corrupt young minds, rant about the government, and daydream about her all around nasty creatures.

Anthony S. Buoni prowls the gas lamp lit streets of New Orleans, playing moonlight hide and seek with Ouija boards in the Crescent City’s foggy, above ground cemeteries. Anthony is the author of Conversation Party and Synchrony, co-editor to Distorted volume 1, and editor to both Between There anthologies. His stories and articles have been featured in Meow, Small Happy, North Florida Noir, and Waterfront Living. When not haunting swamps and boneyards, Anthony keeps it scary, writing dark fiction, editing, and watching horror movies, using his afterlife to DJ, write music, and conjure other worldly creatures with tarot cards, elixirs, and dreams.

#SocialLinks

Website:http://www.transmundanepress.com/

Facebook:www.facebook.com/TransmundanePress/

Twitter:twitter.com/TransmundnePres

Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9831879.Transmundane_Press

Newsletter:http://eepurl.com/bLVkaH

#Excerpt

From “The Rainbow Sprite” by Alisha Costanzo:

My vision filled too often with bloody fucking rainbows, and my tongue craved the taste of hot, spring rains. I found myself wired and explosive in my daily duties, biting a claimed renegade but imagining the sprite instead. My queen punished me fittingly for it, caning the bottoms of my feet. I left with a hard-on.

She went easy on me, giving me a lesson in my more preferred manner, because I offered information that pleased her. Now, my orders sent me where I wanted to go: for a way to infiltrate the underwater faerie mound. Mine was through the rainbow sprite.

The woods changed with charms, glittering under the moon like beckons. Nevertheless, I found Nani’s watering hole, armed with a bell and her ring—both held the most curious magick.

Spring rain didn’t greet me as my toes slipped into the brisk water. Instead, a peaches and cream scent emitted from the waters before a pale, golden fluff bobbed to the surface above the slender face of a boy. His features matched Nani’s except that his eyes were a soft orange and freckles kissed the center of his face like a frangipani.

I leaned in as the boy hovered there and coaxed him closer. “Are you the little bugger that dropped a bell in there?”

His minute nod propelled him further forward, close enough for me to snatch him up. My grip found his throat, and I swung him onto land with a thunk of his shoulder blades against the grass. Teeth bared at him.

Sweat beaded along the kid’s forehead and wisps of fear wafted from him. Burning seeped into my chest at his touch, slow and eating at my skin like acid. “Will your blood poison me?”

The scent of his fear matured as he nodded again.

Liar.

I pulled the bell from my pocket and jingled it by his face. “What does this do to you on land?”

“Headache.”

“And if it touches you?”

The boy’s gaze hopped to the bell and back to me. “Make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I get angry.”

Was this pipsqueak quoting the Hulk at me?

I dropped my fangs, flaunted them in his face to the joy of his hyperventilating and pissing himself.

“Pika?” Long, blonde hair slicked back from Nani’s wide, rainbow eyes before they slanted and her mouth puckered. “Vampire.”

“Is this yours?” I pushed his head back to elongate the boy’s throat.

“Nan.” The boy’s voice so brittle it threatened to break.

“You let him free.”

“And why would I do such a thing?”

She tread closer, the water parting to her bare shoulder and dripping down her collarbones. It made me hungrier. “I will make a trade. Me for him.”

I wanted her blood more than the boy’s. “Out of the water.”

Nani climbed into the grass, circling around us and into the tree line.

“Nan.”

“It’s okay. He won’t hurt me.”

I will, but I won’t kill her. Not yet. “Aw. Isn’t this sweet.”

Terrified eyes blinked up at me.

“You have five seconds to disappear before this bell hits the pond.” I jingled the bell at him for emphasis.

“Go,” the sprite told her brother.

He shot out from under me, splashing as I counted, tossing the bell in after him. Rolled onto my back, I smiled up at Nani. “I do believe I scared the piss out of the little bugger.”

#ReleaseDayChallenge

For the next month-until release day-I pledge to post EVERYDAY with excerpts, author interviews, insights, and other fun stuff. I’m excited for you to learn more about these excellent authors. So stay tuned!

