Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Guest Mickey Flagg: With Halloween All Things Paranormal Come to Mind.


I'm pleased to have author Mickey Flagg as my guest today. She'll be sharing details about her upcoming books and her love of the paranormal. I hope you'll leave her a comment and I'll enter you in my monthly ebook drawing.

A little about Mickey:

Mickey Flagg brings the joy of music to hundreds of students every week. Named a Distinguished Music Educator at the 2009 Yale Music Symposium, she also writes paranormal romance. Retribution! is her debut novel, and Book 2, Consequences, has also been contracted with The Wild Rose Press. Living in northern NJ, her quiet home sits on the edge of a forest.


Retribution! Short blurb:

Dreams often reflect deepest desires…even if they’re nightmares. While cruelly captured, a vampire creates a languid fantasy with the help of a powerful soul. Eternal devotion to two important people forces this creature to see himself with honest eyes. Imagination runs wild, yet Michael Malone still desires death. Why should he survive? Two very good reasons… One is revenge. The other is love.

Short excerpt:

The habit was hundreds of years old… An absentminded glance in an empty mirror as the vampire ran firm bristles back and forth over even, white teeth. But this time, he stared in disbelief. A cloudy image peered back—one that hadn’t been seen in centuries. High cheekbones, straight nose, square chin and strong brow were unmistakably his. Leaning into the mirror, Michael couldn’t see his eyes clearly, but it was his reflection, something lost the night he’d been turned. The one thing that sets me apart from humanity, he thought, one thing that should be lost forever. The image fascinated, but also frightened. One more secret I must keep from Alana—for now.
~ Retribution! The Champion Chronicles: Book One

Blog Post:

Hi Linda. Thanks for inviting me. Congratulations on your blog awards. How lovely and well deserved!

October is right around the corner. Of course, with Halloween and the change of seasons, all things paranormal come to mind. We decorate our houses for those little munchkins who ring our doorbells because it’s time to celebrate all things creepy. Writing paranormal is like living Halloween all year round. We are the authors that crave the shape-shifter, psychic phenomena, and the sensual vampire. This genre is one where imagination runs wild before you arrive at the happily ever after ending. That seed of creation is what I’d like to talk about today.

Imagination in a child is where it all starts. I see this as an educator, as a mother, and as a writer. When I was a little girl, merry-go-rounds were an early version of portals for me. Fairytales took me to another realm. Quite often, my mother disowned me with a shake of her head and a mumbled, “Oh God, where did she come from?” A few years later, Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames had me vacillating between being a detective or a nurse. I had to live the books – not only read them.

When my son and daughter were young, I encouraged them to explore their rich fantasy lives. Like their mother, they were very creative children. A purple princess, a rugged adventure-seeker, whatever they became brought wide eyes and smiles to their faces. It’s was a rite of passage, a glimpse into the creative individuals they’d become as adults. This time of year meant buying material for Halloween costumes, bringing to life what they envisioned for that day of fantasy. Of course, I took lots of pictures!

I teach children from many different countries in an inner-city school. Most of the upper graders know I write about vampires and all things paranormal. More than a few walk around with Harry Potter and Twilight on top of their core subject books. This tells us that paranormal events spark a child’s imagination. A large number of my students don’t get the chance to don a costume and ring doorbells for treats on October 31st. For some, it’s not an acceptable practice. For most, it’s a safety issue. But when I see these books so treasured by them, I know that their imagined worlds are richer than most would suspect. Harry and Edward don’t offend anyone. After all, it’s simply not real even though the underlying moral issues, the choices, are right there on the written page.

The way a paranormal author chooses to use imagination can take a reader to some wonderful places. As an author, writing in this genre allows me to create a different world. All the elements of reality are visible through conflict, characterization, setting and situation. Whether the hero is a vampire or a shape-shifter, good stories have the same elements of reality. Intrigue, drama, out-of-the-norm experiences make our plots unique.

Once a year, ghosts and vampires have a starring role. By adding a touch of romance to these characters, an entirely different take on the paranormal appears. Doesn’t it seem that as the season changes, Halloween is the perfect holiday to celebrate our active imaginations? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Have a great day!
Mickey

http://www.mflagg-author.com/
http://www.mflagg.blogspot.com/
M. Flagg – become a fan on Facebook.

24 comments:

  1. Thank you for being my guest, Mickey. Retribution sounds like a wonderful story. I look forward to reading it when it's out.

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  2. Your book idea is very captivating. In a sense it is like a vampire with a soul, and so in timing with the new attraction to the genre. Great blog.

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  3. Thank you so much, Mickey, for your post. I'd never thought of Halloween as a time to spark our imaginations before. But you're so right, and now it seems so obvious.

    Congratulations on your debut novel. How exciting. It was nice to meet you.

