Something About a Gargoyle - @ChrisRedding #Gargoyle #Fairy #Romance

By Chris Redding (Guest Blogger)

As writers we do a lot of research on odd subjects. My latest release is the first in a trilogy of romance novellas about three brothers who are gargoyle shifters. I’ve been to Paris. I’ve seen the gargoyles on Notre Dame. They inspired me initially to write about them, but the story didn’t gel in my brain until I was in Ireland. The Emerald Isle doesn’t have that many gargoyles. The stories I’ve written actually were inspired by the west coast of Ireland. I imagined what magical creatures must have live there once upon a time. Being part Irish means I am a storyteller by nature. I certainly feel more Irish than anything else which is good since I’m a writer.

One of the things I learned about gargoyles from my editor was that not all the stone statues on buildings are considered gargoyles. That term has come to mean all of those, but the original gargoyles had a specific purpose. They conveyed water from the roof to the street. This made sure that the mortar and stone of the building wasn’t worn away.

I had always thought gargoyles were about protection. That’s what I used in my story Destiny of a Gargoyle.

The term gargoyle liked comes from the French “gargouille” which means gullet or throat. The water ran from the roof into a notch in the back of the gargoyle’s head and out its mouth. That is why so many of them are elongated. The further out they stretched the less damage on the building during a rainstorm.

When not made to move water off the roof, the statue is actually a grotesque or chimera. This is where the protection aspect comes in. They are supposed to frighten off evil spirits. In my mythos about gargoyles, long ago, they made a pact with fairies to serve as protection. The Foley family were elite gargoyles assigned to protect a specific fairy. Fairy royalty as it were. I guess they were the Beafeaters of fairy land.

The trilogy of When Gargoyles Love begins with a curse. The gargoyles are cursed into stone into their fairy comes along. Which makes me wonder what the gargoyles on certain buildings did to be cursed into stone. Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia has some grotesques on it as do many churches built in the early days of the city.

Being raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, I often set things there. Everyone just used New York and I refuse to do that.

Ancient Egyptian gargoyles were usually lions. I used more of a dragon-like creature. I wanted it to be fierce and something that the modern-day heroine had never seen before. For me it added that the conflict. I wanted her to be initially afraid so that the gargoyle could truly win her over.

You will find gargoyles on churches built during the medieval times to show creatures from stories used to get commoners to convert to Catholicism. Since most people were illiterate at the time, gargoyles were often visual reminders of the oral stories told to them.

Gargoyles have a long history and I’ve just touched upon a small portion of it.

DESTINY OF A GARGOYLE by Chris Redding

Out today!

Buy Link: http://a.co/9TrsXUU

Blurb

Donal Foley was born in a time when magic ruled the Earth.

Gargoyles protected fairies from goblins. His family was a group of elite gargoyles who were assigned to protect a specific fairy. His father’s dereliction of that duty cursed his sons to become stone and wait.

Now reawakened in the twenty first century where no one believes in magic how is he going to convince his fairy that she is one and that she is in danger from a goblin?

He must do that without falling in love with her.

Excerpt

“She’s it,” Donal said.

He could communicate with his brothers telepathically. Otherwise his time in stone might have driven him nuts.

“You’re sure?” Sean said.

“I’m sure. She’s it. I can feel my heart softening. She must be the one that I am supposed to protect,” Donal said.

“Wow. After all of these years. And of course Donal finds his first. Lucky guy,” Declan said.

“He is always the lucky one,” Sean said.

“If I were that lucky I wouldn’t have been stuck in stone here with you two lugs,” Donal said.

He would have lived and died in his own time. Instead of watching what had happened to the fairies he’d been born to protect. They’d died off and somewhere along the line the fairies had forgotten who they were. He’d bet that Meg had no idea who she was.

About Me

Chris discovered at age ten she had a knack for storytelling. Ever since, she has wanted to be a published author. She was born and raised on Pennsylvania, holds a BA in Journalism from Penn State and is an established author of novels, novellas, shorts stories, newspaper articles and ghost-written books.

She has published mainly fiction, with a specialty in paranormal romance, but has written about contemporary romance, romantic suspense and cozy mystery for herself and for others. She is actively involved in the professional writing community, and conducts workshops to help other writers.

She lives in New Jersey with her family and animals. Writing is her passion and when she isn't writing, she practices yoga and runs.

Email: chrisreddingauthor [at] gmail [dot] com

Website: www.chrisreddingauthor.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/chrisreddingauthor

Twitter: www.twitter.com/chrisredding

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Skype: Chris.Redding.Author

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How Men Communicate

By Chris Redding (Guest Blogger)

Today I want to talk about how men communicate. You can use it when writing your male characters.

