Nicolette Godlove Brings Fyre to the Grove! An Interview

Today we welcome Nicolette Godlove, author of Fyre:Dark Dreams. I first met Nicolette when she was interviewed by Danny Coleman on his radio show Rock on Radio, a distinction I share. I invited her here to chat about her new novel, writing and herself.

Author's Blurb The note said: Dreams can bring happiness, but force them into reality and they’ll be death. All this time I’ve masked my intense supernatural abilities, in hopes of leading a normal life. But now I’ve stumbled upon the resting place of a powerful immortal and awakened more than just a slumbering Dark Prince.

Evil has left the shadows and pursues my rare power. This darkness that hunts me has no idea what I’m capable of, Hell, neither do I. But something has woken within me. They want my head? They’re gonna get more than they bargained for.

  

Storyteller’s Grove: So Nicolette, tell us about yourself and what brought you to writing?

Nicolette Godlove: I’ve always been a storyteller. Since I was very little, I’d entertain my friends with detailed stories or games that I just made up. We’d live different lives and go on crazy adventures in my back yard. Even our Barbie & My Little Pony dolls had intricately woven lives. And when we got bored with that, I’d make up new ones.

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In High School, I had this intensely vivid dream that seemed to go on forever about these two star-crossed lovers from very different worlds. It was so realistic & emotional, I woke in tears. That week, while sitting in one of my classes listening to the teacher drone on, I decided to write down the dream. This was the beginning of Fyre: Dark Dreams. I even incorporated my paranormal experiences & nightmares into the series. I figure, I have them, why not use them? They’ve made for a very interesting addition.

SG: Share with our readers a little about your book.

NG: Fyre: Dark Dreams is book one of the series and introduces the burdened life of Kai Fyre. She’s born with intense, possibly limitless, supernatural powers that she doesn’t quite know how to use yet. Her family ignores her abilities, acting as if they don’t exist, & she attempts to do the same; to fit in. Unfortunately when you have bright purple eyes; people seem to notice that. On top of it all, Kai’s dreams are riddled by a strange man with sharp fangs & blazing blue eyes that seem to glow even in the light.

In Middle School, Kai discovers the gruesome murder of her best friend, Chloe. When she learns some truth behind the Chloe’s untimely death, Kai briefly loses control of her power, just long enough to do something terrible. She tries to keep everything quiet after that & lays low in High School.

After College graduation, Kai decides to move to a quaint historic little town in Rhode Island called Albyn’s Wallow with her college friend Maleek. She hopes to start a new life here, one where people don’t know of her past. She begins to notice that the folks of the little town seem a bit strange; they look at her like they can see right through her, but why?

One evening, Kai takes a stroll & ends up at the old town cemetery where she stumbles upon an ancient crypt with strange markings etched in, yet the date of death is clawed from recognition. She enters the crypt & ends up waking Darien, a centuries-old vampire prince who’d been attempting to sleep through his own troubled past. The two feel an instant connection.

Suddenly all the wicked creatures of the dark realm are on the hunt for Kai & her rare powers. Unsure of the reason, all she can do is attempt to stay alive. She knows she’s falling deeply for Darien but is cautious of his secretive nature. He’s hiding something big, but what could it be?

Eventually Kai learns that the man she’s giving herself to could very well be the one pulling the strings. It’s kill or be killed in a fight for life & love, but could you harm the very man you’re fighting for?

SG: What made you choose to self-publish your book?

NG: The traditional publishing world is difficult to understand on your own & there are hundreds of thousands of writers attempting to make it in the same genre. It’s a crap-shoot. I just decided that I wanted to try it on my own instead of being lost in a sea of queries, attempting to be read by just one agent.

I plan to continue my attempts at traditional publishing as it is a dream of mine, however self-publishing alone is quite an accomplishment that I hope to be successful with.

SG: Now for the fun part of the interview. I’ve got some unusual questions now.

SG: What’s your sign? How do you think it affects your writing?  

