The Ghosts of Aquinnah - Get To Know Stella

Hey, gang! Very excited to share a character profile from my pal Julie Flanders' latest, The Ghosts of Aquinnah. Sounds like Julie has woven yet another superbly suspenseful story for us! (If you haven't read Polar Night yet, do so. Soon. :)

Take it away, Stella!

Aquinnah, Massachusetts

The Ghosts of Aquinnah Character Interview

What is your name?

Stella Winslow

What do you look like?

I’m petite and thin, I’ve always been called tiny. I have long auburn hair, fair skin, and green eyes.

When were you born? Where do you live?

I was born in 1864 and I live in the town of Chilmark on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. I’ve lived on the same farm for my whole life. It used to belong to my parents, now it belongs to my husband.

What has been the most important event in your life?

I helped in the rescue efforts when The City of Columbus sank off the coast of Gay Head in January, 1884. I took care of one of the survivors, a young man named Christopher Casey. That experience totally changed my life.

Have you ever been in love?

I have, once. I’ve also been married once. I didn’t marry the person I loved and I didn’t love the person I married.

Do you hold grudges?

Yes, I do. And I’m like a dog with a bone once I’ve set my mind to something. If I have a wrong that I think needs to be righted, I don’t care how long it takes me to accomplish that.

Who is the person you respect the most? Despise the most?

I respect my parents, they were wonderful people. I despise my husband.

What goal do you most want to accomplish in your lifetime?

I want people to know the truth about Christopher Casey.

Blurb:

A brilliant flash of light transcends through time.

Another freezes a cloaked figure within a frame of salty mist as waves crash against a rocky shore. Her harrowing expression shadows the beacon to a pinprick.

By the next blaze, she is gone. Only the lighthouse remains.

Hannah’s eyes blink in step with each heartbeat. Images of her deceased parents and Martha’s Vineyard explode like firecrackers inside her mind.

She shakes her head.

For weeks this eerie woman dressed in nineteenth century garb has been haunting my webcam, but tonight she stared into my soul.

Why? ...

Who is she? ...

Casting aside months of research on historic lighthouses, Hannah drives to the coast and boards a ferry.

What is the strange connection she has to this mysterious woman suspended in time?

Hannah finds out.

But, it’s not at all what she expects...

Hannah unravels a century old murder.

Buy The Ghosts of Aquinnah:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Smashwords ~ Ink Smith Store

Author Bio: Julie Flanders is a novelist and freelance writer in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has a life-long love affair with the ocean and has spent more summer vacations than she can count on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. When not writing, Julie can be found playing with her pets, reading, cheering on her favorite sports teams, and watching too much television. The Ghosts of Aquinnah is Julie’s second novel. Her debut novel Polar Night was released in February, 2013 by Ink Smith Publishing.



Find Julie at:
 

Website ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest ~ Goodreads

Character Closeups: The Cast of Polar Night, Pt. 3

Hey gang! Today is the final installment of this week's Polar Night (by Julie Flanders) character closeups. We get our first villain (or is he?) today, so it should be fun.

Remember to leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for a free digital copy of Polar Night. (NOTE: Only 1 entry per post will be counted for the drawing, so you can have your name put in up to three times if you comment on each one.) We'll draw the winner over the weekend and announce here on the blog next week.

Thanks to everyone who has stopped by this week to check out the closeups and cheer Julie on. :)


~EJW~

The Cast of Polar Night, Pt. 3

1. Character Name: Aleksei Nechayev

2. Physical description: I don’t mean to sound conceited, but I’m extremely attractive. I’m very tall and very well-built, and I have blond hair and dark blue eyes that many women have told me are to die for.

3. Hero or villain: Most people would say I’m a villain, although I don’t really see it that way. I’m just doing what I need to get by and find some happiness in life.

4. Where do you live? I live in Coldfoot, Alaska in an old state asylum that I’ve converted into a tourist attraction/haunted house. Coldfoot is only about 240 miles south of the Arctic Ocean, and our population in the 2010 census was 10. I like my privacy, so that suits me just fine, especially during the winter months when the tourist attraction part of my home closes for the season.

5. What is my problem? I’d like to find a beautiful woman to spend my winter with. My biggest obstacle is a Fairbanks detective who seems to think he knows something about me, and keeps turning up at my home and violating my privacy.

6. Do I have a secret? I do. I’m much older than people think I am, and I like keeping my age a secret. If people knew the truth, they’d ask too many questions.

