paranormal Archives | Margaret Locke

Writer Wednesday: Meet Tina Glasneck

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Margaret — 2 Comments ↓

Welcome to Writer Wednesday! I’ve got a special treat for you today: Tina Glasneck, writer of mysteries, New Adult paranormal & fantasy romance!

Tina and I met via the Virginia Romance Writers and bonded over discussions of children versus writing time, etc. She’s so fun, so smart, and I don’t know how she does it, since she not only balances family with writing, but also has an amazing blog, Celebrate With A Book, through which she connects us with lots of authors from a wide variety of genres.

But today she’s not talking about them, she’s talking about herself and her latest release, romantic fantasy A Dragon’s Destiny! She’s giving us an in-depth view of understanding the role of Medieval Magic when creating A Dragon’s Destiny. Enjoy, and leave some love in the comments!

Name one interesting thing you learned in researching/writing your last book?

Research is quite important, even if one is writing romantic fantasy. A lover of learning, I wanted to make sure that my story, A Dragon’s Destiny, had those small details right, and then be able to take artistic license with it. I’ve always loved Medieval history and this was my chance to dive in and research all that my heart desired.

In my latest book, a fantasy romance, A Dragon’s Destiny, a woman, who feels like she is cursed, discovers that she is a dragon. She is then tossed back in time to the year 1520, and in this parallel world society is on the brink of war. The king is required to quash the paganism in his country. This is done at the hands of the Black Knight, who acts as the king’s executioner.

Medieval ancient illuminated manuscript with gregorian chant music As a theologian by training, I find history quite intriguing. For A Dragon’s Destiny, in order to get a lot of the historical facts regarding medieval history correct, I audited a class through the University of Barcelona (online through Coursera) called Magic in the Middle Ages. It speaks about the progression of magic being considered natural and good to our later understanding of it being considered evil, demonic and therefore requiring extinguishing. It explains how the Inquisition was used to eradicate old customs, or paganism.

What I had to take into consideration when creating my tale is that the Spanish Inquisition began in 1231, and by the end of the 14th century magic had been criminalized. It can even be argued that this criminalization gave rise to the crime of witchcraft (which in turn later affected Salem and modern-day America — in that the Wiccan religion was not recognized until 1980s).

Medieval inquisitor in the hood on the inquisitors tools background. Medieval history, also Church history, offers an abundance of fodder. For example, in the 14th century, pastoral visitations existed, whereby a bishop, or their envoy, would travel to the different localities and inquire as to that of its inhabitants and its ties to the church, i.e, did the locals still follow the rules, and more specifically if any among them were superstitious, or rather if any of the locals were known to participate in magic (or follow that of the pagan rituals). Those locals were then often blamed for bad things that occurred in the village, and subsequently brought to trial (ecclesiastical trial if the charges had to do with heresy), or trial by mob mentality (if related to secular laws, and therefore not under the authority of the Inquisitors), which seems to have resembled more of our obsession with reality TV. Those who were considered guilty of heresy often found themselves at the stake.

onlygirl By the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation (which began in 1517), the crime of witchcraft had been on the books for almost 100 years. But the Inquisition would rage on until 1908, with the last registered execution held in 1826.

I placed my characters in such a world, where political intrigue abounds, true magic is in the air, and combine it with Norse mythology, and a great romance.

Thanks Margaret for having me on your blog and allowing me to share how research is important when creating fiction.

A Bit About A Dragon’s Destiny:

Curses are destined to be broken…

In this the first of the Dragons series, time travel and fantasy are weaved together in a fast-paced, funny yet emotional romance.

Jaz, a fish out of water in the real world, discovers that she is actually a dragon. She must seek her true destiny in another, parallel place.

There she discovers that Erich, the man she secretly lusts after in real time, is the Dark Knight. He’s ruthlessly extinguishing the ancient Norse religion in an emerging Christian world.

Is he the beloved Jaz is tasked to find in order to release her dragon heart?

Find A Dragon’s Destiny here:

A Bit About Tina:

Tina Glasneck enjoys creating stories, would love to live in a castle, and can’t imagine a world without books. She’s addicted to coffee; believes in destiny and can be often seen staring into the distance musing over one thing or another.