Communication is about independence and intimacy.

Men tend to focus on independence. They give orders and tell people what to do. Women crave intimacy. For instance. a man will make plans without consulting his wife. (Not all men, of course.) He will see no reason to “ask permission” of his wife. He actually views it that way. He would see it as not being able to act independently of her. He sees at as being the underling if he has to ask permission. Even though is isn't really asking permission, but consulting the wife about her plans. (Which is how she would see it.)

Here you can add conflict. The hero makes a unilateral decision be it about a social event or in the heat of running from the bad guys. He doesn’t see why he needs to clear it with the heroine. Of course she wants to be in on the decision-making process so we have conflict between the two. He doesn’t understand why she needs to be part of making the decision.

It is the same mindset when men go out and spend money. They don't feel they need to “ask permission.” My husband once bought a car without any input from me. He was going through a rough time and I think he needed to assert his independence not so much from me, but from his job. I didn't make a big deal about it, but the next time he bought I car I mentioned it. And of course he had no idea that I would feel that way. Until I told him.

Intimacy says we're close and connected. Women bond with each other, especially through talking. In feeling connected, two women feel symmetry. They are equals.

Independence is connected to status. Men like independence and their lives are about status. So status and independence are asymmetrical. Both people in a contest cannot have the upper hand.

Imagine someone other than the hero interested in the heroine. There would be an automatic competition between the two men. Conflict! Not huge conflict, but enough to show another side of your hero.

In ancient societies, men protected women. It is still in their biology to do that. There aren't man-eating animals that women face on a daily basis so they do it other ways. (Quick story: In a bar recently with a mixed group, someone else we knew asked one of the guys in the group to help her get this guy off of her. Now he doesn’t even like her, but she was clearly scared of this other guy hanging on her. So my friend asked the guy to leave. Twice, nicely. The guy, of course, gave him a hard time, and they almost came to blows. My friend was willing to protect this woman merely because she was a woman.)

A mother naturally protects her children. But when a woman extends her protection to a man he bristles at it. He sees himself as a lower rank, a child. Since I was a kid in the age before widespread seat belt use, if my father had to brake suddenly he would put his hand out to protect whoever was in the front passenger seat. I developed the same habit driving.

Fast forward a few years. I begin delivering pizza and using a seat belt on a regular basis. I'm driving with my boyfriend (the one who convinced me to wear a seat belt.) and I have to break suddenly. My arm goes out. He thought that was the most ridiculous thing. He made fun of me for it for awhile. Looking back, it wasn't about me. It was about him feeling as if I'd lowered him in the hierarchy of our relationship.

Along Came Pauly by Chris Redding

A contemporary romance about a dog that brings two people together who don’t want to be. She’s a vegetarian veterinarian who needs cash for a no-kill shelter. He’s the heir to a hot dog fortune who must give away money before he gains his inheritance. Sounds like a perfect match. It isn’t.

Excerpt

Paul arrived home that night “Jeeves, I’m in love,” he said to his butler.

The emotion filled him with a sense of purpose. He had a name and a face. Now he could find the address. With Jeeves’ help.

Paul Vincenzo’s butler peered over his half-glasses. He sat at the giant island in the giant kitchen. “That’s the third time this week.”

Paul undid his bowtie, dropped it on the kitchen counter, and then pulled out his cufflinks. Jeeves just didn’t understand.

Paul thought back to the way her hair glowed under the chandelier. As if the heavens had shone a light just on her. He couldn’t have stopped looking at her even if he’d gone blind. “No, really. I met the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen."

Jeeves put down his newspaper to sip from a glass of white wine. “I’ll bite. Who is she? A Greek heiress slumming it in New Jersey? No? A starlet on sabbatical.”

Paul shook his head. He understood the butler’s reluctance to believe him. Women had always been a salad bar to him. He’d wanted to taste them all, but this time it was different. Daria was different.

“Jeeves, I’m serious. Her name is Daria Jacks.” He’d liked the feel of her name in his mouth. Daria. He rolled it over in his mind. Daria. What an interesting name.

“And what does this fine specimen of a woman do?”

Jeeves’ question brought him back to reality. Not many people at the ball had even known her name, let alone where she’d come from. Like Cinderella, she’d lost her shoe. “I think she’s a doctor. Maybe a vet.”

“You think?” Jeeves lifted his paper back up to read.

“I didn’t actually get to talk to her.”