7. What is the most honorable or good thing I’ve ever done? I fought for my country in the war and nearly died for my efforts.

8. Do I believe in self-sacrifice for the greater good? Absolutely not. After my experience in the war, I know that whole idea is absurd. I really don’t believe in self-sacrifice at all. What’s the point? I believe in looking out for myself and getting what I want out of life. 

Read more about Aleksei's schemings in Polar Night!

When Detective Danny Fitzpatrick leaves his hometown of Chicago and moves to Fairbanks, Alaska he wants nothing more than to escape the violence and heartbreak that left his life in pieces. Numbed by alcohol and the frozen temperatures of an Alaskan winter, Danny is content with a dead-end job investigating Fairbanks' cold cases. That all changes when a pretty blond woman goes missing on the winter solstice, and Danny stumbles upon some surprising connections between her disappearance and that of another Fairbanks woman three years earlier. Forced out of his lethargy, Danny sets out to both find the missing woman and solve his own cold case. 

The investigation points Danny towards Aleksei Nechayev, the handsome and charming proprietor of an old asylum turned haunted tourist attraction in the Arctic town of Coldfoot. As he tries to find a link between Nechayev and his case, Danny's instinct tells him that Nechayev is much more than what he seems.

Danny has no idea that Nechayev is hiding a secret that is much more horrifying than anything he could ever have imagined. As his obsession with finding the missing women grows, Danny finds his own life in danger. And when the truth is finally revealed, the world as he knows it will never be the same. 

Purchase Polar Night Here

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords

About The Author

Julie Flanders is a librarian and a freelance writer who has written for both online and print publications. She is an avid animal lover and shares her home in Cincinnati, Ohio with her dog and cat. Her debut novel Polar Night, a suspense thriller with a supernatural twist, is now available from Ink Smith Publishing at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Find Julie online at her blog, and on Twitter, Goodreads, and Facebook.

Character Closeups: The Cast of Polar Night, Pt. 2

**UPDATE - Just received some very exciting personal news on the New Adult lit front! You can check it HERE (but come back and read Julie's closeup! :) I'll be blogging about it in more detail soon.**

Hey gang! Today is the second installment of this week's Polar Night (by Julie Flanders) character closeups. It's a story full of mystery and intrigue, with some cool supernatural twists. You can learn all about it below... 

Remember to leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for a free digital copy of Polar Night. (NOTE: Only 1 entry per post will be counted for the drawing, so you can have your name put in up to three times if you comment on each one.) We'll draw the winner over the weekend and announce here on the blog next week.

Hope you can stop back by tomorrow for the final installment, as we get a look at our first 'bad guy' of the book. :)


~EJW~

The Cast of Polar Night, Pt. 2

1. Character Name: Amanda Fiske

2. Physical description: I’m tall and slender, with long blond hair and blue eyes. People have told me I look like I’m Scandinavian, which makes sense since my father’s family is Norwegian.

3. Hero or villain: Hero. I’ve tried to help out on some cases of missing women, but the police never want to listen to me.

4. Where do you live? I live in an apartment in Fairbanks, Alaska. I’m a librarian at the public library there. My apartment is cozy and I love to cook.

5. What is your biggest problem? I can’t get people to believe me when I try to tell them I can help find the missing women. They all think I’m crazy.

6. When were you most afraid? Ten years ago when I was nearly abducted in my hometown of Sitka. I barely got away from a man who tried to kidnap me.

7. What three words would you use to describe your personality? Open-minded, compassionate, and reserved.

8. What three words would others use to describe you? Crazy, anxious, and delusional.

Read more about Amanda in Polar Night!

When Detective Danny Fitzpatrick leaves his hometown of Chicago and moves to Fairbanks, Alaska he wants nothing more than to escape the violence and heartbreak that left his life in pieces. Numbed by alcohol and the frozen temperatures of an Alaskan winter, Danny is content with a dead-end job investigating Fairbanks' cold cases. That all changes when a pretty blond woman goes missing on the winter solstice, and Danny stumbles upon some surprising connections between her disappearance and that of another Fairbanks woman three years earlier. Forced out of his lethargy, Danny sets out to both find the missing woman and solve his own cold case. 

The investigation points Danny towards Aleksei Nechayev, the handsome and charming proprietor of an old asylum turned haunted tourist attraction in the Arctic town of Coldfoot. As he tries to find a link between Nechayev and his case, Danny's instinct tells him that Nechayev is much more than what he seems.