NG: I’m an Aries/Taurus cusp. I think this adds to the heat & emotion of my writing. Aries, being a fire sign, are headstrong, lively, confident & often perceived as fearless. They are leaders & have a strong curiosity for things, which can sometimes get them into trouble. Taurus is known for determination, focus, & persistence. They aren’t easily upset, but look out when they are. They are extremely strong willed & can take on a lot of stress. Some joined traits of my cusp are independence, stubbornness & loyalty; they will stand by you forever if you’ve earned a place in their hearts. Lovers of nature & beauty, they are their best when surrounded by art & sites that have meaning to them. I think all of this can be found within my writing & character traits LOL. If you read the book, you will notice.

SG: What do you love about writing? Hate?

NG: I love writing because it’s all your own. It comes from within & no one can take it from you. The only thing I dislike about it, is that sometimes people can be cynical, so you have to be careful while also not losing your voice.

SG: What do you love to drink?

NG: I enjoy drinking Dragon Oolong tea when I write. It seems to clear my mind & bring forward my thoughts.

SG: Are you more of a hunter or a gather?

NG: This is actually a tough question LOL. I have the heart & will of a hunter, but I don’t want to hurt any animals; I have some sort of crazy respect for the wild. So I guess I’ll have to say gatherer. I’d probably give a deer my last apple instead of killing it for my dinner!

SG:  If you were a box of cereal, what would you be and why?

NG: Fruity Pebbles . . . need I say more LOL!!

SG:  Do you believe in Bigfoot?

NG: Absolutely. We can’t be the only crazy creatures in the world, so why not?

SG: If you were 80 years old, what would you tell your children?

NG: Regret nothing. Take chances. Life’s too short to wait. If you want to do something, do it. Don’t wait to see what it could’ve been, make it happen. No matter what the outcome, it will be worth it to say you’ve made the attempt.

Thanks for stopping by...read on to learn more!

 Nicolette is married to the most wonderful man who she started dating at 16 and has been with ever since. We live in good ol’ NJ with our white Cocker Spaniel, Lily, who’s been their first four-legged child for 9 years now. Yes, she’s spoiled LOL. She is currently expecting their first two-legged child in the first week of May.

You can get your copy or follow Nicolette at the following sites:

Website:  http://fyrebooks.com/

Amazon Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Fyre-Dark-Dreams-Volume-1/dp/0615936083/

Video Trailer:  http://youtu.be/G2y3ABVQ4AU

Twitter:  follow @Fyrebooks https://twitter.com/FyreBooks

FaceBook:  like at https://www.facebook.com/fyre.book

Guest Blogger, Danny Coleman Interviews Peter Dabbene, book reviewer, writer and creator of the graphic novel, Ark

This week we welcome again, Danny Coleman as our guest blogger. Last week, Danny took us inside a NaNoWriMo write-in. This week, he shares with us a recent interview with Peter Dabbene, book reviewer, writer and graphic novelist to talk about his graphic novel, Ark.

Take it away, Danny and Peter!

“Most people’s experience with comic books is that it’s meant for kids; kids get older and still like comic books,” says author, graphic novelist and Hamilton resident Peter Dabbene. “The comic book companies realized that it’s still ok to read comics as an adult, so they began publishing graphic novels.”

By definition, a graphic novel is “a novel in the form of comic strips,” and Dabbene, a Staten Island native, recently published his first; a space age suspense thriller entitled “Ark.” 

Set years into the future and based on a premise that there are other planets which are inhabitable in the vast

realm of outer space, “Ark” brings together human and “meta-human” beings aboard a space craft to carry out a long and arduous mission to seek new planets, solar systems and life. Meta-humans are creatures, whom are the result of crossbreeding experiments by world scientists and governments between the human, animal, plant and insect species.

The novel has several plot twists and turns and is rife with foreshadowing, which only serves to heighten the suspense and drama that Dabbene masterfully intertwines within its pages.

Recently I caught up with Peter for an informative Q & A about himself, graphic novels and the comic industry. An extremely pleasant conversationalist, as well as informative and funny, he easily opened up to me and was more than willing to talk about his passion.

Danny Coleman: Have you always been or was there another vocation for you prior to becoming a graphic novelist?

Peter Dabbene: “I am actually a book reviewer. I’ve always liked to write, in the past I’ve written poetry, plays, and short stories; the beauty of it is, there are things that you can do with one but not the others.  Being a reviewer, I get to make money off of something that I like to do; it’s great because I’ve really found some hidden gems in some of my work that I never would’ve known of.”

