A New Camelot and a Dream Fulfilled

“Sometimes the only way to find yourself is to get lost along the way.” ~John Green

There’s always a moment in time when you have to make a decision, for good or ill that will alter your life.

Two years and some change ago, I sat staring hard at the computer screen. Pages and pages of words, my personal drug. Hard work and a newly burgeoning love had given me the impetus to attempt something I’d given up on a very long time ago.

I was going to write a book.

With the man I’d fallen in love with. A shared dream we both were excited about in the beginning but that which had become a bone of contention between us for various reasons. I won’t bore you with all the gory details, except to say life for me became a horribly mocking cliché that nearly shattered the hard won happiness and peace I’d been struggling with for years.

Let’s simply say he was my Romeo, but I wasn’t his Juliet.

It only seemed ‘right’ I delete the story we’d been building up. We were over and that meant the book was over before it even began. How could I ever finish something that was supposed to be ‘ours’? When every word mocked me and I couldn’t stop crying? To finish it would be daily torture. To give up would be admitting defeat.

And as I had many nights before, I grumbled and shut the computer down without erasing the story thus far. I’d do it tomorrow.

For sure.

Now, however, I was going to curl up in bed and nurse my sorrows with Hagen Dasz finest Coffee Ice Cream and a grip of movies.

Hours passed. I watched Merlin, Highlander, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Then it was on to Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula (with Gary Oldman. I love Gary Oldman.) The very last thing I watched, before tumbling into sleep and dreams was Disney’s The Sword in the Stone.

The narrator’s voice was soothing and hypnotic, his last words filtering into my mind and following me down that rabbit hole of darkness…

“And below the hilt in letters of gold were written these words: Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is right wise king born of England. Though many tried for the sword with all their strength none could move the sword nor stir it. So the miracle had not worked. And England was still without a king. And in time, the marvelous sword was forgotten. This was a dark age without law and without order. Men lived in fear of one another for the strong preyed upon the weak.”

And in time, the marvelous sword was forgotten. Forgotten. Forgotten.

Or not…

I dreamed. Hard. And it was full of color and magic.

I dreamt I stumbled into a dark forest, only the moon lit my way. And eventually, I rounded a path and came to a stop when I saw…it.

It was…beautiful.

A craggy grayish boulder with swirls of gleaming pink and moss green. The silvery moon bathed it in iridescent light, casting an ethereal glow as only a dream can.

And stuck in the stone was the most dazzling of swords.

But not as dazzling as what happened next.

I met a man.

A magic man.

I met Merlyn Emrys. Yes, THE Merlyn Emrys of ancient Arthurian Lore. Note: we are NOT talking a spindly legged, heavily bearded old man with bad teeth and surly attitude. He hates that image, by the way and says he can own Gandalf the White any day. *winks* Long story short, Merlyn said two words to me, “What if”. What if we got the players right but the stories wrong? The tales of Arthur, Excalibur and Camelot. Then he told me what REALLY happened…

It was eerily similar to The Book I was considering trashing with a few …changes.

Or ‘truths’ as Merlyn says.

And when Merlyn asks you to just…’try, one more time. Please?’  You just don’t say no.

I woke up and the rest as they say is history.

I didn’t delete the book. I didn’t walk away.

I fashioned a new world.

A new dream.

A new vision.

A New Camelot.

—oOo—

Timeless Night

In an epic battle of good versus evil, one woman finds herself the focal point of a magical feud. Sabrina thought she knew who she was until a knight of long ago returns to steal her heart. If you could live forever, what would you choose to live for? I chose love… A silent guardian, Alexander has walked the corridors of time in pursuit of an end to a haunting prophecy. Sabrina has lived a life surrounded by modern magic, unaware that the greatest and deadliest of powers reside within her own soul. If it only takes the light of love to ignite the stars, what of the decadent seduction of darkness? All roads don’t lead home and some myths only grow into legend.

Behind The Scenes

“Timeless Night” in its first incarnation wasn’t the book that eventually became published. I had something else entirely in mind for my male lead, Alex and his sassy soul-mate, Sabrina. However, the more I learned about each of them, they changed my mind right quick. In its first draft, there were very little Arthurian overtones at all mixed in.  I hinted that Alex’s past was tied loosely to Camelot, but that was it. And Sabrina was the last Van Helsing alive and determined to carry out her family’s legacy.

Timeless Desire

Trust hides the truth and spans eternity when one secret-born of treachery and upheld by honor-stands between a broken heart and shattered soul. If you could live forever, what would you choose to live for? I chose honor… Awakening to a new world, Gawain has high hopes that the last 500 years have cooled the fires of hatred burning in the heart of his wife, Nimue. Cruelly betrayed by the one person she put all her faith and trust in, Nimue hasn’t forgotten the lone cowardly act of one of King Arthur’s greatest knights. Together again and yet forever apart, can they heal the past when a new enemy rises to threaten the foundation of all they hold dear?

Behind The Scenes

Timeless Desire almost became my ‘swan song’. Writing out the story between Nimue and Gawain stirred up feelings inside of me that I’d thought I’d dealt with previously. I was wrong. While my own ‘real life’ issue wasn’t the same as theirs, it dealt with betrayal, trust, truth and emotional pain so severe, it can take your breath away. And it did. I began and quit this book so many times, it affected me greatly. I wanted to show that love is the most powerful of emotions, but that sometimes, love isn’t enough. Gawain didn’t give me many problems but our Lady Nimue was stubborn, determined and unrelenting. She isn’t a woman who trusts easily but we understood each other.

Please note: I hadn’t meant to end this bad boy with the cliffhanger it has. I did NOT seeing that coming until I’d finished the previous chapter.