Danny has no idea that Nechayev is hiding a secret that is much more horrifying than anything he could ever have imagined. As his obsession with finding the missing women grows, Danny finds his own life in danger. And when the truth is finally revealed, the world as he knows it will never be the same. 

Purchase Polar Night Here

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords

About The Author

Julie Flanders is a librarian and a freelance writer who has written for both online and print publications. She is an avid animal lover and shares her home in Cincinnati, Ohio with her dog and cat. Her debut novel Polar Night, a suspense thriller with a supernatural twist, is now available from Ink Smith Publishing at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Find Julie online at her blog, and on Twitter, Goodreads, and Facebook.

Character Closeups: The Cast of Polar Night, Pt. 1

Hey gang! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. I'm bringing you another round of character closeups, where we get to know three characters, on three different days, from one book or series. 

This week's closeup will introduce us to the characters of Polar Night by Julie Flanders. It's a story full of mystery and intrigue, with some cool supernatural twists. You can learn all about it below... 

Also, as a special treat, Julie is offering up one free eCopy of the book. 

Just leave a comment on any of this week's Polar Night closeup posts (there'll be three of them), and you'll be entered for a chance to win. (NOTE: Only 1 entry per post will be counted in the drawing--so you can have up to three entries.) We'll draw the winner's name this weekend and announce on the blog next week. 

Good luck! And I hope you enjoy. :)

The Cast of Polar Night, Pt. 1

1. Character Name: Danny Fitzpatrick

2. Physical description: I’m tall and thin, with thick brown hair that is always coming unkempt no matter how many times I comb it. I have a long nose and brown eyes to match my hair. I’m lanky and have always been told I’m too thin.

3. Hero or villain: A reluctant hero, and could be considered an anti-hero

4. Where do you live? I live in Fairbanks, Alaska and work for the Fairbanks Police Department. I live in a building with four apartments but I haven’t bothered to get to know my neighbors. They’re quiet and keep to themselves, which works for me. My apartment really needs a paint job and could use some new furniture, but I’m rarely there except to sleep anyway so I can’t be bothered to decorate.

5. My problem or biggest obstacle: I’m trying to find a woman who has gone missing while I think there is a chance she’s still alive. I know who abducted her, but I don’t have any evidence to prove it. I just know I’m right.

6. What is my most memorable moment? The death of my wife. This was before I moved to Fairbanks, when she and I lived in my hometown of Chicago.

7. Have I ever been in love? Yes, I was in love with my wife Caroline. Describe what happened: She was murdered right in front of me.

8. What do you think of love? You can probably guess based on my previous answer, but I’m not big on love. It didn’t work out too well for me.

9. What are my goals? To find this missing woman while she’s still alive, and to solve the mystery of another woman who went missing a few years ago. And to drink enough alcohol to get through the day.

Read more about Danny's investigation in Polar Night!

When Detective Danny Fitzpatrick leaves his hometown of Chicago and moves to Fairbanks, Alaska he wants nothing more than to escape the violence and heartbreak that left his life in pieces. Numbed by alcohol and the frozen temperatures of an Alaskan winter, Danny is content with a dead-end job investigating Fairbanks' cold cases. That all changes when a pretty blond woman goes missing on the winter solstice, and Danny stumbles upon some surprising connections between her disappearance and that of another Fairbanks woman three years earlier. Forced out of his lethargy, Danny sets out to both find the missing woman and solve his own cold case. 

The investigation points Danny towards Aleksei Nechayev, the handsome and charming proprietor of an old asylum turned haunted tourist attraction in the Arctic town of Coldfoot. As he tries to find a link between Nechayev and his case, Danny's instinct tells him that Nechayev is much more than what he seems.

Danny has no idea that Nechayev is hiding a secret that is much more horrifying than anything he could ever have imagined. As his obsession with finding the missing women grows, Danny finds his own life in danger. And when the truth is finally revealed, the world as he knows it will never be the same. 

Purchase Polar Night Here

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords

About The Author

Julie Flanders is a librarian and a freelance writer who has written for both online and print publications. She is an avid animal lover and shares her home in Cincinnati, Ohio with her dog and cat. Her debut novel Polar Night, a suspense thriller with a supernatural twist, is now available from Ink Smith Publishing at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Find Julie online at her blog, and on Twitter, Goodreads, and Facebook.

