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Showing posts with label mask of the betrayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mask of the betrayer. Show all posts

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Sharon Donovan - Excerpts and More

My journey to publication was filled with as many twists and turns that fill the pages of my books. After a twenty year battle with diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes which leads to progressive blindness, I lost the war.

Prior to the loss of my vision, I was a legal secretary for the Court of Common Pleas where I prepared cases for judges in Domestic Relations. Painting was my passion. When I could no longer paint, I began attending creative writing classes and memoir workshops. After a long and winding road, a new dream arose. Today, instead of painting my pictures on canvas, I paint my pictures with words.

I write what I read and read what I write. For as long as I can remember, my favorite genre has been romantic suspense. I’ve come to expect twists and turns to keep me guessing until I turn the last page. And now that I write in this genre, my goal is to draw my readers into my books by adding the following elements.

 Desolate setting

 Captivating storyline that will hook the reader right from the start

 Spine-tingling background music that will draw the reader into the story

 Quirky or obsessive character traits that will identify the character as unique

 Heroine that reader can empathize with

 Romantic hero with a “Don’t mess with me” attitude that isn’t above cutting corners

 Villain that we love to hate

 Dialogue interspersed with atmospheric description

 Twist and turns to keep the reader guessing

 Sizzling chemistry between the lovers

 The ability to make the reader cheer when the hero rescues the heroine at the last minute and whisks her away into the happily-ever-after

I’d like to show a few of these traits in excerpts from my books

The setting for Mask of the Betrayer is Red Rock Canyon, a desolate mountain range within miles of the dazzling Las Vegas Strip. Here is a scene to draw the reader into the setting, and portray the villain’s obsessive trait.

Pouring himself two fingers of finely-aged bourbon, billionaire business tycoon Michael DeVeccio walked on the verandah of his mansion and gazed into the foothills. The raw beauty of the Red Rock Mountains encompassed him. Miles of rugged terrain and lush forests full of petrified logs stretched as far as the eye could see. What a rush to climb to the top of the mountain and survey the dazzling Vegas Strip like king of the jungle.

Fishing a Marlboro from the pack, he tapped it three times on the parapet before lighting it. He inhaled deeply, allowing the nicotine to filter into his brain. Under the hunter’s moon, night predators slithered out of the underbrush, just on the periphery of the jagged twists and turns of the canyon. From deep in the woods, a coyote howled, its keening wail slicing through the quiet. Dominant and defiant, animals fought to protect what belong to them. He especially admired the sleek moves of the panther. With its keen eyesight, acute hearing, and uncanny ability to sneak up on its prey unnoticed, it pounced on its victim in one slick move. Michael understood the moves of the night predators. He was one of them.

Second to imagery, the first thing I focus on is music. Think about a scary movie. Right before a murder or something dangerous, the chilling music clues us in and has our hearts racing. Take the movie Psycho. When the screeching music starts, Janet Leigh is about to find out how twisted Norman Bates is. Just the sound of that screeching violin gets my blood pumping!

In Her Biggest Fan, I chose Moonlight Sonata to haunt the reader. As you read, you’ll swear you can hear the eerie spiking of piano keys because I have planted them in your head. Recalling the old thriller The Wax Museum, I used wax gargoyles with wings as props in the ballroom. To please my many muses, I combined my love of a psychological thriller with Classic Gothic and old Hollywood glamour. Then creepy music for atmosphere.

From the grand ballroom, the soft floating of piano keys drifted, louder and louder, faster and faster, reaching a spiking crescendo that shook the chandelier. And then all was quiet as the manor settled from the riveting climax that rattled the windows.

An eerie twine hummed through the corridor. Shocked by the scaling spike of piano keys, Tess’s knees wobbled. Floundering, she leaned against the wall for support.

“Daddy?”

Her mind raced. Could her dad be alive? Had he stage his own death? Tears stung her eyes. She had to find out. But still, she proceeded with caution. She sensed evil from deep in her soul.

Inching her way a bit deeper, she crept, her heart pounding. A door banged, sounding like shutters smacking the house. Then she felt a rush of cool air coming from the grand ballroom, dank with the smell of rain and something else. Burning candles.

As she got closer, the scent of jasmine grew stronger. The sweet smell permeated the air. It was as if her father were still alive, entertaining in the grand ballroom. Just as Tess reached the arched column to the massive hall, a bolt of thunder exploded in the sky, followed by an illuminating flash of lightning. Then all went dark.

Tess stood at the entrance, polarized. When the icy instrumental of Moonlight Sonata started all over again, goose bumps prickled her flesh.