The Scarlet Queen interviewed by Kaia Skarin

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alisha costanzo, Assetato, blood, book, Broken World, Celampresians, character sketch, Death, eilon, evil, faeries, fantasy, fear, folklore, horror, humor, interview, Loving Red, magick, monster, myth, novel, paranormal, phea, power, romance, russian, scarlet queen, Transmundane Press, Travelers, urban fantasy, vampire, victims, writing

Kaia sits patiently at an interview table, a recorder prepped and ready. She twists the Cat’s Eye ring around her pinky. Anxiety hotwires her pulse when Scarlet enters, hair pinned in a sleek bun atop of her head, adorned with a small tiara. Pearls decorate her throat, giving more class to her simple, black dress. White gloves cinch her arms mid-bicep. She truly channeled Audrey Hepburn, only with a darker, more exotic face.

Kaia presses record as Scarlet sits across from her.

Scarlet: I see your lovers put too much faith in either your courage or my restraint, leaving you alone here to question me. Maybe that is because you are a human, and I have little interest in them.

Kaia: They’re around. And I’m not scared of you.

Scarlet: You should be, but good for you.

Kaia: Can you state your full name for the record?

Scarlet: Marusya Negreev. It means bitter.

Kaia: And you’re commonly called the Scarlet Queen?

S: Among other names, yes. You are correct.

K: What was your childhood like?

S: What boring questions you have for me. My parents were ignorant and inattentive, so I sat idle too often in my room and with my servants’ children like some improper babe. I had an education like any normal child, and I came into my abilities late. Scarlet tugs on her white gloves, adjusting the fingertips before smoothing her skirt against her tan legs.

Kaia remembers Eilon telling her how this fae ceremoniously slaughtered her own parents with those abilities.

K: Would you unleash sparkly death ponies on the world?

S: Amusement brightens her dark eyes. No. Even if such creatures did exist. I would rather keep and cherish them. Although I admit, I would use them on my subjects if need be.

K: What do you require of your subjects?

S: Loyalty, of the unwavering variety.

K: What makes you angry?

S: Idleness. Everyone should have a purpose for himself or herself. Always.

K: Who is your greatest hero?

S: Hero? I have no heroes. I do admire the vampire queen; however, I would not call her my hero. An ally perhaps.

K: Not knowing much about the vampire queen, Sev tells her that his agency, the Assetato, fight against her. How did you meet your lover?

S: Her sigh is hard to decipher—frustration or longing. I met him on my first trip to the Americas back in the twenties. Daniel was a relatively young vampire, but he had an amazing ability that I hoped to exploit. She shook her head, showing a fracture in her decorum. He could project stories into others’ minds, replace their memories, and make them believe whatever he liked.

The first time he showed me, he escorted me as an agent for the vampire queen, and I watched as Daniel convinced a woman her baby had died while it sat sleeping in her arms. Stirred into hysteria, she shook what she believed to be her dead baby in attempts to wake it, only killing it in the process, snapping its poor neck.

He showed me a fantastic time, and I let him kiss me when he dropped me home.

K: Kaia covers her mouth to keep from retching. Surely, the story means to frighten or disgust her. Scarlet accomplished her goal. What a fairy tale romance.

S: The best a girl can ask for. Her sweet smile might be convincing if not for the evil twinkle.

K: Taking a deep breath, she pushes forward. What is a ritual you engage in daily?

S: Smile slanting, she nods. I bathe in the blood of virgins.

K: Now, Scarlet is messing with her. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

S: I would develop a more prolific sense of humor. Obviously.

K: Tea or coffee?

S: Tea with milk and one sugar. One must always have sweets and cakes at tea time.

K: Odd that they have that in common. She doesn’t like it. What’s your favorite sweet?

S: Пряники or spice cakes with honey. But I will take Орешки or dough balls filled with condensed milk and jam.

K: Great. I’ll have to try those.

S: Is that all?

K: Yup. You can have an escort if you want.

S: How sweet. She stands, smoothing her dress and gloves before she leaves. 

