Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Same Coin, Flip Side...Poetry from a fantasy author

Here's a small glimpse at another side of me, a bit of my poetry.  I hope everyone who reads it likes it.


Dark Heart Unafraid


Darkness threatens to surround me, swallow my concious whole.

 I can no longer feel the breeze on my face or the sand beneath my toes.

I try to push my monster back, keep them in the shadows from which they came.

But the evil that spawned them is after me again.

Let me live, let me be free, let me exist without this crutch.

Let my deams be nightmare free, just one night out of a month.

Let me not be afraid to be happy. Or live in fear that it will all be stripped away.

Get off my back dark demons. Leave me free to love unafraid.

 For even though I realize not all love brings pain. Let me be to believe it, so I can be happy once again.

Foul creatures you have broke me, shattered me undone. But slowly I rebuild me, bit by bit, by bone.

Because don't I deserve to be happy, my young soul so brutally aged.

You've taken so much just give me for once the courage to love unafraid



Facets


Don't strain your brain trying to get inside my head, it's far to complex for mortal comprehension.

It's been shaped and formed and edges worn and molded by unseen hands.

So many so that even I don't know where the tally of influence now stands.

I've been the lost little girl trapped inside herself looking out at everyone through numbness.

And the dark brooding child with pain as her guide screaming at the world for salvation from the tempest.

I've been wanton and uncaring, unloving of my own body giving it to anyone who chose to ask for it.

I've been oh so alone in a caring loving home with the person that loves me best never really knowing me at all.

A meek timid mouse is what the world see's as my guise, but behind closed doors my fire burns bright.

I've been a victim,a perpetrator, a friend, a foe, a lover of life, a hater of light.

I've been a mans woman. And a womans girl.

I have inside me the scholar and the proverbial class clown.

I have more balls than some men wearing my queenly crown.

I am the lady in the street and the freak in the bed that men hope to find.

 I am a loving mother and a trusted friend ride or die to the very end.

I am me. Multi-layered and ultra-dimensioned. An enigma to myself.

So don't tax your mind trying to find me.

Some days I can't find myself.




Sunday, March 27, 2011

Introducing Lawless!!


What makes a character memorable and not just another name on a page?  As both an avid reader and writer, I ask myself that often.  As a reader, I look for characters who aren’t perfect.  Characters with flaws that are able to overcome them and come out on top.  I also have a tendency to fall in love with the underdog.

As a writer, I try to endow my characters with qualities and traits that reflect different aspects of who I am.  Hence the many lesbian and African American protagonist.  I also like to give my characters traits and qualities that I wish I had.  Take for instance Valeria’s snarky, in your face attitude.  That is so not me. (but sometimes I wish it was)
Not a day goes by without a new name popping into my head making me wonder how I can utilize them.  Most of them end up lost in the nether regions of my brain, never to be heard from again.  But every once and awhile a character pops into my head that just screams for me to see them.
When this happens I usually end up putting off what I am working on and giving that character my full attention. Sometimes this results in me writing that particular characters background, and filing them away to use at a later point in one of my stories.  Carrie, Irulan’s doomed first love from Never Again: An Irulan Short, is just such a character.  Carrie popped into my head while I was working on a fantasy story almost ten years ago.  I really liked the character, but there was no where for her in the story that I was trying to tell.  Thus she sat and waited until the perfect setting arrived.

At other times, a character refuses to go quietly to the rolodex in my mind and wait patiently.  These characters want their place in the sun and they want it regardless of who or what else I was writing at the time.  Valeria, Still Rivers, and Theory Cunningham are people that refused to go quietly into the night.  Each of them are the protagonist in Crimson Dawn, Ascension, and The Road To Was, respectively.

Well another character is demanding her time in the spotlight, which is a good thing and a bad thing at the same time.  It’s good because I have a wide staple of characters to draw from for a long time to come.  Its bad because when these new characters come a knocking, they distract me from someone else’s story.

Whatever it may be, I can’t ignore her.  Ladies and gents I give you Lawless.  Lawless is a character in the third Darklife short.  A character that before I began filling in parts of her personality and background, was just going to be a less-than-minor player in D vs D; a means to help Valeria crack the case she’s on.  Lawless is no where near a minor player any longer.  She’s insanely sexy (I see Rhona Mitra as Lawless), relentless and unapologetic in her pursuit of what she wants; regardless of the consequences, and undeniably one of the most entertaining characters that I think I will ever write.

That’s saying a lot considering I haven’t even written her first line of dialogue.  Hell, I haven’t even introduced her to the storyline yet.  Never the less, Lawless is already firmly entrenched in my head.  I can almost see her standing in front of me, none to patiently waiting for me to throw her into the action.  I see you Lawless!

Wondering about her name?  I am a diehard Xena fan.   Lawless is my ode to Mrs. Lucy Lawless, the wonderful actress who brought the chakra wielding warrior princess to life for six seasons.  One of the things that will be included in my description of her, is the fact that she has a chakra with an X through it, tattooed on her wrist.