On either side of the mahogany bar, standing candelabras gleamed, long white tapers flickering in the dark. Open terrace doors banged in the wind, bringing in the pouring rain. The air carried the mingled scent of jasmine and stale tobacco. Pleated silk drapes billowed out like wings.

Rain puddled the cherry wood floor that once sparkled beneath the mirrored ceiling and crystal chandelier. The ghostly sound of piano keys escalated as Moonlight Sonata played on the old Victrola. And in the center of the room, looking for all the world like guests of honor at a grand masquerade, two wax gargoyles danced cheek to cheek, costumed in feather masks as bizarre as the setting.

Her Biggest Fan
An edge of your seat chilling suspense
ISBN: 1-60154-813-3
AVAILABLE NOW!
http://www.TheWildRosePress.com/Her-Biggest-Fan-P-4234.HTML

In Mask of the Betrayer, the childhood nursery song Heigh Ho the Dairy-o sets the scene. I promise, these chilling lyrics will haunt your nightmares, the lyrics that have been programmed in Michael DeVeccio’s head, prompting him to kill.

a hunting we will go, a hunting we will go. Heigh ho the dairy-o, a hunting we will go. We’ll catch a fox and put him in a box. Heigh ho the dairy-o, a hunting we will go.

You can hear the chilling music here

MASK OF THE BETRAYER VIDEO TRIAD PRODUCTIONS

Second place winner YOU GOTTA READ CONTEST IN JUNE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KzpiRni7R0


Mask of the Betrayer

Book one in the Mask series

Filled with so many twists, turns and surprises, you’ll be hooked from the first chapter.

ISBN: 978-1-936167-06-7

AVAILABLE NOW!

http://www.whimsicalpublications.com/sharon_donovan/mask_of_the_betrayer.html


The following excerpt from Charade of Hearts illustrates a heroine we can relate to as well as dialogue interspersed with atmospheric description.

Dominique opened her eyes, her lids heavy. She felt groggy and extremely disoriented, as if waking up with a severe hang over. The bright sunshine pouring in through the open windows hurt her eyes. Slowly, her pupils dilated and she looked around. She was propped up in a heavy wrought iron chaise lounge in the middle of a living room. Hills and tropical forests encompassed the home. Myna birds chirped and whistled, and the sweet scent of gardenias and hibiscus filled her senses.

Blinking several times, she tried to get up but couldn’t. Her wrists and ankles were bound to the lounge chair. A bolt of panic shot through her entire body. She jerked violently, her torso bucking upward. The chains binding her arms and legs rattled and clanked against the wrought iron frame before slinking onto the bamboo floor. Triple panel folding mirrors were at the foot of the chaise lounge. Like some bizarre carnival, it was a house of mirrors.

And that’s when she saw the enclosed tank behind her, reflecting in the mirrored panels. A sleek dragon moray eel slithered out from behind a rock and reared its ugly head, his horn-shaped nostrils flaring. Razor-sharp fangs faced backward in a large and expansive mouth. Dominique’s lips twisted into a grotesque gape that was mirrored in three dimensions. Her scream echoed through the open windows and through the remote forest engulfing this house of horrors.

“Noooo!”

“Look at you, Dominique,” He clucked his tongue, mocking her. “You can kick and scream until you’re blue in the face. But no one will hear you. It’s just you and me. And if you’re wondering where you are, you’re in one of the most desolate parts of the island. It’s a rather befitting death chamber, wouldn’t you agree, dear?”

The roots of her hair bristled. He was a madman, a slime bag that got off on taunting his victims before killing them. What should she do? Her lips quivered as the words rolled out. “It’s the blue diamond that you want. I’ll get it for you. Just let me…”

“Let you?” His dark laughter cut her off. “Don’t treat me like a fool, Dominique. Do you think for a second I believe the blue diamond is still in your possession?” he clucked his tongue again. “Tsk tsk. When I called you the first time, giving you a twenty-four hour notice, I gave you very specific instructions to follow. I warned you that if you went to the cops, I’d feed you to the sharks. But did you listen? No. The minute Detective Oliver Carvalho knocked on the door of your suite, the one you shared with his identical twin brother, the man you were engaged to, you thrust yourself in his arms and spilled your guts out.”