Kaia relaxes, shuts off the recorder, and looks around. Anxiety taps into her chest. Waiting until her breath calms, she leaves the room to rejoin her new lover and wolf, Sev.

Excerpt from Chapter Nine of LOVING RED

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alisha costanzo, andre, audrey hepburn, author, blood, book, bosex, breakfast at tiffany's, Broken World, character development, circus, Death, Dev, fae, faerie, fantasy, gypsies, horror, kaia, kidnapping, love, Loving Red, monsters, novel, paranormal, paranormal romance, power, revenge, romance, scarlet, Sev, Shapeshifter, shifters, sneak peek, torture, Transmundane Press, Travelers, urban fantasy, vampire, werebears, weres, Werewolf, werewolves

Kaia sat on the side of a bed as a small, dark-featured female sat in a chair across from her, her knees held together, reminding Kaia of Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Her round eyes condescending yet patient as she looked Kaia over. She took her time, carefully picking every bit of Kaia apart in silence. Fidgeting against her cuffs, adrenaline fought the post-anxiety-attack exhaustion.

The room glowed a gentle yellow, and the springs of the cheap bed creaked under she minute shifting. Finally, their gazes met.

“Two years ago, I watched my mate get his head torn off by a bear. His teeth…” Suppressed rage hastened her breath, “sliced right into his throat…and snapped his body in two. I didn’t believe it possible until that beast spit my lover’s head out and it rolled towards me.” Unfettered lust for revenge brightened her eyes, making them grow impossibly wider.

Kaia couldn’t create the image this woman painted. “I’m sorry. Who are you? If you want my family’s money, they’ll give it, but we’re not excessively rich.”

“I do not want your silly money. The male who killed my lover is what I want.” Rigid, gloved fingers squeezed together in her lap, shaking as if she held a snarling beast on a chain. She took a breath and layered on composure. “And you may call me Scarlet. Fitting, I would think.”

Quite. But not her real name. Dev called her Little Red from the moment they’d met, charming her with his flirtatious humor—the same humor the man captured with her had. They both seemed like such good men, in their presence and actions. Kaia had been wrong enough about the bear, and certainly, she needed no more proof that she was wrong about Sev.

“I can’t give you what you want.” Just the same, Dev didn’t deserve to die because he couldn’t love her enough. Not that she had much information for them, other than broken bits she kept sweeping away, left over from their relationship.

“You can and will by the time we’re through with you. Hopefully, before I lose my patience. I’d hate to mar that perfect skin of yours.” Scarlet straightened her gloves, up around her elbows like the thought of dirtying them with violence set her further on edge. “Why don’t I tell you the whole story? It might give you a smidgen of perspective.

“Two-and-a-half years ago, the bear made contact with Travelers, a mix of Irish and Asian decent, roaming the European and Asian landmass since long before they were called such, as they made their first pass through the Midwest. They’d formed a traveling circus when bartering fell out of favor. The bear weaseled his way into the group, coercing younger members to reform, like those Jehovah’s Witnesses.

“Half of the Travelers pledged to work with humans, to mean them no harm, to hide themselves in passivity. Unrest nestled its way into the pack, splitting families apart and breaking traditions.”

Scarlet pressed her hands into her knees, thumbing away invisible dirt. An ache started in Kaia’s shoulders, making her stretch in the break. This woman had real issues with change it seemed, something raised in Kaia that she had embraced whole-heartedly.

“When trust breaks down, peace becomes a scarce commodity and violence takes its place. Six months after that bear befriended the Travelers, the first death to their people occurred. A young feline murdered his father. Both sides were at each other’s throats, screaming and reaching for blood.

“Daniel, my lover, was called to come placate both sides, but we were not the only ones summoned. And neither side could compromise, especially not with that bear preaching about ethical treatment and ultimate elimination. He killed so many of us. And so many children died.” Scarlet shook her head, bringing her gloved finger to catch a tear before it smeared her mascara. Blinking it away, she took a breath and settled her gaze to her lap. After a few silent moments, she worked at peeling her right glove down her arm, pulling it from her fingertips to reveal dipped and discolored flesh, red and raw looking, mangled like a horse’s leg after a cougar attack. Her arm healed, although unlike the rest of her dark, creamy skin. “When he was done with my Daniel, he tried to take my arm, too. Your bear did this to me.”

