Crystal Colliers' Character Casting of Soulless

When I'm creating or writing my characters, I find it helpful (and fun!) to match their descriptions to celebrities who I consider similar. It makes for great visualization when writing scenes with dialogue or how a character might act in a certain situation. Because visualization is part of what allows a writer to put words to paper.

 

I love when an author shows us how they think of their characters, so I'm very pleased to be hosting Crystal Collier and her cast of characters from her new release, Soulless!

 

Crystal says...

 



Casting is especially difficult for me because I'm a SUPER visual person, so when I create characters, I have a VERY specific image in mind. It's almost impossible to find a match. Because of that, there are no easy-fit actors or actresses for my characters, but I've done the best I can. (Contains spoilers for those who haven't read MOONLESS. Get your copy October 13, 20, 27, 31 or November 7 for FREE.)

Kiren

(Gabriel Aubry--missing a jagged white scar down his cheek.)

Kiren is constantly working for redemption from the mistakes of his past. He carries the weight of the world and keeps everyone at a distance with the hope of protecting them. While striving to hold the Passionate together, he fights his own heart. Will he cling to the love of his existence, Alexia, or let her go to fulfill a greater destiny? (Don't get caught staring into his eyes or you may just find him reading your thoughts.)

Charles

(Jeffery Dean Morgan.)

Alexia's dad, Charles Dumont, is a country baron who has a tendency toward anger, but absolutely adores his daughter. After losing both parents, his sister, Alexia mother, and his wife, he clings to his only remaining family and is terrified to let her go. A soldier at heart, he is not afraid to fight, even the Soulless.

John

(Joe Manganiello)

John was a doctor in a small community before he was tainted by the Soulless. Since then he's been searching for a way to heal the Soulless, including himself. He and Kiren share many ideals, but stand on opposite sides of the Passionate/Soulless line. A man of integrity, he doesn't mix words, nor does he paint a prettier picture than reality. 

Edward

(A younger Paul Newman)

Edward can bend your memory faster than you can shake hands. He won't, unless ordered by Kiren because of his own mistaken past, but his gift for altering people's minds is a skill few of the Passionate possess. He's loyal to Kiren.

About SOULLESS:

The Soulless are coming.

Alexia manipulated time to save the man of her dreams, and lost her best friend to red-eyed wraiths. Still grieving, she struggles to reconcile her loss with what was gained: her impending marriage. But when her wedding is destroyed by the Soulless—who then steal the only protection her people have—she’s forced to unleash her true power.

And risk losing everything.

Book 2 in the Maiden of Time trilogy.

Meet the characters for yourselves by getting the books HERE,

or enter to win some AWESOME prizes.

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Mysteries of a Writer's Mind: Welcome M. Pax!

I'm so stoked to have M. Pax here today talking about what inspired her Rifters series. I'm always fascinated by how authors get their ideas. Check this out...

Mysteries of Oregon

Oregon is filled with mysterious landscapes. They make me wonder and spark my imagination.

What if the whole universe was on this tree?

 

What if a different world existed beyond the mist?

 

What if this mushroom grew teeth and sucked the life force out of my toes?

 

 

If the bubbles are breath, what lives under the lake?

 

Watch this video

 

What if the lava were alive?

 

 

That last question inspired a swarm of beasts in my imagination ten years ago. They made their way into The Initiate, Rifters Book 2 as the starring monster.

As fantastic as my stories can get, they’re based on real things and places around me. Oregon never fails to disappoint me. To me, it’s the most awesome place in the galaxy.

 

The Initate is now out! It picks up exactly where The Rifters left off. More monsters. More time travelers. More steampunk. More adventure.

 

A junction erupts between the worlds in Settler, Oregon, a rift from which horrors attack our world. The Rifters defend us.

To trust unquestioningly is the first lesson Daelin Long must learn as the newest Initiate of the Rifters.

Her first day is a disaster. She stands on a deserted street in a town smaller than a city district, courting killer rocks from another world with her ancestor from the Revolutionary War. Normal no longer exists.

While she struggles, Earl Blacke grapples with atoning for his past ill deeds, running far and fast from Settler, Oregon. The Shaman of the Desert promises him redemption, and an old mine puts the possibility of a gold strike in his grasp. His luck has changed for the better, but he can’t have both.

Available from: Amazon / iTunes / B&N / Googleplay / Smashwords / Other

 

What Inspires You?

 

***

 

M. Pax is author of the space adventure series The Backworlds, the urban fantasy series The Rifters, plus other novels and short stories. Fantasy, science fiction, and the weird beckons  to her, and she blames Oregon, a source of endless inspiration. She docents at Pine Mountain Observatory in the summers as a star guide, has a cat with a crush on Mr. Spock, and is slightly obsessed with Jane Austen. Learn more at mpaxauthor.com.

 

Some Secrets of Secret Keepers

First, I'm over at the awesome Shah Wharton's place today talking about the Problems with Paranormalcy. Please stop by!