Paul had been a panther stalking his prey all night. She’d been seated well across the room. Her date hadn’t led her onto the dance floor, giving Paul a chance to cut in.

Her elusiveness had made the chase even more exciting.

Jeeves frowned. “How do you know you’re in love with her?”

“There was something…” he paused to find the right word, “familiar about her.”

As if he’d known her all of his life. Or maybe in another life. Not that he was deep or metaphysical. He just knew there’d been a connection, a meeting of the minds. Their psyches had bonded.

He strolled to the fridge to pour himself some wine.

“Uh huh.”

Jeeves wasn’t buying it, but Paul didn’t care. He had to meet Daria. As sure as he’d take his next breath.

Bio

Chris Redding lives in New Jersey with her husband, two kids and various animals. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. When she isn’t writing, she works part time for a local winery.

You can find Chris Redding:

http://chrisredddingauthor.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/chrisreddingauthor

www.twitter.com/chrisredding

This post is an excerpt from her workshop "Show Up Naked: Writing the Male POV".

A View to a Kilt: Behind the Scenes

By Chris Redding (Guest Blogger)

People often ask where I get my ideas. It usually isn’t one place and sometimes once the book is done I don’t even remember. When I thought about where A View to a Kilt came from I realized it came from different facets of my life

I have a friend who is of Scottish descent. He plays bagpipes and likes to tell dirty Scottish jokes. He is probably my biggest source of the Scottish jokes. The other source is someone who actually lives in Scotland. We met when my husband and I lived in England. He e-mailed him one day and he sent me back a large amount of Scottish jokes.

It’s good to have friends.

The heroine in A View to a Kilt is an interior decorator. I actually know two people who have businesses as interior decorators and one person who studied it in college. One person with a business actually taught me to sew.

It’s good to have friends.

A View to a Kilt is set in Philadelphia. I grew up in the suburbs of Philly and my Dad instilled in me a love of the city. Despite not living in Eagles country, I am still a fan. And so is my oldest son.

The portrait that is pivotal to the story? I have no memory of where that came from. None. Could not tell you what I was thinking when I put that in there. Wish I had a great story. That would be more interesting than having no idea why I chose a portrait.

Why does the heroine come from Montana? Because I have a friend who is from Montana and I could pick her brain about what it was like. I also have been fascinated with the West since I honeymooned in Utah.

I guess it comes down to this. No story comes from just one place. A writer takes different facts and weaves them into a fictional story.

And if I didn’t have friends I might not be able to write.

Blurb for A View to a Kilt:

Waking up next to a dead guy can ruin your whole day. When a wise-cracking interior decorator wants to put her past behind her, the dead body of the mayor’s son makes her realize that won’t happen too easily. A conservative former computer geek for the FBI is holding on too tightly to his past. His wife died under suspicious circumstances and he believes the decorator has the information to solve the case. Unfortunately for him, she isn’t speaking until a series of events convinces her she needs protection especially when her biggest secret threatens to destroy both of their lives.

Excerpt from A View to a Kilt:

Someone bumped into her as she shifted her weight, her stomach growling.

“Excuse me,” he said, from the depths of his chest.

She looked up into puppy dog brown eyes that were vaguely familiar. Then she remembered. “You’re the guy from the hospital.”

His grin surfaced like a dolphin jumping a hoop. His eyes lit up right before they scrunched into slits. “You remembered. I’m flattered. Angus MacPherson.

Her gaze raked up and down him, settling onto his hair. “You aren’t exactly forgettable.”

A flannel shirt opened onto a thick neck for such a lanky guy. Curls of hair peaked out over the first button. He wore the same jeans as earlier.

He cocked his head. “Tall with red hair. Guess I am noticeable.”

“Angus? Isn’t that beef?”

He curled himself into a bodybuilder’s stance.

“No, that’s beefcake,” she said.

Bio: Chris Redding lives in New Jersey with her husband, two sons, one dog, and three rabbits. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. When she isn’t writing she works part time for her local hospital.

Buy links:

Omnilit: http://tinyurl.com/cr-vtak-omni

Smashwords: http://tinyurl.com/cr-vtak-Smash

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/44sbydm

Nook Store: http://tinyurl.com/3tlk2nh

Trust Yourself

By Chris Redding (Guest Blogger)

I am not a religious person. I am an agnostic. That means I’m not really sure God exists. If you believe in God, I’m good with that. I think we need to decide these things for ourselves.

I am a spiritual person.

Huh?

Your spirituality is how you deal with the unknown. Most people use religion for how they deal with what they cannot explain or don’t understand. Works for them.

