New Story Coming Soon!

Look for my story, FINAL JUSTICE in the next edition of Morpheus Tales Magazine.

THE MOTHER ROAD

This short story has been published by Bewildering Stories as an editor's pick!



Nick had considered himself a lucky guy until now.

“Dude, that sucks,” said Simon.

They were standing outside the Welcome Inn, a hotel and tavern just off Route 66 in Gallup, New Mexico. It was early morning in late August and the desert sun was fading behind the mountains, painting the sky bubblegum pink.

Nick was rooted to the dusty parking lot. Maybe if he closed his eyes tight, then opened them real fast, Rosie would be okay. He tried it. One-two-three. But when he opened his eyes again, she was still a crumpled mess, melted into the earth. He spit, trying to expel the metallic taste in his mouth.

“Man, how we gonna get to LA?” Simon asked Nick.

Nick removed his baseball cap and shook his thick blonde hair. He stared at the Cutlass Supreme his father brought home his first year of high school. The man owned a car dealership and for some reason, he accepted the frame on a trade-in. “You’ll need a car soon. Can’t expect to sponge off your old man. So you’ll have to build it yourself,” he told Nick.

It was just a shell, but after years of his painstakingly restoring the car to her original luster, it sparkled. Coasting open roads, top down, music cranked up was all he had dreamt about with each dime he sunk into the car.

Now she sat motionless, all four tires slashed, key marks along each door, and a message in bright yellow spray paint slapped across her trunk.

DIE.

READ ON...

It's Raining Men

No one has perfected the leading man triangle like Janet Evanovich in her numbers series. First, there’s Morelli. Italian. Cop. Strong. Walks the straight and narrow. Hot as hell. He’s smart, funny, earthy, and he wouldn’t mind taking care of Stephanie, if she weren’t so hard to tame.

Early on, the reader learns that Morelli is a ladies’ man and that Stephanie Plum lost her virginity to him. Then she hit him with her car. So there’s history there. Fiery history, which implies that these two share a serious spark that may lead to fast-paced action and toe-curling romance. Not bad for a few lines of backstory.

Then there’s Ranger. Hispanic. Bounty hunter. Wears lots of black. Exotic. Renegade. Ranger thinks of laws as mere suggestions, but he never crosses the line unless it’s to help someone out. Mostly Stephanie. Ranger makes it clear that he’s more than willing to rock Stephanie’s world and he wouldn’t want her to change a thing. But that doesn’t mean he would stick around forever.

Quite the triangle we have here.

Ranger is Stephanie’s go-to guy when she needs help on the job and when she might do something on the other side of the law. Morelli is who Stephanie calls to buffer dinner with her parents and when she wants to share a pizza.

It’s the personification of most women’s desires. Domestic versus dangerous. Lust verses love. We want it all but that’s not usually possible. So here we have the best of both worlds at the same time. And the endless question keeps us reading book after book.

Who will win Stephanie’s heart?

A Whole New World

On my desk I have a notebook, a folder, pens, and three books.

On my wall I have a whiteboard scribbled with text and a storyboard pasted with pictures.

Why?

Because I’m beginning a new series filled with brand new concepts, characters and storylines. In essence, I’m building a world and these are my tools.

World building is one of the most exciting aspects of the writing process. You get to research, brainstorm and basically make stuff up. What’s not to love?

So let me breakdown how I use these tools and why they are necessary.

The notebook is the bible for my series. This is where I jot down ideas, research notes, dialogue snippets, plot points, character sketches and anything else that hits me along the way. Eventually, most of the stuff from the notebook gets recorded into my writer’s word processing program. I use WriteWay. But Word and Excel work great too. I use the same notebook for the entire series.

Next is the folder. Each is a different color for each book. The folder holds news clippings I may find interesting that tie into the theme, internet research, loose paper with notes I made when I didn’t have my notebook, photos, sketches and anything else I stumble across that rings of my story.

Pens and post-its are what I use to mark pages in research books I buy or borrow. The research books help tremendously when building a fictional world, even in the paranormal, sci-fi, or fantasy genres.