The glove wrinkled in her hand, and she slammed her fist into her thigh, her voice soft and scary, whispering a curse. Her outburst subdued, and Scarlet slid the glove back in place. “So, tell me, Little Red, when is the last time you talked to your sweet Devere?”

“I haven’t talked to him since he broke my heart. Why would I want to?” Did they expect her to merely give up the man she loved? This woman needed to do more than tell her a story skewed by the hatred of equality and cooperation with humans. Dev didn’t tell her a lot about what he was and what he did, but Kaia learned enough by observation. And this Scarlet, as the bear would put it, wouldn’t be alive if he wanted her dead. He had a strict no women or children rule unless he had no other choice.

“Andre.” Scarlet rose a hand, signaling Ponytail forward to grab Kaia by the arm and pull her off the small bed to a corner of the room where a tub sat, filled with water.

Andre grabbed the mass of her hair and forced her to her knees in front of it. “We don’t take kindly to lies, Little Red.”

Fear grabbed Kaia’s heart as he forced her face into the water, making her struggle to hold her breath, her body jerking against the side of the tub, unable to lift herself. Burning lungs threatened to pull in the water as she came free to breathe. Andre dropped his sour face beside hers. She ate the air.

“You called him after I attacked you. Predictable.” He gave her a deviant grin before pushing her face back into the cold water.

Pre-order the book here!

Learn more about the gypsies/travelers in my Did You Know… post.

Authoring & Editing, July Edition

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alisha costanzo, anthology, atlantis, author, blood, blood phoenix: rebirth, book, Boot Camp, Broken World, Celampresians, claimed, cock, Dirty, distorted, dryad, editing, fantasy, heavy petting, horror, humor, hunger, likable characters, love, Loving Red, Marketing, mythology, NaNoWriMo, novel, odd character, orgasm, paranormal, paranormal romance, penis size, process, publishing, romance, sex, sexual tension, Shapeshifter, torture, Transmundane Press, Underwater, Untamed, urban fantasy, vampire, victims, war, werebears, weres, Werewolf, werewolves, writing

So, I’ve been absent from my social media outlets more than I would have liked this month, which means you get an odd post about the busy life of an author and editor.

July is NaNoWriMo Camp, or Writing Boot Camp as I like to call it. I’ve written 32,000 words thus far this month, and I’m still going. I won’t reach my 75,000 word goal by the end of July, but I’m still pushing, which means I’m still absent – mostly.

July also means marketing footwork for my up-coming novel, LOVING RED, which will be published on September 9th.  And after 100 or so review/promo request, I’ve received close to thirty confirmations for my release day efforts. Whoo! Who knew I could be such a marketing fool?

It also means editing. I’ve been hard at work editing the submissions for my new anthology with Transmundane Press, UNDERWATER, co-edited by Anthony S. Buoni. I’m struggling to get through the last three stories – not because they’re bad, but because I’m working so hard at writing 2,000 words a day, self-promotion, and having the kids here for the summer.

But I’m also finalizing my edits for LOVING RED. I’m on my last leg, the proof for my final read through after my editor gets his hands on it. And, well, he makes me laugh my way through it, which makes it such a better experience.

So, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite comments he left me. All highlighted in GREEN! (That’s not a book title; I just like green that much.)

Fun with torture! My poor characters get their fair share of violent treatment when they’re captured by the Celampresians. Apparently, I do some good work with evil dialogue. Woot!

Sexual Tension… This isn’t the first time the two throw pheromones at each other, but I love when a scene ramps up the heat without any actual sex.

Heavy Petting Award! What better way to distract characters from their impending doom? Besides, as Sev points out, better to feed the heart than feed the body in dire circumstances.