Aside from being a Xena fan, Lawless is mostly a mystery to the people she interacts with.  Very few people know how old she really is and are privy to information about her past.  She owns a tattoo shop, and is an expert in lost civilizations.  The people closest to her speculate that she has first hand knowledge of many of the places she talks about, but she will neither confirm or deny anything.  Lawless’s sexuality is also very fluid.  She rides the line between ultra femme and tomboy with expert precision.  She’s just as comfortable in thrift shop jeansand a t-shirt,  as she is a ten thousand dollar gown.

Let’s see, what else can I say about Lawless to prepare readers for her introduction into the Darklife world?  Nothing much without giving away too much.  But, I can tell you that for her, Irulan is the one that got away…Lawless is a very sore loser.

Lawless has made herself a very memorable character for me; one that I see living far beyond the short story that she‘s introduced to the world in.  I hope that she is just as memorable to my readers as she is for me.  You’ll meet her soon in D vs. D: A Valeria Short, the next Darklife Short.  I hoped to have it ready by Monday, but the introduction of Lawless to the storyline has caused it to grow quite a bit.  I have re-written my outline and added another chapter.  Hopefully I can wrap things up in time for a Thursday upload date.

To find out more about Crimson Dawn and any of the works mentioned, head over to my websitehttp://www.ronniemassey.com/.  Also, be sure to sign up for the FrogenYozurt.com newsletter so you’ll know the minute Crimson Dawn has an exact release date.

What happened to the heat? or The groundhog LIED!!!

Ok, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the first day of spring March 21st?  A date that was exactly six days ago.  Didn't not only Punxs-whatever-Phil but Staten Island Chuck, two groundhog NOT see their shadows on Groundhog Day?  That means spring was SUPPOSED to come early.  Tell me over-sized rodents and predetermined date on the calender...WHAT HAPPENED?

For God's sake it is almost April.  One minute the trees are blooming and the world is covered in the eye itch inducing, sneeze triggering, golden death known as pollen, then the next minute I am freezing my tukkas off in almost 30 degree weather.  I live in South Carolina.  I'm supposed to be in the throws of allergy season, not wrapped up in throws trying to stay warm.

What gives mother nature?  Are you taking a week off to vacation where ever it is mythical beings go to relax?  Did we do something to anger you?  Do we not show our appreciation for your bountiful blessings enough?  Tell me something because this sister is freezing her ass off.  I will gladly paint some eggs and light a purple candle to celebrate Ostara if that's what it will take to get some sunshine.

HELLO!  I already packed up my heavy coats and pulled out my capri's.  I do not want to have to go into the bottomless pit known as my closet anytime soon.  GIVE ME HEAT!

Signed,

Cold As Crap

Monday, March 21, 2011

Another trailer is live on youtube

Another trailer is live on youtube.  This one features my favorite Tuatha, Irulan.  Head over and check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw9SwiHOO-Q

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Crimson Dawn Trailer Is Up

Hey everyone.  Just wanted to let you guys know that the first Crimson Dawn trailer is up on both my website, Ronniemassey.com and youtube.  Give it a look and tell me what you think.


Saturday, March 12, 2011

Official Online Launch


With Crimson Dawn due to be released in April, I have been hard at work trying to promote my urban fantasy with a twist of paranormal romance, debut novel (what a mouthful).  With a definite date in April still up in the air, I have set my official online launch party for May 6th to ensure that copies will be available.

The launch will be May 6th, starting at 5:00 pm, at my website Ronniemassey.com; which I have been hard at work on, preparing for the launch.  If you have visited the site in the past and happen to scoot by sometime today or in the near future, you will notice a few changes.  I have added my DarkWorld Forums, which will serve as a place for my readers to interact with one another and also leave me post.

I have also added a Wibya toolbar.  This toolbar will let me live chat with readers through not only facebbok connect, but twitter, myspace, and a few other im’ s as well.  Visitors will be able to see post from my Facebook author page, twitter, and Youtube channels.

I am trying to make myself and my website as accessible to my readers as possible.  So drop on by and take a look at the changes; take a look and let me know what you think.  Alsodownload a copy of UnSpoken: A Val and Irulan Short, if you already haven’t. 
 And remember to sign up for the Frogen Yozurt newsletter so you will be notified of Crimson Dawn’s definite release date.


Follow Me and Enter Crimson Dawn Giveaway

As a new author, one of the biggest challenges I'm facing is letting people know about me and my work.  Authors have to have an online presence, there is no way around it.  


My website gets an o.k. number of hits per day, (I have a contest going on there as well so head over to Ronniemassey.com and check out my DarkWorld forums), but my blog gets no love from the online community.


I hope to solve that with a giveaway.  Entering is simple.  FOLLOW ME PLEASE.  Two new followers of my blog will be chosen at random on May 6th, and they will receive a 1GB flash drive bracelet, with an e-book copy of Crimson Dawn on it, along with the two existing Darklife Shorts and any more that I any more that I may write between now and then.