“No, I didn’t,” Dominique shook her head back and forth. “Please believe me. I…”

“Believe you?” he took a sip of his drink, the ice cubes rattling in the crystal glass. “Fat chance. But your new lover, Detective Oliver Carvalho will believe your screams when he hears you begging for your life. You no longer have either your camera or your mother’s precious blue diamond, do you? They’re both in police custody. And once lover boy hears your heart-wrenching screams when I set The Serpent free to slither up your voluptuous body, he’ll be sweating bullets to bargain for your life. We’ll call it a trade off. A blue diamond for a blue-eyed girl. But, sadly, by the time he finds you, your mutilated corpse will be all that remains. And once I have my hands on the blue diamond, my work in the islands will be complete. I’ll be gone without a trace.” His dark laughter ricocheted off the mirrors and into the forest. He gestured to the dragon moray eel. “And The Serpent is very hungry and will find you quite tasty to munch on.”

Charade of Hearts

Oliver’s story!

AVAILABLE NOW!

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/charade-of-hearts-p-4346.html

To read about me and my books, sign up for my newsletter and view my art gallery featuring some of my former paintings, visit my website: http://www.sharonadonovan.com/ or write to me sharonad@comcast.net

Monday, June 21, 2010

Sharon Donovan Interview & Book Giveaway

Joining us today is author Sharon Donovan. Here is her bio: Sharon lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her family. Prior to the loss of her vision, she was a legal secretary for the Court of Common Pleas where she prepared cases for judges in Domestic Relations. Painting was her passion. When she could no longer paint, she began attending creative writing classes and memoir workshops. After a long and winding road, a new dream arose. Today, instead of painting her pictures on canvas, Sharon paints her pictures with words.

Sharon writes stories of inspiration and suspense. She has certificates in business and medical transcription. She is a published author with The Wild Rose Press, White Rose Publishing, Whimsical Publications and Chicken Soup for the Soul. Echo of a Raven received a CTRR award for outstanding writing, and The Claddagh Ring is a 2009 CAPA nominee. To read excerpts and reviews of Sharon’s books and to sign up for her newsletter, visit her website: www.sharonadonovan.com

[Anne] Welcome, Sharon. Why don’t we begin with you telling us about your latest book?

[Sharon] Book one in the sequel series, Mask of the Betrayer is a psychological thriller set in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. Here is a hook and a brief synopsis:

When the whispers in the night, the whispers of her lover, are the whispers of a killer, will Margot escape before she becomes the next victim?

Deep in the foothills of Red Rock Canyon, a serial killer stalks. He leaves his signature—a skull mask on the corpse. But when the homicide cop realizes the crimes are the reenactment of a case never solved ten years ago--all fingers point to Michael DeVeccio. And when Margot realizes she is married to the killer, her life becomes a living nightmare.

MASK OF THE BETRAYER opens with MICHAEL DEVECCIO (The Hunter) killing his uncle when he learns the man who has trained him to kill is guilty of committing the ultimate crime. As sole beneficiary to the entire DeVeccio Empire, Michael fancies himself king of the world. Determined the DeVeccio kingdom will thrive for generations, he sets out to find the perfect woman to propagate his domain and will demolish anyone who gets in the way of his absolute power. When Michael meets art curator MARGOT MONTGOMERY, he decides she is the woman who will produce his heir.

[Anne] What inspired you to write this story?

[Sharon] The mind has always fascinated me. It can bend. It can break. It can snap. Getting inside the mind of the killer is like dismantling a bomb before it goes off. A disturbed psyche is just that, a ticking time bomb ready to explode. One wrong word can cause it to erupt like a quaking volcano. What could cause some of the most seemingly normal people to do such heinous and unspeakable crimes? This inquiring mind needs to know.

[Anne] LOL. How did you go about researching your book?

[Sharon] I took psychology classes to study behavioral patterns of sociopaths. Outwardly, they are charming and quite convincing. But this is only a façade to mask the inner demons that lurk within. Sociopaths are cold and unfeeling, they lie with ease, and have no guilt or remorse for the crimes they commit. The end will always justify the means. They are devoid of all feelings. According to psychologists, this generally stems from childhood abuse, either sexual or mentally, traumatizing them to the point they block it out in order to survive. But it pecks away at the subconscious as they grow up, causing them to strike back with a vengeance.

I also had the advice of a Pittsburgh homicide detective. He explained to me that getting a confession is nothing like it’s portrayed on television. For the most part, there is no rough stuff involved, unless a weapon is drawn. He told me the best way of getting someone to talk is to sit down and talk to them in their own environment. Sooner or later, once their guard is down, they will let something slip. He also said that some really want to be caught and will wind up confessing to get it off their chest.

[Anne] Do you have anything new in the works?

[Sharon] I am hard at work on the sequel to Mask of the Betrayer. And to not give anything away for those of you who haven’t read book one, my lips are sealed. Wink.