Getting Down & Dirty! Finally, the characters get into some nasty business with each other, and not the violent kind. He mentions softening the language because the rest of the novel has a softer tone, but we can have an easy-going perspective and still get real in the bedroom, can’t we?

BONUS ROUND, the “Penis Size Notes: Chart A.” Do I really need to explain this one? I have a penchant for the word, “cock.”

Odd Character Alert! My dryad is too likable! I suppose something evil must happen to him. We can’t have him getting away scott free. No. No, we can’t.

FINSIH LINE! Yes, this is a new series, but it’s also intertwined with Ria’s story line, and I plan to have the two merge at some point. I’m glad he saw the connections I made.

I hope you can see those connections, too!

Add LOVING RED to your goodreads bookshelves, and check out the other Broken World stories so you don’t miss out on all of those links I’ve made, and you’ll be ready for Ari’s short story, “Untamed,” a fun bonus story at the back of the book.

BLOOD PHOENIX: REBIRTH (Book One)

BLOOD PHOENIX: CLAIMED (Book Two)

DISTORTED (Contains Phea’s Novella, “Maiden of the Underworld”)

Time to hit the keys again. 2,000 words, here I come. Much love, y’all.

Kickstarter Launched

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alisha costanzo, anthony s. buoni, author, blood, blood phoenix, blood phoenix: rebirth, book, bosex, Broken World, claimed, Death, drawing, dryad, editing, fantasy, folklore, gypsies, kickstarter, love, Loving Red, magick, miami, myth, mythology, novel, paranormal, paranormal romance, power, publishing, roleplaying, romance, self-publish, sex, Shapeshifter, sneak peek, tree nymph, urban fantasy, vampire, vampires, werebears, weres, Werewolf, werewolves, writing

LOVING RED

For Sergeant Severins Bouvier, silence means tactical planning and a large death toll, and he can’t shake how danger threatens him on the beaches of Miami, especially after seeing one of his associates in a local sandwich shop. Worse, the enemy seems fascinated with the woman he can’t stop thinking about—a woman determined not to trust him.

Everything about Sev crashes through Kaia’s carefully placed boundaries, traps, and avoidances. Regardless of her lack of interest in the majority of men, the ones that did catch her off guard left a lot of collateral damage. Who better than a soldier to understand that?

The problem is that she trusts him. Just not with her heart.

Initial Goal: $1,500.00

What your donations support:

Professional Editing

Personalized Swag

Kick Ass Month Long Tour with Giveaways

Full Rights to the Cover

Check out the full campaign and fun swag here!

Interview with Phea Celampresian: the Queen of Darkness

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alisha costanzo, atlantean, bitch, blood, blood phoenix, blood phoenix: claimed, blood phoenix: rebirth, book, Broken World, character sketch, creation, Death, distorted, fangs, fantasy, folklore, god, goddess, horror, interview, intimidating, James, jydios, love, maiden of the underworld, mercy, monster, mother, myth, mythology, paranormal, phea, power, queen, regret, reincarnation, renegade, Ria, ruler, underworld, urban fantasy, vampires, warrior

<I sit with Phea opposite me, doing my best to sit straight. For such a small woman, she exudes an intimidating breadth of power. I can’t bring myself to speak as she waits for us to begin.>

It wouldn’t do for you to cower from me if you are meant to interview me, now would it?

True enough. I certainly appreciate it. With the recent revelation about your past, readers still want to know why after all of these years, you’re still such a bitch?

<She laughs.> It is always the woman who is a bitch, isn’t it? A forceful man is merely a warrior, a ruler, or a god. Well, I am all of those things. I merely have ovaries.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Temperance is overrated in all of its forms, but most directly—mercy. If someone must ask for mercy, they do not deserve it.

Which talent would you most like to have?

Compassion.

I don’t think compassion is considered a talent.

Oh, believe me, it’s almost an art form. And I have no natural talent for it.

What is your most treasured possession?

My son.

What is your greatest regret?

Acting on love.

Do you have anything to say to those who view you as a home wrecker?

Yes. Xander’s soul was first mine, as I believed when he was Jydios. Physical forms have no meaning to me, and I merely claimed what was mine.

