Wednesday, August 27, 2014

5 Secrets (What No One Knows Abut My Book)

Our guest author today is Janice Seagraves, who is going to share some tidbits about the writing of her book that no one knows--until today.

Janice grew up with a deep love of science fiction and adventure stories. Always the consummate artist, she traded in her paint brush for a laptop to write breathless life-affirming novels that celebrate enduring love.

She lives in a hundred year old haunted house (not kidding) with her husband of many years and their grown daughter. When not writing, you can find her in the yard either gardening or snapping a photo or two.

Matrix Crystal Hunters

Five Secrets you might not know about my book:

1. The inspiration for my book came from a trip to the Mohave Desert with my family when I was in the sixth grade. Because of that trip, I have my heroine, May Gladstone, raised on the Mohave. And I have much of the story set on a desert.

2. On my family’s trip we rock hunted along the great Colorado River. My family and I stopped at a store with the name Rock Hound and it was filled with polished stones and crystals. Maya’s parents ran a store that sells the same items and they’re rock hounds, people who hunt for semi and precious stones. As you can guess from the title of my book, crystals play an important role in my story.

3. The huge building I mention in chapter three really exists. On our trip across the Mohave Desert, my dad stopped at a long abandoned building made of cement. We got out and went inside. This building might have been closer to sixty or so years old, but the building in Matrix Crystal Hunters, is over a thousand years old and built by the ancients out of stone. And with both, the only thing that remained was the floor and walls.

4. One of the fun things I was able to do while writing my story, was make up some of the animals that inhabit the planet, Zenevieva. There’s the nikki, a long tailed rabbit like creature. Vims who lay eggs and provide meat and resemble guinea fowl. The snags look like a cross between a humpless camel and alpaca. And then there’s the sherrakeys, which I designed after big Clydesdales draft horses, which only the clan members are allowed to ride. The sherakeys personalities, however, are more closely related to some of the nasty horses I’ve come across. The ones that bite. The exception to this is hero, Vach’s, main steed. Brawley is a sweet natured sherakey. Brawley carries a lot of the humor in the scenes, since he’s so laid back compared to the other mounts and thinks with his stomach.

5. I also mentions caverns and caves a great deal in my story. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting two caverns here in California. Crystal Cave is a marble cave near the Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park. And Moaning Cavern Park is California's largest public cave chamber. Both are large and interesting caverns with plenty of stalactites and stalagmites. I hope I did both cavern justice when I described the caves in my book.

Matrix Crystal Hunters is a science fiction romance set on another planet. It was number eleven for two weeks on kindle store for science fiction and fantasy.

Blurb:

Team Alpha Three’s spaceship is out of power after fighting a wormhole, and parked on the primitive world of Zenevieva. With half the team sick from radiation poisoning, the team commander entrust geologist, Maya Gladstone, to find enough matrix crystals to power up their spacecraft, so they can go home to Earth.
Vach Namaste of the powerful Clan Namaste, a native of the planet, has desired the lovely Maya since she stepped off the spaceship on that astonishing day a year ago. He’s hounded her every step since. As Hymeneal Night approaches, he makes plans to take her as his bride… willing or not.

Buy Matrix Crystal Hunters at:

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/447796

You can find Janice at:
Website: janiceseagraves.org
Blog: ladyjanice.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/janiceseagraves
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Janice-Seagraves-Author/117551164948239?ref=hl

Thanks for checking out Janice and her secrets. If you have any comments or questions, Janice will be around to answer them today.

And don’t forget to check back next Thursday to find out even more author secrets about their book. 

12 comments:

  1. Hi Beverley, thank you so much for having me on today.
    I enjoyed writing about the five secrets about my book.
    Janice~

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    1. Thanks for posting those secrets, Janice. Its a fun read.

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  2. Interesting five secrets, Janice.

    My husband loves to watch Haunted on television. Has your house ever been on the show. I hope your haunted house has nice ghosts. lol

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    1. Hi Sandy,
      For the most part they're nice, but we had one mischievous one that dropped bottles of shampoo on our heads. That stopped once I moved the shampoo. :)
      Janice~

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  3. Hi, Beverley and Janice! I loved reading these fun tidbits. I have a rock hound son who tried my patience one summer... lol. I don't know how you keep up with the animals you created.

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    1. Hi Vicki,
      Yeah, a rock hound call fill your home with rocks. :) I only keep a few keepsake rock and crystals, so there isn't so much clutter.
      I keep a list of the animals I invent, but I also keep it simple so there isn't so much for the reader to remember.
      Janice~

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  4. Hi Janice, I have your book on my list TBR. I love exploring caves and enjoyed hearing how you created your animals. Can't wait to read your book.

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    1. Hi Judy,
      Thank you so much. You just made my day. :)
      Janice~

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  5. Hi Janice,
    Thanks for sharing your book secrets. I love the names of your animals and the mean horses. I live in Lake Havasu near the Colorado River and it does resemble another planet around here. :)

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    1. Hi Kelley,
      Thank you too. I'm delighted to see you here. The desert is such an interesting place and lovely during its brief spring. Loved that trip and the Colorado River. One of these days I'll have to go back there again.
      Janice~

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  6. I love learning more about your book, Janice. :) I think I would have a hard time naming and creating animals but you seem to have done a great job!

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    1. Hi Melissa,
      Thank you so much for saying so. :)
      Janice~

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