An Interview with Author CJ Sullivan

This week I have been speaking to Texas-based author CJ Sullivan about her Wings of the Divided trilogy and how she got into writing, self-publishing and angels. 

Can you start by telling readers a little about yourself?

I'm approaching 30. I've been writing all my life. I only recently decided to take the indie publishing route after having a few things traditionally published. I have tonnes of interests, which are always shifting. Right now I'm really into studying Feng Shui and being in the present moment. It really helps with anxiety.

Can you tell us how you got into writing?

I started writing stories just for fun as a little girl to entertain myself and my family. My parents were probably the biggest influence at the time. They encouraged me to keep writing, so I did. I think parental support is one of the most crucial things for believing in yourself and starting life off on a positive note. So if you have kids, always encourage them to do the things they love.

Can you tell us about your first novel in your current trilogy, Wings of the Divided, for those who have not read it? What is it about?

This novel is the first in a trilogy. It's my take on angels. It's the beginning of an epic tale that ends up taking the readers on a journey out into the universe. Book one takes place on Earth and starts the ball rolling. Though it centres on Fallen angel Laphelle, you also get to peek into the personal lives on a few of the other angels as well.

What inspired you to write a paranormal tale like this? What influenced the characters? Are they based on anyone you know?

I'd always been fascinated with angels. At the time I wrote it, not many books had been written with angels as the central characters. I started the trilogy a decade ago. The characters just kind of made themselves. I know it sounds strange, but it's almost like they were just out there already developed, waiting for me to put them into a story. A few of my human characters are based on people I know. For instance, Clark is completely based on a younger version of my brother Clark.

 Is there anything that you are working on at the moment and can you tell us a little bit about it?

I am going through the manuscript for book three and getting it ready for publication sometimes before the summer. I can't tell you about it because it might give away the secrets of Book one!

The Nightlife: New York Review

This week we return to the bloody and sex-filled world of Travis Luedke’s The Nightlife series. This time around I have been reading The Nightlife: New York, the first in the main series (for those who have read my Bloodslave review you’ll know that novel was a spin-off). 

Anyway, for those unfamiliar with Travis Luedke’s work, it’s about vampires...and sex...and more sex.

But I digress. The Nightlife: New York introduces us to Aaron Pilan, a twenty-year-old waiter working in a restaurant in the Big Apple. The story wastes no time in Aaron leaving work one night, attempting to help a mysterious French woman who is being accosted by two nasty policemen and then getting shot for doing so. 

Feeling bad for his plight, the woman, Michelle, decides to turn Aaron into a vampire like her - it being the only way to save him from certain death. Aaron survives the transformation and the rest of the book chronicles his first two weeks living his new life in the shadows. 

Aaron’s transformation into a super-strong blood sucker is told very personally through the narrative as he goes from being amazed by his new powers to be taught the rules of feeding on humans and not being caught (because everyone knows if you get caught you’re dead meat). 

I liked Aaron’s character because you see him going through the motions of learning that he can never go home, to acceptance, to almost eventually fearing what he has become. As the story develops he almost develops a dual personality; part of him intoxicated with the power, the other, his former, good natured, easy-going self. 

Michelle on the other hand (Aaron’s master and teacher) I did not feel like I really connected with. You learn some things about her long, dark past as the story goes on but I don’t think enough is revealed about her and at times I feel like she lacks personality. 

If you have read Bloodslave, you will find that The Nightlife: New York is more toned down. Yes, there are a few sex scenes in it but nowhere near as many. Bloodslave was a fantastic book at times I felt there was a bit too much sex, so it is nice to read another story in the series that’s more plot driven and also less graphic. 

Also I had another moment at the end of this book where I wanted to cover my eyes again because something quite grisly happens (Damn you Travis, you did it again). 

The Nightlife: New York gets 7/10

It is available from Kindle here. 

Django Unchained Review

Let’s talk about Django Unchained. It’s rare to see a Western these days and even rarer to see a Quentin Tarantino movie. As most of you out there will probably know this man rarely releases any films, so when he does it usually comes with a lot of hype and Django Unchained is no exception. 

Yet I will be the first to admit that I was not to keen on this film when the trailer first came out. To me it just looked like another Western, even if it did have Tarantino’s name glued to it. I will also admit that I am not a huge fan of Tarantino films. Don’t get me wrong I like Kill Bill One and Two and Pulp Fiction but I don’t think any of the three films are exceptional, as is the general consensus. 

Yet Django Unchained I really enjoyed. The movies starts out with Django (Jamie Foxx) being led by slavers to a sale. On route he is freed by Dr King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a former German dentist-turned bounty hunter. 