So you believe James is the reincarnated Jydios?

I despise the use of that name formed from the mouth of an insolent renegade. But belief has nothing to do with it.

Interesting. I hadn’t known that. It sure would explain some things.

I would say that I’m happy to oblige, but I am not.

Okay. Moving on then. What do you consider risky behavior?

Allowing my offspring to grow to uncontrollable levels.

Have they? Grown uncontrollable?

When the queen must fight to gain knowledge about those born from her blood, I would say so.

Where do you most feel at home?

I don’t.

Okay, well, let’s wrap this up, shall we? I’m sure you’ve got places to be and people to kill. Thanks, Phea, from taking some time out to answer my questions.

To learn more about Phea, check out her new story, “Maiden of the Underworld,” here. And of course, her unruly introduction in Blood Phoenix: Rebirth and Blood Phoenix: Claimed. Also, check out her Facebook page!

BLOOD PHOENIX: CLAIMED Teasers

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alisha costanzo, blood, blood phoenix, Boden, book, Broken World, celampresian, character sketch, claimed, Death, distorted, fangs, fantasy, first kiss, gene, horror, humor, hunger, infantry, laws, leprachaun, monster, myth, novel, paranormal, power, publishing, Ria, sneak peek, tenth mountain division, Transmundane Press, urban fantasy, US Army, vampire, Watertown NY, writing

Yeah, I know. I’m a bit behind since BLOOD PHOENIX: CLAIMED came out in October. But damn it, I get busy. So, here they are. All six of them. Keep tuned for updates on LOVING RED and its kickstarter campaign.

 

Check out the teasers for BLOOD PHOENIX: REBIRTH and “Maiden of the Underworld” from DISTORTED.

A Villain’s Story and Black Friday Sale

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alisha costanzo, anthology, atlantis, author, Black Friday, blood, blood phoenix, book, Broken World, character development, claimed, Death, distorted, editing, fangs, fantasy, folklore, gods, hunger, Legend, magick, monster, myth, mythology, paranormal, publishing, rebirth, Sale, self-publish, Transmundane Press, urban fantasy, vampire, vampyr, writing

Something about a villain’s creation story appeals to most readers. Knowing someone means loving them, as many great authors have demonstrated, so as we know these villains, we can’t help but love them, too. The more complex an antagonist becomes, the more they feel like real people, and it grows harder to hate them, which conflicts with our rooting for the good guy. We story tellers have good reasons to give them purpose.

Because characters drive plot, they generate reason behind what happens to the protagonist. Knowing what makes them do what they do creates more tension for future conflicts via reader awareness. We feel the tension looming as we watch characters opposing each other. Opposition creates disharmony, more so when a tiny part of us understands them, and their viewpoints, too. Empathy is a powerful tool.

As Chuck Wendig says, “Antagonists think they’re the protagonists. The antagonist is the hero in his own story…the antagonist thinks he’s right. And doing the right thing. Even when it’s awful.” They must have realistic motivations. Besides, evil just because is boring. In fact, antagonists, even villains, should fall short of being black and white. They need depth because bad guys don’t genuinely exist in real life, although we like to paint people this way, especially in our history books.

Writing from the antagonist’s perspective, and reading it, gives us time with them and their minds. Again, knowing them in this intimate way means that they fully bloom in our minds. Besides, they must create a real challenge. And since a protagonist needs something to do, making them believable with some advantage, we worry for the characters more. All of them.

Phea is my ultimate villain. She runs the show either directly or behind the scenes for all of my stories, present and future (I’ve got about forty in the bleachers waiting as patiently as they can. Give them credit, those seats aren’t soft). But she’s not completely evil. Beyond being treated poorly, wronged by others, regret, and the internal struggle with knowingly transforming into a monster, she has another nasty little secret that secures her dementia and cruelty. And I’m not telling you what that is (because spoilers). Essentially, the downpour of shit that threatens to bury her in “Maiden of the Underworld” makes me feel sorry for her—at times. Does she have good reason for being the villain? You may just decide that she does.

Check out her creation story here.

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