LC: Hello Arlene, and thank you for being on the blog today. Can you give us a brief synopsis of your books as well as the genres they fall into?
AW: My debut novel, Ashes, (MuseitHot, May 2011, ebook and print) came about on a sizzling summer day. Out of nowhere, I wrote a brutal opening paragraph. A beaten man dead in the desert. I started wondering who he was, why he’d died, and who’d care. His brother popped in and yep, he was seriously pissed. Took 90,000 words to make things right. A paranormal suspense, romance, it tells the story of a man who will go to any lengths, give up anything for his sibling.
Splintered Energy is my debut inde novel, published in June. Earth-based science fiction, romance, suspense, and first in a series of 4. I hope readers enjoy the humor, subtle look at humanity, prejudices, and social development from the perspective of vibrant aliens. These flawed characters shouldn’t be easily forgotten, and readers will be apt to reconsider their favorite color.
LC: They sound awesome! What would you say has been your greatest triumph as an author?
AW: Myles Logan from Ashes. I had to work hard until his voice was heard. And, of course, sticking with this writing obsession through the ups and downs.
LC: Writing does have plenty of those, for sure. Okay, if you were stuck on a desert island with one of your characters, who would you want it to be, and why?
AW: With flawed characters who must hate their creator, that’s not an easy question. I should plead the fifth, but I guess I’ll go with Beni, a 3000+ y/o flamebird, for the obvious reason. Be good to have wings on an island, and the other guys with wings might be more apt to strangle me.
LC: Eek! We wouldn't want that! Just for fun, where is the most exotic or strange place you've ever traveled to?
AW: Most recently, it’d be Paris. Fun.
AW: Since childhood poems for dead pets, threatened with counseling for essays on killing gym teacher and controversial politics in high school, creative writing in college, until full blown obsession about a decade ago.
LC: Hehe! So, what is YOUR favorite movie of all time, and why?
AW: Shrug. Like favorite author, there’s many and age and mood plays a role. Princess Bride, Star Wars, LoTR, Star Trek, Blues Brothers, Rocky Mountain Horror Picture Show, Christmas Story etc, yep the list is quite long.
LC: And speaking of movies, if a big-shot Hollywood producer offered to turn your latest book into a motion picture, who would you want to play the lead roles?
AW: In Splintered Energy: Johnny Depp, Jason Statham, and Amy Hacker (Fred from Angel) would be an awesome start.
LC: Do you have any strange habits or rituals when you write?
AW: Nope. I try and write wherever, whenever, and the only certain thing to jar concentration is the buzzing of a fly.
LC: Oh...flies have been the bane of my existence the past week! They -- indeed -- can be so distracting. Tell us, Arlene, what do you like to do when you're not writing?
AW: Read, naturally, and I’ll admit to watching some TV series after I can fast forward commercials.
LC: I hear ya! Well, thanks again for being a part of the Authorpalooza! It's been a pleasure. Just one last thing. It's time to SELL IT! Tell us why we should read your books. (No pressure...well, not much!)
AW: It sounds like something every author would say, but I feel my characters are quite memorable, plots unlike others, and with appeal for both genders.
In the color series, dawn literally breaks. A photon splinters, and seven fall dead while sentient light is trapped in their bodies. Five of the seven aliens are introduced in the first book, and each relates to humanity with a flawed personality. For example, obsessive-compulsive savant, suffering from superman syndrome, sociopath, and so forth. The aliens bond to the first human whose kind to them, and the series is told from alien and human point of view.
The books should appeal to science nerds interested in twisted physics, adults who enjoy a read with powerful characters that must learn to cooperate or all will be lost, and those who like layers of romance making vulnerable aliens even more human.
Book 2, The R Word is scheduled to release in a week or so. I hope to get the third out in October, leaving the conclusion to a series that has been close to a decade in the making for December/January
Thank you, so much, Lisa for hosting me on your lovely blog.
LC: You're so very welcome! Alright everyone...time for a giveaway! You can win an ecopy of Arlene Webb's Splintered Energy just for leaving a comment (or a few). Here's more about the book:
Splintered Energy is a 110, 000 word, science fiction suspense story with layers of romance. It’s suitable for mature audiences and the first in a four book series.* * *
California. A widower’s twelve-year-old son is rather young to bring home a woman, especially a collapsed green beauty too frightened to open her eyes.
Arizona. A divorcee blinks hard, but the gorgeous red guy stepping in front of her car is still red—hello, ditch. When she comes around, she wonders which layer of hell she’s fallen into.
Ohio. A teen also fears he’s dealing with the demonic, but no matter how dangerous things become, he’s determined to stand by a man with inhumanly blue eyes.
No question, their lives will never be the same again.
Dawn breaks—literally. Energy sparks across the horizon, power grids go down, and the journey to understanding what, where, and why begins.
Energy splinters and a few hapless humans fall dead. A moment later, hearts regain their beat and the confused aliens witness their first sunrise through the eyes of the deceased. Sentient beings can’t recall a past, other than a blissful haven. Nor do they have memories from the host whose body they unwittingly hijacked.