There are at least twenty authors I can think of off the top of my head who write about vampires and most of them differ greatly, but they all know the myths of the traditional vampire stories. That doesn’t mean they adhere to them. But they know what they are and if the garlic, sunlight, stake issues are ignored, you bet readers notice. Not to mention Fae, witches and weres. Real research comes in handy even in the mythical genres. In fact, employing lore makes for a more realistic storyline. A truer fantasyland.

To the whiteboard goes the brainstorming ideas. The what ifs? Of the plotlines. And the ‘rules’ of the world. What do I mean by that? Here’s an example.


Sookie Stackhouse can mind-read. But only if she’s in the room with the person. And only if the person is human.

These are rules. You can’t have a character who is all-powerful or all-knowing or the story wouldn’t be much fun to read. So even if you have a demon hunter, a werewolf, a sprite, a medium, or a ghost in your story, there has to be restrictions to their capabilities. Figure out what they are, then figure out ways around them and be consistent throughout the story. If that sprite only has a twenty year life-span, he better be dead by book three.

Last, the storyboard. This is fun. I get a poster board and clip images from magazines or websites that pertain to the story and glue them on. Right now, the board has photos of my protagonist, my villains, the setting, and a map. It’s a great way to visualize the story before you start writing. It also helps if you’ve been away from the work for a while, to guide you back to it.

So there you have it. How do you plan a new novel?

Interview between Stacy Justice and Cinnamon Panzano

This is a fictional interview I created with two of my characters. Enjoy!

From the archives of the Amethyst Onion

BLACK OPAL BAR AND GRILL CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS
Interview by Stacy Justice
Transcript by Iris Merriweather

On Friday evening September 4th, the Black Opal Bar and Grill, a favorite Amethyst watering hole, celebrated it’s fifth year in business. The Onion was there with 28 year-old owner and bartender, Cinnamon Panzano, as she poured drinks and kept customers smiling. Although very busy, Cinnamon was kind enough to take the time to reflect on her years as this tourist town‘s favorite barkeep.

SJ: So Cinnamon, The Black Opal doors have been open for five years now. How are you feeling tonight?

CP: Hey Stacy. Iris, get that freaking microphone out of my face or I will relocate it for you.

SJ: Um, it must be exciting to mark this milestone with family and friends.

CP: Stacy, you’re my cousin and I love you, but I swear to God I will choke that camera man if he snaps one more photo.
Dammit, Thor, move your tail!

Thor: Woof!

SJ: So, many familiar faces tonight. Seems a lot of regulars have come out to congratulate you.

CP: That reminds me- if you see Scully sneak a tap, you have my permission to knock him off his bar stool.

Scully: Hey!

CP: Shut up and drink your beer, old man. I saw that move you pulled yesterday. Stacy, hand this Bud Light to the putz in the pink shirt.

Putz: Excuse me, I ordered a Sea Breeze.

CP: Dude, you need all the help you can get. Trust me. Drink the beer and maybe order a shot if you ever want to get laid again.

Putz: I would like what I ordered, please.

SJ: Seriously, guy just do what she says.

CP: You want to file a complaint on my website, jackass? Go to biteme.com.

SJ: So looks like business is booming. Congratulations, Cinnamon.

CP: Stacy-

SJ: What-

CP: The Geraghty Girls just walked in.

SJ: That‘s a rap.


The preceding is a brief snapshot into the lives of my characters from the short story, Gemini, featured in the Echelon Press anthology, MISSING. The proceeds from the sale of this book benefit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The story takes place in the fictional town of Amethyst, Illinois, a mystical community filled with so many kooky characters it’s like the Twilight Zone on acid. The protagonist is Stacy Justice, a reporter who, despite her desire for a normal life, is drawn to the only family she has left in the world. Specifically, her pagan grandmother and two great aunts (The Geraghty Girls) and of course, Cinnamon, the cousin with the anger management problem.

If you enjoyed the interview, then pick up a copy of MISSING now for another round of laughs and get to know the rest of the characters. If you thought these two were fun, wait until you meet The Geraghty Girls. Plus- you get 16 other thrilling short stories in this anthology. What could be better?

Learn more about me and pick up free stuff at www.barbraannino.com.
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Sincerely,
Barbra Annino