Authorpreneur Dashboard – L S ODea
Lake of Sins Secrets In Blood
Science Fiction & Fantasy
"I thought it was impossible to like this book better than the first, but I was wrong." M. Cassidy "The different species or classes are something utterly new and remarkable to me in the genre. They never cease to amaze me." Ana Silva Trinity's plans have gone horribly wrong and she is now fleeing for her life, but at what cost to her friends and family. Can she save any of them without sacrificing herself? Hugh Truent, an Almighty, learns of Trinity’s escape and that she is the offspring of two different classes which is supposed to be impossible. If it’s true, it would be the discovery of a lifetime, but he needs scientific proof. In his quest for answers, he soon realizes that there are those who will kill to keep this find a secret.
Book Bubbles from Lake of Sins Secrets In Blood
To kill or not to kill
To kill or not to kill, is a difficult decision for an author. There are many reasons to kill characters, the least, not being, that it is expected. Some genres can get away without death but not most and today it can’t just be the “bad guys” who die or the secondary characters (the ones in the “red shirts” – nod to “Star Trek”). “Game of Thrones” annihilated that concept in their very first season – anyone is fair game. Unfortunately, I like all my characters (even psychos love something and with love comes vulnerability). But, characters must die. So, I follow the story, the thread of each character’s fate and question when it leads to death. Sometimes, I can help them to find another way, but when I cannot, I put the words down. Say farewell to the character and hope they understand that it truly was the only way.
Becoming who you hate
Jackson’s a character who is dear to my heart. He struggles with conflicts that are typical for most of us. He hates his job. He really, really hates his boss (master), but is stuck in his situation. In this book, he realizes that in order to keep his job, he is becoming someone who he doesn’t like. I felt this way when I used to bartend. Some of the customers were great but others…well. There were some decent hard-working guys who came in but didn’t tip very well. They didn’t have a lot of money (they did always tip). One day, I realized that although I’d rather talk to them, I didn’t because my money was made catering to those who tipped well (even the ones who were jerks). I never ignored the decent, hard-working guys but I didn’t necessarily chat with them a lot either. I didn’t like the person that the job was turning me into, so I went back to school and then quit. Jackson takes a much more dramatic approach to quitting but he too eventually faces the fact that for his own good, he has to leave.
Lake Of Sins: Escape
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Being chosen to stay in the encampment and breed is the only way to guarantee survival for a teenage Producer. Every year after harvest, the finest examples are assigned mates. The rest are loaded onto carts and hauled away. Trinity, a sixteen-year-old Producer, knows that she has no chance of being chosen to stay. She isn’t even full-blooded. Trinity has one week to discover what happens to those who are taken. Her plan is simple, but she doesn’t count on being hunted and captured by predators long believed to be extinct.
Book Bubbles from Lake Of Sins: Escape
True Friends
My insight on this excerpt is simple. True friends will accept you as you are. They will understand that the traits you see as flaws are what make you unique and they will encourage you to accept yourself. According to this book, they’ll also help you out of major jams.
A story's promise
Every story makes promises to the reader. Some promise excitement, some love and some lessons. What the tale promises doesn’t matter as long as it delivers on the promise. In early versions of Lake of Sins: Escape, I had spoken often of the dangers of the forest and yet, I had not shown anything sinister. Sure there was the River-man and Mirra and Gaar, but nothing that threatened Trinity. I realized that I had to change the story and remove the “threat” of the forest or I had better show one. That’s how this scene was born and with it came another aspect to the series that I had not initially anticipated. That’s part of what I love about writing. A story, although fictional, is a living thing. When a new character is introduced he/she comes with his or her own background and motives which often changes the landscape of the original story.
Every life is important
I have always loved animals. I was taught to be kind, never cruel, to certain types of animals, and yet expected to eat some and to kill others. If there was a bug (or spider) in the house, you killed it. No questions asked. We got angry with our dog for killing rabbits and cats for killing birds, yet if a mouse came inside, seeking shelter from the cold Indiana winter, we set out poison in the dark corners of its shelter. I began to question these actions when I was young, but it wasn’t until I moved out on my own that I changed. Why would I kill a spider or moth for making the trivial mistake of entering my house, when I could catch it and release it back into the yard? Every life is important to the creature that is living it, no matter how different they are from us.
The Finishing Camp
It took me many revisions to get to know the real Trinity. In earlier versions of the book, she was a passive character, allowing life to happen to her. That was not working for me. I felt no connection to her and quite frankly, I didn’t like her very much. So, I changed my tactics and let her show me who she was. I put her in situations where she was forced to make a choice. Sometimes, she acted on instinct. Sometimes she acted immaturely, but she always acted. Once I gave her the freedom to let the real Trinity emerge, I realized that she was someone whom I’d like to know in real life. Although she is young and impetuous, this scene shows that she is also kind and brave beyond her years. She is alone in a horrible place, but she doesn’t flee. Instead, she manages her fear and searches for her friend. You’ll have to read the book to find out if she finds him.
Lovely and Wild
This is the first time that Trinity sees herself through someone else’s eyes and she is surprised. Jethro does not see the sub-par Producer or House Servant (the freak) but a beautiful, exotic girl. It is unfortunate that she couldn’t see it herself, but often an outside opinion holds more weight. (It especially helps that Jethro is an attractive boy.) We all struggle with accepting ourselves as we are, warts and all so to speak. Oftentimes, we only see the good in ourselves when someone else points it out. So, we should all try and complement each other (sincerely, because an insincere compliment is worse than none at all) a little more often. I’m not suggesting we praise everyone for everything, that accomplishes nothing, but a kind word now and then can make a big difference in someone’s life.
Mirra
Mirra is one of my favorite characters, perhaps because I have no idea from where she came. In the vague fog that was the original story, she didn’t exist, not as the Mirra who lives today. Or, maybe she’s a favorite because I simply like her. I admire the simplicity of her character. She may be blunt and opinionated but she loves truly and deeply, not caring what someone looks like or what they are. I think we should all be little more like Mirra.
Not Enough
As a teenager, I felt that I was never enough. I wasn’t as pretty as some of my friends or as outgoing. I was smart but there was always someone smarter. So, I jumped into a bottle and emerged an extrovert, faking my way through life. Over time, the extrovert’s skin began to chafe (no matter how much lubricant I poured into myself). Then, one day, I stopped. I realized that I was enough and I set out to rediscover who I had been before the internal pressure to conform had taken over. I found a person who I not only like but of whom I am proud. Sure, I still have many areas in which to improve but they are areas that I want fixed not anyone else. In Lake Of Sins: Escape, Trinity does not feel that she is as good as the other Producers because she is different. It is only through the eyes of a friend that she realizes that different does not mean less. It can even mean better. I hope that this story touches those who feel insecure or inferior and helps them to see that true friends love what makes us different, not the things that cause us to blend in with others.