So happy following to me, I hope.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

UnSpoken: A Val and Irulan Short, gets a blazing review!!


Hey everyone. UnSpoken: A Val and Irulan Short, has gotten it’s first review, from the wonderful Ms. Sally Sapphire.  Ms. Sapphire is the woman behind the Bibrary Bookslut blog; a blog that focuses on LGBT themed literature.  She was also the first person to review Never Again: An Irulan Short. Well, once again she has given my little short an amazing review.  On top of that, in the two days that it's been listed as a free download, there have been over 200 downloads!  I feel like Sally Fields the night that she accepted her Oscar for Places In The Heart; I‘m sitting at my laptop thinking, You like me, you really like me.

Here is a small bit of what she had to say about UnSpoken…this is a more intimate tale than the first, focused more on exploring the relationship between Val and Irulan. Ronnie has to walk a fine line between satisfying the reader’s hunger for the full-length Crimson Dawn, and potentially alienating readers who come to the novel without having read the shorts. I think she’s done an admirable job of it, introducing us to the characters, and providing just enough background to whet our hunger, without duplicating the experience of the novel itself. Val and Irulan are fantastic characters, and it’s clear that they (and the world in which they’ve been established) are well equipped to carry an exciting new addition to the urban fantasy genre.
Check out the full review by using the link below.  And although the title of the page say’s the review is for Never Again, it’s actually the review for UnSpoken.  http://bibrary.blogspot.com/2011/03/review-never-again-irulan-short-by.html

Although Unspoken: A Val and Irulan Short, is listed on Amazon as a Kindle e-book for .99, I am giving it away as a free download on my website, up until the release of Crimson Dawn, in April.

Now for a major announcement.  I have posted my first giveaway.  The details are in the DarkWorld Forums at my website, so head on over http://www.ronniemassey.com/darklife-forums.html#/,
 and check out the details!!  



Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Keep on top of Crimson Dawn Release!!

Hey people.  I know that like me, many of you are eagerly awaiting the April release of Crimson Dawn, the first book in the Darklife Saga.  To make sure you don't let that day slip up on, or by you, give yourself a backup plan just in case memory fails you.  That back up plan is, heading over to Frogenyozurt.com and signing up for the newsletter.

Aside from release updates, you will find special post that include more glimpses into the characters of Crimson Dawn and the Darklife world.  I will also give readers peeks into other novels that are set within the Darklife world, also.

The link to my author page is below.  Head on over now...please.

Ronnie Massey's Author Page

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Free E-Book Download as a Thank You!!

As a young woman in my early thirties, I grew up with the internet as part of my everyday life.  By the time I was in junior high (yes junior high, not middle school) my mother had purchased our first family desktop and I was surfing the web on a daily basis.  So with that said, I shouldn’t be surprised by the far reaching fingers of the World Wide Web, but I am.

As mentioned in today’s earlier post, the second Darklife Short is available as a download on Amazon for ninety-nine cents.  Well, I’ve always heard that you catch more flies with sugar than sh…, well you get my drift.  With that said, I moseyed on over to Feedbooks.com and listed it as a free download.

That’s right everyone.  I said FREE! What’s the catch, you might ask.  There isn’t one.  All I ask is that you scoot over to Amazon or Goodreads and leave a nice (if you like it), review on my author page.

Now, what I was saying about the internet?  Oh yeah…I posted as a free download this afternoon, well after twelve pm, EST.  Which is less than twelve hours ago as of the time that I’m writing this.  Guess what everyone.  There have been almost seventy downloads so far!!

One of the great things about Feedbooks, is that you can check your stats and look at a map that tells you the number of downloads per country.  Aside from the U.S. and Canada, UnSpoken has been downloaded in the U.K., Israel, Nepal, China, Italy, India, Thailand; and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Two words…Thank You!!  I only hope that everyone that downloads the story, loves it enough to go out and snag Crimson Dawn when it hit’s the shelves.

Use the link below that leads to my website and you will find a free download link at the bottom of the page for UnSpoken: A Val and Irulan Short.



http://www.ronniemassey.com/unspoken-a-val-and-irulan-short-darklife-short-2.html

March updates and a little character insight

Hi everyone.  March is here.  Am I the only one that feels like this years is rolling on by at an incredibly fast pace?  I hope not.  March is a pretty good month for my family and I.  We have two birthdays to celebrate.  Both my sister LeAnna and her oldest daughter Tiara have birthdays this month.  Tiara will be sixteen, wow…that makes me feel really old.


Aside from the birthdays, there is also the release of the second Darklife Short, UnSpoken: A Val and Irulan Short, on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble, in e-book format.  They should be available for purchase later on today.  As of right now, I don’t have a review, but a few people have copies and I will post a link to one as soon as it’s posted online.


What else is special about the month of March?  It brings us one month closer to the release of Crimson Dawn!  Pause…pinch myself…do my happy dance.  Now that that’s out of my system, I wanted to give you guys a little information about the book’ vampire hierarchy and the main protagonist, vampire, Valeria Trumaine.