Kindle Contest & SIRENZ Series Authors Guest Blog!

ATTENTION:

This is your last week to enter for a chance to win a Kindle!!! Details are at the bottom of this post.

Today I welcome Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman, the lovely co-authors of the SIRENZ Series (Flux.)

As I writer, I'm fascinated by anything co-created, because I'm quite the control freak with my work and could never co-author anything. I tried once. We argued over the main character's name, and I was done.

Char and Nat's first book, SIRENZ, was released last June:

"Bickering frenemies Meg and Shar are doing some serious damage at a midnight sample sale when the fashionistas find themselves arguing over a pair of shoes-with fatal consequences. One innocent bystander later, the girls are suddenly at the mercy of Hades, Lord of the Underworld himself. To make them atone for what they've done, Hades forces the teens to become special-assignment Sirens, luring to the Underworld an individual whose unholy contract is up.
Finding that delicate balance between their fashion addiction and their new part-time job in the eternal hellfire biz turns out to be harder than Meg and Shar expected, especially when an entire pantheon of Greek deities decides to get involved. Then there's the matter of the fine print in their own contracts..."

You can order SIRENZ at www.FluxNow.com!


Welcome Char & Nat!

Personally Yours

One question we’re often asked (and we’re sure other authors are asked this too) is “Are you like your character(s)?” From the way they dress, talk, think, whine, eat, argue, and go about their lives, Sirenz Meg and Shar are itsy bitsy pieces of yours—us—truly. 

Goethe said, “Every author in some way portrays himself in his works, even if it be against his will.” (www.quotegarden.com/writing.html) Who would argue with a master (especially a dead one!)? Now while it’s unlikely that Suzanne Collins is exactly like her character Katniss in The Hunger Games, it’s probably safe to say that some aspects of her personality are not only in that character, but in others you’ll meet throughout the story. We each bring our preferences, dislikes, viewpoints and predilections to the table when creating our characters; we can’t help it. That’s not to say that people who write about serial killers are killers (well, we hope not), but if that author has a penchant for spicy Thai food and the character does too, it’s not a far stretch to see why.

In Sirenz, a bit of our personalities’ DNA is generously sprinkled throughout the book. Meg Wiley—named by Nat for Meg White of the now sadly-defunct White Stripes, and Wile E. Coyote, a favorite cartoon character—is like Natalie in that she has an esoteric streak, a thing for black clothes—particularly vintage—and a well stuffed iTunes account. Oh, and she won’t touch a diet soda. Never. But in many ways, Meg’s also like Charlotte: both are committed to being as green as possible (Charlotte recycles as much as she can to the annoyance of her family and lectures others who don’t) and not having all that many shoes (really!). Meg is a vegetarian by herself—her creators are unapologetic carnivores (though we <3 organic!).

Charlotte chose Shar’s name because she liked the sound of “Sharisse,” super girly without being a clichéd “Tiffany,” and Johnson because that’s her maiden name. You can see Natalie in Shar’s fashion addiction, disturbing knowledge of designers (hey—everyone has their faves, right?), and regular manicures (but no fake nails!). Just like Shar, Charlotte is a church goer (not just on Christmas Eve, Easter, funerals, weddings… you get the idea), is irreverent (can make a joke, even if in bad taste, about anything), and definitely believes in romance (sappy sigh…). If you want to see further resemblance, look at the cover for the sequel, Sirenz Back In Fashion. The artist who drew our characters might well have been looking at us (through heavily tinted rose glasses); Shar is tall, blonde and slim, Meg is petite, curvaceous and dark haired.

Even Hades has our ‘stamp’ on him. We both agreed that Ian Somerhalder would be the perfect Hades if Sirenz ever makes it to the big and/or small screen. He is a product of our collective tastes—what we would want to see in a villain—or anti hero (let us know what you think after you read Sirenz Back In Fashion!). You’ll find pieces of us in the other gods as well: Demeter has Char’s sharp tongue (which can/does lead to trouble), and Nat’s love of the little critters (Nat keeps chickens, bunnies, cats, a guinea pig, and birdlettes.). And her daughter Persephone? We can both be a weeeeeeeeeeee-bit defiant, though in different ways. If only we could just snap our fingers to get what we want!

Even the locales of Sirenz are products of us. We both have a special relationship with New York; Nat knows Manhattan quite well (she’s always popping in to shop or visit—and she REALLY needs to get out to Brooklyn more often!), and Char was born in NY (but Long Island, which is not the city). The tropical island? A place where Char hopes to retire to (or at least run away to now and then). The Tarot shop? Based on Earth Spirit in Red Bank, NJ, a new–age store owned by friends of Nat’s.

 Like the cliché about taking the boy out of the city but not the city out of the boy, writers can’t help leaking a little bit of themselves into their characters- good and bad.

Thanks again, Char & Nat. I agree about the leakage, and I love that quote from Goethe!!!

Here's a synopsis of the next SIRENZ installment: SIRENZ: BACK IN FASHION (Summer 2012):

It’s Hell on heels—again!
When Shar tries on a ring from Hades, it activates an obscure contractual clause that puts Shar and former-frenemy-now-friend Meg in Hades’ service once more. Shar is whisked away to the Underworld to prepare a ball for Persephone, while Meg is sent to retrieve the errant soul of spoiled rich girl Paulina Swanson and send her to the abyss. Just when it appears the girls will be doomed to serve Hades for eternity, Shar meets two possibly helpful demi-gods who also happen to be gorgeous. Can the girls finally ditch the Lord of the Dead once and for all?

Be careful what you wish for...

 The contest details:

Got a story about a miracle? Share it with me, and you could win yourself or someone you love a Kindle.

There are other ways to win:

1. Follow this blog. (There is a space at the bottom of the post to enter your e-mail. I know it's hard to figure out - but I can't figure out how to make it clearer. Sorry!!!)
2. Post this contest in your status on any social media.
3. E-mail your favorite quote on "miracles" to Ldymcbeth@aol.com.
4. Review one of my books (there are four) on your blog, Goodreads or Amazon.
5. I'm open to other creative ideas for entries. Try me!
You will receive one entry for each thing you do. I will select ONE winner out of all the entries on Thursday, December 15.