The Realms of a Fantastical Mind

Mercedes M. Yardley wears stilettos, red lipstick, and poisonous flowers in her hair. She likes to do a little bit of everything, and writes dark fantasy, horror, nonfiction, and poetry. Mercedes minored in Creative Writing and worked as a contributing editor for Shock Totem Magazine.  She is the author of the short story collection Beautiful Sorrows, the novella Apocalyptic Montessa and Nuclear Lulu: A Tale of Atomic Love and her debut novel Nameless: The Darkness Comes, which is the first book in THE BONE ANGEL TRILOGY.   She often speaks at conferences and teaches workshops on several subjects, including personal branding and how to write a novel in stolen moments. Mercedes lives and works in Sin City, and you can reach her at www.mercedesyardley.com .   How to find Mercedes: Blog - Facebook page - Goodreads author page - Twitter - Amazon Author Page -  Ragnarok Publicationspage :  Don't forget to check out the rest of the interview wit...

I'm excited to show off Alys Cohen in all her author glory today. Her newest novel Sacred Honor , came out yesterday! So let's get down to business so you guys can get to know her better and hopefully become as excited as I am. As always, don't forget to click on the links to the other parts of the interview. Part 1: Yup, the dance party starts here! Part 2: Head over to Sandra's blog Part 3: It's Vicki's turn to show off Alys' work Part 4: Terri is rocking the books Part 5: T. W. is never missed for some time to show off an author Alys started writing as a young child. From picture books to novellas to fan fiction on a then-state-of-the-art IBM, if it involved writing, Alys wanted to do it. Always an avid reader, early literature favorites include Nancy Drew stories and the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe.  At the age of 12, Alys began participating in poetry readings. At 17, she penned her first full-length book, an inspirational non-fiction on livi...

Welcome to another Friday of Authors with The Blog Ring of Power interviewing Karina Fabian  Winner of the 2010 INDIE for best Fantasy ( Magic, Mensa and Mayhem)  and a Global eBook Award for Best Horror ( Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator ), Karina’s writing takes quirky twists that keep her–and her fans–amused. Nuns working in space, a down-and-out Faerie dragon working off a geas from St. George, zombie exterminators—there’s always a surprise in Fabian’s worlds. She teaches writing and book-marketing seminars online. Don’t dare miss the rest of Karina’s interview (she has a chainsaw!): Part 1 @  T.W.   – Thursday, Nov. 8 Part 2 with Me. :D Part 3 @  Sandra  – Monday, Nov. 12 Part 4 @  Dean  – Tuesday, Nov. 13 Part 5 @  Terri - Wednesday, Nov. 14 Let's get to talking about The Writing Life BRoP: What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine? Do you use pen and paper or com...

I would like to welcome Tiffany Heiser to the realm, she has been a great online friend and a good critique buddy. Welcome! Let's start by getting to know you darling.   I grew up in Granbury Texas. Always reading or writing from a young age. An only child- I'm not spoiled rotten...I think. Have two wonderful parents that pushed to me to reach my goals. I now live in Fort Worth with my wonderful husband and my two loving dogs(a corgi and a doxiepoo). I started off with poetry and then short stories. Then decided at the end of last year that I woul d sit down a nd writ e. So I did.  As a kid I wanted to be a doctor(ha te blood), an astronaut(scared to get stuck in space), a teacher(don't want to be stuck with a whole class to myself) and then it dawned on me one day. I want to write. I want to be an author. I love young adult fantasy fiction and knew that's the genre I would pick. Once I put the pen to paper...the rest as they say... is history :) Section #1: Abou...

So when the Blog Ring of Power was starting off, not too long ago, I had an idea of who I would ask to come visit and tell us all about themselves.  I had to ask Darke as I've read her work, and yup, LOVE IT. I'm so happy she said yes! She's down to earth and a buddy of mine on AQC (there's that writers place again, hmmm I meet lots of people there... hint hint)  So with a fan squeal and no more delay I give you the first section of Darke Conteur's interview with The Blog Ring of Power. About You BRoP: How long have you been writing? Darke:  Since I was seventeen, so close to twenty-seven years. Wow, that's a long time. BRoP:  Tell us about your early works—what was the first thing you ever wrote? Darke:  The first thing I ever wrote was a novel about a teenage girl who runs away and becomes popular. I know, horrible, but teenage angst was all I knew, 'cause I was a teenager.  BRoP:  When did you first consider yourself a profession...

As many of my readers know, I'm a Dungeons and Dragons player.  Have been for the last 15 years.  I game to escape reality. I game to feel like I'm in another world able to do fantastical things.  I game to gain inspiration. Yet, the REAL reason why I game, is the random things that come out of my friends, and my mouth. Such as: "Ah, the very uncommon guard rat, comes now in hordes." "Everyone get out your D20s, its almost Initiative time." "Where there's a will save, there's a way." "I pull out my dagger. I never leave home without it." "You're about to die, roll for death magic." "If you're not back by morning, you're probably rat food." "If you wish to join with the hacking and slashing, come on in." "Laying on of hands? You just like touching people, I'm starting to feel left out. Damn high AC." "How much damage do you do to the door with one kick...

E.M.'s connection to Rebecca:  I met her while looking around the blog-sphere for contests with editors.  At the time she had not yet published and still had the blog: Free Editing for Writers.  I had signed up for her contest and ended up winning her last 50pg edit on the blog.  Her hints and suggestions helped me grow as a writer.  I couldn't help but want to follow her on her own  journey .  Once the BRoP was decided and went live, I knew exactly who I wanted to interview and I'm so happy she said yes!  Rebecca Hamilton writes Paranormal Fantasy, Horror, and Literary Fiction. She lives in Florida with her husband and three kids, along with multiple writing personalities that range from morbid to literary. She enjoys dancing with her kids to television show theme songs and would love the beach if it  weren't  for the sand. Having a child diagnosed with autism has inspired her to illuminate the world through the eyes of character...

She waited, looking out over the pond between bushes.  She knew it would come again, the dragon always stopped here to take a sip before going off to where ever it was that dragons fly to.  She kept herself still as the whoosh of leathery wings stirred the otherwise calm air. It was there, a small blue dragon with barely any spikes as of yet.  A male from what she could tell, the three horn crowned on his head showed her so. The small beach was wide enough for him to sit on as he lowered his head for the drink. The huntress poised herself for the pounce, waiting for the right moment.  The dragon's musk filled her nostrils, turning her stomach.  She held in her growl as she crept closer.  He moved a bit, perhaps sensing her presence, or just getting a better tongue full of water, either way, time was up. She leaped from her hiding place, aiming true for his shoulders where the spikes had not yet grown in. "What i...