She just released the first book in her new Dragons series, called A Dragon’s Destiny, and is looking forward to seeing where time-travel and her love of history and fantasy will take her and her storytelling next.

Want to connect further with Tina? Find her here:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Thanks so much for joining us, Tina! It was a pleasure to have you – especially since you brought dragons. 🙂

Writer Wednesday: Meet Catherine Chant!

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Margaret — 5 Comments ↓

Welcome to Writer Wednesday!

Today we’ve got Catherine Chant rockin’ the house – which is especially apt, considering she writes rock ‘n’ roll romantic fiction and stories with paranormal twists for young adults. How cool is THAT?

Read on to learn more about Catherine and her latest work – and I hope you’ll leave some love in the comments. Because authors need groupies, too! 🙂

Red heart shapes on a handwritten old journal.

What inspires you to write?

I think I’m going to be in the minority when I say I’m not the type of writer who feels she has to write (like that I’ll die if I couldn’t). I’m creative in so many different ways that if writing were no longer an option, I’d find another outlet and be okay with that.

So why do I write if I don’t have to? I write because I enjoy it. It’s that simple. I like telling stories. I like starting on a path and seeing what’s around the corner. I enjoy discovering the unexpected, and I would love for readers to come along for the ride. I’m constantly inspired by the question of “What if…?”

[ML: So glad I’m not the only one who feels that way – though if I did, I think I’d get a lot more written.]

Close up of fountain pen on old letter

What one piece of advice do you wish you’d had when first starting out?

When I was in elementary school, the teachers would tell my mother that my assignments were sometimes late because I spent too much time looking around the room to see what other kids were doing.

I made that same mistake when I started writing. Sometimes it’s disguised as learning from others, which is fine, but if you pay too much attention to what other writers are doing, it’s easy to forget to work on your own stuff. Write for yourself first and don’t worry so much what everyone else is doing.

What’s your favorite romance novel of all time, and why?

This is a hard choice. I’ve read and loved a lot of books. But I’d have to say that the romance that stands out the most in my mind after all these years is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I read it when it was first published back in 1991 and it just struck a chord with me. The history, the emotions, the romance. It has it all. That book made me fall in love with the whole time travel genre and inspired me to write my own. Before that moment, I’d mostly read gothic romances.

chef at work

Name two things people don’t know about you.

1. I always say I’m a horrible cook (it’s been a running joke in my family since I was a kid–I was majorly inept in Home Ec class), but I’m actually not that bad. I don’t much like cooking, though, so I’m happy to have everyone believe I’m horrible at it and that’s why I don’t cook more.

2. Before I got into writing, I was an artist. I drew and painted pictures all the time. Looking back, I probably should have gone to art school and become a graphic designer, but my parents wanted me to have a “practical” career, so I went to a traditional four-year college and studied math and held a technology job for 15 years. Now I’m back in the arts, so I got here eventually.

A Bit About Nothing Stays the Same (young adult time travel romance)

How far would you go to save someone’s life? Leah and Brennan are going all the way back to 1973.

One Choice Changes Everything…

In 1973, The Beat Detectors are the hottest TV pop band to hit the airwaves since The Monkees, thanks to the appealing vocals of rising teen idol Ronnie Basford. But behind the scenes, not everything is rainbows and unicorns. Ronnie realizes much too late that one bad decision can ruin your whole life.

Forty years later, Ronnie is dead from an apparent suicide and his sixteen-year-old son Brennan wants answers. He needs to understand how it all went so wrong. When he finds himself dropped back in time, to the set of his father’s TV show, he’s determined to redirect the course of his father’s life and create the happy ending Ronnie deserved.

Soccer star Leah Reinard has been crushing on Brennan Basford for ages. When they end up at the same summer job, she thinks the fates have finally aligned in her favor. That is, until Brennan suddenly disappears from existence. One day he’s there, the next day, he’s gone. And no one but Leah even remembers him. Can Leah find Brennan in time to stop him from ruining both their futures?

Available from Amazon.com: https://amzn.com/B01IASDPV4

A Bit About Catherine:

Catherine Chant is an active member of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) and a Golden Heart® finalist. She writes rock ‘n’ roll romantic fiction and stories with paranormal twists for young adults. Catherine is currently working on a new young adult suspense novel, and the next book in her Soul Mates series.

