Ramsey's Book Review
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Tracey, welcome to Ramsey's Reviews 2nd
Annual Halloween Bash. I am thrilled to finally have you here as my
guest. You have been working extremely hard lately and your
publishing company, as well as your writing has really taken off for
you, which is extremely awesome!
Tell us your latest news. Do
you have any current projects you’re working on?
Currently I’m
working on another rewrite of Dawn of kNight (Book 3 of the kNight
Series) and also a very adorable YA Contemporary Romance called
Sound of Thunder.
When and Why did you begin writing?
I began writing
at the age of sixteen. Mr. Wilson, my English teacher gave us an
assignment to write a short story based on the starting sentence…”One
dark and stormy night…”. I couldn’t think of anything to
write, and stared at the blank paper for at least an hour, rolling
around any thoughts that could possibly make a story. When I put the
pen to paper and wrote the beginning sentence what followed was the
beginning of what later became a writing career. The short story
impressed my teacher enough he asked me to stay after class so he
could tell me that I really needed to consider writing for a career.
Of course he recommended several books, mostly by Stephen
King…because he told me I wrote in the same gory style as King
did.
Okay, that was
my first attempt at writing, and the short story I wrote turned out
to be a dark horror. At sixteen, I was a major horror buff ,and loved
any horror movies. So was it a wonder I wrote a horror story that
scared half the class?
LOL. I too, love my dark horror genre.
Lately I have been watching back to back horror movies on Netflix
just to get my fix. Haha. Where do you get your information or ideas
for your books?
It depends on
what I’m writing. If I’m writing a story that is based on a
specific legends I might go to a library for books about the legends
and also use the internet as another source of information. My story
ideas pop up at any given time. Sometimes I might just get a piece,
one scene and write it down. Months, or years later I might pull that
little nugget out and see if I have anything else to add that might
make a novel.
What do you think makes a good horror story?
I love a horror
story that has the old school stuff, blood, guts, gore, and suspense.
I really like a book to read like watching a movie, if that’s at
all possible, and to keep me sitting on the edge of my seat until the
last page.
That is how I visualize any type of books,
like watching a movie. If while reading a story I don't get that
mental movie picture in my mind, then usually the writing isn't
progressing like it should – smooth flowing scene execution is
vital to a 5 star review. What is your favorite scary movie or book?
I would still
have to say my favorite scary movie of all time is Howling,
which is tied with Silver Bullet. Although, I have to give
credit to Hell Raiser. My favorite scary book- The Shinning
by Stephen King.
Ahh Silver Bullet. I never thought I
would ever find another soul who liked this movie as much as I. One
of the best short stories and movie, IMO, ever made. What makes you
interested in the genre your write?
I believe that
the genre chooses the writer and not the other way around. A story is
crafted from the imagination of the writer stemming from something
familiar. For instance, I love cutting off the lights, climbing onto
the sofa with a blanket and pillow to watch scary movies. If I laugh
at a scary part, it didn’t thrill me. My early writings in horror
were dark, and twisted, probably due to the fact I enjoyed dark
thrillers. My paranormal romance, Dark of kNight, meant to be
a horror novel titled Beast Within. The story still revolved
around the two main characters, but the horror factors were dominate
and the ending graphic, gory and violent.
When you were a child, what creature or
story scared you the most? And did it propel your creative muse to
write about it later?
My favorite
creature- werewolves of course. I think I’ve seen every horror
movie made about werewolves, even the cheesy ones! (LOL!
Me too) I believe it did propel me to become a little creative
with the muse.
Do you remember ever coming up with anything
so wild that you scared yourself, leaving you to wonder where that
came from?
Oh- yes, and
that story is still hidden somewhere in a file and I haven’t
touched it since. It was one of those tidbits I started and put away
for a later day to be revived. I am hoping to return to the horror
genre and write more dark horror.
I hope you do soon. I would love to read
what type of horror goes through your mind. Where do you as an author
draw the line on gory description and/or erotic content?
Blood, guts and
gore, I think is pretty normal for horror. I would have to draw the
line on the age of the characters, I can’t write any harm to babies
or under age children…just can’t do it. But adult wise, it goes.
As far as erotic content, yes, I’ve read some horror books that
scared you stiff, (no pun intended), and yet they had really erotic
content on the sex scenes. I think I would have to draw the line
there with creature and human sex.
Could you share some of your blurbs or
exerts with us?
Sure. I’ll
give you an excerpt from Silver Moon.
Jennifer pulled
the Mustang over on the opposite side of the road. A sudden relief
swept over her when the car door opened and the old man stepped out.
The crazy evening and conversation would end. She opened the car
door and stepped out onto the road. If the story he told her was
true about the mutilated bodies then she didn’t want the same thing
to happen to him. Cautiously she followed him across the road to the
truck. Her eyes darted around the darkness, searching for any
threatening signs of danger.
“Awe Miss
Jennifer, you don’t have to watch over me. I can fend for myself,”
he forced out a smile. He raised the gas container, placing the tip
into the truck.
“I know
you can Ben,” she returned a warm smile. “I just want to make
sure you are not in the news tomorrow.”
Old Ben
chuckled. He finished pouring the gas into the truck and turned to
Jennifer who stood anxiously with her arms folded across her chest.
