E.J. Wesley, Author

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

Strength

Hey gang! Hope you've been enjoying the character closeups so far. :)

I'm supremely honored to share the book launch of a very talented author-lady today. The cover alone will make swooners swoon and the soft-stomached insecure! I present to you, Strength by Carrie Butler:

Title: Strength

Series: Mark of Nexus – Book 1

Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing Category: New Adult (NA) Genre: Paranormal Romance (PNR) Release Date: March 07, 2013

Available at: Amazon, Kindle, Barnes and Noble, and Nook. More retailers will be added in the coming weeks, i.e. Sony Reader Store, iBookstore, Kobo, etc. Be sure to keep an eye on Carrie's Pinterest "Retailers" board. She updates it whenever STRENGTH pops up somewhere. :)

STRENGTH

When college student Rena Collins finds herself nose-to-chest with the campus outcast, her rumor-laced notions are shattered. Handsome, considerate, and seemingly sane, Wallace Blake doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, screaming and banging on the walls of his dorm room. Hell, he doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, period.

Too curious for her own good, Rena vows to uncover the truth behind Wallace’s madman reputation—and how two seconds of contact had left her with bruises. Of course, there are a few minor setbacks along the way: guilt, admiration, feelings of the warm and fuzzy variety…

Not to mention the unwanted attention of Wallace's powerful, supernaturally-gifted family.

They’re a bloodline divided by opposing ideals, two soon-to-be warring factions that live in secret among us. When Rena ends up caught in their crossfire, Wallace has no choice but to save her by using his powers. Now they’re really in trouble. With war on the horizon and Rena’s life in the balance, he needs to put some distance between them. But Rena won’t let go. If fighting is what it takes to prove her own strength and keep Wallace in her life, then that’s what she’ll do—even if it means risking a whole lot more than her heart.

Book Trailer

About the Author

Carrie daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into her hands, slapped a summa cum laude seal on the corner, and booted her out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the prospect of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.

Where to find Carrie:

Where to find Strength:

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Character Closeups: The Heroes & Villains of Vallar, Pt 2

**Note: If you're looking for my IWSG post, please check back next week. I had some scheduling conflicts and decided to move it. :)**

As promised gang, here is part two of the inaugural Character Closeup blog feature where we take a look at three characters, on three different days, from one fabulous author/story.

We continue with author Cindy Borgne's Vallar series. You can check the interview with character, Kayla, here. And stop back by Friday for the final character closeup of the series--our first villain. :-)

The Heroes & Villains of Vallar, Pt 1

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

Character Name: Ian Connors

Hero or Villain: Hero

Who are you? I’m Ian Connors, and I’m studying to be a ship mechanic. I’m also a psychic, but please keep that to yourself.

Where do you live? I live on Mars in a contained biosphere that is built below the surface. This post, known as Gentech, was made out from a series of large craters.

What is it like to be psychic? It’s frustrating. Not only can I inconsistently see the future, but I can also sense emotions. The worst part is that I have a hard time blocking out all those emotions too. If a bunch of people are mad at me, I will get a terrible headache. If I’m around people who are panicking, it can make me want to panic as well. However, the ability to sense emotions has also allowed me to find and save people.

Seeing the future causes me a lot of stress because I often see bad things happening. Then I don’t know exactly how to prevent the disaster. I’ve seen people being seriously wounded and even dying. Some I have saved, but I feel like it takes years off my own life.

My mind is very busy, especially when I’m trying to have visions. I continue to work in my dreams, so usually I wake up feeling like I’ve been up most of the night.

What are you afraid of? Only a few trusted friends know I’m psychic, and I don’t want anyone else finding out. If the wrong people find out, it could lead to me being kidnapped and sold to the highest bidder.

What is your problem in the story? One night, I have a disturbing vision of the entire Gentech post being destroyed. Then I see my father and girlfriend dead, crashed in a ship. It’s up to me to find a way to stop a war with the Marcs.

How do your enemies, these Marcs, see you? They want me dead. I killed their Admiral. He left me no choice, but they don’t understand that. In a vision, I saw their new Admiral saying that he will have me brought to justice and executed.

