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For authors, particularly those writing science fiction and fantasy, effective world creation becomes the foundation for establishing a believable backdrop to set your characters in. However, once that's complete, the characters, beings, and creatures that are created fit seamlessly into the fabric of the story. With Jaz’s and Stacey’s novels, our storylines and characters are immersed into the fabric of a present-day planet that readers actually operate in. Therefore, world creation becomes "world simulation." Our vampires and demons need to be drawn into reality in a manner that seems both plausible and engaging. Therein lies our challenge!
(Jaz) My Sunset Vampire Series is based in the United States, primarily focused in and around Atlanta, Georgia. However, in the first novel, Sunrise at Sunset, I not only had to be intimately familiar with Atlanta, but with remote regions in parts of Pennsylvania, as well. I have driven through Atlanta, so I already had a sense of the feel of the place. I also have acquaintances from there, both past and present, so I was able to leverage knowledge from them, as well. As for Pennsylvania and the unfamiliar parts of Atlanta, I had a treasure trove of information available to me...most via the Internet. Everything from online road and topographical maps to official and personal photographs of cityscapes and tourist destinations. Finally, you can learn a lot about an area by perusing detailed information from regional historic sites and tourist attractions, as well as blogs that specialize in describing regional travel experiences in the areas I was writing about. All-in-all, I was able to competently and intimately describe the areas that my characters were operating within.
(Stacey) I had it easy when it came to world building in Whatnots & Doodads because the world had already been established. This story is part of the Strange Hollow line with Liquid Silver Books.
Strange Hollow is located at the base of Mount Mitchell in North Carolina and was established by a fairy, Jacinda Fergus on April 11, 1900. She welcomes the strange and unusual into her town.
World building can be tough so the fact that this element was removed made writing the story fun! I had the chance to take a world that someone else created but apply it how I envisioned the town. I had a “bible” to follow, which had maps, rules and just about everything I needed to create Whatnots & Doodads. And boy-oh-boy did I enjoy writing in the dark, old, little town. It felt like every time I wrote a word I expected the Leaky Cauldron to show up.
(Jaz) The plausible manner that vampires can exist in the world today is via striving to maintain their anonymity by maintaining a low social profile and changing their geographic locations and identity to elude those who may notice their lack of aging. This is reflected a couple of times in Sunrise at Sunset as follows:
"Amber owned Columbus Mortgage, a small mortgage processing company that she didn’t run directly, though she maintained the power of strategic decision making. She found that the more humans she involved herself with, the more questions were asked about her over time. Keeping a low profile with humanity was a necessary part of a vampire’s continued survival. It was part of the reason being a vampire could be a lonely existence. The implied glamour from the numerous Hollywood films involving vampires was altogether wrong."
"Finally, Amber had to disappear, and a new identity needed to be forged. She sold her company to Bob Fletcher, whom she had been carefully grooming for the role."
Here we see how vampires are constantly needing to look ahead to future events in planning their continued existence:
“The here and now is always easier for people to indulge in carelessly. But I have to consider the future at all times prior to my actions. The future is always just around the corner for me,” she explained. “The concept of eternity demands careful planning at most levels. Small decisions today take on larger impact and meaning tomorrow.”
(Stacey) Strange Hollow is home to all supernatural creatures who are a little different. I wanted to make the characters, Zeke, a demon gone good, and Bryanna, a witch with unruly magic, believable and sympathetic. How did I do that? Well, I added humor and a big wallop of emotions into the steamy romance.
In a world where they are considered flawed it was necessary to lighten the mood a little and give them both a journey that didn’t involve action or dangerous moments. But took them on the journey of self-discovery to find the one thing that we all want—our very own happily ever after! Below you’ll see how Zeke, a demon who could very well steal your soul is in fact anything but that.
“Just because you’re born as something doesn’t mean you have to live by those
rules.”
It surprised him that the statement made her laugh. “Seriously? You just what,
woke up one day and said, ‘Hmm, nope, I’m done with this whole soul eatin’ bit’.”
“That’s exactly right.”
Her eyes shifted from bewilderment to amazement. He could only wonder what
she saw on his face that made her believe him so quickly. “Why … and how?”
“It’s quite a simple story.” But it wasn’t a simple act that brought him to the
decision that forever altered his path. It was a memory he held close. Yet, for the oddest of reasons, he wanted her to know. “I grew tired of it all—tired of creating fear and causing death.”
She examined him a moment, her expression showing nothing of what she was
thinking. Her stare so penetrating, he wondered if she liked what she’d heard or didn’t.
“So, just like that you up and quit.”
He laughed at the simple way she put it. If only it’d been so easy. “It’s not really
something you just up and quit.”
Jaz’s Bio:
Jaz Primo is an author, history aficionado, "pun-master", and all-around fan of things vampire and urban fantasy. Fueled by an active imagination, cold Coca-Cola, and chocolate, he strives to bring a new voice to today's array of vampire fiction. He's an avid book worm, resulting in the constant tug-of-war between reading and writing his next novel. When not pouring over a keyboard or Kindle, Jaz can be found tending a veggie garden or casting a variety of colorful lures into bodies of water as he urges the bass to bite, often using his best fish puns. He has enjoyed a fulfilling background and career in higher education, including his passionate hobby of teaching U.S. History classes during evenings. He is a native of Oklahoma where he lives with his wife and a talkative, long-lived cat. Visit his website at www.jazprimo.com and his blog is at primovampires.blogspot.com.
Sunrise at Sunset Buy Links - Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sunrise-Sunset- -Vampire-Book-ebook/dp/B0043M4SKY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1312599111&sr=8-2
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sunrise-at-sunset-jaz-primo/1100226524
Stacey’s Bio:
Stacey Kennedy’s novels are lighthearted fantasy with heart squeezing, thigh-clenching romance, and even give a good chuckle every now and again. But within the stories you’ll find fast paced action, life threatening moments and a big bad villain that needs to be destroyed. Her urban fantasy/paranormal and erotic romance series have hit Amazon Kindle and All Romance Ebooks Bestseller lists. If she isn’t plugging away at her next novel, tending to her two little ones, she’s got her nose deep in a good book. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband. Be sure to drop her a line at www.staceykennedy.com, she loves to hear from her readers.
Whatnots & Doodads buy link - http://www.staceykennedy.com/whatnots-doodads/