“I would
like to give you something in return for helping an old man,” he
said. He placed the empty container in the back of the truck.
“No- no.
Really, I don’t expect anything. I wanted to help.”
Ben opened
his mouth to say something and froze. His eyes focused on the
approaching car. Suddenly his eyes narrowed and his grey eyebrows
burrowed together. The car slowed down to a stop behind the Mustang.
The motor
turned off on the shiny black Porsche. The dark tinted windows
prevented Ben and Jennifer from seeing the driver. A second or two
passed before the driver’s door opened. The hair on the back of
Jennifer’s neck prickled. Chills swept over her arms when the
driver climbed out of the car.
The driver
of the fancy new sports car wore black jeans and a black silky shirt
with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The black color of his
clothing enhanced his dark appearance.
Waves of
fear rushed through her body, rendering her thoughts helpless. All
reason had left her in that moment. She clearly heard the warning in
the old man’s voice.
“Is
everything alright? Car problems?” The smoothness of the
stranger’s voice mellowed in Jennifer’s fear.
“I just
brought him back from the gas station. His truck ran out of gas,”
she stated firmly.
The
stranger moved closer. Jennifer’s breath caught in her throat. He
was breathtaking. The smooth way he walked across the road brought
out a gasp in her breath. The long black leather coat he wore flowed
quietly with each step he took. He walked as a man who had power and
control. Confidence.
“Missy,
please…” Ben whispered again.
“I think
the old man is fairly concerned about your well-being my dear,” the
handsome man held out his hand to her. “My name is Joshua.”
“Joshua
thanks for your help, but I think we are finished here.” Jennifer
reached out to take his hand.
Ben grabbed
her hand and forced it down by her side. His sudden move startled
her. Joshua’s eyes immediately darted towards the old man.
“I don’t
think I’m the one she needs to fear tonight, old man,” Joshua’s
voice turned icy.
Jennifer’s
heart suddenly slammed against her chest. Her pulse raced. Her mind
swirled with horrifying thoughts and images. Tiny beads of sweat
moistened her hands. Her life was in danger, she thought as she took
a step away from the two men. How could the old man hurt her? Or
was it this stranger that threatened her life?
“He plans
on killing you.” Joshua stated firmly. “Come with me and I will
save your life.”
“HE’S
LYING!” Ben spat out. “He plans on taking you for himself! You
don’t want to be what he is!”
Words were
not coming to her. Jennifer’s mind jumbled with confusion. What
is Joshua? How did Ben know him? She didn’t have the answers to
make a rational decision. At this point the only choice she had was
to run away from them both. She darted for her car. Before she had
a chance to take two more steps, she heard a clicking sound of a
revolver behind her. The sound of a single gunshot filled the air.
The next second she felt something hard hit her shoulder, sending her
toward the ground. The burn. It burns! Her eyes closed tightly as
the burn turned into excruciating pain. She released a scream when
she realized she had been shot.
Her ears
rang with fear. Her heart pounded loudly. Adrenaline rushed through
her veins. Pain flooded across her body. A pain of fire flooded
through her body. This was not a normal gunshot wound, she thought
as her eyes closed tightly. Her whole body convulsed with the waves
of a raging fire. For a moment, she thought her body was going to
combust into flames. Her death would be by fire, she just knew it.
The next
few seconds were blurs of a horrifying nightmare. Her eyes flickered
open long enough to see Ben holding a gun and Joshua wrestling
against him. It didn’t look like a fair fight. Jennifer knew she
had to move, get to her car and call for help. Her hands clawed at
the ground. Dirt filled underneath her fingernails. The waves of
burning pain crashed against her veins again. The world swirled
around her. She lost control of her body and fell toward the ground
again. A bloody scream released from deep in her throat as another
wave of pain momentarily blinded her. Darkness enveloped her eyes,
preventing her from seeing the two figures as they fought. She could
still hear them. Their bodies slammed against the truck. Their feet
rustled against the grass on the ground. The grunts and growls of
the two men were loud and clear as they continued with their
struggle.
Her vision
returned. Not clear, but clear enough for her to see Joshua had
relieved the old man of his weapon. She wished she had closed her
eyes as she watched Ben grab something from the back of the truck and
hit Joshua alongside of his head. She watched the handsome man fall
backwards to the ground. He didn’t move. He must be dead she
thought. Jennifer wondered if she would be next.
That was suspenseful indeed. Wow, I know I
want to read more. What happened to Jennifer? And is this handsome
stranger, Joshua, going to spring back up? Is he good or evil? Or is
it the old man that the evil one? Guess I will have to read the book
to find out. =) Where can your fans go to find more information about
you and your books?
My website is
http://www.darkofknightseries.com
Is there anything else additional you would
like to share with your readers?
I mentioned I
have several books in the works, and several short stories on the
burner. If you enjoy my work please visit the darkofknightseries
web site to keep track on what I’m writing. Some of my work
will be turned over to my literary agent, such as Glisten an
urban fantasy, may be under a pen name. I’ll try to keep the fans
posted on any news of new releases. Also, news updates on anything
related to the Dark of kNight screenplay to movie.
Thank
you, Tracey, for allowing me to interview you and thank you even more
for all the fantastic information on you and your books.
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