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Archive for Angel Vindicated

Bottle of Hope

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Never say never, for if you live long enough, chances are you will not be able to abide by its restrictions. Never is a long, undependable time, and life is too full of rich possibilities to have restrictions placed upon it.” Gloria Swanson (US actress, 1899-1983) 

Inspiring quote, right? My good friend, Patrice, emailed this to me the day after I found out my book, Angel Vindicated, is a finalist in the RWA® RITA® contest for Best First Book, and it really resonated with me. 

I NEVER thought I’d actually final in this contest. I NEVER thought I’d see a small press/eBook final in this contest. But it happened and I realized that I’d carted around all that negative energy for nothing. Instead of allowing myself to hope and dream, I’d bottled up my chances and threw them out to sea. I didn’t even bother to watch the bottle disappear into the horizon. I closed my eyes and turned away. 

Thankfully that poor, neglected bottle came back with good news! Hello

I learned a lesson from this, and I gotta tell ya that I won’t be saying NEVER when I’m waiting for the winner to be announced at the conference in July. I’m going to shove myself outside my tiny, restricting box and say MAYBE. I’m going to accept that I’m entitled to the rich possibilities Ms. Swanson was speaking of, and I’m going to allow myself to hope—and, more importantly, to enjoy the journey.
Because that’s what life is about for a mama writer, right? Enjoying the journey. 

When was the last time you opened yourself up to the rich possibilities? Or restricted yourself from them?
Viola Estrella

www.violaestrella.com 

Angel Vindicated

 

 

 

Available in eBook and paperback from Cerridwen Press.

Also available from AmazonBarnes & Noble and Books-A-Million.

Characters R Us?

Monday, June 1st, 2009

Recently, I was asked how much of myself I put into the characters I create. More specifically, is there anything of myself reflected in my heroine, Abby Angel, from my recent release Angel Vindicated.  Being the indecisive person I am my answer was, of course, yes and no.

Abby has an addiction to cheesecake and is very sentimental about her TiVo. My addiction is diet cola and I don’t remember life before DVR.

Abby has a strange obsession with Aerosmith and sings aloud to their songs while she’s driving to avoid road rage. I also like Aerosmith but my taste in music is a little less limited. And, yes, you may or may not see my lips moving to the lyrics when I’m whizzing by you on the highway.

Abby is a self-taught mechanic. Me? Not so much.

Abby hates demons with poor hygiene. I can’t stand anyone with poor hygiene.

You get the picture. I did give her some of my quirks so I can relate to her, but she’s still her own person. When creating a character, I find that there’s always something ― no matter how small ― of myself in that character.  It can’t be helped.

As a writer, I don’t have to agree with my character’s thoughts and actions, but I do have to rationalize them. Whether it’s my beloved hero or heroine or the sinister villain, I have to be able to connect with them, which, hopefully, allows the reader to tap into that connection. And lending my characters my mind and my voice is the best way to do that.

As a reader, it’s easy to see when an author has bonded with his/her character. I don’t ever have to ask why the hero did this or why the heroine did that because the author, in her own mind, rationalized it for us.

So tell me what you think. Characters R Us? Or am I completely looney? Wait. Don’t answer that last question. I like being in denial.

 

Viola Estrella

www.violaestrella.com

angelvindicated_coverAngel Vindicated

Sexy Urban Fantasy available now as an eBook from www.cerridwenpress.com

Vote for your favorite Angel Vindicated character at www.myspace.com/violaestrella or www.violaestrella.com!!

 

Categories : Viola Estrella
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Angel Vindicated Release Day!?!?!

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

Today I’m celebrating my very first release date the only way I know how. So if you see me, don’t worry about my deep breaths and praying hands. And in between those, just excuse the clapping and cheering. (I’ve never been a cheerleader. It won’t be pretty). Going back and forth from terrified to ecstatic is exhausting, but so worth it!

Here’s a little more about what’s causing me such angst:

angelvindicated_cover_halfsizeAngel Vindicated (I like to call it a sexy urban fantasy) is now available as an eBook from www.cerridwenpress.com!!!!!!

Deep breath. Yay!!

