Can you tell us a little bit about your book? When did it come out? Where can we get it?
Desire: The Lock is told from multiple views, roughly following
a chronological path. The characters introduced in Desire: The Key continue
in this second installment of the trilogy, though perspective shifts somewhat
from the introductory novel.The story provides a clear divergence from "traditional" Vampire tales. It does not shy away from some of the less glamorous or attractive aspects of the creatures.
We released Desire: The Lock on October 1, 2013, about 18 months after The Key. It's available in Kindle format on Amazon and also there or via the CreateSpace store in paperback. It's also being sold in independent bookstores, to include The Book Spot (Round Rock, Tx).
Is there anything that prompted your latest book ? Something that inspired you?
The Desire Trilogy is a story that basically forced itself onto paper. I'll not have rest until it's been told and as many people as possible have the opportunity to read it. While it's not a simple and direct plot, I've found that's the way life is, and fiction needs to emulate life in order to be taken seriously. It's certainly fantasy, yet, provides enough background justification and realistic situations to give a reader entertainment with only minor suspension of disbelief.
Great! So, when did you know you wanted to write?
Or has it always been a pastime of yours?
I've always been a storyteller. There's an art and a style to crafting a story I'm comfortable with. I receive a great satisfaction when an audience is both entertained and enlightened, not necessarily by me so much as the story I'm providing them. Writing has been a subtle adaptation of my spoken storytelling in which that inner voice speaks through the written word.
I've always enjoyed reading, though works tend to meld together in my mind. I've never been one to accurately quote authors or works without research, but reading has certainly helped to mold my stories into better tales.
Do you have any favorite authors?
Anne McAffrey Piers Anthony, J.R.R. Tolkien, Stephen R. Donaldson, and Stephen King immediately come to mind, though there's certainly a long, long list with more than a few "lesser knowns" (like H. Warner Munn) thrown in there.
Do you write in a specific place? Time of day?
I would like to say, "I write wherever I happen to find myself, when the mood hits", however life has a way of getting in the way. I usually write between 10pm and 2am, when the rest of the world stops calling. I'll write in a chair or in bed, depending on my mood or comfort. Writing without having to look at the clock allows my mind to better explain scenes or plot tools.
I've tried to block entire days to only write, but find my mind just isn't into it. Instead I end up playing a game or watching a movie or (how horrible) watching a mindless television program. Then, after most of the "dedicated day" is gone, I end up looking at what I wrote and trashing it. The material that actually survives tends to have come from the "regular" late-night or early-morning sessions.o you have any favorite authors?Do you have any favorite authors?
are there any words you'd like to impart to fellow writers? Any advice?Are there any words you'd like to impart to fellow writers? Any advice?
are there any words you'd like to impart to fellow writers? Any advice? a
Gather your very own Epic Reading Group (ERG)! I call my Beta Readers this, as what they provide transforms what I might consider good into something great, or, "epic". This is a group of trusted friends who can be, and are, brutally honest. Personally I've been blessed with a variety of group members: non-readers, subject matter experts, novice participants, and even grammar "Nazis".
Before I send the work to my line editor, the ERG hears the work and provides immediate feedback. I'm not obligated to make suggested changes, but it's essential I see the work as seen through my readers' eyes.
If you're writing fiction, it's got to be something you have passion about. I'm not saying I passionately believe in Vampires, but the story told through this medium is one I'm passionate in telling. I know this is a story that will both entertain as well as enlighten (to restate an earlier point).
Also, to readdress where to get my work, it's available in Kindle format (which is super-hard to autograph) on Amazon and via the CreateSpace store in paperback.
It's also being sold in independent bookstores, such as The Book Spot (Round Rock, Tx).
My web site has additional information and blogs at www.kennethdmaness.com
Here is the blurb for Desire: The Lock.
Book 2 of the Desire trilogy. Koshka discovers the primary reason he was
recruited to become a Vampire. Prophecies and demonic activity force the Church
into action as events bring the Javis clan to the brink of rebellion.
Here is an excerpt.
Pain is a strange thing. It’s the body’s defense mechanism, telling the brain something just isn’t right. But, there’s always that “over-ride” button, like the morning alarm snooze. Just a little more, and we’re done. Just another mile. One more lap around the track. Just another step. Push through the pain!
Then, when you’ve taken that step, walked the mile, and endure the mind-numbing electricity, shooting from your hip to your skull, apparently liquefying anything in between, you get a wonderful sense of accomplishment. However, that normally comes just a few seconds before the universe closes in, then buries you under a mountain of glass shards and mesquite wood thorns. The pain comes back. Conscious action requires a level of control we normally take for granted, until it begins slipping away. Just a few moments ago, willpower and focus propelled one foot forward, then the next, to bring you out of the baking sauna, into the coolness of a house’s shade.