—oOo—

This month marks the 2^nd anniversary of the series debut. I’m currently working on the third book and have laid out the outlines for 2 more books past that.

It’s been insanely chaotic and wholly wonderful.

And it’s been entirely worth everything that happened to get me here.

In honor of the series and because I firmly believe you only keep what you have by giving it away, I’m giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card and a bouquet of ebooks by some of my fave indie authors!

WIN WIN WIN WIN

All you need to do is visit my website at: https://toriejames.wordpress.com/ and follow the Rafflecopter link to enter to win. This will be open until the end of September.

When I was younger, I thought all the best fairytales began with Once Upon a Time and ended with Happily Ever After.

I didn’t know mine would start with a question…

If you could live forever, what would you choose to live for?

I choose Magic.

—oOo—

Torie James

Paranormal Romance Author

Torie has loved reading since she was old enough to hold a book in her lap. While her friends were out playing, she was generally curled up nearby falling down rabbit holes, catching second stars to the right, and stepping through wardrobes into mysterious lands and countless adventures. When those stories ended, she made up her own and kept going. This later translated into a strong passion for writing that has helped her keep her feet on the ground while her head stayed firmly in the clouds. Lover of Dr. Pepper, all things chocolate, and Duran Duran, her dreams finally became a reality with the publication of Timeless Night, followed six months later by Timeless Desire, Books One and Two of her award winning New Camelot series.

A series of short stories, including Ties That Bind: The Cloie Chronicles, Book One, have also been published.

Currently working on several projects, including the 3rd installment of her New Camelot Series (Timeless Surrender, Book 3) and a new anthology called Fractured Fantasies,  Torie lives in Southern California with her family and a houseful of pets who rule the roost.

Blog and Website      Facebook      Twitter      Goodreads      Amazon

Winner of “Best Published Book in 2013” by Writing World.

2014 RONE Award Winner (Paranormal)

6th place in Sci Fi/Fantasy for 17th Annual Predators & Editors Readers Poll

9th place in Romance for 17th Annual Predators & Editors Readers Poll.

Top Ten Finisher Preditors & Editors Poll (Best Short Other) 2014

Top Ten Finisher Preditors & Editors Poll (Best Short Other) 2014

Manic Monday!

Yup, I have the song playing in my head. I woke with it and it’s been lurking all day. I won’t do that to you, so if you don’t know, don’t worry, it’s not important. The point is, Monday is almost always a crazy day.

It doesn’t seem to matter how much I do over the weekend, Monday seems to be an evil little imp that breeds extra work while I’m sleeping *grin*. To be honest though, I really love what I do, so it’s not really “work”… If you know what I mean? That’s the true blessing in following your passion. No matter what that is, it ultimately means that you’ll be happier and healthier. It’s one of the reasons that most creative people feel so fulfilled.

Having said that, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t days when what you need to do and what you want to do are two different things… And occasionally you have to play hooky. So, today I decided to just take some time for me and put aside a few hours for reading and relaxing. Rainy weather, duvet, hot chocolate and a great book.

No prizes for guessing that my admin went quickly with that reward to look forward to.

So, when you have deadlines, tasks, work to get done, reward yourself. It’ll make it all go quicker.

Until next time…

BM xx

The Magic of Words

There is something that anyone who loves reading can relate to and that is a love of words. Words are simple, a mere collection of letters ordered in a variety of ways. Those words are then arranged in any number of ways to form sentences and finally, those sentences are arranged to form paragraphs, paragraphs into pages, pages to chapters, chapters into books.

It is a kind of magic that is accessible to anyone. Once you’ve been taught the secrets of the letters and the words, you can create worlds to fire your imagination or you can simply escape into someone else’s.

With the power of words, you can travel through time, meet famous people from history, learn new skills or fall in love. Words allow you to break a heart, but words can also mend it.

Not everyone is as good with them, but that should never stop people from using them, practicing, trying. Write. Write what moves you. Write about happiness. Describe pain. Write to a friend. Write a diary. Create.

With words, we can shape and reshape ourselves.

Until next time,

BM xx

Introducing yourself

Today was a day for a bit of self promotion in amongst confirming tour dates for June and sourcing info for July and August.

It’s been so great to chat to new authors and share ideas with them. It’s important to be willing to answer questions and be accessible. People are happier when they build a connection with you and it’s a great way to network. After all… The person you’re talking to may not need your services, but they could recommend you to others!

Have an amazing evening!

Best,

BM xx

For Love of the Book

There is something about books.  Old books, new books, second hand books, borrowed books.  It really doesn’t bother me much, as long as I have them.  It’s not a small addiction, but at least I can absolutely credit my parents for giving it to me.  I firmly believe that their shared love of reading, of learning and their passion for books was handed down to us kids in the very air we breathed.  Our home was filled with books.  We were read to as infants, had books of our own as toddlers and small children and as we grew, our passion was indulged at every turn.  All in all, not a bad way to be raised.  To this day, I find it difficult to understand homes that have no (or very few) books in them.  It is as if I have a natural distrust of that emptiness.

Don’t get me wrong, I have some amazing friends who have uttered those dreadful words “oh, I don’t read much”.  It’s shocking, I know.  Subtle gifts of some of my favourite books have failed to entice them and I am resigned to the fact that they have fallen prey to the dark side. Ok, I jest.  Not quite on the dark side. However, I am comforted by the fact that we have other things in common and that I have built a large circle of like-minded book lovers with whom I can share my nuttiness.  A passion that has now lead to me following my heart into helping authors with their promotions.

In the same way that many of my childhood favourites will always be voiced by my Mother or my Father, no matter how many times I read them, being a part of the journey with an author weaves that book into the fabric of my life.  Adds them to my mental library as it were.

Let me tell you, it’s a journey that never gets old.

Best,

BM xx