DC:   How did you gain interest in writing a graphic novel?

PD: “I grew up in Staten Island and moved to Hamilton about fifteen years ago. As a kid I had an interest in and started reading comic books. I was about five when the original “Star Wars” came out, Marvel Comics put out more on that series and I kept reading, then I branched out into Superheroes. As I got older my tastes changed and I advanced to the graphic novel type.” 

DC: Tell us about the concept behind “Ark?”

PD: “I don’t know really. I wanted to do something Science Fiction and this story developed over time; I take a lot of notes. I like tension, drama, people trapped in one place and the interpersonal tensions that develop. “Ark” has a few moments of humor but it’s also a fast paced thriller.”

DC: You mentioned that it developed “over time,” how long did it take from the original concept to completion and what is the average time length that it takes for a project such as this?

PD: “You know, I couldn’t tell you an average time. It took me about a year; well it’s been in the works for about four years, I took my time over the last year working up the script. So yeah, it took about four years once everything was in place.”

DC: You had to choose an illustrator/artist; can you talk about that process?

PD: “I looked for quite a while. I went the standard route, put up ads at comic shows, asked around and the like, I finally found him on line. He actually lives in the UK and his name is Ryan Bayliss. I have yet to meet him face to face but I did hear his voice for the first time when we did a podcast for a Scottish web site. We’ve worked together for a while now and we know each other, trust each other and have built a good relationship; we just let each other go with it creatively.”

DC: What can you tell me about the characters in the novel?

PD: “That’s a good question. The ensemble was created so that you don’t know who the main character is. The main character tends to stay on for the whole story as opposed to secondary ones who get killed off early or fade away. I designed them to keep you more interested in the story, wanted the reader to wonder; I throw in random elements to stamp them as my own, I like readers to be surprised. First I decided to make it the Captain, then I was not sure but I think I settled on Harmony Smith.”

DC: Is there a target audience and a marketing strategy?

PD: “My publisher, Arcana Publishing handles most of the marketing; they’re on the west coast. I’d say our audience is probably older teens but mostly adults. Fans of “Star Trek” or “Babylon 5” are most likely to get into this type of novel but if people like to read and give it a chance; they may like it.”

DC: Will there be a follow up to “Ark?”

PD: “I’m currently working on a different graphic novel using the same artist; it’s called “The Adventures of Spam Fram. It is based on virtual worlds that people use for entertainment like an avatar or Sims. Arcana have contracted me for three total books, so there will be two more in the series. Once I’m done with the new novel I will return to the “Ark” series.”

Arcana Publishing has priced the digital version of Dabbene’s “Ark” at $4.99 and the print edition is available for $19.95. Along with it being available at www.arcana.com and at some comic bookstores; it can also be found at Amazon.com.    

Peter Dabbene’s poetry has been published in many online and print literary journals, and collected in the book Optimism. His stories can be found online at www.defenestrationmag.net,  www.mcsweeneys.net,  www.piginpoke.com, www.wordriot.org, and elsewhere, and his comic book work can be seen in the graphic novel Ark and the magazine Futurequake. He has published two story collections, Prime Movements and Glossolalia, and a novel, Mister Dreyfus' Demons. His latest book is the humor collection Spamming the Spammers (with Dieter P. Bieny). He writes a monthly column for the Hamilton Post(viewable at www.mercerspace.com/blog/pdabbene) and reviews for BlueInk Review and Foreword Reviews His plays have been performed in New Jersey and Philadelphia venues. His website is www.peterdabbene.com

Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program

called “Rock On Radio,” which airs Sunday evenings at 10 p.m. EST, on it he features indie/original bands, solo and unsigned artists and entertainers in a laid-back atmosphere. There are live performances, interviews, phone calls and interactive chat rooms as well. He has been a guest on many radio and television programs. You can find Danny, his radio show and his writings at the links below and his weekly print column can be found in The Trentonian newspaper:

Rock On Radio Facebook Page                                              Concertblogger.com

The Rock Rag                                                                         The Shore Thing