SCRYING THE PLANE

The Murder & Obsession Tour Continues

Today you'll find me at:

Your Wicked is Showing - Alex J. Cavanaugh

Unrequited - C. Lee McKenzie

But before that there was

Couples Counseling - Stuart R West

Need Some Intrigue - Michael Di Gesu

Alaska: Why it Speaks to Me - Denise C. Covey

But Here TODAY!

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Tamara Narayan

another winner of the

IWSG Anthology Contest

Parallels: Felix Was Here!

has agreed to an interview

regarding her winning story

Scrying The Plane

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Welcome, Tamara, can you explain the title, Scrying the Plane?

Scrying describes the practice of looking into a crystal ball to tell the future. In this story, characters can hook their brains into a device that allows them to experience the internet on what’s called the Virtual Reality Plane. On the VRP, the unconscious users aren’t bound by the natural laws of physics. So there's an urban myth that certain users can bend space, conjure items, and maybe—just maybe—see the future.

Sounds like The Matrix. 

Yep, that movie did inspire me. In fact, before Lily Reynolds enters the VRP, another character quotes the line, “There is no spoon.” 

Give us an example of what your characters do on the VRP.

At a party, Lily sees a pair of inebriated fellows taking turns hopping into a Minecraft trolley to ride tracks that go higher than the real world’s tallest coaster.

Dare I ask why?

It’s a contest. The first one to hurl loses.

Lovely. Yet it sounds like a typical case of bad judgment by teens. Was that deliberate?

Yes. That’s why I chose to write this parallel universe—it was a blast borrowing aspects of our society like teen rebellion and putting a “VRP” spin on them.

Like many kids, Lily feels she’s living a life of constant scrutiny and confinement. In her world, ultimate freedom can only be achieved on the VRP, but it’s restricted to those over 21. So she sneaks out to this party where teens are illegally hooking in. At first it’s an amazing experience, but it turns dark quickly.

How does this tale compare to your other short stories?

I like to take an “everyman” character, give them a life that seems ordinary and relatable, and then sprinkle in something magical, ghostly, or just plain bizarre that the reader never saw coming—tales that would appeal to fans of The Twilight Zone or Stephen King. 

Coming May 3, 2016

Preorder HERE

Scrying the Plane

Tamara Narayan

Tagline: 

A teen experiences thrills and chills in a virtual reality internet.

Blurb:

Are you 21 or older? Care to experience the internet through a virtual reality interface? See Twitter birds flock, hop in a Minecraft trolley, or don the “skin” of your favorite celebrity. Come, sit. Drink your Sleep-Ease and lie back. Don’t worry about the scalpel.  Just a few small cuts to access your temple chip and in go the leads. Hardly any bleeding at all! So hook in, hook up, and go wild. What could go wrong?    

Bio:

From doling out popcorn to moviegoers to flinging smelt to penguins, Tamara Narayan's taken the “road less traveled”. Her career path veered off into a land of integrals and other strange things while she taught college level math, but these days she’s cruising the fiction highway. If you enjoyed Scrying the Plane, check out her other stories on www.amazon.com or visit her at www.tamaranarayan.com.

Congratulations Tamara!

How do you formulate your stories?

Is it with an everyman and a twist?

WIN

My Book Blog Tour for Murder & Obsession
is in full swing

I'm guesting with Michael Di Gesu

Need Some Intrigue?

But it all started with Denise Covey
& 
Alaska: Why It Speaks To Me!
___

While here today

Please welcome Sylvia Ney

another author highlight from the

IWSG Anthology

Parallels: Felix Was Here! 

Sylvia agreed to an interview!

Why did you choose this story for the anthology? 

I actually wrote the first draft for this story several years ago. It had a slightly different plot with gaps. The bones were there, but I wasn’t happy with the details. Then, I saw the call for submissions to this anthology and I wondered if I could make it work. I pulled it out of the drawer, fell in love with the story all over again, and the holes filled in themselves.

I see you write a lot of nonfiction and romance. Is WIN a romance as well? 

No. While I may choose to continue David’s story one day, and explore his future relationships, this tale focuses on the society driven by technology in a parallel universe.