Dr Shultz asks Django to help him track down three brothers - as he knows what they look like - with the promise of sharing the cash reward for their heads if he helps. Django accepts the offer and after a bloody massacre on a plantation where the trio are hiding, Django decides to join Dr Shultz in the bounty hunting business. Ultimately the two partners arrive at ‘Candie Land’, a cotton plantation where they face off against Leonardo DiCaprio in a game of wits, will and cash to free Django’s wife.

The acting in this film is nothing short of amazing. You do feel that the right person was cast for every role and it is nice to see Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio taking on more mature roles and complex characters compared to some of their previous incarnations. Samuel L Jackson must also be praised for an exceptional performance as Stephen, a slave who holds a fierce loyalty to his master Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) despite a lifetime of forced servitude. 

While slavery is a constant in this film, it is a chapter in American history that Tarantino does not shy away from. He makes fun of the type of white, rich, plantation owners that had slaves but also looks at the darker fate of those who tried to run away and were caught. 

There is also that quirky Tarantino undertone that exists in all of his films. A moment or a line that the viewer does not expect coming - like when Django is allowed to choose his own clothes and opts for a blue leotard-type outfit which attracts many stares.

Also don’t mess with Django. He blows both Quentin Tarantino and Samuel L Jackson up. Are fictional characters allowed to do that? I’m sure there’s a law against blowing up Hollywood legends but you’d be crazy to blow up TWO.

Yet it is funny...

I know I have been praising this film a lot but there is genuinely really little that there is to criticise. It is one of only a handful of movies that I have seen in recent years which has not left me disappointed.

Want a criticism? It’s too long. Two and a half hours is a bit long winded, no matter how good your film is. 

Django Unchained gets 9/10.

Life Knocks Review

I’m not quite sure where I should begin with the review this week. Even though I finished Craig Stone’s Life Knocks a few days ago now I still don’t feel like the dust has quite settled yet. There are so many questions and philosophical points from it that are still going around and around in my head...

So I’ll try starting from the beginning (duh). For a good first chunk of this book you will probably not know what is going on or where it is leading. We start off with an email that Colossus Sosloss sent to his bank colleagues in 2004 the day he decided to quit the rat race and embark on a new life of freedom - something most of us have fantasised about doing at one point or another. The rest of the story then alternates between that time period, slowly moving up through the years and 2010 when Colossus moves into a new flat. 

 

If you are still unsure what it is about I’ll tell you now. The book is about life and the ups, downs, mistakes, luck and love of an ordinary man. It is also a very honest look at life and while some people may find a few of the characters in the story outrageous and unbelievable, I will say this; I believe in all of them. I have met some people in my own life which defy belief...but that’s a story for another time. 

Throughout the narrative, you sometimes hear Colossus’s thoughts and his philosophical musings on life or certain situations. 

Though my favourite has to be one regarding a certain Hawaii sunset; I have never before heard a sunset being described as a child smashing crayons into god’s face before - but it works and it made me laugh. 

One of my few complaints about the novel is grammar and typing errors. While I have always found a few in every self-published novel or traditional novel that I have ever read I felt there was a few too many in Life Knocks. I’m not meaning errors on epic proportions here but it could maybe use a second look. 

Yet besides that this is a personal story well told with a lot of imagery, humour and philosophical musings on everyday life which we can all relate to on some level.

I give Life Knocks 7/10. 

It's available on Kindle here.

Alchemist Now Available On Smashwords

Hey guys, just to let you all know that my novel, Alchemist, is now available in other formats on Smashwords for $0.99

You can also get a preview of the book to try before you buy here. 

You Are Just A Guest Short Story Review

This week I have been reviewing a short horror story penned by James T Kelly. 

You Are Just A Guest is about a married couple who have just moved into their first home and told through a series of blog entries by writer Annie and her husband Jon’s Twitter account. 

Upon moving into their new home Annie and Jon start hearing strange noises, namely in the walls which gradually get worse and worse as their days in their new home move on. After Annie sees something in the mirror one evening the couple call in a medium to help them try to find out what is haunting their home but things do not end well. 

For a short story this tale builds the suspense well, considering it is told through blog posts and not much dialogue. It starts off with the couple dismissing the strange events in their home before stepping up a gear as they become more frightened and you’ll want to read right to the end. 

My only complaint though is that you never really find out what it is that is haunting them, which is a bit disappointing. 

I really liked the horror references though and the Twitter one to Assassin's Creed (which I am a fan of :) ). 

Anyway, this is a pretty solid short story from the pen of a new, upcoming author. I look forward to reading James T Kelly’s other works in the future.

You Are Just A Guest gets 6/10

You Are Just A Guest can be found on Kindle here.