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  4. I really like your writing style! It has real atmosphere... exactly right for your genre. Excellent excerpt. Doralynn

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  5. Great excerpt! I think you're right about Halloween sparking a child's imagination--from choosing a costume to decorating. And adults too given some of the very imaginative lawn decorations in our neighborhood. Great post--Anne

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  6. I too enjoy Halloween, and all the spooky fun it brings! And I'm a huge Nancy Drew fan too.

    *hug*

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  7. Every child needs an escape and paranormal is a wonderful way to spark their imaginations, and in some ways, help them deal with their own challenges in reality. Halloween is such a fun season-it's a great time for reading some magical books.

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  8. Very kewl post and upcoming release!
    Best of luck with this, Mickey.

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  9. Great post Mickey! Retribution is a great story......:)

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  10. Godd luck with your book. Mickey - I wish you many more to follow

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  11. I agree! Halloween is a wonderful time for imaginations to run amok, especially for children. I do miss all the fun I used to have when I was young on Oct. 31. I tried to instill that same exuberance in my (now grown) children so they could also pass it on to my grandchildren!

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  12. Great blog, Mickey. I'm afraid my imagination is far TOO vivid to indulge in most paranormal romance, but I liked the idea your hero was regaining himself. Very cool. Hope to see you at the NJRW conference.

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  13. Great excerpt. This one goes on the TBR list! And congrats on your award. That's quite an accomplishment!

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  14. And a Happy Halloween to you Mickey.
    Good luck with your book. I hope you sell a ton!
    Enjoy the ride.

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  15. Hi Mickey. Congrats on your new release and your new contract. I really enjoyed your excerpt.

    I agree, Halloween is certainly a chance to encourage the imagination of children, provided it doesn't become too scary and is kept lighthearted. I've always been fascinated by the paranormal, and for me it's all about good overcoming evil - and giving the reader some excitement on the way!

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  16. Hi Linda. Thank you so very much for having me here today. After a long day with the kiddies at school these wonderful comments are just what I needed. Now that I have a strong cup of coffee, I can think again. Retribution is doing quite well, and I'll be sure to let you know when Consequences is also out there.

    Oh, I do have a free read that will be up at The Wild Rose Press in October. Also a sweet non-paranormal will be posted on the LASR review site on November 19th. It's my first happily ever after without goblins, ghosts or vamps!

    Thanks again for having me!

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  17. Hi Angelica and Zi. I guess I was blessed with the timing on this one:)We all know how long it takes from query to release, right?

    Hi Linda K. It's nice to meet you too! My imagination used to go into high gear trying to make my children's costumes - and I kept them all. Maybe someday I'll sew a few for grandkids too!

    I appreciate your compliment, Doralynn. The tone, one's voice for a vampire romance novel is part of it's intrigue. Thanks!

    Hi, Anne. Don't get me started on those lawn decorations. I'm beginning to think that Halloween will soon rival Christmas!

    Hi Jenn. I figured you for a Nancy Dreww fan - Thanks for the cyber hug. I need it :)

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  18. Danielle, you are so very right! And the children I teach do have many challenges. They own my heart and many days, bring a very wide smile to my face... all 650 of them! Thanks for stopping by.

    Waving a huge hello to Beth, Christine, and Kathye!!! I know you ladies are busy. Thanks for dropping in :)

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  19. Hi LuAnn. Great comment. As writers, I think our imaginations still run amok! As a matter of fact, I have a book signing on Halloween - I'm doing it in costume, of course!

    Hi Gwynlyn. Thanks for stopping by. I have a sweet read without vamps that I'll share with you at the NJRW conference. Looking forward to seeing you there.

    Thanks for coming by, Debra. The nomination for the award floored me! Then, on the same day Retribution was released, I got the letter stating I had won. Blessings and timing... Wow. My hands shook all night - but in a good way!

    Hi Hywela! Thanks for your comment. I agree about good overcoming evil. I put my vampire on a road to redemption. Overcoming evil within as well as without brings excitement and anticipation to the plot. And no, we wouldn't want anything too scary to frighten our little trick-or-treaters - ever!!

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  20. Thanks again for having me here today, Linda. Have a lovely evening. Stay well and above all, Happy Halloween! ~ Mickey

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  21. Welcome to Mickey! I like the sound of Michael! AND I agree that Halloween is an especially good time for paranormal stories! Of course I like paranormal all year round too! *BG* I really appreciate authors that use their wonderful imaginations to write great books for me to read!!

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  22. Thanks for visitiing, Martha. I'm with you, of course! Paranormals are for all seasons :)

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  23. Hello Linda and Mickey. So sorry for the late drop in. Been quite a hectic week for me.

    Mickey, great blog. Love learning about what makes my fellow authors tick. And Halloween is my ultimate favorite time of day. October first is my kickoff both in real life and cyberworld *grin* Hell, I even take my vacation for the day job every year on Halloween week. It's my day!

    Linda, thanks for have Mickey here:)

    Dayana~

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  24. Hi Dayana. I know you're a busy gal - I also know how special paranormal month is to you - not to mention that fabulous last day of October. Thanks so much for stopping by :)

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