Blurb:

Abby Angel may not enjoy being a law enforcement Angel for Demon Control, a branch of Angels Inc, but she excels at it. Deporting unruly demons back to Hell is her specialty. Her personal life, on the other hand, could use a little work. The virtuous and pristine genes seem to be missing in this particular Angel, getting Abigail in trouble more than she likes to admit. To date, her biggest vice has been Simeon Keller, a half demon/half human, who effortlessly managed to seduce Abigail five years ago. She’s avoided him ever since but she still can’t seem to knock the bad reputation the blunder has branded on her.

 
Now, the threat of a demon rebellion has Angels, Inc overwhelmed, and Abby must trust Simeon to help her find and deport the fiends who are attempting to destroy earth’s only salvation. Staying out of Simeon’s bed is the least of her worries as she fights for her life and the lives of all Angels and humans everywhere.

 

Excerpt:

“I’m leaving. I really shouldn’t be around you anymore.”

 

“You’re attracted to me too. Why can’t you admit it?” It wasn’t really a question though. He knew. He braced my waist and drew me toward him. “Oh, wait. I know. If you admit you desire a half-breed, then you’re somehow admitting you’re inadequate. Right?”

 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied. He couldn’t be more right.

 

“Because you believe half-breeds are inferior and not worth an Angel’s time or affection. Is that it, Abigail?”

 

His lips were so close to mine, his warm breath lingered at my nose, reminding me of the delicious taste of his mouth. I sniffed the aroma in and gulped it down. Pathetic. Really, really pathetic.

 

With whatever brain cells I had left I muttered, “I have to go. Now.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Before I knew what was happening next I was being escorted to the elevator. His hand was on my back as he gently guided me along the hardwood floor. I couldn’t hear his shoes but mine were squeaking noisily, covering the sound of Harley’s continuous keyboard tapping.

 

Such a stupid thing to concentrate on, Abby.

 

He pressed the down button and turned me by my shoulders so he could look at my face. “Be careful,” he whispered. “Peter Piper isn’t dangerous by himself but he’s idiotic enough to follow someone who is. Do you understand?”

 

“Why don’t you give me more information then?” I was surprised he’d come to that conclusion by simply looking at Piper’s file. What kind of notes did this guy take? And how could I get my hands on them?

 

“Have dinner with me tonight and we can discuss it.”

 

“I wouldn’t even if I could.”

 

“You’re working?”

 

I didn’t answer. I may have wanted to lick whipped cream off his body but I didn’t trust him to know any more about me than he already did.

 

“Lunch tomorrow, then?”

 

“Not going to happen.”

 

He drew in an annoyed breath and pulled a business card out of thin air. “Take this. Call me if you change your mind, day or night. Or if you feel like you might be attacked again.”

 

I narrowed my eyes at him. “What would you do about it?”

 

“Prevent it from happening, of course.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Viola Estrella

www.violaestrella.com

www.myspace.com/violaestrella

Categories : Viola Estrella
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Perfectly Flawed

Monday, April 6th, 2009

One thing I love about writing is creating an imperfect heroine. It never fails. Every time I sit down to dream up a character, she turns out to be a complete and utter mess.

 

I have to wonder what that says about me. Hmm…

  

In Angel Vindicated, my heroine, Abby, is an angel full of angst and regret. She’s her own worst enemy and she doesn’t deny it. I had a fun time writing her character because although she’s an angel, she never once pretends to be perfect. How boring would that be?

 

In Bewitching You, my heroine, Sofia, is an unfashionable, unemployed, slightly overweight, freckled, absent-minded psychic who dreams of a future of a man who’s engaged to someone else. Need I say more?  

 

Geez, what does this say about me?

 

I think maybe it says I enjoy seeing the underdog win every once in a while. Yeah, I think that’s it. When reading a book, I love when I can cheer on the heroine, and hope she gets that happy ending no matter how kinky her hair is or how many times she snags her hose.

 

It she’s already perfect with nothing stopping her, then where’s the conflict? If she’s handed everything on a silver platter, then how can we identify with her? It’s simple. We can’t.

 

Of course, she has to be likeable and sympathetic. Too many flaws (the wrong kind of flaws) can make her annoying, right?

 

So what do you think? Is there a fine line? How do you create your heroines? As a reader, do you enjoy reading flawed characters?

 

Viola Estrella

www.violaestrella.com

 

Angel Vindicated – Available 5/14/2009

Bewitching You – Available 10/30/2009

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