You can connect with Catherine at her website CatherineChant.com, on Twitter @Catherine_Chant, on Facebook CatherineChantNovels, or on Instagram Catherine_Chant

Thanks so much for being here, Catherine – I’m thrilled you chose to be a guest. 🙂

A Matter of Time is a HOLT Finalist!

Posted on May 15, 2016 by Margaret — 8 Comments ↓

I’m excited and absolutely FLOORED to tell you all that A Matter of Time is a DOUBLE Finalist in the Virginia Romance Writers’ HOLT Medallion Contest in the Paranormal and Best Book by a Virginia Author categories!

Excuse me while I go hyperventilate, do the Snoopy dance, and fantasize about inhaling vast amounts of chocolate.

THANK YOU to the Virginia Romance Writers and the HOLT judges for this tremendous honor.

And thank YOU, my friends, family, fellow authors, and fellow readers, for making this possible. WAHOO!

Winners will be announced June 11th. Wish me luck, won’t you?

Writer Wednesday: Meet Caryn McGill!

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Margaret — No Comments ↓

Oh, the spring weather has arrived at last, and it is glorious here in Virginia!

You know what else is glorious? Having fellow Virginia Romance Writer Caryn McGill here for Writer Wednesday! Caryn is such a fun and sweet lady, and I’m so proud to be able to share her with you today. So please read on to learn more about Caryn and her provocatively titled new book, The Wives of Lucifer. (I totally want to read that based on title alone. Don’t you?)

What inspires you to write?

Music, TV, and film inspire me. A simple lyric can spark a story. I’m a big fan of the “what if” method. I take an anecdote, story or real-life situation and wonder what would happen if I just blow it up. Where will the pieces fall? What would I do in that situation? The possibilities are mind-boggling. And fun! Continue reading Writer Wednesday: Meet Caryn McGill!→

Writer Wednesday: Meet Jessica Ruddick!

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Margaret — No Comments ↓

It’s the first official Wednesday of spring! Wahoo! And it’s WRITER Wednesday, so that kicks even more tushy. And what tops all of that? We have Young Adult and Romance author Jessica Ruddick with us today, spilling the beans on her writing life and her latest book, Wanting More.

I can tell you right now *I’m* wanting more chocolate, but since that ain’t happening, let’s all settle in and get inspired by Jessica, who wants us to “laugh a little, swoon some, love a lot.” Aww. I’m down with that!

What inspires you to write?

Readers. Readers inspire me to write because I was a voracious reader before I turned into a writer. Reading has always been my solace in the craziness that is life. I hope that my books can bring readers the same joy I’ve experienced through books.

Name one interesting thing you learned in researching/writing your last book.
I learned that when someone gets punched in the nose and it breaks, the blood actually kinda bubbles out of the nostrils rather than gushes. Gross, right? I also did research on bullet wounds, and let me tell you—if you’re squeamish at all, don’t Google that.

Which type of romance do you love most, and why?
I really love paranormal YA, especially when the love story spans several books. A perfect example of this is the Vampire Academy series. Although the characters are generally tasked with saving the world in these books (LOL), they’re usually unencumbered with adult responsibilities, like the ones I face every day. It’s a refreshing escape.

And now, a bit about Wanting More:

Bri Welch likes to play it safe. I don’t. She’s wound tight, and I’m all about a good party. But there’s something about her that makes me want to pull those uptight layers away one-by-delicious-one. But the worst thing is she makes me want more…

Find Wanting More on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

A bit about Jessica:

Jessica Ruddick lives in Virginia and is married to her college sweetheart–their first date was a fraternity toga party (and nothing inspires love like a toga, right?). When she doesn’t have her nose in a book or her hands on a keyboard, she can be found wrangling her two rambunctious sons, taming two rowdy but lovable rescue dogs, and battling the herd of dust bunnies that has taken up residence in her home. LETTING GO and WANTING MORE are Entangled Embrace releases, and she has a forthcoming romantic suspense release with St. Martin’s Swerve under her pen name, Jessica Linden. To learn more about Jessica, please visit her websites at www.jessicaruddick.comand www.jessicalinden.net.

Want to connect further with Jessica? Find her here:

Website │ Twitter │ Facebook │ Goodreads

Thanks so much for stopping by, Jessica! Wishing you the best of luck with Wanting More!