 

And now...

 

RELEASE DAY SECRETS!

 

It's release day for Secret Keepers, the final novella in the Afterlife series.

 

Not only is it release day, but it's the official "cover reveal."

 

And by "cover reveal" I mean the little secret within the cover revealed...

 

First, check out the cover. It contains some of the items that appear in the book. There's the bowl with the special sachets used in a spell to cast out demons. Hazel's collection of wands that she doesn't know how to use yet. A painting of Penny, Hazel's "special" cat.

 

Then there's the jar. The jar contains smooth, black stones with names on them. These stones are charmed with a spell that allows the user to see ghosts and basically exist in their world. All you have to do is choose the stone etched with your name, kiss it and tuck it into your pocket. 

 

And voilà!

 

You're a ghost whisperer, just like Indigo Eady.

 

You can see that names are written on the stones, but the names are too small to read...

 

 

Cover designed and illustrated by Corona Zschusschen

 

 

 

 

 

But, when the jar section is blown up like this...

 

 

 

...you can see that not only do the stones have character names engraved (Simon, Badger and Hazel), but some of them contain the names of my own family members (Allan, Amber, John, Donna and Alyssa), along with my illustrator Corona, and me, of course!

 

I love knowing about the secret hidden within my Secret Keepers cover!

 

Are there any secrets in your covers?

 

 

Bonus Excerpt

 

Here's a little excerpt. To set up the scene, Indigo and Badger are making their way through the dilapidated ghost hospital. Using the stones allows Badger to go through the hospital without seeing all the cracks in the floors and the possibilities of falling five floors to his death. But did I mention that the stones only last for a couple of hours? This is what happens when the spell wears off the stones...



I shrugged my pack on and helped him with his. Once again we climbed upward. We were slowed to one step at a time, me using my shoulder to leverage under Badger’s armpit to push him up to the next step. What seemed like an hour later, we made it to the top. The fifth floor. Our last stand. The final frontier and all that.

When we stepped out into the corridor, Badger yelled, “No!” He pulled me back, but clung to the doorjamb, as if we might fall into a pit of vipers.

My brief glimpse of the corridor hadn’t revealed anything untoward. “What is it? What did you see?”

“Th-the floor,” he stuttered. “There are gaping holes. It isn’t safe.” He ran the fingers of his free hand through his hair. “I don’t know what we’re going to do. We can’t go out there.”

The corridor on the fifth floor was dark and dilapidated, true. But it was no worse than the other floors.

And then it dawned on me as I looked closer. “Badger, where are your stones?”

He eyed me strangely. “Seriously? You’re going to question my masculinity right now?”

I rolled my eyes. “The charmed stones, you dork. The ones Hazel gave you.” Seriously.

“Oh. Yeah. In my pocket.” He reached in and pulled one out, our eyes meeting as he did so. The fire-engine red blush was adorable. Kissing the stone, he rechecked the situation in the corridor, then released a held breath. “Bloody hell,” he muttered.

“Better?” I asked.

He nodded. “Although it’d be even better if I didn’t know what lie underneath. What the bloody hell is holding us up?”

“Don’t think about it.” I wrapped his arm around my neck again. “When you kiss the stone, you are no longer in our dimension. You’re in theirs. Just go with it.”

“Go with it, she says,” he muttered under his breath. “Don’t think about falling through the gaping holes to your death, she says.”

I smirked.

He cracked a smile. “Oh shut up.”



About Secret Keepers:

In Second Death, Indigo and her team of sleuths escape the clutches of underground evil.

In Ghostly Gallows, Indigo and the gang managed to dodge the falling ruins and free those spirits trapped by the evil spell that bound them to Gallowsgate Prison.

Now in Secret Keepers, even though Indigo speaks to ghosties, there is so much about the afterlife she doesn’t understand. Such as…how can spirits be sick? They’re dead, for goodness sake! But once again Indigo is forced to go where she made it a point to never go: the hospital. There, the mystery of the sick and missing spirits explodes into a frenzied battle for souls where dawn may bring life or final death.

 

About Indigo Eady:

Much to her chagrin, Indigo Eady is a celebrity among spirits. She’s the girl who can see and speak with them. She has a proven track record in helping spirits find their murderers, so it’s no surprise when she’s drafted onto the Missing Paranormal Committee. Who better to help them than the experienced teenage ghost whisperer- investigator and her friends?

 

 

Tweets if you feel like tweeting:

“When you kiss the stone, you are no longer in our dimension. You’re in theirs. Just go with it.”  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NUKXL9Y @UnRealms

"... correct me if I’m wrong, but… spirits are dead people." Secret Keepers. #Afterlife #Supernatural https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NUKXL9Y @UnRealms

"I have to admit, having friends who could float through walls came in handy." Secret Keepers. #afterlife https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NUKXL9Y @UnRealms

 Secret Keepers available now!

 

Amazon / B&N / Google Play / iTunes