[Anne] Say your publisher has offered to fly you anywhere in the world to do research on an upcoming book, where would you most likely want to go? (Okay so maybe this isn’t very likely to happen but since I’m asking the questions…)

[Sharon] Tuscany. I fell in love with the quaint fishing harbor when doing research for Mask of the Betrayer. From the cypress-lined cobblestone streets to the umbrella tables in the courtyards, it offers a taste of old world Italy. Garlic, basil and oregano spill out of colorful window boxes, and flower carts and cafes grace corner sidewalks. Keeping with the age-old custom of long, leisurely lunches, quiet strolls and afternoon siestas, Tuscans maintain a little of yesterday in today’s world. Colorful fishing boats bob in the waters of a working harbor where women wrap the catch of the day in newspapers. Very whimsical and magical.

[Anne] You’ve just been informed that your latest release was a NY Times bestseller and Hollywood wants to turn it into a movie. What actors would you choose to play your main characters?

[Sharon] I’ve recently given that a lot of thought. I’m having a video made for Mask of the Betrayer, using actors from Triad Productions. It’s very exciting, and I get to have a say so in which actors they choose to portray my characters. With the way I’ve described Margot, they’ve chosen a Julie Roberts type and I think Julie would be perfect for the part of Margot. Michael is a tough one. He’s devastatingly handsome with brilliant blue eyes and the face of a fallen angel. But he wears many masks once he begins to snap. I envision a personality like Jack Nicholson in the Shining, but the looks of a young John Travolta or Alec Baldwin.

[Anne] What type of books do you like to read when you’re not writing?

[Sharon] Romantic suspense, suspense and J.D. Robb mysteries. Who doesn’t love Rork?

[Anne] I hear your gorgeous butler, Oliver, will be appearing in one of your upcoming novels. Will you please tell us about it?

[Sharon] LOL, Anne. Oliver is getting a wee bit arrogant, doncha know! The fame has already gone to his head. I’m sure it won’t be long before he’s demanding autographs and making me shake his James Bond martini just so. LOL But, yes. He’s been bugging me for some time now to star as the romantic hero in one of my books. I knew he couldn’t play the serial killer in Mask of the Betrayer. I’d have his countless fans bidding to knock me off! LOL But when I began writing a story for the Jewel of the Night series for the crimson line of Wild Rose Press, I knew our darling Oliver was the man to play the part of the homicide detective. Here’s a teaser for Charade of Hearts

While scuba diving off the coast of Diamond Head with her diving partner on a quest to find a family heirloom, underwater photographer Dominique St. John witnesses his brutal murder and photographs it, ensnaring her in a deadly jewel ring. And when the investigating officer turns out to be her partner’s identical twin, a man she knew nothing about, her life becomes a Charade of Hearts.

Welcome to the world of greed, intrigue, deception and murder. And at its core is a blue diamond worth millions.

As honest as his twin was corrupt, Honolulu Homicide Detective Oliver Carvalho must convince Dominique that her diving partner and best friend was a crook. In a race against time, Oliver must rescue Dominique from a ruthless killer. But his biggest challenge proves to be mending a broken heart torn by betrayal that can only be redeemed by love.

[Anne] Name three things you can’t live without (excluding spouses and family because that’s a given).

[Sharon] Coffee, potato chips and audio books

[Anne] What advice would you give to any aspiring writers out there?

[Sharon] Never give up on a dream.

[Anne] Where can we find you on the web?

[Sharon] My website for releases, excerpts, reviews and to sign up for my newsletter www.sharonadonovan.com

My blog where you can set eyes on Oliver, sexy cyber butler, happy to stir you up a drink with a wink! http://sharondonovan.blogspot.com

Face Book www.facebook.com/sharon.a.donovan or write to me at: sharonad@comcast.net

[Anne] Where can we purchase your books?

[Sharon] Mask of the Betrayer can be purchased at the publisher, Whimsical Publications www.whimsicalpublications.com

My inspirationals can be purchased at White Rose Publishing www.whiterosepublishing.com

or through my website www.sharonadonovan.com or online bookstores as Amazon, Fiction World, Smashwords. Her Biggest Fan and Charade of Hearts are coming soon from Wild Rose Press Crimson www.thewildrosepress.com

[Anne] Is there anything else you’d like to add?

[Sharon] Just a big thank you, Anne. You ask great questions that really make me think. I would like to offer a pdf of Mask of the Betrayer to one commenter, so leave a comment! Thanks for a great interview!

[Anne] You’re welcome, Sharon. I’m thrilled you were able to join us. Your books sound great! They’re definitely going on my TBR list. Good luck everyone!
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