My husband is a scientist. He can use science to explain the unknown. I am a left brain person. I actually believe in Karma or maybe my own convoluted version of it. Do good things and good things will come your way. What goes around comes around.

Now, I realize that bad things happen. Bad situations happen. Oy, I could tell you about my childhood! I’m not a kid anymore and therefore can make choices on my own.

And I choose to trust myself.

When I need to find the answer to a puzzling question or make a life decision, I trust that it will come to me.

It is the same with writing. When I sat down to write this blog I had no idea what I was going to write about. I just sat down and told myself it would come. Lo and behold it did.

People often ask writers where their ideas come from. I want to tell them I have a troll in the basement that I talk to each morning. He gives my new ideas or he doesn’t get fed. If I were to say that I wouldn’t make book sales.

Usually ideas come from something I’ve read or something on the news. It will percolate in my brain and come back as something with my little twist on it. But I have to trust that it will be there.

People talk about writer’s block. I have writer’s fear. Or writer’s “I don’t feel like writing,” but never an actually block. If I sit down to write, it is there. Because I trust that it will be there.

I don’t put much stock in muses. I may joke about having one, but I think it is too whimsical an idea if you really plan to make a go in this business.

But my advice is not just for writers. You can take it into any part of your life. Should you change jobs? Trust that the answer will come to you.

Should you have a child? Should you get married? Any of life’s big questions, you must trust in yourself that you will do the right thing. That you will know what the right thing is for you.

BIO: Chris Redding’s latest book, Corpse Whisperer, is out on Kindle. When she isn’t writing, she works for her local hospital. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, two sons, one dog and three rabbits.

You can find me on the internet at:

www.chrisreddingauthor.com

http://chrisredddingauthor.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/chrisredding

www.twitter.com/chrisredding

Corpse Whisperer: A paramedic must solve a murder before it happens.

There is a prize today for one lucky commenter. I will draw a name and you will get some bath products. Thanks so much for having me today.

Quandary

By Chris Redding (Guest Blogger)

quandary \KWAHN-duh-ree; -dree\, noun:
A state of difficulty, perplexity, doubt, or uncertainty.

I’m often in a quandary. Some would argue I’m simply confused.

Which manuscript should I work on next? What should I get my husband for his birthday? Paper or plastic? Oh wait, I have totebags from a bajillion conferences that I can use. Whew, one problem solved.

I have two boys, a teen and tween. When they were little, I knew instinctively what to do. Now I find it harder. I was never a teen boy and there’s all that “having to break away from mom” stuff that I don’t want to stifle. It’s tough on a mom letting go of the kids you’ve raised for all these years, but you have to, especially with boys. Luckily I’m not doing this alone and my husband has a great perspective on it all that. I think he likes that I rely on him more.

Here’s a big one for a published author: Which promotional efforts are worth it? Book signings for me sound fun, in a way. I love to meet people. Oh wait, I’m not a good salesperson. I couldn’t sell a thirsty man a drink of water. Reading my work in front of people is odd enough when I do it in critique group. How can I do that in front of strangers?

I like Facebook, but am I using how it should be used? Twitter? Love it, but again, is it the right way to spend my time? I guess since I didn’t use these things with the last book that I’ll know if they work for this book.

I saw a quote recently on Facebook that went something like this: You make more friends by being interested in people than by trying to be interesting. Neat. Reach out to others and they are more likely to reach out to you. I think sometimes I forget that lesson in life, but that’s a whole ‘nother blog post. So, I comment on people’s blogs. I comment on FB statuses. I retweet when I can. I hope I’m doing what the quote above says I should.

Who knows?

I’m a decisive person, really, I am. It’s just when the choice isn’t clear cut I find it harder. I was in a quandary for several months over quitting a job. My poor friends had to listen to me that whole time. I had another one lined up. The new one had a better boss. (Turned out to be the right decision to quit that job.) Guess I don’t like change. Maybe that’s part of being in a quandary. I don’t know what lies ahead. We never do. We can’t. Frankly life would be boring if we did, but I wish sometimes I knew if the outcome was good or bad.

What decisions do you make on a daily basis that put you in a quandary?

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Chris Redding lives in New Jersey with her husband, two kids, one dog and three rabbits. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in Journalism and a minor in English. When she isn’t writing she works per diem for her local hospital.

www.chrisreddingauthor.com

www.facebook.com/chrisredding

www.twitter.com/chrisredding

Her new novel Incendiary, a romantic suspense, will be out in June of this year.