September is hoppin’ here on my blog. I’ve been invited to join some blog hops & so I thought I’d get in on the fun. This week, author Elizabeth Fountain has invited me to participate in the ‘Meet my characters’ Blog hop. I’ll be answering some character related questions about my latest novel, Abomination…

1) What is the name of your character?  Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

Princess Willow has a gift for debate. She is a fan of satin, lace, and getting her own way. She is the strong-willed daughter of Watcher and Benaiah, the King and Queen of Forest End, which is a fictional land from my fantasy series.

2) When and where is the story set?

The story is set in a medieval style fantasy world called Anthelion, where everyone is blessed with one special gift. Most gifts are mundane; for instance, one might be a talented cook or seamstress. Some people, however, have powerful, supernatural abilities. These are the people about whom legends are told.

3) What should we know about your character?

Willow may be a bit of a brat, but she is also clever and as the child of prophecy, she has the ability to change the world.

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

In the beginning of the book, Willow is kidnapped by an enemy kingdom. She finds herself in a strange land in the company of a young man who is nearly impervious to her gifts of persuasion.

5) What is the personal goal of the character?

Six year old Willow would very much like to fulfill her role in the prophecy already so she can get back home to her riding lessons.

6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

This book is called Abomination. Here are some reviews that will tell you a bit more…
http://authoreverleigh.blogspot.com/2014/08/blog-tour-abomination-by-audra.html
http://myaddictionisreading.blogspot.com/2014/08/blog-tour-abomination-by-audra.html http://www.lilacreviews.com/book-reviews/review-abomination/ 
http://pratr.wordpress.com/2014/08/31/abomination-by-audra-middleton/ 
http://texasbooknook13.blogspot.com/2014/08/blog-tour-abomination-by-audra.html
http://dalenesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2014/09/abomination-by-audra-middleton.html

7) When can we expect the book to be published?

This book is now available on Amazon and iBookstore as an ebook or paperback.

And next week (Sept. 16) you’re invited to check out the following author's “Meet My Characters” responses…

Kenneth Schultz - "I like to make things and writing allows me to create whole worlds, the people in these worlds, and challenges to confront my people. Writing also lets me explore issues facing mankind, like the impact on civilization of the exhaustion of fossil fuels. Sci Fi is my favorite genre and fits well with my background in engineering, science, and economics. I presently make my home on Washington's picturesque Olympic Peninsula."
LINKS: www.kennethdschultz.com
                  www.facebook.com/KennethDSchultz

Stay tuned Sept. 28 for my part in Linda Ulleseit's Back to School Blog Hop!

May is sci-fi madness month here on my blog. I’m interviewing two authors of science fiction each week. Today I’ve got Kenneth Schultz, author of The Truth-Teller Rebellion to stop by. Thanks for being my guest today, Ken!

What are some essential ingredients for a good sci-fi novel?

Sci-fi readers live in the everyday world around us. They expect something different. Our hero can have extraordinary abilities in an otherwise normal world. How does our hero cope with this? Audra’s character driven Hitchhiker is an excellent example of this approach. Or, like in Scalzi’s Old Man’s War, a fairly normal person can be thrown into a disorienting world unlike our own. Can they survive? Alternatively, like my Truth-Teller Rebellion, the protagonist can have unusual abilities in a somewhat different world than ours.


What type of research did you do for your novel?

Truth-Teller Rebellion’s setting is two thousand years from now after the exhaustion of fossil fuels. Global warming is a distant memory and an ice age grips the Earth. Technology is advanced, but the average person’s energy consumption is barely more than that of our Founding Fathers. This scenario required research on the exhaustion of fossil and nuclear, on how civilization might manage a greatly reduced energy budget, and finally on how an ice age would transform the Earth. Only during this research did I realize coal and oil have literally fueled mankind’s current population explosion and technological revolution. I tried to infuse the research into the background of the book and never let it seem like research. 


Have you ever experience writer’s block? How do you deal with it?

Writer’s block isn’t a problem for me once I start writing, but I do often reach an impasse while doing the outline for a book. It may take me weeks to resolve a plot issue. Success most often happens while walking my dog or before falling asleep. 

This doesn’t mean I do nothing for weeks. There is editing on other books to do or I can write on a different book. The key is to keep writing. Don’t stop writing. Never stop writing. When I am actively writing I want to log five hundred to a thousand words a day.


What’s your science fiction novel about, in 25 words or less?


Can an eighteen-year-old truth-teller and his empath sister elude a psychopathic assassin long enough to uncover the secrets of their family’s past and unlock their formidable mental gifts?


THIS or THAT:

 War of the Worlds or Independence Day?

I like both but War of the Worlds is better sci-fi in my opinion. 

Ewoks or Tribbles?

Ewoks. They have spunk and character. I’m with the Klingons regarding Tribbles. 

Laser pistols or Light Sabers?

Light Sabers get style points, but give me a laser pistols in a real fight.



Where can we learn more about your books?

Check me out at 
http://burstbooks.ca/product.php?id_product=112 http://www.KennethDSchultz.com  http://www.facebook.com/KennethDSchultz