Several of your stories, including WIN, have centered on the lives of teachers. Is this on purpose? 

It’s not really on purpose. I’ve been a teacher most of my life. So, I suppose it’s natural for me to approach things as a teacher, and therefore my characters become teachers of a sort as well.

Coming May 3, 2016

Preorder HERE

WIN

Tagline: 

     The connection is everything.

Blurb: 

 Seventeen year-old David Masters has grown up in almost complete isolation, despised by those around him. He is smart, determined, and compassionate. Now, an act of terrorism threatens the lives of millions. Can David help the society who shunned his very existence? Or is all hope for humanity lost? Find out in “WIN”. 

Sylvia Ney is a freelance writer, editor, and speaker. She regularly contributes to newspapers, magazines, and other anthologies. Some of her recurring publications include Houston Family magazine. Southern Writer's magazine, and the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Sylvia is a member of the Texas Gulf Coast Writers and the Bayou Writers Group in Louisiana.

 To learn more, visit www.sylviacney.com

Thanks, Sylvia and congratulations!

Do you have a manuscript in a drawer that might fit the next anthology?

FELIX WAS HERE!

Please welcome the winner of the 
IWSG Anthology Contest

Parallels: Felix Was Here!

L. G. Keltner

I can remember the day when the story “Felix Was Here” began to form in my mind, though I can’t recall the exact date.  I was looking through a list of publications that were looking for submissions and contemplating how amazing it would be if I had the courage to submit something to one of them.

The details are fuzzy now, but I remember an anthology was asking for stories inspired by the 1939 World’s Fair.  I didn’t have time to write something for it, and even if I did, I didn’t have the confidence at the time to write the story.  This all happened about a year ago, and I hadn’t yet found the confidence to really start putting myself out there.  Still, the idea began brewing in my mind behind the scenes.  In my spare time, I started researching the 1939 World’s Fair out of curiosity.  The idea of the World of Tomorrow intrigued me.  People were so excited about the possibilities and they looked eagerly to the future to provide a better life.  That hopefulness stuck with me, and I started to wonder what might have happened if someone tried to make that future happen.

That question followed me over the next several months.  I considered writing the story, but several things stopped me.  Time, other projects, etc.  The biggest thing stopping me, however, was my own insecurity.  As much as I loved the idea, I didn’t know how to go about writing it.  I was afraid of failure.

Then the IWSG short story contest was announced, and I knew I needed to enter.  It was simply too good an opportunity to pass up, so I started brainstorming ideas.  I soon had a list of ideas drawn up, but none of them felt quite right.  My mind kept stubbornly returning to the characters Felix and Betty and the society inspired by the World of Tomorrow.  The idea still intimidated me, but I’d also realized that this story needed to be told.  It was going to keep bugging me until I did it.

With a bit of research and a lot of patience, I wrote the story that had been nagging at me for months, and now here we are.  “Felix Was Here” is going to be shared with the world, and I feel pretty good about that.

Coming May 3, 2016

Preorder HERE

PARALLELS: FLEX WAS HERE

Tagline:

Utopia isn’t meant for everyone.

Blurb:

Betty’s family lived in a small Brooklyn apartment when the 1939 World’s Fair offered the nation a stunning vision of the future.  A charismatic man worked with the government to make that vision a reality.  Six years later, Betty has a nice home, a good husband, and all is right in her world.

When someone casually mentions the name Felix in conversation, everything changes.  Betty’s dreams suddenly revolve around a boy named Felix.  A boy she doesn’t recognize.  Sleep deprived and confused, Betty begins to question the foundation upon which she’s built her idyllic life.

Pre-Order HERE!

L.G. Keltner has been trying to write novels since she was six years old.  She’s wanted to be many things over the years, but the dream that survived into adulthood was that of being a writer.  She graduated from Drake University in 2008, but she’s still learning every day.  L.G. lives in Iowa with her husband and children.

Blog- Writing Off the Edge

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Thanks L. G.

 Congratulations! 

What do you think folks - do you find stories that just won't let go until you put them on paper?

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