Character Closeups: The Heroes & Villains of Vallar, Pt 3

Hey gang! It's almost the weekend!! *takes off shirt and whirls it around his head*

To send us out of the week in style, today is the final installment of the inagural Character Closeups series. We get a look at our first villain, and learn a little more about Cindy Borgne's Vallar Series. If you missed the first two closeups, you can find them here and here.

I hope you've enjoyed these as much as I have. I've already arranged to do another closeup in a couple of weeks (next week will be more of a normal blog week around here--with a bevy of exciting new book announcements thrown in for good measure). 

Which brings me to the point: Do you have a book or series you'd like to share in a future Character Closeup? If so, shoot me an eMail (EJWesleyAuthor <AT> gmail <DOT> com) and we can discuss the details. :)

The Heroes & Villains of Vallar, Pt 3

(Author Note: These interviews take place between books 1 and 2)

Character Name: Admiral William Kodet

Hero or Villain: Villain

Who are you? I’m Admiral William Kodet, leader of Marscorp.

Where do you live? I live at Marscorp, of course, the most powerful organization on Mars. Our base is located in the Aonia Terra region. And by the way, Marscorp is running the southern hemisphere of Mars. If it wasn’t for the Vallar alliance, we’d be running the whole red planet.

What is it like to be the leader of Marscorp? It’s a demanding job, and I’m expected to get results. I’m under constant pressure to insure the progress of my organization. Sometimes I’m required to do things I don’t necessary like to do, but this is, after all, Mars.

What is it like taking over in the shadow of the former Admiral Beacon? *shakes head* I don’t consider myself to be in anyone’s shadow. However, I often feel that the council tries to compare me to him. Of course, this is annoying, and I’m going to prove to them that I’m better than Beacon ever was.

What is your problem in the story? First, I’m not allowed to discuss everything, but the main goal of Marscorp is to get our people back to Earth. The big problem is that, thanks to the Vallar Alliance, we are no longer able to shall we say, take advantage of smaller organizations. So I’m looking for new ways to enable our progress. We need vital technology, and sorry to say, we need the use of psychics. In other words, we need Ian Connors. Unfortunately, he betrayed us and killed Admiral Beacon. Not to mention he’s living at Gentech helping the Vallar alliance – most likely spying on me right now with his visions. If he thinks he is safe there, he’s so wrong…so very wrong. 

What do you regret? *grumbles* In book one we had Gentech spies working right in one of our repair hangars. This led to us losing the battle of the mine, not to mention hundreds of Marc lives – including some very close to me. I regret my inability to discover those spies, and one day I’m going to bring them to justice.

What kind of justice do you mean? They’re going to be executed. Just give me time. 

What are you afraid of? Normally, I would have to say “nothing” because that’s what I was trained to say. However, since the Marc council isn’t going to see this I will admit I’m afraid that if I don’t manage to get Connors back on our side it’s going to be the end of Marscorp.

Read more about the Admiral in The Seer of Mars and Visionary of Peace, Vallar books 1 & 2!

Seer of Mars is available here: 

Amazon/Amazon UK/Paperback

Visionary of Peace is available here:

Amazon/Amazon UK/Paperback

About the Author:

Cindy Borgne lives in the Detroit, Michigan area with her two kids and one stubborn, yet somehow lovable basset hound. She has worked a freelance editor, web-designer and computer instructor.

Prior to Vallar being published, Cindy won an honorable mention for short fiction from Writer's Digest. Her short story "ThunderSnow" was chosen as an editor's pick at Eloquent Stories. In 2011, Seer of Mars was a finalist in the Readers' Favorite contest.

Connect with Cindy Borgne: Blog/Facebook/Twitter 

Want to check out some of Cindy's work for free? 

Two shape shifters compete with each other by imitating humans in difficult situations. This time they become soldiers and face combat. The loser is the first to give up and convert back into shifter form. Adelya impersonates a male soldier and grows tired of the game, but she does not want to lose again. When her platoon is attacked, a soldier's courage shows her there is more to being human than she realized. Soon she falls in love with him and is faced with a choice between an immortal existence or being with the man she loves.

TransShifter is a fantasy light romance.
This novelette is 11,500 words long. (52 pages in paperback)

TransShifter is available for free: 

Amazon/Nook/Smashwords

Character Closeups: The Heroes & Villains of Vallar, Pt 1

Gang! Today I'm introducing a fun new way to share books and authors on the Open Vein called Character Closeups. 