That’s when the ground comes rushing at your face. You attempt to take another step, but you’re already falling and the step instead turns into a stumble to your knees and your hands strike the dirt and rocks. You’re looking at hundreds of white rocks, about the size of your thumbnail, pressed into the ground by countless footsteps and cars, parked at one time or another, parked near the house.
The wall is only a foot or two away, and still, it’s amazing how uniform the little rocks lay, smashed into the driveway, all the way to the edge of the wall. Perhaps they put oil down to keep the dust and dirt from slipping away, but it doesn’t seem to have a dark base at all.
Just a few more steps, or now, perhaps it would be easier to crawl to the side door. It can’t be far. The pain should have subsided by now. It reaches a level, then stops, just stops, like the eye of a storm. Not this time. That mountain of glass shards continues to push the sap-coated mesquite barbs into hundreds of strategic pin-pricks across your back, then down to the left thigh. But it stops just about where the leg begins, providing a stark contrast which should have been lost in the mounting sea of pain. The difference is leaving the direct sunlight, feeling a shadow on your leg, but still having a chemical burn across the back.
Interesting what you can focus on when nearing death. You can run faster than anyone else for as far as your eyes can see. And you can see an incredible distance! Your senses betrayed you this time, and you didn’t run when she drew a weapon. You moved as slow as anyone else in such a circumstance, and while you may think you’re oh-so-much faster, as the seconds stretch, instincts take over to save you, but they weren’t fast enough.
Author Bio
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Kenneth D. Maness lives near Austin, Texas with his wife of 26 years, Rosy.
His work history includes the tech industry, Texas State Government and the
U.S. Army.
Hobbies include gaming, reading and story telling, (to include writing).
Kenneth is an independent author. The Desire series is his first published work, however, we anticipate it will not be his last! He has many ideas to put to paper when the Desire Trilogy is completed!
Website: www.kennethdmaness.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KennethDManess/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Kenneth_Maness
Here is an excerpt.
Pain is a strange thing. It’s the body’s defense mechanism, telling the brain something just isn’t right. But, there’s always that “over-ride” button, like the morning alarm snooze. Just a little more, and we’re done. Just another mile. One more lap around the track. Just another step. Push through the pain!
Then, when you’ve taken that step, walked the mile, and endure the mind-numbing electricity, shooting from your hip to your skull, apparently liquefying anything in between, you get a wonderful sense of accomplishment. However, that normally comes just a few seconds before the universe closes in, then buries you under a mountain of glass shards and mesquite wood thorns. The pain comes back. Conscious action requires a level of control we normally take for granted, until it begins slipping away. Just a few moments ago, willpower and focus propelled one foot forward, then the next, to bring you out of the baking sauna, into the coolness of a house’s shade.
That’s when the ground comes rushing at your face. You attempt to take another step, but you’re already falling and the step instead turns into a stumble to your knees and your hands strike the dirt and rocks. You’re looking at hundreds of white rocks, about the size of your thumbnail, pressed into the ground by countless footsteps and cars, parked at one time or another, parked near the house.
The wall is only a foot or two away, and still, it’s amazing how uniform the little rocks lay, smashed into the driveway, all the way to the edge of the wall. Perhaps they put oil down to keep the dust and dirt from slipping away, but it doesn’t seem to have a dark base at all.
Just a few more steps, or now, perhaps it would be easier to crawl to the side door. It can’t be far. The pain should have subsided by now. It reaches a level, then stops, just stops, like the eye of a storm. Not this time. That mountain of glass shards continues to push the sap-coated mesquite barbs into hundreds of strategic pin-pricks across your back, then down to the left thigh. But it stops just about where the leg begins, providing a stark contrast which should have been lost in the mounting sea of pain. The difference is leaving the direct sunlight, feeling a shadow on your leg, but still having a chemical burn across the back.
Interesting what you can focus on when nearing death. You can run faster than anyone else for as far as your eyes can see. And you can see an incredible distance! Your senses betrayed you this time, and you didn’t run when she drew a weapon. You moved as slow as anyone else in such a circumstance, and while you may think you’re oh-so-much faster, as the seconds stretch, instincts take over to save you, but they weren’t fast enough.
Author Bio
Kenneth D. Maness lives near Austin, Texas with his wife of 26 years, Rosy.
His work history includes the tech industry, Texas State Government and the
U.S. Army.Hobbies include gaming, reading and story telling, (to include writing).
Kenneth is an independent author. The Desire series is his first published work, however, we anticipate it will not be his last! He has many ideas to put to paper when the Desire Trilogy is completed!
Website: www.kennethdmaness.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KennethDManess/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Kenneth_Maness
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