Only one learns to hide his unique skin color, and he assumes the identity of the victim, Malcolm James.
Malcolm learns of escalating violence through news clips. The cohorts he’s able to locate—vibrant personalities with enhanced predatory skills—are breaking every law there is. He has a goal: return to wherever it is he belongs. But he can’t do that alone, and is forced to shoulder the burden of reunification, despite his fear those who cross paths with color, himself included, may become permanently scarred or worse, killed.
This reluctant leader has no doubt—living light does not belong on Earth.
Alright all, get those comments comin'! On or around September 20th, we'll choose one lucky winner to receive a pdf copy of this intriguing book! Make sure you leave your email address so we can contact you if you're the winner! Entries must be posted no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on the 19th. GOOD LUCK!!!
http://www.arlenewebb.com/
Sci-fi, paranormal, thriller-mystery, indefinable, I'm an author who adds sweet and spicy layers of romance to any genre.
I was born in upstate New York, land of cows, snow, drizzle and sometimes a ray of sun. Mom played with bacteria as a lab technician, read many magazines and books, made up charts for chores, cooked and cleaned, and drank vodka upon occasion. Dad worked for the phone company, fixed things, built houses, decapitated chickens, shot deer, and drank vodka and beer as often as possible.
Second oldest with four siblings, I spent my childhood reading everything I could get my hands on. Adolescence found me questioning the validity of everything I read, along with acquiring the usual scars of high school.
Early twenties, I headed for the Pacific. A stop off to visit a friend in the desert turned into years in Tucson, Arizona. I worked as a waitress, bartender, greenhouse worker, greyhound trainer, while swapping a pysch major for one in plant sciences at the University of Arizona. Fired for skipping employee meetings at restaurants, employee gambling at the dogtrack, refusing to use live rabbits as bait, it fell to planting cacti and bartending to pay my way through college.
My late twenties found me running family owned greenhouses and florist shops in New York. When the reality of retail life became too mundane to handle, I began an obsessive love of creating more interesting worlds.
Arizona. A divorcee blinks hard, but the gorgeous red guy stepping in front of her car is still red—hello, ditch. When she comes around, she wonders which layer of hell she’s fallen into.
Ohio. A teen also fears he’s dealing with the demonic, but no matter how dangerous things become, he’s determined to stand by a man with inhumanly blue eyes.
No question, their lives will never be the same again.
Dawn breaks—literally. Energy sparks across the horizon, power grids go down, and the journey to understanding what, where, and why begins.
Energy splinters and a few hapless humans fall dead. A moment later, hearts regain their beat and the confused aliens witness their first sunrise through the eyes of the deceased. Sentient beings can’t recall a past, other than a blissful haven. Nor do they have memories from the host whose body they unwittingly hijacked.
Only one learns to hide his unique skin color, and he assumes the identity of the victim, Malcolm James.
Malcolm learns of escalating violence through news clips. The cohorts he’s able to locate—vibrant personalities with enhanced predatory skills—are breaking every law there is. He has a goal: return to wherever it is he belongs. But he can’t do that alone, and is forced to shoulder the burden of reunification, despite his fear those who cross paths with color, himself included, may become permanently scarred or worse, killed.
This reluctant leader has no doubt—living light does not belong on Earth.
Alright all, get those comments comin'! On or around September 20th, we'll choose one lucky winner to receive a pdf copy of this intriguing book! Make sure you leave your email address so we can contact you if you're the winner! Entries must be posted no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on the 19th. GOOD LUCK!!!
http://www.arlenewebb.com/
Sci-fi, paranormal, thriller-mystery, indefinable, I'm an author who adds sweet and spicy layers of romance to any genre.
I was born in upstate New York, land of cows, snow, drizzle and sometimes a ray of sun. Mom played with bacteria as a lab technician, read many magazines and books, made up charts for chores, cooked and cleaned, and drank vodka upon occasion. Dad worked for the phone company, fixed things, built houses, decapitated chickens, shot deer, and drank vodka and beer as often as possible.
Second oldest with four siblings, I spent my childhood reading everything I could get my hands on. Adolescence found me questioning the validity of everything I read, along with acquiring the usual scars of high school.
Early twenties, I headed for the Pacific. A stop off to visit a friend in the desert turned into years in Tucson, Arizona. I worked as a waitress, bartender, greenhouse worker, greyhound trainer, while swapping a pysch major for one in plant sciences at the University of Arizona. Fired for skipping employee meetings at restaurants, employee gambling at the dogtrack, refusing to use live rabbits as bait, it fell to planting cacti and bartending to pay my way through college.
My late twenties found me running family owned greenhouses and florist shops in New York. When the reality of retail life became too mundane to handle, I began an obsessive love of creating more interesting worlds.
Thank you, so much for hosting me today, Lisa. You've such a lovely blog, showcasing so many interesting authors.
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