The idea is simple: 3 days, 3 different character profiles/interviews, 1 great author. So throughout this week (today, tomorrow, and Friday), you'll have a chance to really get to know three major characters from Cindy Borgne's YA/Sci-fi Vallar Series.

Hope y'all enjoy!

The Heroes & Villains of Vallar, Pt 1

(Author Note: These interviews take place between books 1 and 2)

Character Name: Kayla Merceir

Hero or Villain: Hero

Who are you? I’m Kayla Merceir. I’ve been a spy and a Jr. Diplomat, but now I’m biosphere engineer. 

Where do you live? I live on Mars at the mine, which is located in the Noctis Labyrinthus. Here we mine for platinum and sell it to an Earth organization to gain important supplies. Mostly miners live here in small rooms. I’ve been here for a while working on a new biosphere. This will make it possible for the miners to live in homes, which will be inside a contained area, simulating an Earth-like environment.

Do you have any special talents: I’m an artist. Mostly, I draw pictures of Earth-like oceans and tropical paradises. I have to go by what’s in our databanks because I’ve never seen Earth.

What are you afraid of? I’m afraid of having a relationship with Ian Connors and something going wrong. You see, two years ago, my fiancé was killed in battle. I find it hard to get close to someone again in fear of losing them. What makes it worse is that Ian is wanted by Marscorp for killing their admiral. Plus he’s a psychic and I just don’t know what is going to happen to him. But I care about him.

What is your problem in the story? Ian has a vision of our people being destroyed by Marscorp, so I’m helping him to stop this war.

How do your enemies, these Marcs, see you? I was once a spy within their walls, so I’m on their kill list, but they don’t know what happened to me. 

What do you regret? My mother passed away recently, and I regret not having spent more time with her. 

What makes you happy? I get some small enjoyment out of drawing or playing with my dog, and I know this is going to sound bleak, but not much has made me real happy lately. I feel unsatisfied with just about everything. My people for example we’re just stuck and not making any real progress. Our ancestors came to Mars to find a way to reach Hinun an Earth-like planet. We’ve made no real progress thanks to all the years of war.

Do you have a hero? I know this will sound silly, but Ian is my hero. He risked his life to escape Marscorp. Admiral Beacon was a menace to our people, but they don’t know Ian is the one who killed him.

Read more about Kayla in The Seer of Mars, Vallar book1!

At sixteen, Ian Connors happens to be the secret weapon of a powerful military faction bent on conquering all humans who have colonized Mars. His job is to use his psychic ability to uncover secrets or hidden bases of other factions. Ian not only uncovers a valuable hidden mine through his visions, but also Kayla, a woman he sees himself with in the future. The only problem is she's on the enemy side.

Ian heads out into a battle to save Kayla. Instead, he discovers the death and destruction his visions can bring when in the wrong hands. Ian vows to never let anyone use him again. His goal is to escape and live in peace, but his superiors monitor him closely and defectors are known to mysteriously disappear. Deep down, he longs to be with Kayla. Despite his age, inexperience and few allies, he refuses to give up. He must outwit a cunning admiral and save Kayla from his own people or he will remain a pawn and forever separated from those he loves.

Seer of Mars is available here: Amazon/Amazon UK/Paperback

About the Author:

Cindy Borgne lives in the Detroit, Michigan area with her two kids and one stubborn, yet somehow lovable basset hound. She has worked a freelance editor, web-designer and computer instructor.

Prior to Vallar being published, Cindy won an honorable mention for short fiction from Writer's Digest. Her short story "ThunderSnow" was chosen as an editor's pick at Eloquent Stories. In 2011, Seer of Mars was a finalist in the Readers' Favorite contest.

Connect with Cindy Borgne: Blog/Facebook/Twitter 

Want to check out some of Cindy's work for free? 

Two shape shifters compete with each other by imitating humans in difficult situations. This time they become soldiers and face combat. The loser is the first to give up and convert back into shifter form. Adelya impersonates a male soldier and grows tired of the game, but she does not want to lose again. When her platoon is attacked, a soldier's courage shows her there is more to being human than she realized. Soon she falls in love with him and is faced with a choice between an immortal existence or being with the man she loves.

TransShifter is a fantasy light romance.
This novelette is 11,500 words long. (52 pages in paperback)

TransShifter is available for free: Amazon/Nook/Smashwords