What do you regret? In the first book, my best friend, Nate, is seriously wounded. He ends up with a brain injury, and still has not fully recovered. I didn’t want him to come with me out into a battle, but he threatened to stop me if he couldn’t come. Still, I can’t shake the guilt. I should’ve tied him up in the hangar and left without him, but I didn’t think of that at the time.

What makes you happy? Being with Kayla. She was my girlfriend for awhile, but she decided we needed to take a break from each other because we were getting too serious, and that I was too young. You see, she’s two years older than me. So now she’s working at the mine while I’m still at Gentech. I sense there is some other problem though and she won’t tell me what it is.

Do you have a hero? I look up to a lot of people, but mostly Sonny Nelson who became my best friend in the first book. I think of him as a father. He lost his daughter and one leg below the knee in battles. He’s a medic and has saved a lot of lives. I also admiral Captain Bret Yargar. He’s a tough military type. You would never know by looking at him that he’s also a physicist working on wormhole technology. He’s made some amazing things.

Do you ever wish you didn’t have psychic ability? I used to, but I’ve come to accept that I was meant to because I’m able to manage it all without falling apart – at least not completely. The truth is, I wouldn’t give it up. It would make me feel too helpless when it comes to protecting my friends. My world – Mars – is simply too dangerous not to have an edge.

Read more about Ian in Visionary of Peace, Vallar book 2!

Ian Connors had planned to use his visions to spy on Marscorp in order to maintain peace, but flashbacks and nightmares make it impossible. Since two years of peace have passed due to a stalemate, Ian decides to try and live a normal life, until one day he has a vision so horrifying he has no choice but to become the seer he once was or Vallar will have no future. While he struggles to regain his ability, the Marcs plot to capture him alive in order to complete a deal for their return to Earth.

Visionary of Peace is available here: Amazon/Amazon UK/Paperback

About the Author:

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

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:

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

TransShifter is available for free: Amazon/Nook/Smashwords

Overcoming Adversity - A Very Special Book Launch

Hey gang! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

You may recall a few weeks back I (and many others) took part in the Overcoming Adversity bloghop by writing a piece of short fiction. The event was set in motion by fellow writer and blogger Nick Wilford as a clever way to help raise money for his son's (Andrew) unique educational needs. It was a great honor to be able to help out, and now I'd like to extend the offer to help to all of you.

Nick has compiled all of the stories into one volume, and is selling it as an eBook (and soon as a paper copy as well). Proceeds from the book will go toward Andrew's educational expenses.

So you can help, too, by simply purchasing a copy of the book. (And getting others to do the same.) It's definitely a win/win, because I've read many of the stories and essays within the volume, and they're just outstanding. Some will evoke a few tears, and others will just entertain.

You'll likely see this book all over the place this week, so please share the news as you can.

Here's what it's all about, and where you can get the book:

Cover design and concept by DRC & Ella

A collection of seventy moving and uplifting original pieces - real life, flash fiction, and poetry - about battling against the odds and the ultimate triumph of the human spirit. The contributors include Amazon bestselling authors Alex J. Cavanaugh and Kyra Lennon, and the cream of upcoming talent.

The anthology is part of a fundraising effort to send the editor's stepson, Andrew McNaughton, to a specialist college in England. Andrew has cerebral palsy, and is a remarkable young man with a promising future. However, the free further education options offered in his own country of Scotland will not challenge him and allow him to progress. In order to access the education he deserves, Andrew will have to pay exorbitant fees, thus creating a situation of discrimination.

Help us get Andrew to college by buying a book that runs the full gamut of human emotions, ultimately leaving you inspired and glad to be alive. Whatever struggles you are going through, our sincere hope is that this book will help.

Where you can purchase:

Amazon UK
Amazon US
Smashwords
Goodreads

Editor Bio: Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those rare times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction. When not writing he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. He has four short stories published in Writer’s Muse magazine. Nick is also co-running a campaign to get a dedicated specialist college built in Scotland. Visit him at http://nickwilford.blogspot.co.uk/.